From 'Gobsmacked' to 'Ginger': The British Invasion of American English, with Ben Yagoda. GG 1017

[@NimmoJamie]

Several years ago I was working in the Middle East and a lady came into the office, which caused consternation among the all-male staff. As the only person in the building least likely to get into trouble for speaking to an unaccompanied woman, I was asked to talk to her to find out what she wanted. She taught English (her English wasn't great) and she wondered if anyone needed lessons. I explained that to work for this particular company, one had to be a fluent English speaker. She responded that my English wasn't good and that I needed help. Although I am rather proud of my posh, RP English, I resisted telling her that I would be considered "well-spoken" back home in the UK. The crowd of intrigued onlookers started sniggering when I told her that I was English. She snapped back, rather aggressively, "Don't be ridiculous! How can you be a language?!" I let that go and terminated the interview, trying hard not to join in the mirth.

[@roderickjoyce6716]

I was told by a succession of French teachers that I had no aptitude for languages. Some time later, after working in Germany and Italy, I became an English-German and English-Italian interpreter. I still can't speak French, and I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to speak German or Italian if my school had tried to teach me either language...

[@Lucia-1414]

How hilarious!

[@minhearg8331]

There are the occasional mistranslations. Americans often say, "I'm pissed," to mean they're annoyed about something, whereas in Britain, they would say, "I'm pissed off." To say, "I'm pissed," in Britain, means I've drunk too much alcohol.

[@joadbreslin5819]

Americans also say "pissed off". In the US, both variations are common, and both mean the same thing.

[@robashton144]

@@joadbreslin5819But ‘pissed’ doesn’t also mean drink in AmEng, right? Yet it’s the only meaning in BrEng.

[@Guitiger]

@@robashton144 well that just PISSES ME OFF! :) Nope, it doesn’t mean ‘drink’ in US. It commonly means ‘angry’ and ‘annoyed’. Also some say “ticked off”.

[@secretarchivesofthevatican]

"Gone missing" goes back way further than the early 2000s here in the UK I've heard it all my life and I'm in my 60s.

[@alicemilne1444]

@@secretarchivesofthevatican I suspect it is WW1 jargon deriving from missing in action.

[@thisandthat418]

Yep, me too.

[@erichamilton3373]

I've also heard gone missing all my life and it seems very "un-new"...I was born 1966 in California

[@ianmacdonald9635]

Queue is replacing “lineup” here in North America.

[@philipm06]

And "Gone fishing" goes back to Bing Crosby.

[@ianpunter4486]

It worried me 50 or so years ago, when I frequently flew on domestic US airlines, that there would be an announcement that we would be 'landing momentarily'. Only landing 'for a moment'!

[@bryansmith1920]

25:20 as a 70yr old Brit, period has two meanings, A span of time, or a span of time a husband suffers, Nuff said

[@nathenialsplaceofficial]

Cheeky! 😂

[@vanburger]

An Americanism that really grinds my gears is Acclimated where did that come from? Acclimatised is the word used in the UK, but I heard a newsreader say it in the American vernacular just recently.

[@marksandsmith6778]

Nightmare 😢

[@jerrytracey6602]

Acclimated probably came from Noah Webster trying to shorten, rationalise and standardise words in his dictionary. Sometimes he overdid his revolutionary zeal!

[@howardchambers9679]

Gotten. Grrr

[@nikbeard3636]

@@howardchambers9679 We did use 'gotten' over here in Blightly for centuries. We eventually deprecated it in favour of 'got'. That means it's not an Americanism as we started it first :)

[@howardchambers9679]

@@nikbeard3636 so i can't object to it? It grates

[@claymor8241]

Roy Hattersley putting ‘gobsmacked’ in quotes in 1980 is not because it would have been a rare word to most but rather acknowledges that, as slang, deploying it in his parliamentarian sphere it had to be flagged up, especially back then. Maybe like a US statesman saying ‘hornswoggled’.

[@memkiii]

Yes. Hansard (The official records of Parliamentary debates etc) Has a habit of "translating" phrases. Roy being a very clever chap knew this, so no doubt used that language so his speech would not be mangled in the record.

[@jsmith498]

I should read that book, but I can't be arsed.

[@daigreatcoat44]

This reminds me of a lecturer on AIDS, many years ago, who observed that the disease was beginning to bottom out.

[@davidcole8268]

I’d take issue with Yagoda’s contention in The Guardian this week that it is only Americans who use ‘clever’ to describe something good or worthwhile rather than intelligent. My British parents who were born in the early 20th century would routinely say things like ‘I don’t feel too clever today’ (I haven’t recovered fully yet), or ‘he’s not too clever on his legs’ (he can’t walk very well).

[@joadbreslin5819]

I'm an American, and don't recall ever hearing that usage. I'm happy to yield the credit for that to the Brits.

[@rogernichols1124]

My first visit to the USA made me wary of speaking, starting with asking a group of people outside Planet Hollywood, "Excuse me, do I have to queue?" instead of "Pardon me, do I have to stand online?" (I think). In Charlotte, someone complimented me on my new pair of jeans and asked where I'd bought them, to which I said, "I bought them in a retail outlet. They were cheaper than I could buy back home in the high street" "High street? What's that?" Regrettably. I still can't remember the American equivalent for what I said. In short, we Brits have to be aware of these usage differences: tap (faucet), flat (apartment), fag (cigarette), fender (bumper), lift (elevator), tube (subway), banger (sausage), minging (gross), pants (rubbish), trash (rubbish), loo (WC), toilet (bathroom) etc etc. Vive la differences- as the English say (in French! 😮)

[@gavinreid2741]

Difference I notice is that Americans don't seem to use the word 'alternative ', they tend to say 'alternate' which has a different meaning in English.

[@kevins2961]

And the British misuse alternative all the time, Alternative is a choice between two things. But it is used for multi options

[@gavinreid2741]

@@kevins2961 we have the strict use and an acceptable common use.

[@kevins2961]

@@gavinreid2741 Acceptable to whom? You mean the correct use and the misinformed uneducated wrong use? Language evolves, words change their meanings all the time, I do get it, but somethings just grate. People who think infer and imply mean the same thing and are interchangeable for instance.

