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Weird Americanisms (UK vs USA thread)

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Heres a thing most people overlook, but I notice it a lot being English in America: Clothing with place names.

It seems EVERYONE here at University owns at least 5 different items of clothes with a big place name across the front, be it from my current Uni, their old high school or just some place they visit a lot.

It's very odd.

Oh, yeah, this is fairly common. Usually it's the school someone goes to or a city they've visited. It probably doesn't seem weird to me that people have this kind of pride in where they go because the general 'American pride' thing is so pervasive as well. Might as well just be proud of everything else too, I guess!
 
uk is so far ahead at this point, i almost feel bad bringing up your whole issue with basic mathematical sequences when it comes to dates.
 
As an American, I'll readily accept that metric is superior. Except when it comes to temperature. It might make sense for freezing to be zero and boiling to be 100, but when metric users talk about the weather and say "it's in the 30s" that's a fucking huge range of temperatures. It's far too broad.
When did you hear a celsius user say "in the 30s" when referring to the weather?
 
As an American, I'll readily accept that metric is superior. Except when it comes to temperature. It might make sense for freezing to be zero and boiling to be 100, but when metric users talk about the weather and say "it's in the 30s" that's a fucking huge range of temperatures. It's far too broad.

Negative.
Celcius weather is easy to understand. 20-29 is cool to comfortable. 30-39 is warm to hot. 40+ is "fuck this shit, I'm taking a day off work".
 
Heres a thing most people overlook, but I notice it a lot being English in America: Clothing with place names.

It seems EVERYONE here at University owns at least 5 different items of clothes with a big place name across the front, be it from my current Uni, their old high school or just some place they visit a lot.

It's very odd.

So if you went to say Japan, and went to buy a souvenir, you wouldn't buy a shirt with "Tokyo,Japan" written on it or something? How would that be odd? It is literally just text.
 
As an American, I'll readily accept that metric is superior. Except when it comes to temperature. It might make sense for freezing to be zero and boiling to be 100, but when metric users talk about the weather and say "it's in the 30s" that's a fucking huge range of temperatures. It's far too broad.

+-5C you can never tell the difference anyway
 
I love how so many British people bitch about us using the imperial system when you guys often use it for distance/speed as well. Top Gear anyone? We use metric where it matters, such as in engineering.

As for clapping in the theatre, it's a display of satisfaction if the movie is really good. Doesn't matter if the actors/directors are there.

Lol at electric kettles. A microwave heats up water just as easily. Why waste money/counter space when we have something that can already heat up water?

We don't tip every service. There are certain services you tip because the people working those jobs make very little money, so it's the kind thing to do. Especially in a restaurant (though usually not fast food since they're not actually waiting your table). It's annoying when people come here without doing their research on tipping as they come off as a-holes in some situations. I've noticed this a lot with people from Spain for some reason. Different cultures I guess.

I don't care about any of the "different" things British people do. Y'all are our bros across the ocean. Our closest allies who we'd always protect. It always seems to be the other way around when it comes to commenting on the "isms." Why do you guys care so much about how we do menial things like heat up water? >_<
 
the other day at iron man me and the people i went to the movie with were waiting through the credits to see the scene at the end. half the people left but we were just bullshitting after a couple of minutes. as i participated in banter i wondered if the people around us were judging us, or if they were getting annoyed. this story has no resolution but i did make a joan rivers mk joke.
 
Our house does have a carpeted bathroom (along with a carpeted garage). We consider them to be idiotic design choices.

Okay guys. Us Americans have won. I can't even imagine someone having a carpeted garage lol. What in the fuck?

Regular garages already smell kinda bad from the fluids on the concrete but with carpet. Dear god the smells..
 
Negative.
Celcius weather is easy to understand. 20-29 is cool to comfortable. 30-39 is warm to hot. 40+ is "fuck this shit, I'm taking a day off work".

Agreed. When I hear Americans say it was hot out and that it's 115F all I can think is, why aren't you dead then?

