- Top 30 things that British people do
Top 30 things that make you British (Metro March 2019)
This episode plays on stereotypes - not all British people are like this.
Stereotype = a popular generalisation about a group of people.
- Putting ketchup on everything
- Never letting your emotions get the better of you -
To get the better of you = to strong for you to control
- Shouting wahey when someone drops a drink in the pub
- Being squashed on the train by a larger person and pretending you don’t notice when they are half sitting in your seat.
Tolerant/To tolerate = To accept something you don’t like.
- Saying ‘right’ before you’re about to do something.
- Moaning about our commute
To moan = to complain A commute = a journey you do regularly, usually to and from work/school
Elders - people older than you / Elderly (adj) A polite way to say ‘old’
- Wearing shorts and sunglasses the second the sun comes out
- Holding the door open for someone when they’re unnecessarily far away so they end up running for the door
- Having a barbecue as soon as the sun comes out
- Having meals based on what day it is – like Fishy Friday - a Sunday roast
- Not complaining in a restaurant when the food is bad
(an example of being tolerant)
- Pulling together in a crisis
To pull together = To cooperate with people/to work together to solve a problem.
- Being proud of where you are from
A fry up - a meal with fried food: sausages, egg, bacon, tomato, baked beans, toast
Sarcastic (adj) = saying the opposite of what you mean to be funny, or to criticise.
Manners = doing polite socially acceptable things. Eg saying please and thank you.
- Having a dry sense of humour
The joke is not always obvious, perhaps said in a normal or serious tone of voice. Sometime plays on misleading or unexpected details. (what are you doing in my house? Turned off the lights jokes).
Not expressing emotion / hiding your emotions
To dunk = to dip = to put something into liquid, and pull it out again quickly.
- Saying please and thank you
- Saying ‘sorry’ too frequently
Kettle = a machine to boil water
To put the kettle on (a collocation)
- Having a roast dinner on Sundays
(not queue jumping or cutting in line)
- Talking about the weather
Generational differences were also found:
42% of older people considered it British to be proud of where you’re from
19% of younger adults agreed
13% said they weren’t proud to be British at all
Shereen from An English Nerd - Living in Manchester
To accept something which you don’t like.
To not complain about something which is unpleasant. Or someone who is unpleasant.
Eg: I put up with some of the TV shows my wife suggests we watch together.
Chien likes British weather.
Q: Does she prefer summer or winter?
She can enjoy the day and enjoy the sunshine, and it’s pretty nice here
Temperature pronunciation
The temperature is - pleasant, just right, warm,