[@gavinreid2741]

@@kevins2961 theEnglish dictionary has both. Is the word "alternative " in American English dictionaries?

[@kevins2961]

@@gavinreid2741 No idea, is there such a thing as an American/English Dictionary? I used a French/English dictionary at school but have never heard of an American/English dictionary!

[@hadz8671]

I am a Brit and when I told my American colleague that I was going on "two weeks' vacation" he replied "enjoy your fortnight's holiday."

[@Anthem_79]

What's wrong with that? We use fortnight

[@rickb.4168]

Well done him.

[@gogs8166]

@@Anthem_79 Illustrating the point very nicely. I worked for an American company in the early 2000s. Fortnight was not something that they understood at all (I was mostly working with guys who would now be in their 60s or 70s), but it is kind of useful and so has slipped into American usage

[@acommentator4452]

@@Anthem_79 i think the point he is making is that he made the effort to translate and speak to them in american, and they showed their superior grasp of both american and british terms by answering him in british.

[@acommentator4452]

it seems a bit strange to me what the professor said about going on holiday sounding a bit pretentious. to uk ears the word vacation sounds a bit posh, as it has a latinate root. so eg, most really rude swear words are anglo-saxon origin words, for things that have a more precise or scientific name from latin or greek origin. presumably this is because the norman invaders, ie the new ruling elite used their french for law etc and to subdue the natives. so the peasants still spoke anglo-saxon, whereas the elite and those who had connections made sure their children learned the new rulers' lingo.

[@thesedreamsarefree]

Gobsmacked has been in usage throughout communities in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire coalfield for as long as I can remember.

[@StonefieldJim4]

.. and for a lot longer than you can remember!

[@jemmajames6719]

I’m in my late fifties and always known it.

[@jemmajames6719]

Gone missing, Australian? I doubt it what you have to realise in the UK especially where I live in Yorkshire the accent and dialect can change every 10 miles or so, although we have a crossover of our dialects and unfortunately since I was young my generation stopped using many. In the UK a phrase like gone missing is very common as I have said many we have many accents and dialects within a region but we missed words out chop them up but them together again that to outsiders seem grammatically incorrect.

[@jerribee1]

That's exclamation "mark", by tbe way.

[@foobar476]

What a pointless correction. In more ways than one.

[@jerribee1]

​@@foobar476 If it's a correction, it isn't pointless.

[@foobar476]

@@jerribee1 Perhaps I should have written "correction". My point being, it's not that one is right and the other wrong. Just different.

[@acommentator4452]

exactly what i said at the end !

[@davidberesford7009]

@@foobar476 tee hee!

[@kevins2961]

Really interesting, as a Brit I would have sworn that 'brunch' was an American word!

[@oopsdidItypethatoutloud]

No. That's just slang for knob 😂

[@RoganBryan]

Ha ha ! I was once called “A bunch of shit” by an American tourist in London who was unimpressed with the speed of serving him. It made me laugh out loud , especially as it was yelled in rage and accompanied by bulging eyes. American tourists are often lovely people, but some can be very demanding.

[@kevins2961]

@@RoganBryan What has that got to do with brunch?

[@stephenburwood2615]

Hattersley’s coy reference to ‘gobsmacked’ didn’t necessarily indicate audience unfamiliarity so much as inappropriate colloquialism in that context.

[@acommentator4452]

yes.

[@brian_jackson]

Yes, it stood out as using a very informal term in a very formal setting, thus acquiring attention and humour. It worked. It was obviously in use way before that but no-one has found a record of it. The other great thing about the term is it needs no explanation it you know what gob means.

[@memkiii]

@@brian_jackson I assume you meant "(if) you know what gob means".

[@bluemoon5662]

My bugbear is the fairly recent American habit of dropping the "ly" from words which should be an adverb. For instance, "he doesn't take me serious" instead of "he doesn't take me seriously". I have just recently noticed young British people starting to do this as well, and I can only think it is because of the use of the internet where we are listening to our speech differences almost every day.

[@CanWeNotKnockIt]

British people have been doing that for decades. I don't know where it originated from but it annoys me too.😀

[@joadbreslin5819]

I'm an American, and I don't like it either. It sounds uneducated.

[@ajs41]

@@CanWeNotKnockIt I think it's always been a cockney thing to drop the "ly".

[@petermsiegel573]

I learned "gobsmacked" first in Northern California from a Canadian originally from Western Canada. She told me it was very common in British Columbia and as far as she knew, her family had "always" used it. I have certainly heard other words first from Canadians that later are described (perhaps correctly or originally) as Britishisms. Methinks this aspect of word adoption ought not be overlooked.

[@RollaArtis]

In the UK, 'One off' is an engineering term which relates to the production (or not) of identical components. Surprising that it seems to have only recently appeared in the US. Also, King Charles II's opinion of Wren's proposed St Paul's cathedral was that it was 'Awful' ie Awe-full. So 'Awfully good' means what it says.

[@joadbreslin5819]

It's not the case that Americans had no way of describing such a thing until they learned the British term. It is just that "one-off" is concise and clean, so it caught on. In the past, a term such as "custom made" could have been used.

[@davidconnor2458]

A very interesting discussion, on a fascinating subject. Thank you. Growing up here in the UK in the 70s and 80s, with American TV as prominent as homegrown shows, many differences between British and American English became apparent. Two that resonated with me were "automobile" and "refrigerator", which appeared to be the default US ways of saying "car" and "fridge". So when I lived in the US for a year in the mid-90s, it was a surprise to find everyone using "car" and "fridge" too. Had I been mistaken originally, or had British English words supplanted the American English ones? You're right about "chips" being the preferred word over here, with "fries" being considered an annoying and intrusive Americanism. The origin of that is easy to trace - it comes from McDonald's, who opened their first UK branch in 1974 and have always called them fries here. I note that the US is happy to use the phrase "fish & chips" to describe our signature dish, though - has that always been the case, or is that a recent development? One subtle difference I like involves the word "Lego". In American English, you can step on "a Lego". That sounds very wrong to British ears, where the correct usage would be to step on "a piece of Lego".