Celsius makes sense to me. Freezing is 0C and boiling is 100C. Just by knowing those two numbers you can already make judgement on what is a good temp.
 
As for clapping in the theatre, it's a display of satisfaction if the movie is really good. Doesn't matter if the actors/directors are there.
I live in central IL and I have never seen this in my life, even the couple times I saw movies in Chicago and St Louis theaters.

Edit: Or in Charlotte, NC or St Cloud, MN
 
The people in the applause thread sounded like insufferable, pretentious twats.
"Oh darling, some Americans are clapping and enjoying the movie, how uncouth"

and you sir sound like a boorish, anti-intellectual hillbilly. Whilst in public it would benefit all of us if you would kindly restrain your emotions*.




*Sponsored by the Foundation for Common British Decency & Tea in a Pot
 
boiling up water in the microwave. weird...
I use an electric kettle. i guess you guys don't have thoes there?

Obviously the weirdest americanism is them still using the imperial system. metric just makes sense. everything has 1000x unit increments.

1000 millimeters = 1 meter.
1000 meters = 1 kilometer.

makes so much sense.... as apposed to the nonsense the americans have.

We use US standard units not imperial. There are a few differences.

Negative.
Celcius weather is easy to understand. 20-29 is cool to comfortable. 30-39 is warm to hot. 40+ is "fuck this shit, I'm taking a day off work".

Fahrenheit is better. 20 sounds like a low number so that equals cold. 80 is a high number so it sounds hot. No matter what system you use 100 degrees sounds excruciatingly hot.
 
The whole taking a shit standing up thing - more common in the US or the UK?

That will settle the entire debate, unambiguously.
 
I live in central IL and I have never seen this in my life, even the couple times I saw movies in Chicago and St Louis theaters.

Probably because Illinois is cold and depressing. That's like expecting someone from Seattle to crack a smile. Doesn't happen.
 
....I have no idea what "upper 70s" means.

How do weather maps color code temperatures?

In the US it's pretty consistently:
Yellow=60s (temperate)
Light orange=70s(room temperature)
Orange = 80s (warm)
Orange/red = 90s (hot)
Deep red = 100s (fucking hot)
Pink = 110 (omfg hot)

We have it ingrained into our heads what these numbers mean. Do you hall have weather maps with 5 degree bands?
 
So if you went to say Japan, and went to buy a souvenir, you wouldn't buy a shirt with "Tokyo,Japan" written on it or something? How would that be odd? It is literally just text.

How is that even similar? If you are American, does a 'Maple Grove, Minnesota' or 'Mason City, Iowa' pair of sweatpants strike you as a fantastic souvenir? On any given day at least 50% of the people at University here are wearing at least one piece of over-priced school branded piece of clothing from the bookstore.
 
It means warm. 80s is getting up there. 90s is fucking hot. Past 100 is kill yourself. It makes way more sense than OMG IT'S 37!

it doesn't make any way more sense at all. You are used to the system you are used to and I am used to the system I am used to.

It's still a lot more vague when you say "upper 20s" than when I say "upper 70s".

nobody (that I know) says that. But were they to, upper 20's would be a nice sunny day. There, it's not that hard.

I love how so many British people bitch about us using the imperial system when you guys often use it for distance/speed as well.

Which is why Australia is awesome. Imperial measurements only exist as conversion tables for foreign printed materials. Shouldn't you guys be using the Republican or Democratic system anyway? Imperial sounds so .. well, British.
 
How is that even similar? If you are American, does a 'Maple Grove, Minnesota' or 'Mason City, Iowa' pair of sweatpants strike you as a fantastic souvenir? On any given day at least 50% of the people at University here are wearing at least one piece of over-priced school branded piece of clothing from the bookstore.

It is the exact same thing. Both are places, who cares if one is more famous or fantastic than the other? It is the same principle.
 
Fahrenheit has way more granularity, making it far superior for communicating weather/temperature outside.

