‘What’s the most hilariously British way you’ve handled an awkward situation?’ – 23 people who were so polite they made themselves cringe
13.
‘I was jogging quite early one morning, around 5.30am, and I was in the park I needed a wee so went off the path towards the bushes. But there was a woman there walking her dog which was doing a poo. It was really awkward because this wasn’t a part of the path, it looked like I had followed her to a secluded part of the park so I explained ‘Sorry, I just need to do what your dog is doing. I mean a wee, not a poo. I wasn’t coming after you.”
–kitjen
14.
‘I said ‘Bye, love you’ to my car insurance guy a few weeks ago. I’m going to have to cancel and find another company.’
–smg658
15.
‘I took a photo for a tourist in Trafalgar Square and immediately thanked them afterwards.’
–GosmeisterGeneral
16.
‘I once went for a surgery consultation and as I got up to leave the surgeon held out his arm so I got up and hugged him, but it turned out he was going to open the door, but he hugged me back. To be fair it still makes me howl with laughter years later.’
–raygray
17.
‘I used to work in Iceland foods. We had a promotional freezer with an open top, which I was stacking boxes right at the back. I had to lean far down into it to reach where I was stacking the boxes. I saw someone also leaning into the freezer out of the corner of my eye, surprisingly close, so I stood up quick, apologised and stepped to the side to give them space.
This is how I learned that the sides of the freezers were mirrored.’
–elementarydrw
18.
‘Got on a bus years ago. There were plenty of empty seats, but I went and sat down next to a guy who I thought was my friend, Dave. I said ‘Alright Dave’. He shook his head and said ‘Sorry, I’m not Dave’. I felt awkward about moving after that, so we sat in silence next to each other until it was his stop.’
–FragrantKnobCheese
19.
‘I was shopping, wife was in the car with the kids. Exited the shop, climbed into entirely the wrong car (also with a lady sat in the passenger seat) and was bemused as to why my key wouldn’t fit the ignition.
My wife apologised profusely to the lady, explaining that she had married an idiot and they are still in contact now.’
–Mountain_Strategy342
20.
‘A group of my colleagues had met up in a pub for a drink. As we were leaving there were two blokes having a pretty serious argument right in the doorway. I passed between them and then looked back to see one of my colleagues – a woman in her late 50s at the time – stuck behind them with a scared look on her face as they had now got a lot closer together and looked dangerously close to starting to fight.
I am not in any way a brave man – so no-one was more surprised than me when, without thinking, I went back and politely said ‘Excuse me gentlemen – will you let the lady through please?’. To my amazement they stopped, parted, let her through and then went straight back to where they were before.
From that day on until the day she retired she always referred to me as her ‘Knight in Shining Armour’ for that moment.’
–Hotelonezeroalpha
21.
‘I went to pick up my 7 year old son from a street dance class, parked up opposite. A lady approached the car who I recognised as a friend-of-a-friend, she smiled, I smiled back and did a sort of ‘Hi’ nod. She came over, opened the passenger door and got in, and asked if I ‘wanted some business ‘. It wasn’t the friend-of-a-friend as it happens, and I ended up apologising and trying to explain. She was very embarrassed when I said I was just picking up my kid!’
–4imix
22.
‘When I was in the US I accidentally visited a strip club thinking it was a regular bar (yes, I know that sounds highly implausible, but it’s true). Instead of immediately walking out, I felt awkward walking back past the bouncers who’d just checked my ID, so I felt obliged to order a beer and nurse it for 20 mins before leaving.’
–lovely-luscious-lube
23.
‘Does shaking hands on the doorstep of a one-night-stand count?’
–Hookton