[@BillMilburn]

I think French Fries is badly constructed also. I was told that in WWII The American soldiers were in Belgium and were fed the local delicacy (Fries/Chips). It now appears they actually thought they were in France = French Fries. Well it's all Bunkum, Who cares

'Automobile' is now almost always shortened to 'Auto'.

[@alansmith8195]

Another backwards & forwards word is 'muffin'... As an English man, muffins were some sort of bead roll/bun from ye olden days (popular in the old song 'here comes the muffin man').... I certainly wasn't aware of being able to go anywhere in Britain to buy one. Then, in maybe the 80', American fast food arrived in a big way, and I could suddenly buy an English muffin. I wonder if the use of 'English muffin' harks back to the colonial days?

[@capitalb5889]

The use of Lego as a countable and uncountable noun is really interesting.

[@101steel4]

Legos 😬

[@SB-sj4uz]

The term "gob" refers to your mouth. A Yorkshire term used often is "shut your gob" or "stop gobbing off"

[@glynnwadeson5605]

Don’t forget ‘gobbing’ also means expectorating/spitting phlegm. Was something audiences did on punk bands at those early punk pub gigs.

[@jools2323]

I love "It's gone pear-shaped", meaning it's gone wrong.

[@wayneclark2823]

I'm glad he mentioned 'can I get a coffee' early on as it really grates with me for two reasons; you physically can get a coffee but if you want one you should say 'may I have a coffee' and don't forget to add please. I'm really amazed that bollocks hasn't caught on; 'that's a load of bollocks' and he's 'talking bollocks' amongst other uses. 'Very unique' is another one that rubs me up the wrong way.

[@capitalb5889]

In British English you would say "can I have" rather than "may I have" unless it was in a very formal setting, but even rarely the. "May I have" sounds a bit affected and twee to the British ear.

[@wayneclark2823]

@@capitalb5889 I'm a 72 yo English man and "May I have is correct". If you say "Can I have" then you could but you still haven't asked for anything e.g. Can I have a coffee, well yes you can have one but do you want one?

[@capitalb5889]

@@wayneclark2823 this sounds like a schoolroom myth along with split infinitives being incorrect. Both are correct to ask for something in the UK, but are separated only by their level of politeness or formality. The word "can" has many more usages in the English language than simply capability. To quote from a proofreading site: 'Understanding the differences between “Can I” and “May I” is crucial for effective communication, especially when asking for permission. “May I” is the go-to phrase for formal, polite requests, suitable for professional and respectful contexts. “Can I,” while still correct, is more casual and used in everyday, informal situations.'

[@wayneclark2823]

@@capitalb5889 Ok, can I surender?

[@capitalb5889]

@@wayneclark2823 you'll have to spell 'surrender' correctly first - that's the first rule of pedantry. 😉

[@High_Lord_Of_Terra]

Oh and look up Paul Whitehouse Brilliant. It was a skit on a sketch show in the late 80s. He got kids saying the word every 3 seconds. Brilliant!

[@philipellis7039]

The Fast Show had a cult following in the USA (Johnny Depp appearing as a guest star for example) so Brilliant was known to some from that and the show predates Harry Potter.

[@High_Lord_Of_Terra]

@@philipellis7039 that's great to know!

[@stonkr]

Chips are chunky, fries are thin. Biscuits are hard. Cookies are soft & chewy, sometimes with chunks of chocolate or dried fruit. Scones are thick baked jobbies that we have with jam & cream, sometimes containing fruit or cheese.

Crisps are crisp.

[@KenFullman]

English has always expanded it's vocabulary by taking foreign words to mean something slightly different to our current ones. Such as Beef and Cow or Skin and Hide. Seems we're now importing Americanisms with the same philosophy. Hence giving rise to the examples you mentioned.

[@NotYourKindOfPeople-z6m]

Go up to Scotland and tell them you'd love 'a baked jobbie and cream'.....

[@stonkr]

@@KenFullman Agreed. British English has always moved forward and has oft left other versions behind.

[@stonkr]

@@NotYourKindOfPeople-z6m Always game for the new. Do I need tissues or something more substantial?

[@illinoisan]

One of my favorite British expressions is, “That’s as may be.” Another is “to pop ones clogs,” which is a euphemism for dying. I believe it translates to pawn ones work shoes. “Kit was in good nick” is another one that comes to mind, meaning equipment was in good condition. This why I’m an Anglophile. I wish I could adopt British English without disapprobation from my peers.

How about "It's bang on" meaning it's perfect. Many English expressions are very regional, they are used in some parts of the UK but not others.

[@plantagenant]

"That's as may be" is the sort of coded English which sounds like an expression of polite disagreement but really signals "I'm losing my patience with you and if you carry on like this you'll get a punch on the hooter!." ( that's a nose by the way!).

[@mongolmcphee7791]

Agreed. It's a quietly aggressive "No"

[@DavidSmith-vx7rl]

I’m a Brit. Really interesting video, thanks. You talked about the NY Times. The stats say that the BBC website is the most visited news website in the world. Do many Americans look at the BBC and might that also be a reason British English phrases are having an influence.

[@joadbreslin5819]

Yes, and yes. But I suspect the popularity of British television shows in the US plays a bigger role.

[@alicemilne1444]

8:10 Gobsmacked is not a Yorkshire word. The word "gob" comes from the Gaelic for beak, so it is of Scottish and Irish origin. It was used as slang for the mouth in Scotland for centuries and travelled south to northern England. Irish workers also brought it to Liverpool. Gobsmacked has been used in Scotland for decades longer than the 1980s. 10:50 "Gone missing" is not late 20th century. It's been in use far longer than that. The mistake made here is to think that first mentions in print show when a term came into existence. They were usually around for decades before then.

[@SB-sj4uz]

The word gob was used in Yorkshire long before the 80's. I'm not sure the Scots can lay claim to it but obviously it is used north of the border as it is in the north of England.

[@plantagenant]

@@SB-sj4uz Gob meaning "mouth "was used in the midlands and south of England way back in the 60s when I was a kid. "Gob-stoppers" were large round sweets common back then,...don't know how available they are now.

