# Question for people in the UK



## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

So, what's it like over there? 

I mean, in a general sense. Likes/dislikes? I've heard there are some people over there that say 'what' at the end of every sentence. Is this common?


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Ravellian said:


> So, what's it like over there?
> 
> I mean, in a general sense. Likes/dislikes? I've heard there are some people over there that say 'what' at the end of every sentence. Is this common?


Say what?

Some say "ni" but only very tall people with horns that grow out of their heads.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Erm... lots better than the third world, but with plenty of things to **** you off.


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

I've also noticed this in a couple Asterix books. If you take a look at the 2nd and 3rd pages of _Asterix in Britain_, they say 'what' at the end of some sentences, along with a few other funny things...

http://www.esnips.com/doc/11a8fc87-499e-42ba-b0d6-034f04f8ca60/08--Asterix-in-Britain

_Erm... lots better than the third world, but with plenty of things to **** you off._

Like what? <.<


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Ravellian said:


> [...]
> _Erm... lots better than the third world, but with plenty of things to **** you off._
> 
> Like what? <.<


In _Polednice_'s respect, insufficient bowing and scraping.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Ravellian said:


> Like what? <.<


I'm not sure I can think of anything unique to the UK... The usual rubbish TV, fascination with celebrity, crappy education, dreary politicians. The usual.

Oh, and people don't say what at the end of a sentence like that! The British stereotype ought to have moved along by now - collectively, we are at least as stupid as Americans.


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

Americans don't have a monarchy, though. They were quite right to fight us to get rid of that. But Polednice is correct that we don't say "what" at the end of every sentence.

It is pronounced "wot."


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

Polednice said:


> I'm not sure I can think of anything unique to the UK... The usual rubbish TV, fascination with celebrity, crappy education, dreary politicians. The usual.


I agree. But there are a lot of people who end every sentence with "innit" [isn't it].

What it's like over here is the usual philistinism, stupidity and greed.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Is there a pungent fish smell?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Couchie said:


> Is there a pungent fish smell?


Round my parts, it's the constant smell of horse ****.

EDIT: By 'parts' of course, I mean the region where I live!


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## hawk (Oct 1, 2007)

Ahhh you caught the potential of a good joke, at your expense of course, before I could type fast enough to write it


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

It's a great country and I love her to bits but it comes with its fair share of flaws and quirks just like anywhere else. We do like moaning - in my case the things which mainly get on my **** when I'm out and about are litter, tagging (US-style signature graffiti), dog turds and lack of manners/pig ignorance.


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

elgars ghost said:


> We do like moaning - in my case the things which mainly *get on my ***** when I'm out and about are litter, tagging (US-style signature graffiti), dog turds and lack of manners/pig ignorance.


Is that a common expression? :lol:


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

How does it feel being the former most powerful empire in the world after Rome now banished to mediocrity?


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

Ravellian said:


> Is that a common expression? :lol:


I think I've seen other British TCers use it as well. It is amusing.


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## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

I love living in the UK very much and enjoy a high quality of life here and I’m not particularly well off.
I meet a lot of people saying it’s going to the dogs! but I bet if these same people were to go elsewhere they’d find other things to moan about and realise the UK isn‘t that bad!


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

To get on your **** is indeed a very common expression. 

I have the feeling that, alongside these general things to be annoyed about, the British are a country of complainers. There are so many people I know who I swear *want* things to go wrong just so they can whinge.


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Ravellian said:


> So, what's it like over there?


 I trust that you have gained some very useful information and deep insights into the British way of life from the immensely informative posts that your initial post has evoked. Is there anything further you would like to have clarified?


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Couchie said:


> How does it feel being the former most powerful empire in the world after Rome now banished to mediocrity?


Rather smug actually knowing that it won't be long before the USA comes in as the third most powerful empire in the world after the Chinese have overtaken you, which could be anytime soon. Are you learning Mandarin, perchance?


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

This contains some quite interesting slang expressions as used by some in Britain which may be of interest to our American colleagues:

http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Couchie said:


> How does it feel being the former most powerful empire in the world after Rome now banished to mediocrity?


I'm OK with that - taking into account my humble origins I probably would have been a lot worse off while Great Britain's empire was at its zenith.

As regards being the former most powerful empire after Rome I suppose we can get some kind of Little Englander satisfaction in knowing that there will probably never be another one to match it.


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

A USA visitor to the UK should also be aware of the strange vocabulary which forms part of "Cockney slang". The home of this dialect is the East End of London. It's based on the rythming of various words with another better-known one.