Also, from what I hear, in the UK they charge you for condiments at restaurants. What the fuck, UK?
 
It means warm. 80s is getting up there. 90s is fucking hot. Past 100 is kill yourself. It makes way more sense than OMG IT'S 37!

not really. whatever people have grown up with makes more sense to people.

I myself never actually know what the temperature is besides it being Freezing/Cold/Normal/Hot/Boiling

which you could split up into
0-10 = freezing
10-20 = cold
20-30 = normal
30+ = hot


or more often than not in NZ: Sunny, Cloudy or Raining
 
As an example, your "20-29" or "cool to comfortable" ranges from 68 (fairly chilly) to 85 (fairly hot) in Fahrenheit. It just seems like a very broad range to me.

I laugh heartily at 68 being "fairly chilly". That's tshirt and short weather round these parts (Maine)!
 
Peanut butter and 'jelly' always confused me as a kid. We call it 'jam'. Jelly is a dessert that wobbles and is kinda fun to eat.

Sloppy joes.. Is that just beef mince on a roll? Sounds gross, but looks delicious

Maybe I've been watching too much curb your enthusiasm, but are people in the USA usually rude to service staff?

I was eating a meal with an American guy in rural Thailand and he made a massive scene because his rice was too cold. He was absolutely horrified - mouth agape. Stood up. Threw his napkin onto the table etc.. It was fucking embarrassing. The restaurant staff had no idea what to do and probably spat in his food.

Another American guy I used to work with in Taiwan had a huge meltdown in a 7/11 because the ATM displayed his account balance on the screen. He was almost frothing at the mouth.. Demanding an explanation from the poor underpaid checkout girl. Umm.. Dude, she doesn't speak English, doesn't give a shit and you are scaring her.

I've yet to meet an American that I get on well with. There's just something cocky and patronising about the ones I've met. Brits on the other hand usually know how to laugh at themselves, and seem more laid back.

Therefore: +15 pts for old blighty
 
As an example, your "20-29" or "cool to comfortable" ranges from 68 (fairly chilly) to 85 (fairly hot) in Fahrenheit. It just seems like a very broad range to me.
20 is perfect weather but 29 is pretty hot. 25 is warm. Anyway no one says "in the 20s" unless they live somewhere where it gets to the 50s where difference between 20 and 29 would be pretty negligible. Use "low 20s", "mid 20s" or "high 20s".
 
As an example, your "20-29" or "cool to comfortable" ranges from 68 (somewhat chilly) to 85 (fairly hot) in Fahrenheit. It just seems like a very broad range to me.

in what part of the world is 20C 'somewhat chilly'. Everything above 14C is t-shirt and shorts weather
 
Probably because Illinois is cold and depressing. That's like expecting someone from Seattle to crack a smile. Doesn't happen.
Nah, it's fucking cold half the time and fucking hot the other half. Spring and Autumn last like 3 weeks each and are rather schizophrenic about the "transition" of the weather.

in what part of the world is 20C 'somewhat chilly'. Everything above 13C is t-shirt and shorts weather
lol probably some wuss from socal paradise weather
 
Peanut butter and 'jelly' always confused me as a kid. We call it 'jam'. Jelly is a dessert that wobbles and is kinda fun to eat.

It's my understanding that "jam" has bits of fruit in it, and jelly does not. Also, that dessert you describe is called gelatin, or in case of the most popular brand, Jell-O.

Which reminds me: http://blip.tv/mikejtv/english-to-american-music-video-5263214

By the way, do you prefer to be called "British" or "English".
 
A spin off from the cinema thread. It seems to me that there are a ton of crazy/weird things our friends across the ocean are doing, such as:

Boiling water in the microwave
Tipping everyone for any service
Shouting, applauding, and hollering in the theatre

Aside from them mixing up biscuits with whatever, can you guys think of any other weird Americanisms?

You mustn't know many Americans.
 
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