Millhouse

British culture can be summarised as 'moaning about the weather, tax and the destruction of British culture'

Norm_uk

True...you could also include automatically knowing how to stand in a queue and the concept of fair play as well.

Understatement is a huge part of British culture and confounds foreigners far more than we think it does.

N.

typical

Ha, so true.

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3154

Meow

Not seen that before. It's excellent.

One of my favourites has always been the phrase 'with the greatest respect' which we all know really means 'I have no respect for you at all and am about to insult you and call you an ignorant fool'.

Madam Medusa

hahaha, it reminds me of the letters government ministers send in reply to nutters, saying... "thank you for your letter of 12 july, the contents of which i have noted with interest"...!

MM, xx

Millhouse

Excellent. I used to work with a guy who used to read from the middle column to avoid such misunderstandings. Bit of a shock at first, but once you got used to it you always knew where you stood.

Norm_uk

How to tell you are British:

• You stand in line or queue without trying to push in front of people and you avoid standing too close to them.
• You will stop at a red light even in the middle of the desert at night with no cars or camera's around.
• Only recovering alcoholics, drivers or people with medical conditions have an excuse for not drinking. You'll even drink at lunchtime before going back to work and think nothing of it.
• Generally speaking you'd rather be right than liked.
• You're likely to have stronger loyalty/loathing and opinion of comedy and TV shows like Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, The Office, Only Fools and Horses, Big Brother, Eastenders etc. than you do about religion in most cases.
• You count yourself lucky if you have five weeks of holidays a year.
• You expect trains to run faster than cars but also expect them to rarely be on time.
• You're highly likely to find the French annoying, especially if English. They are the de facto tribal enemy, even more so that Germans...whom you may grudgingly admit were a worthy adversary and have rather good beer.
• Dates are read day, month and year.
• You expect marriage to be for love, and generally not arranged by parents or other family members. Although introductions might be acceptable in a broader social context provided it's discreet.
• If you're a woman you might go topless at the beach. Also, in most aspects of life don't expect to be treated differently because of your gender.
• You seriously expect to conduct business or deal with officials without paying bribes.
• You expect to be able to cross the street at any pedestrian crossing without fear.
• When you enter a taxi you expect to give them a street name and perhaps a reference to a nearby street or area and arrive there without any further discussion.
• Raising your voice is generally vulgar except at sports games or perhaps when drinking in your local pub.
• How you say something is often as important as what you say - sometimes more so.
• Pants are something to be worn under trousers; suspenders keep up stockings and maintaining constant eye contact isn’t very important during Bacon is always made from pork and shouldn't be too crispy, proper beer is served at cellar temperature and you probably have more double meanings and indirect ways of saying something than most traditional East Asian people.

Any more we can add to this list of uniquely British things?

N.

Millhouse

You have Marmite in the cupboard whether you like it or not.

UKCityGent

Anyone remember a TV program on LTW (i think) called "Mind your language" ??

Meow

• You have the inate ability to make a proper cup of tea
• You make a dozen immediate assumptions about another Brit the second they open their mouth, but aren't bothered about it all if they turn out to be a decent chap
• When you smile you mean it
• You know the importance of weather
• Tea and biscuits can replace a meal
• You offer the cheeseboard after pudding/dessert

Charismatic

So thats why no one ever smiles .

• Bringing a jacket or umbrella along even if it wasn’t raining because the weather makes everyone a pessimist.
• Ignoring drunken idiots trying to start fights while you were walking home from the pub.
• Cliquey groups of people.

Bahtatboy

 Your parents are racist, and the older they get the more they want people to know that they are.
 As a child you always had turkey for Christmas lunch.
 Today's date is written 12th July 2011 but those numbers and word when spoken are "the 12th of July 2011"
 You wash your own car (or at least would like to).
 You're still a bit hesitant about having full-on, sweaty sex in the middle of the afternoon.

OleJanx

Saying "mustn't grumble" about anything which upsets everyday normality, notwithstanding the fact that Brits in general like a good moan about everything and anything.

Being reserved to the point of repression, the only sign of some inner anger being a vicious "Tut!" of contempt.

Never being foreign, no matter where we are.

Dealing with lifes calamities with "a nice cup of tea" when half a pint of scotch is what we would prefer.

A cynical sense of humour loaded with double meanings.

Being able to laugh at ourselves, but not letting anyone else do so.

Hello.Kitty

- having a slight nervous twitch when someone says "one time", "two times", "one P" or "two p"... but of course, you'd never say anything. That would be impolite!

Paracletus

Moaning about the weather whilst standing in a good wholesome que, yes please.

Self deprication, oh yes!