The 12 British Phrases That Have Taken Over My Brain

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Last Updated on: 21st September 2021, 11:20 pm

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Ale & Pie…would that be a beer and a pot pie, sir?

My Favorite Travel Booking Sites for 2023

These are my favorite companies that I use on my own travels.

Protect Your Trip via Safety Wing

Find the best city tours, day tours, bus tours, & skip-the-line tickets on GetYourGuide and Viator.

Find the best deals on hotels & vacation rentals on Booking.com.

For English-speaking private airport transfers, book through Welcome Pickups.

For road trips and independent travel, rent a car through Discover Cars.

Find information and cruise reviews on Cruise Critic.

For packing and travel essentials order via Amazon.

Book an affordable family or romantic photography session on your trip through Flytographer (Use the code HISTORYFANGIRL for 10% off your first photoshoot).

For travel guidebooks to have with you during your trip, I always pick one or two from Rick Steves and Lonely Planet.

Oh, the fun that is spotting the differences between British and American English!

It’s my last night in London, and after an awesome eight days it seems that quite a few British English phrases have crept into my vocabulary.  So embarrassing! Try as hard as I can, these keep popping out of my mouth:

Pop In – when I want so say stop in, drop in, drop by, or a quick trip

Get It Sorted – when I mean figure it out

Meant To – no, in America it’s supposed to, should, or will

A Starter and A Main – Ugh, I mean an entree and appetizer

Queue – in line

University – as in when “I was in university,” when I mean in college which I did at a university

Flat – Nope, I meant I rented an AirBnB apartment

Mobile – So British, or so American Nineties.  I mean cell phone

Petrol Station – For when I need to pop into the gas station, err I mean go to the gas station

Can I Get the Bill? Check please! 

Whilst – No it’s while

Car Park – no silly, I should have said meet you in the parking lot

In addition to picking up these phrases that I immediately need to drop next week in Philly, I ran into some confusion when I thought I rented an apartment on the fourth floor (meaning 3 flights of stairs) but forgetting that in the UK the ground floor is not the first floor.  Yay for lugging a suitcase to what in the US is a fifth-floor walk up!

See also
50 Hilariously Terrible Wales Puns for Wales Instagram Captions & Statuses

Also much fun was had by all when I was trying to explain the ingredients of a cheese steak.  My friend looked at me as just shook her head and said, cheese whiz would mean something different here.

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The 12 British Phrases That Have Taken Over My Brain

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