[@SB-sj4uz]

@@plantagenant definitely a well used English term. I'm sure gob stoppers are available but probably named differently 😂

Good points.

[@forsakingfear3652]

It's actually from middle English and actually means mouth "gobbe". So unfortunately there is no claim there for you.

[@Juno2381]

It’s just English here in Britain!

English is heard less and less in many places, like London, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester etc.

[@Kaiserbill99]

Not sure why that is relevant to the original comment.

[@jordizee]

​@@Kaiserbill99how is it not relevant?

[@Kaiserbill99]

@@jordizee Because the piece is about the differences between English (British) and American English not a discussion on late 20th century early 21st century UK migration policy and its effect on the use of English.

[@101steel4]

Same in the US. Spanish is spoken by many.

[@mskatonic7240]

2:53 eh, anyone under 60 doesn't really care, but what is interesting is that the word chip and the word fry refer to two different things - both deep fried potato products but fries are long and thin while chips are chunky and fat. Meanwhile biscuits are distinct from cookies too - cookies are round or irregular and soft in texture, usually with chunky bits embedded. Whereas biscuits have regular outlines, either round or rectangular, and are hard and crunchy. You wouldn't dunk a cookie in your tea, but a biscuit? Absolutely.

[@acommentator4452]

yes, i think chips are real chips of potatoes, whereas fries are probably an extruded composite, akin to pringles not being real crisps.

[@cottawalla]

​@@acommentator4452no, fries are French fries. They are julienned (cut thin) potato that is then fried.

[@claymor8241]

lol none of that is true.

[@BillDavies-ej6ye]

And, importantly, and explaining the hard nature, biscuit means "twice cooked" - from Old French.

[@frankmitchell3594]

I always imagined that "one off" or "1 off" came from engineering usage when there is a list of parts required eg; Bolts - 6 off, Gaskets - 1 off, etc.

[@bryansmith1920]

The expression should be "one of item" British Army National Service Kit issue, would be written one of item Kit Bag,

[@bryansmith1920]

A "one off" would be say a company that made a 2" AF threaded 3/8 dia bolt, but a customer wanted them to produce for them a bolt in Millimeter whole number equivalent, That would be a "one off"

[@acommentator4452]

no, that's one of the specified item. not one off. which is a singular isolated event.

[@acommentator4452]

@@bryansmith1920 that is different, a special order, a bespoke ! item.

[@brian_jackson]

@@bryansmith1920 Yes, I always wondered why it wasn't one of. Perhaps it just corrupted to off being sort of easier to say.

[@davidisherwood4817]

I found it really sad that British English was changed to "American English" for the Harry Potter books. I read Tom Sawyer in its original form as a boy and wondered and about the different language used, it made it richer. (I'm an Englishman)

[@brian_jackson]

Yes, it's a bit sad. Quite unnecessary as well. It's sort of dumbing down. Nowadays people can just look it up. There are some Americans who order some books from Britain to avoid this. Most probably don't notice it. They don't "Britishise" American books for the British. A few years ago I was reading the Alice books by Lewis Carol and noticed with some sadness that they had tried to modernize it by changing shillings to pounds and replacing some other old-fashioned terms. We don't do that to Shakespeare.

Same thing with the old Ladybird children's books.

[@petegarnett7731]

Growing up in rural Yorkshire in the 1930-40's, somehow I read about Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit rather than Beatrix Potter. The tales were real enough, but It was only years later that I found out that brer meant brother.

[@BillDavies-ej6ye]

Can't scare our younger relatives.

[@plantagenant]

Not convinced Gobsmacked is a Yorkshire word. Gob is a word meaning mouth that has been used for decades all over the country..."shut your gob", "you've got a big gob" etc and sweets ( or Candy in US English) callled "Gob-stoppers" which were large round sweets that filled the mouth (gob).

[@memkiii]

Gob is also a word for phlegm of the act of spitting it, or just generally spitting.

[@plantagenant]

@@memkiii Yes! I has a mate at school who used to spit a lot and his nickname was "gobber".

[@philjameson292]

The Americanism that wind me up the most are the technique of turning a noun into a verb De-plane - to disembark Shuttered - to close something The use of the word "bunch" instead of more correct words. For example "we have a bunch of people here with us today" when group would be a better term I only use bunch when I talk about flowers Also use of "co-worker" instead of colleague

[@gordonspicer]

The American overuse of the word "bunch" is really excessive. Similar with "awesome" and the over familiar "folks" (as in the US western films of old)? Remember the song "I've got a lovely BUNCH of coconuts " ? ( sung by Max Bygraves I think ?)

[@gordonspicer]

Another odd one that sounds so pretentious to Brits is the way they pronounce "Herbes" with a heavy "H"

[@erichamilton3373]

As an American, I feel the same about British overuse of "loads" and "bits"...where I would expect a lot or parts. It's just what you're used to. A lot of British expressions also sound childish; Way out, veg, sammie etc...

[@joadbreslin5819]

​@@gordonspicerIt's not pretentious; it is not affected, it is just the way it has always been pronounced in the US. And not nearly as annoying as pronouncing the name of the 8th letter of the alphabet as "haitch", which is slowly taking over the UK.

[@brontewcat]

It’s interesting- I am Australian. We tend to use British English, so I am aware of the differences between biscuits and cookies, chips and fries. However I didn’t know a lot of these expressions (such as gone missing, gobsmacked), were British English. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t use gobsmacked. I am pretty sure it pre dates 1980.

[@acommentator4452]

definitely. i think roy hattersley was self-consciously showing that he had been educated out of his original roots by using that word. he had to resort to the vernacular to make the point, it was so strong. there is a humourous, almost self-mocking edge to it in his usage. by the way, i remember reading that his father had been a roman catholic priest who left the priesthood to marry his mother, so that's unusual. and must have been frowned upon at the time, ? 1940s.

[@alicemilne1444]

Gobsmacked was probably taken to Australia by the Scots and the Irish. "Gob" is the Gaelic work for beak and became slang for mouth in Scots. It was Scottish influence that carried it to England. I've heard gobsmacked being used in Scotland since way back in the 1960s.

