Okay, I’ll be honest. I kinda keep forgetting I have a blog. I haven’t been keeping up with writing anything, and the few ideas I’ve had so far have flopped. Not to mention that I haven’t been able to travel much lately, so I don’t have new places to write about.

So, to get me back into the swing of things (and to finally give you something new to read), I figured I’d do something simple. I might add to it as time goes on, but no promises. I’ve talked about the little cultural differences between the U.S. and the UK. In my post about that, I mentioned slang/terminology and humor. I’ve been in the UK long enough to start piecing together what people mean when they say anything here, and I’ve adjusted to the humor. But it can take time to learn, and it helps to have a starting point before going there.

To help as much as I can (not very much), here’s a list of British and American equivalent words and a (brief) discussion on British humor. There won’t be much rhyme or reason to it, and it’s by no means a comprehensive list. It’s truly just what pops into my head.

British Humor

Oh boy. Get ready to be insulted. It’s usually out of love, honest.

British humor tends to be a lot more sarcastic, witty, biting, dry, and deadpanned than standard American humor. The closer you get to someone, the meaner you can be to them. Of course, there’s plenty of variation, but that’s the general rule. Sarcasm here is delivered in a deadpan a lot of the time, whereas in the U.S., we put on a sarcastic voice.

Don’t be afraid to throw out some trash talk, so long as it comes from a good place. Several of my friendships have been built on this. Depending on the context (and the people you’re talking to!), insult yourself and your side of the topic about as much as the other person and their side. I’ve had really enjoyable and playful conversations where my British friends and I make fun of both the U.S. and UK. It’s a lot more fun when we can insult either side. It also looks less attacking and shows you won’t get easily offended.

It can be hard to tell sometimes if someone is joking or actually insulting you. Try not to read too much into it most of the time. If you want to, ask if they’re being sarcastic. If they are, they’ll probably panic and reassure you they didn’t really mean it.