It won’t surprise you to learn that I keep a file of Britishisms I encounter here in the U.S.A. Some of these make it into blogposts, but others stay in the file, because I don’t find any more of them. At this point, I think it’s time to give up hope of these one-offs catching on, so here’s what I’ve got. I’d of course be interested in any future American sightings.
Prawn (American: “shrimp.”) “A raw prawn is part of the sea; broiled, it becomes part of our art.”–Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker.
Petrol (American: “gasoline.”) From the New York Times Wirecutter section:
Litre {This one is a double Britishism, a, because Americans would normally refer to quarts or gallons, and b, because if they did use the word, they would spell it “liter.”) “… a study by the Washington Post estimates that using ChatGPT to compose a single hundred-word e-mail uses up more than half a litre of water.”–Jill Lepore, The New Yorker
And now, while I’ve got your attention, here are a couple of old-favorite, definitely not one-off Britishisms that keep extending their U.S. reach:
(Americans would traditionally say “ugly parts.” Most recent post on “bits” here.)
(I see I haven’t written on “cheeky“–other than “cheeky Nandos“–since way back in the early days of the blog. I’ve got a good bit on it in my book Gobsmacked!, though, so this might be a good time to pick up a copy. Link to your right.)
notoneoffbritishisms.com 