[@stumccabe]

I'm in my 70s and I certainly remember hearing the word "gobsmacked" for the first time - I can't quite remember when that was, probably in the 80s. I think it was Liverpool slang.

[@stevensibbet5869]

You are aware of the differences between biscuits and cookies, chips and fries...but You Australians and New Zealanders use "chips" for crisps instead of "Crisps" for crisps. Crisps were invented in Britain probably England and it was the Irish that put the flavours in in the 1950s. Crisps owe a lot more to the British Isles than they do to North America, yet you call them Chips, it really hurts when you call them "Chips".

[@memkiii]

Aussies do seem to have added an awful lot of new words, and slang, that they fed back to us via the medium of -dance- Neighbours (& Dame Edna).

[@lemming9984]

In the last few years I have heard "brilliant" being used in US TV and movies a lot. I can't remember it used at all before that by the US. I didn't realise Harry Potter influenced that.

[@stirlingmoss4621]

as an older Englishman, I find this more and more fascinating.

[@robinsmart4397]

Me too. I watch utube and often think about where the words and expressions originated.

[@eileenmacpherson43]

I hate the expression “ I wish I knew”. instead of the expression “ I wish I had known”. It really grates on me!

[@ALANRAM1]

I’ve been saying “gone missing” ever since I was a kid growing up in Manchester in the UK in the eighties and gobsmacked too .

[@SpiritmanProductions]

For two minutes until its source was mentioned, I thought he said "smug", not "smog".

[@TheCornishCockney]

Where I live in Cornwall,there’s a big town called St. Austell,the locals and other Cornish people nicknamed it “St. Awful” (There are a hell of a lot of Saints in this county) Cockney rhyming slang is a firm part of the English language now,example,boat race = face. Shakespeare I found out recently,invented over 3,000 words that are in use in our language today. Our language has evolved and changed over centuries and we have many words and phrases unique to a particular area. Slang in Glasgow is totally different to slang in London.

Correct. Many British expressions are very regional.

[@graceygrumble]

Ooh, they make Proper Job there! One of my favourites! Cheers to St. Austell!

[@capitalb5889]

"Awfully" as a positive is quite old in England, and fairly upper class, and these days might be seen as slight antiquated. I still use it, because I can pull it off quite well with my well-spoken accent.

[@KenFullman]

Yep. That sounds top hole.

[@gchecosse]

Never heard of anyone complaining about cookies or fries, those are just used to refer to specific American versions of biscuits or chips.

[@alexrafe2590]

As an American who moved to the UK in the 1990s I’ve become bemused at Brits increasingly using what to me is the quintessentially American term ‘buddy.’ But then recently I often hear on North American television the British expression ‘full stop,’ for period.

[@ianallan8005]

@@alexrafe2590 I do occasionally use the word “buddy” but only in an ironic way to express my utter contempt for the person I’m talking to

[@Lee-kf9tq]

I think of buddy as being a Welsh term, it's used alot here especially in the valleys along with bud and butt.

[@Stand663]

I’ve never the term buddy being used . Brits would instead say mate. My mate, my friend.

[@alexrafe2590]

@@Stand663 and yet until recently I lived in the UK for 24 years (I now live in Ireland) and I would say I’ve heard Brits (almost all men) using the term buddy with increasing frequency for at least the last six years. When I lived in England it was London, the most cosmopolitan place in Britain. I don’t say that with any sense of triumph, I’ve never liked the term buddy whether used in the States or the UK, nor do I like mate. But that doesn’t stop me from affirming that mate continues to be the number one most common slang word among British men for friend. Still, I know what’ve heard, and there have been many times when I’ve heard Brits use the term buddy. Will it last long? I sincerely hope not. I’ll be rooting for it to lose popularity, believe me. Personally my favourite slang term for friend is chum, now beginning to sound a little bit old fashioned, but there you go.

[@alexrafe2590]

@@Lee-kf9tq oh that’s interesting, I didn’t know that. I’ve visited Wales a number of times but never lived there. Maybe the Americans got it from the Welsh then, although I never heard it used in London, where l lived, until recent years.

[@Kwippy]

Which side of the pond is guilty of perversion of the meaning of the word "literally", such that it now means the exact opposite of what it should mean, literally?

[@foobar476]

I don't know why but feel like it's an Essexism. I wouldn't call it opposite, more like a word to add emphasis. Although, if someone tells you "It's literally raining cats and dogs" it does seem to be working in opposition.

[@Chris-mf1rm]

I literally couldn’t care less

[@iliasmastoris529]

Australian English tends to be more influenced by British rather than US English (60/40 weight), with its own twist.

[@Lily-Bravo]

Particularly only saying the first bit of a word, like barbie, presumably to reduce the length of opportunity there is for a fly to enter your mouth!

[@zizhiqu]

As an Australian, I was gobsmacked that "on holiday" sounded pretensious to American ears. "On vacation" would be very unusual in Australian English. We grow up looking forward to school holidays and they never turn into vacations just because we start work.

[@bruce6014]

Australian English influences British English too.

[@Lily-Bravo]

@@bruce6014 Yes. It was a national concern when Neighbours and other Australian programmes hit our shores and young people in particular started using the upward inflection at the end of sentences. but in time, that wore off, and at the moment they are experimenting with "innit" instead.

[@High_Lord_Of_Terra]

"can I get a coffee?" No, but if you wait right there I'll go and get you one.

Worse still is "I'll do a coffee".

[@billobrien7303]

"British invasion of American English" ? Where do you think you got your English from in the first place?

[@22grena]

Not from Ireland

[@brian_jackson]

I think that was covered in the video.

[@101steel4]

It is a very strange title.

[@philroberts7238]

As far as I know, and I stand to be corrected on this, 'gob', meaning 'mouth', is from the Irish and is one of the relatively few words from Irish to be incorporated into cockney or London slang (unlike, say, Yiddish, which contributed many words into London speech in the late 19th century). Certainly, during my childhood in the 1950s, 'gob' was well-established - though, naturally, disapproved of by teachers and middle class parents! A 'gobstopper' was a large round 'sweet' that usually cost a penny or two from the corner shop. "Gobsmacked" came quite a bit later, as you say.. Australia, incidentally, is a hotbed of slang of all descriptions - and presumably it has been since the convict days.

