16 things about the British that amaze the rest of the world

16 things about the British that amaze the rest of the world

The British are an eccentric bunch who occasionally border on downright charitable. From hunting for cheese on the country's hills to snorkeling in moors for thrills, the British are as amazing as they are charming. Here are some of our most confusing traits, according to Reddit and the A&B audience on social media.

1. Why our quaint small towns have a murder rate comparable to Honduras...

...according to our criminal mysteries. If Midsomer Murders is to be believed, someone is murdered in posh country towns every other week. As one American put it: “Midsomer is the most dangerous place in the world, literally worse than Mexican cartel towns.”

2. How we can determine a person's exact place of origin based on their accent

This from a Canadian: "It both amazes and confuses me how you can listen to someone's accent and know what part of the country they come from: 'Oh, you're from East London, 51 Gosterwood Street, and if I'm not confused, Apartment B?'"

3. Why we take euphemism to the extreme

One American user points out: "Three soldiers in a trench with a whole enemy division coming at them and it's like, 'We're in a bit of a jam.' There were actually British people dying in the Korean War because they didn't openly report on the radio the trouble they were in."

4. Lawyer wigs

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5. How we take tea really, really seriously

"Tea culture. Now I'm Asian American and like tea myself, but when I visited Cambridge I saw a guy who looked about mid-twenties drinking tea from a Victorian teapot with floral patterns and everything. I'm talking about those teapots that seem antiquated and seem like they're over a hundred years old. You don't even see that kind of legitimate appreciation for them in ASIA, out loud to scream,” says one confused Redditor.

6. Carpet in the bathroom

Okay, we have no defense for that.

7. Why we have TWO SEPARATE FAUCETS for hot and cold water

There has been a virtual uproar over Britain's sanitation system and how it forces foreigners to choose between SCALDING and FREEZING their hands on our shores. Here's a Brit in a hoodie explaining why.

8. Our love for queuing

Here's an old joke from a user that aptly illustrates this point:

One day I was walking through the city streets when I came across a line. I asked what the line was for and no one knew, so of course I stood in it, just in case. I waited for hours but the line wasn't moving so I excused myself and went to the front to see what was going on. I found an older gentleman leaning against a wall at the front of the line.

I asked him: “Comrade, what is this line for?”

He replied, "I stopped here to lean against the wall and rest, and these people started lining up behind me."

I asked him, “Then, comrade, why don’t you just go?”

He scoffed. “What, and lose my place in line?”

9. Why we apologize so much

Saying you're sorry for "thinking" someone has the wrong number when you're 100% sure you're not a deal

– VeryBritishProblems (@SoVeryBritish)20. November 2014

Conversation with man on the train this morning: “I’m sorry.” "We're sorry." "We're sorry." "We're sorry." I love being British.

— Kia Abdullah (@KiaAbdullah) March 15, 2011

Even when we are rude, we start and end with “sorry.”

#Youknowyourrealondonerwhen you've perfected the "sorry" that makes it clear to both you and the recipient that you think they're an idiot. — Kia Abdullah (@KiaAbdullah) April 22, 2014

10. Why we are so attached to bad weather

As one Australian put it: “Who the hell looks at Britain, looks at Australia and sends the convicts to Australia.”

11. The uncharacteristic affection in our text messages

Literary agent Carrie Plitt explains: "The first text message I received from a Brit didn't disappoint: 'Would you like to join me for tea today? x," my new fellow student Alice offered. It was wonderfully British. Not only was it an invitation for tea, but how quaint it was to be asked to drop by, like a Victorian jack-in-the-box. One thing confused me, however, and that was the lone lowercase x at the end of her message. Nothing I had read prepared me for this little letter. Was it a negation of her statement? A warning about adult content? An unknown variable? I assumed it was a typo. But when those little xs started filling most of the text messages or emails I received from my British friends, I had to ask. “It’s a kiss, of course,” said Alice, now my self-proclaimed cultural guide. 'I started to worry that you never kissed me back.'"

12. “Yeah, I have a question, what the hell is the flavor of Irn Bru?”

Fair question.

13. Liverpudlian

"Scouser. Why do they dress like Russians and what language do they speak?" one Redditor muses.

14. Why “bullshit” is bad but “dog bullshit” is good

We love dogs, okay?

15. Our obsession with class

Cockney, Mockney, Posh Boy and Toff. Chav, Common, Essex Girl and Snob. There is no nation more concerned with class than the British. It goes some way to explaining why it is apparently acceptable to print topless pictures of regular women in our newspapers, but not of a duchess.

16. Finally, what the hell Britain actually is

old=““>Fair use

Very British Problems by Rob Temple is a hilarious look into the British psyche.

Cover image: The National Trust

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