Here's a guide to some of the expressions used:

http://www.thornton-cleveleys.co.uk/cockney.htm


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## hawk (Oct 1, 2007)

My family and I visited the East Lindsey district back in 2007. We were there for 3 weeks and had a wonderful time! Horncastle, Belchford, Louth and Alford felt familiar~kind of like home and the folks were very warm and inviting. The hills (wolds) of the country are divided by ancient hedgerows which, from a distance, give a quiltlike appearance. Absolutely beautiful! It rained everyday~either in the morning or afternoon/evening but it was balanced by sunshine or at least dry cloudy conditions. What was really cool is I began to notice some similarities between how people spoke there and the way English is spoken in Downeast Maine. I poked around a little and found out that when the pilgrimage from England to the "New World" was happening many from this part of England (about 4 hours by train from London) actually settled in down East Maine....Could be why it felt so much like home for my family and I!
This is the view outside of the cottage we stayed in


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Artemis said:


> Rather smug actually knowing that it won't be long before the USA comes in as the third most powerful empire in the world after the Chinese have overtaken* you*, which could be anytime soon. Are you learning Mandarin, perchance?


 Couchie is not even American, Artemis. Can't you see Canada written below his avatar? And in your place I'd drop the animosity. This is a light thread and there is no place for this attitude.


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## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> Couchie is not even American, Artemis. Can't you see Canada written below his avatar? And in your place I'd drop the animosity. This is a light thread and there is no place for this attitude.


Yep, there are rules for this:

US-bashing = animosity
UK-bashing = just normal contents of a light thread


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

:lol: Almaviva is correct, just trying to get on your **** a bit. As a member of the commonwealth Canada is always at least one step more mediocre than the UK, don't worry, and we're pretty much not a US state (especially with Harper) just on a legal technicality.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Couchie said:


> :lol: Almaviva is correct, just trying to get on your **** a bit. As a member of the commonwealth Canada is always at least one step more mediocre than the UK, don't worry, and we're pretty much not a US state (especially with Harper) just on a legal technicality.


The economic connections seem pretty strong, and I have noticed no significant animosities (since Vietnam). There are quite a few once-Quebecois families scattered about Vermont and New Hampshire. Still, the provinces are not "United States", and I like it that way. The border isn't far away...


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

I am currently living in the UK but I much prefer France and Switzerland. I will return there eventually but for now I must remain here for personal reasons. The thing that I miss the most is food in the UK it's very hard to get fresh food at a reasonable price.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

My feelings in pictures...

I prefer:









Over










Anyday but Cream Eggs are better than having no chocolate at all.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Lenfer said:


> My feelings in pictures...
> 
> I prefer:
> 
> ...


We may not have invented both, but we still sell both!


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Polednice said:


> We may not have invented both, but we still sell both!


I think Cadburys is English or was English before the Kraft takeover. :tiphat:


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Off topic but I wish *Lindt * would make something like the flake...










I love flakes!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

TresPicos said:


> Yep, there are rules for this:
> 
> US-bashing = animosity
> UK-bashing = just normal contents of a light thread


I was focusing on the animosity against a *TC member.* That's what I'm concerned about. I couldn't care less *as a moderator* if someone attacks the USA or the UK, as long as *members* are not attacked. When Artemis said "rather smug" he was targeting Couchie directly. And he was sorely wrong since he assumed that Couchie was American. Sorry, but attacks on *members* won't be tolerated, be them American or British.

It looks like the UK nationals themselves were the ones doing most of the UK bashing here. Yes, it's a light thread. Artemis' attitude was aggressive and misplaced.

As an *individual* I've posted numerous times about the decline of the American empire, and the rise of the Chinese. So I'm actually in agreement with Artemis' idea that the USA will be going down and the Chinese will be rising. But as a *moderator* I won't approve of aggressive attitudes against a fellow member.

You're mixing up a moderator's intervention with an individual's intervention.

You guys can bash the UK or the USA to your heart's content (this is not against the Terms of Service) but leave our esteemed members alone, regardless of their nationality.


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

Please guys, don't provoke each other... I've seen several of my topics on this board get closed because of these silly arguments


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Almaviva said:


> I was focusing on the animosity against a *TC member.* That's what I'm concerned about. I couldn't care less *as a moderator* if someone attacks the USA or the UK, as long as *members* are not attacked. When Artemis said "rather smug" he was targeting Couchie directly. And he was sorely wrong since he assumed that Couchie was American. Sorry, but attacks on *members* won't be tolerated, be them American or British.
> 
> There was no animosity or aggression in my comment intended towards another member, absolutely none. It was clearly meant to be a joke in response to Couchie's one about Britain losing its Empire. That's the way he and others took it.
> 
> ...


 There was no animosity or aggression in my comment intended towards another member, absolutely none. It was clearly meant to be a joke in response to Couchie's one about Britain losing its Empire. That's the way he and others took it.

You have very clearly mis-read the situation.

I didn't respond to your blatant put down of me in your post number 24 yesterday because I complained straight away to Krummhorn in private. He has not yet responded but meanwhile you continue to pile on the agony.

Would you kindly pack it up, because you are abusing your position by making these derogatory comments in public.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Temporarily closed for repairs   

Erm, as a reminder ... we do have a PM feature on this forum ... some of the later posts here should not be on the public boards.


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