[@AndyKing1963]

From HOLLOWAYS PROVINCIALISMS, 1838: Gob comes from the French 'Gober' meaning to swallow. The meaning for the mouth: open or a wide mouth is listed as coming from the North of England or Norfolk, but of course that's just one source.

[@ianallan8005]

Surely, the sure fire predictor of Australian slang is…. Only say the first syllable (and mispronounce it if possible) and add an “oh” to the end.

[@plantagenant]

@@ianallan8005 Lol, yes. The ones I remember from my visit there.. "Avo's" Avocado "Ambo's" Ambulance "Firies" Fire Engine

[@marktennant7223]

I've often quoted a line from a Superman 'comic' when Superman is visiting various newspapers around the world the hacks from the London paper are on the roof of their office shouting 'Blimey, Superman, you're jolly well terrific'.

[@vilebrequin6923]

If you mention 'clever', then 'cheeky' can't be far behind. Great pod! Love from Blighty 🇬🇧

[@nickgrazier3373]

Of course when you search for the history of a word in use can only find the first published evidence of a words use, especially in Britain because a word can ferment in the villages around the country for a long time before a writer / author gets hold of it and actually puts the word to media and thence makes a “paper trail”. Saw or heard your blog or whatever it was a number of years ago, really enjoyed trying to give my take on the word and their uses! Thanks for that! Cheers Aah Kid! UK Black Country saying from the back garden foundries of the chain makers near Wolverhampton, on my fathers birth certificate his mother is noted as Black smith chain maker as her employment. The Black Country alluded to the huge amounts of dark smoke from the coal fires and small foundries they had!!!

[@jonathanalden5872]

"Brunch" seem like a word that could have created on several different occasions being, presumably, a combination of Breakfast and Lunch.

[@auldfouter8661]

The government in the UK used to fund the agricultural colleges to provide free advice to farmers ( I'm talking the 1960s and 70s here) and it was always referred to as the Advisory Service , so advisor seems natural to me.

[@Maria-z7h5b]

Yeah that expert doesn't know what he's talking about its always been advisor😢

[@acommentator4452]

@@Maria-z7h5b no need to cry about it. nobody's ill, just mistaken, let's get things in proportion.

[@ChrisRaeAdmin]

As a dyslexic Brit I found this very interesting and have been following a number of language experts channels. In my humble opinion I think I have discovered the language is dyslexic not me. The history of English in one of morphing and absorption and it surprises me that you are surprised that both English and American are absorbing and contributing between themselves, we do after all still have very strong media and academic cross pollination. Unlike the French we have no academic direction saying what is wrong and right, I think the Académie Françoise adjourned for wine when they found the the masculine word for firefighter was representing girls! If you visit London I would suggest it is extremely international and Ben might heard stuff from people who, have learnt English from American, Australian, Indian etc etc sources and are not representative of English natives ( the French have two MPs for London) , we tend, not to 'reject' or be upset about absorbing Americanisms, if it catches on its fine. One note the attempt of a new Brunch thing, 'Linner' would fail in UK because none of us can agree on which meal is represented by Supper, Dinner, Tea, High Tea. (the options are driven by Class, age and geography). The glorious thing is no one is in control.

[@b3564]

Grammar, really when they have to simplify spelling! "Separated by a common language and a great big ocean" quote Al Murray.

[@daveanderson802]

I'm only 10 minutes in but had to add this. I'm a Brit, though in Canada for 30+ years now, and the first time I heard "Gobsmacked" was in Dublin in 1979. I worked there through the Summer and it was in common use but I had never heard it. I took it home to London with me and people liked it so maybe I helped it spread :-) .

[@forsakingfear3652]

I used to hear my nanna and grandad use that word back in the early 70s in Yorkshire.

[@robharris8844U]

Gobsmacked is alongside "Gobstoppers" which was a consumed child's sweet ( candy) which was a large round sweet that was so large it stopped someone from speaking ( not literally, but nearly!) and a "gob" is a Yorkshire term for mouth, hence: "shut your gob!" when telling someone to stop talking. So "gobsmacked" is saying your ability to talk has been taken away by usually by what you have seen or heard !

[@marypetrie930]

How did Aluminium become Aluminum?

[@memkiii]

It's just because of trade names. Like Gasoline or Hoover.

[@richb3307]

Humphry Davy used both spellings in books and lectures. The USA picked one variant and other English speaking countries picked the other. He also suggested Alumium.

[@markiliff]

As a Brit I don't mind useful innovations wherever they come from. Alternative nouns (chips ←→ fries, sweets ←→ candies, boot ←→ trunk) can be mastered. What winds me up is replacing perfectly good UKEn words with USEn substitues, which are often longer (expiry → expiration, advance → advancement, notes → documentation and many more).

[@lucie4185]

"Words are brilliant aren't they? Brilliant!" I miss the Fast Show.😢

[@bencoder]

This was brilliant. Also funny - I had come to believe that the incorrect pronunciation of divisive, with the short second syllable, was the American way of pronouncing it. Had no idea it was a faux Britishism

[@matthewwalker5430]

It's a really interesting point how, when Americans adopt 'Britishisms', they often become overused and therefore clichéd and a little annoying. I hadn't thought about it before but I suspect that is true the other way around also. As a Brit we certainly FEEL more aware of Americanisms cropping up in our language, and the aversion to them is definitely in part due to our engrained belief that "the British way is the correct way", but I do think that actually much of the distaste is born out of those Americanisms that catch on becoming overused and clichéd over here. There are certainly LOADS of Americanisms we use that nobody takes issue with and, usually, do not even know they're American, so we're obviously not as above it all as some like to think we are. To be honest, as a Brit, it isn't American words which are the problem (there are some great words you lot have created), it's the flipping spelling and pronunciation. You Americans need to sort that out and start spelling and pronouncing English words in the nonsensical manner we Brits intended them to be. As a side note, I'm guessing the spelling of "adviser" as "advisor" comes from the word "advisory". Although it is wrong I'm not totally against it, English is supposed to be relatively incomprehensible.

