An American man has shared the three phrases his British wife uses that left him the most confused. Despite the United Kingdom and the United States sharing the same language, there are still a wealth of differences between the countries - including in the way we communicate. In the UK, seemingly common expressions may make perfect sense to locals but Americans may can need some extra help to deduce the meaning.
This was the case for Darrell, a man from Texas, who got married to a Brit named Jen after they met online. During the early days of their relationship, Darrell found himself baffled by a few expressions Jen would say which he thought had different meanings. Since being around more Brits during the course of his marriage – and while planning a move to England for later this year - there are several more phrases he encountered that initially left him confused.
In a popular TikTok video, Darell said: “Confusing Americans is another thing Brits do better and I speak from personal experience as a Texan married to a Brit. There are at least three phrases my wife used early on in our relationship that totally threw me for a loop.”. The first phrase Darrell was puzzled by is a very common one in the UK, and it seems simple enough – but there’s more to it.
He explained: “This is not a question, this is a greeting. It does not require a response, you just say it back.”. This is correct, in the UK, the shortened version of “are you all right?” has made its way into the everyday lexicon as an alternative to the simpler – and arguably less confusing – “hello”. The portmanteau “alright” offers multiple meanings to Brits as it’s often used as an adverb, adjective, or exclamation.
The second phrase that had Darrell thrown at first is another question. “What you got on?” had a slightly different meaning to the Texan; he believed it was an inquiry about his clothing but this is not the case. Darrell continued: “Again, this is also not a question seeking information about what you’re wearing, this is curiosity about your plans and schedule for the day.”. In the online Cambridge dictionary, the expression “I’ve got something on” is similar, and is often used when someone wants to show they’re busy or unavailable. For example, if a friend asks to meet up on Friday, a person may respond, “I’ve got something on then but I’m free Saturday.”.
Finally, Darrell added: “Last but certainly not least, ‘you taking the p***?’ My wife and I met online, we hadn’t been talking but a few days, we got on the phone, had been chatting for about an hour, having a great discussion and out of the blue, she just says, ‘you taking the p***?’. WARNING: The clip below contains explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised. “In a moment of panic, I said, ‘no, no, I’m sitting in my truck.’ I had no idea what she was hearing, what she thought I was doing. After she finally stopped laughing, she explained to me what it meant.
“I think she got more joy out of the fact she had totally confused me and probably made me wet myself a little bit. So, confusing Americans is probably more than a talent, a skill, a gift – I think it’s a service that you enjoy providing. “You provide it for free – actually, I think you get a little bit out of it. Just one more of those enduring qualities I love about you guys [Brits].”. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories.
