Brit living in the US shares the 8 American sayings she loves to hear folks say
It started a wholesome chain reaction of cultural appreciation.
Two women having a conversation at a coffee shop.
One of the coolest things about living in a world with a variety of cultures is that it can help you have newfound appreciation for things in your everyday life that might otherwise be taken for granted. Your daily breakfast, for example, can transform into the most novel of cuisines when you see it through the eyes of someone who’s never even heard of it.
Similarly, certain everyday American sayings and idioms will seem like fun, exotic phrases to fresh ears. Recently, a British woman (@whisked.away.usa) who recently began living in Michigan shared a few of her personal favorites, and odds are many of these would have never been on your radar.
For starters, her "absolute favorite" is “good job.” Honestly, who among you would have ever thought that was anything USA-centric? Although when you take our hustle culture into consideration, perhaps it is pretty fitting.
Also included in her list: “you’re all set” (again, Americans are big on work lingo), “y’all” (of course), “I’ve got to get a hold of them,” (versus “I’ve gotta get in touch”), “liquor” (because of its “old worldliness”), “stove” (she says “cooker”), “huh” (when we find something interesting), and “have a good one” (cause "it's kinda nice”).
@whisked.away.usa It sounds weird to hear British people now lol 🇬🇧 🇺🇲 #britlivinginamerica #livinginamerica #livingintheusa🇺🇸 #british #englishgirlinamerica #american #americanaccent #movedabroad #britlivingusa #britishinamerica #americandream ♬ original sound - 🇬🇧 Whisked Away USA 🇺🇲
Honestly, how cute are these? And perhaps even better, @whisked.away.usa’s viral video inspired a whole slew of equally lovely appreciation for brit slang.
“I like when Brits say: gutted. I’ve started saying it.”
“I love when you all say ‘brilliant’ like when something’s really good. That’s brilliant!”
“I love when Brits says ‘I’m going on holiday’ instead of ‘I’m going on vacation,’”
“I like the Brit…’Hoover the floor.’”
“I love hearing Brits say ‘em’ instead of ‘um.’ I’m trying to start saying ‘em.’”
This top comment really seems to sum up what was so great about this exchange: “cross appreciation expands our world.”
There was also a fair amount of shared love for “huh,” and all it’s many various uses.
“I love ‘huh’ because it can also be the Midwest polite [version] of ‘that sounds super weird, but I won’t say it out loud.'"
“So many different ways to say ‘huh.’”
Since moving to the US, @whisked.away.usa has shared all kinds of fun cultural differences she’s noticed. For instance, did you know that British pancakes are made quite thin (think: crepes) and have a “squirt of lemon”?
@whisked.away.usa Happy Pancake Day 🥞 #🇬🇧vs🇺🇲 My American husband trying British pancakes for the first time! #britishinamerica #britlivingusa #englishgirlinamerica #livingintheusa🇺🇸 #britlivinginamerica #lifevlog #happilymarried #pancakeday #britishpancakes #pancakes #britishvsamerican #englishwifeamericanlife ♬ Nice and Easy - Louis Adrien
In the following video, @whisked.away.usa shares her amazement at the gaps in American public toilets, “drive-thru everything,” air conditioning in houses, certain OTC medications, and the abundance of American flags in certain places.
@whisked.away.usa I love different cultures, let's celebrate them!! 🩷 #iloveamerica #movedtoamerica #britinamerica #britishinamerica #britlivinginamerica #livingintheusa🇺🇸 #lifevlog #englishgirlinamerica #americanlife #americanculture ♬ original sound - 🇬🇧 Whisked Away USA 🇺🇲
No matter where you're from, it seems we can all agree that this type of content is the Internet at its best.