[@frogandspanner]

2:31 Chip probably comes from Latin _cippus_ , a post, stake or beam. Our UK chips are shaped like posts/stakes/beams, unlike what 'Merkins call chips. I remember in the '50s chipping wood for kindling with my grandfather, and the chips were long and shaped like posts/stakes/beams rather than thin slices.

[@SammyTheCat_No1]

Yep, a chip off the old block is more substantial. (And less insulting than saying 'just an insubstantial thin veneer'.)

[@101steel4]

Chipped potatoes.

[@bigtoe333333]

As a Brit myself, I really enjoyed this discussion, and that guy's sense of humour is - if I may use the UK meaning - brilliant. As in, awesome. Recently, l've even found myself saying that I wasnt "super excited" about something. I would not have thought such a thing possible a decade ago, but here I am talking like a West Coast surf dude. In rainy Manchester. Maybe the merging of languages will happen in the next 30 years?

[@jerrytracey6602]

So much to unpick in this video. It's great! "Brunch" is very much in common use in the UK, but just not in print or in the media, and not by lower working class people, who don't do it. It wouldn't pop up in a media search of current usage, but individuals use it all the time in verbal communication, and it is seen as a bit of a treat.

[@michaelgray7847]

That's news to me .

[@johnpoile1451]

I like to use scullery, whenever I can.

[@davidberesford7009]

even if you are not "maid" to do so

[@PatrickKelly-lz3pv]

in the 1950s we had a scullery but i have not heard it used in common parlance since then.

[@gordonspicer]

what about front parlour for a living room/lounge in the front of the house ?

[@capitalb5889]

My grandparents house had a scullery next to the kitchen.

[@PatrickKelly-lz3pv]

@@capitalb5889 Did they have a scullery maid too.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

Awfully nice is usually used in the UK as light sarcasm

[@frankgradus9474]

thanks awfully for pointing that out

[@acommentator4452]

it's not used so much now in that sense, sounds a bit affected.

[@frankgradus9474]

@@acommentator4452 thanks awfully for pointing this out to us

[@gordonspicer]

nope ! That's awfully nice of you" is a common example. It is used amongst better educated people (folk to you)

[@Lily-Bravo]

With regards to "brilliant", if someone used it after a meal out, I think the word would be referring not to the food, but the whole evening experience, the company in particular. Also, if I do something particularly stupid and make a mess of things, I would probably mutter to myself "Well, that was pretty brilliant" or something along those lines.

[@johnsmith-de9wv]

to tell yourself you've done something super daft you'd say ,"That was pretty bloody brilliant"!!!

[@auldfouter8661]

Ginger was the nickname of a character - he was a friend of "Biggles" ( actual name Bigglesworth ) in the very popular ( for boys in the UK ) books by W. E Johns from the 1920s and 1930s. I think Ginger had red hair.

[@ianallan8005]

Absolutely correct. But I think Ginger Lacey was called Ginger because he was ginger

[@auldfouter8661]

@@ianallan8005 Yes I was trying to say it's been around with that meaning for a century at least in the UK ! As an honorary ginger myself ( not red haired but carry one red gene !) I wouldn't call anyone that. In Scotland they are rid-heidit and there are hunners.

[@michaelwilliams3232]

@@auldfouter8661 Bushfire blondes in Australia...

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

In America, Ginger is a nickname for the woman's name, Virginia. Being exposed to the Spice Girls, it just come across as her name and not a reference to her hair color.

[@acommentator4452]

@@BrandonLeeBrown but her name is not virginia ?

[@UkOutreach]

I discovered this by chance and enjoyed it enormously. I am intrigued by the way that the word “gonna” is used in written American English. I have in recent times seen it used in written English English, but it would never be acceptable in anything but the most casual writing. That will probably change.

[@marrrtin]

Something that’s been bothering me for a while, this American adoption of mainly colourful adjectives. To complement this over the pond, Brits have been adopting small grammatical constructions such as “one through ten” and certain pronunciations like REEsearch over riSEARCH. Like Grammar Girl I had the idea that the two Englishes were merging, but it’s interesting to see this totally debunked. I would argue that traffic both ways has been accelerated by the Internet and in many cases because computers default to American English rather than British. But therefore in my mind the reality is a cultural merger, or even somewhat of a political merger of anglophone nations.

[@zizhiqu]

Super interesting. I wonder if the influx of British screenwriters in LA is also happening at the New York Times? I've seen behind-the-scenes docos of writing rooms on modern TV shows, especially comedies, and there's always a smatteriing of British accents. For British journalists, packing up and making it at the NYT must have the same pull as packing up and making it in Tinseltown.

[@pipercharms7374]

Brit here, I've been saying grabbed now and again, movie (I still use film a lot though) there is a word thats feels very American to me that I noticed a lot of younger people using in the UK but unfortunately I forgot which word it was, I just thought it sounded strange and that it was odd that they didn't realise it was American.

[@bryansmith1920]

10:54 the expression I knew as a Brit, was from a Brit film made in Australia, Staring Jenny Agutter, Known in Britain I think as Walk-About, I believe the Aborigines in the film state "he's gone walkabout" which I just took to mean the same, as a Native American would go for his Dream walk,

[@lindylou18]

Reminds me of tennis player Evonne Goolagong. If she lost concentration her manager would say she had "gone walkabout ". Was a big thing when Wimbledon was on.

[@crispingoodall7921]

Just a note: you may have been in the UK in 1980, but the reaction to the great London smog in 1952 was the Clean Air Act of 1956. I was taken to London to see My Fair Lady in 1958, even then there was a fog the like of which, as a small boy, I had never seen before. The act was revised in 1993 and that's when the use of sulphur in fuel and heavy penalties for other uses of smoking fuel were introduced. Love the video, I always thought that Americanisms were taking over the world, quite pleased to see the reverse is also true.

[@welshgruff]

We have cookies in the UK but they are different from our biscuits, ditto re chips and fries. Chips are thick and fries are thinner. We need both terms.

[@thedisabledwelshman9266]

exclamation mark.

