What The British Say And What They Mean - Neatorama

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I checked the office twice, no one here is British so I can't confirm exactly how accurate this is. That being said, I am picturing all my favorite English movies and characters and it plays out pretty well. Like Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead or Stanley Kubrick from A Clockwork Orange or even Harry Potter from.. well you know. I don't know about you guys but I read this out loud (without thinking) and in my best British accent. My favorite line is probably "could we consider some other options."

Any English followers out there that can confirm this guide?

As a Brit I can confirm the accuracy. I'd even go as far as to say it's not bad and I'll bear it in mind. ;-)

Re: Our current royal situation- Yes, she's in hospital, but don't worry - it's just an in-growing heir. :-) :-)

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An Australian version of this is needed including "Your Shout", "Yer nar" and the reversal of "Mate' and "Cu#t".

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I'm British and I say most of this list is utter bollocks. What I mean is, most of this list is utter bollocks. What others should undertand is, most of this list is utter bollocks.

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It's usually best if people just say what they mean.

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Yes, this list is fairly accurate - the tone of voice is the important thing, British people use a sort of dry, understated humour in, uh, well, most conversations really. If the tone of voice sounds ever so slightly like it might be being said by Batman's Butler Alfred, it will usually mean the opposite of the literal meaning. Having lived with Americans, I always found this was the thing that perplexed them, not the superficial linguistics differences (pants vs trousers, lift vs elevator, etc).

For an excellent guide on this kind of thing, have a leaf through Kate Fox's book 'Watching The English' - it's readable anthropology - not bad at all!

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Yeah, I would say the first two columns are accurate... the third worries me slightly. I may have to re-evaluate how I speak to some people

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