[@albertplumb7206]

As a Brit, very interesting almost at the end You said exclamation point, we say explanation MARK!! Don't expect you to use "whilst" any time soon, a word that foxed my US colleauge back in the seventies (not in Websters they said).

[@SteveShahbazian]

As a Brit, that was awesome!

[@grammargirl]

I'm glad to hear it!

[@raibeart1955]

English is English, This is the hardest sentence to say for me - being Scottish😊❤

[@Slainte-Mhath]

I believe gone missing in Australia refers to a friend or associate who is missing from the social group. As in we know they are still around, but we don't see them.

[@stumccabe]

Fascinating - thanks!

[@brian_jackson]

You didn't mention the origin of "gobsmacked". That being the word describes being metaphorically being smacked in the gob. Gob being British slang for the mouth. As in "shut your gob". Or a "gobshite", being someone who talks shit.

[@lemming9984]

...and "gobby" being a loud, "mouthy" person!

[@acommentator4452]

and gobbling up food, like an animal esp duck or goose.

[@dave3gan]

Gob comes from Gaelic, means beak but slang for mouth

[@martinconnelly1473]

I am old enough to remember hearing gobsmacked for the first time as I didn't live in Yorkshire and remember Roy Hattersley on Spitting Image. Gob, as used for a mouth, has been in common use for all my life as far as I can remember.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

And they haven't made the connection yet with the rise of Agent 🍊🤡. I'm gobsmacked ... and so would be my old friend Dr Samuel Johnston 😉🇬🇧🧙🏻‍♂️ He intensely disliked Slavery, Americans, the Navy and Scotland slightly less. Remember Blackadder 😂

[@aucourant9998]

People in the UK often pronounce Ginger with hard Gs when referring to someone with red hair (He's a ging-er), but you would still say 'ginger hair' with soft Gs. Otherwise it's always soft Gs.

[@sc3pt1c4L]

I notice USA say "two times" rather than twice. They say "oftentimes" instead of just "often".

[@robharris8844U]

"Awfully" use to be in a lot of the early US movies set and made in the east coast of Boston/ New York

[@matttaylor678]

Excited for when speaking of an event seems to be catching on in the Uk now - hate it. I can be excited for you but excited about the FA cup final.

[@heatherrobertson6110]

As a Brit, I've noticed that as recently as (about) 5 years ago Americans on KZbin wouldn't know the meaning of 'taking the piss', whereas I've noticed it being used a few times more recently. I'd be interested to know if it is gaining a wider foothold, or whether it's a confirmation bias causing me to notice those few examples!

[@TheCornishCockney]

Or “youre ’avin a laugh” which is slowly replacing “taking the piss”

[@gio-oz8gf]

Mate, nobody in the UK complains about fries or cookies or wanting to get your coffee. We have adult issues to occupy our minds. We could care less how you speak. Ok, that one does annoy me; I mean, it's just wrong. 'I could care less' means the opposite of what you're trying to say. I have never used the word gobsmacked.

[@acommentator4452]

i think maybe that's a mishearing by americans, long ago ? i don't know. the term should be, i couldn't care less. meaning i don't care about it at all. there is no degree of caring that would be less than what i feel, because i am at the utter lowest degree of caring already. therefore i couldn't care care less, even if i tried, as i am already at that point.

[@claymor8241]

They do though. I do. I first heard ‘can I get…’ in the film Taxi Driver in 1976, lo and behold 30 years later people are desperately trying to remember to say ‘get’ rather than ‘could I have’, pathetic and irritating affectation.

[@plantagenant]

The older you get the more you will get annoyed! ...(you've already started with "I could care less").

[@zizhiqu]

@@claymor8241 I can live with "can I get", but "I'll take" is something up with which I will not put. "I'll take the turkey on rye" sounds so aggressive and belittling to me, with a hint of you don't really want it, but it's the best of a bad choice.

[@memkiii]

@@claymor8241 The most annoying thing about the phrase is that it usually doesn't have the word "please". PS It should be "May I have", or second best, "Can I have". "Could I have" is past tense. Implying that you can't because you are too late.

[@MarkWhitter-qm6ef]

A cathedral is “awesome”, not a basic bargain in a shop. We do absolutely have “fries” in the UK too - ie. the cardboard monstrosities you might be served in a UK McDonald’s. Chips are completely different.

[@BardBuster]

Did you know “pants” in England only means undergarments, while Americans have no problem with “pants” meaning trousers, slacks, even jeans, but definitely not underwear. The English find Americans’ use of “pants” quite humorous!

[@johnhudson9248]

In my bit of England pants does mean trousers and I wear undies.

[@Wee_Langside]

Pants can also mean not very good. As in "that's pants"

[@BardBuster]

@@johnhudson9248I don’t believe American men say “undies,” though I don’t see why not. It far more prevalent for women to refer to their undergarments as undies or panties.

[@BardBuster]

@@Wee_LangsideI wonder why that is …

[@secretarchivesofthevatican]

"Advisor" is definitely in common usage in the UK.

[@halloeverybodypeeps]

It's because of 'TripAdvisor '

[@martintabony611]

I'm not always sure if Americans understand why we say "Gob Smacked". Gob means mouth and Smack means hit. So it's the action of hitting you're open mouth in surprise.

[@theholmes8308]

I honestly thought they were saying grunge until they mentioned food and I realised they were saying brunch

[@StonefieldJim4]

Re: 'smart kids'. In fact, in Britain, it would be more common to say 'bright kids' than 'clever kids'. People still use the latter, but, sometimes, it's thought to imply a negative assessment of the 'not-so-clever' kids.

[@stuartauld3193]

The prefix super is doing my head in. Also 'my bad' aarrggghh!!

[@williamkinnell79]

Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong ( Sachmo) together sang the song " Gone fishin' " sounds a bit similar.

[@yewenyi]

I would say that in australia gobsmacked in a word commonly used from my childhood which was in the 60’s and 70’s here in Melbourne Australia.

[@cataloo3300]

Most of these were used in English every day use before being added years later into the dictionary

[@Lily-Bravo]

The main difference that always jumps out at me is the way Americans always say "different than". No deviation to "different from" at all.