‘What’s the funniest misunderstanding you’ve heard due to the difference between British and US English?’ – 22 slightly NSFW examples of the common language which divides us

12.

‘I was staying at family’s house – for like a camp America thing – and I was so thirsty, and I said to the mum, ‘Can I have something to drink?’ To which she looked at me weird and said, we have some liquor in the cupboard – I said ‘No, I mean water’ then she was mega relieved and said, of course.’
–dominomedley

13.

‘In a similar vein I read somewhere about a British kid staying with an American family and after dinner the mum said ‘I’m just going to wash up’ and she jumped to her feet and announced that she’d come and help with that.

I hadn’t realised it myself at the time but to an American ‘washing up’ is washing yourself.’
–tiptoe_only

14.

‘Not very funny, but I disconcerted my American boss when I produced a job advertisement telling potential applicants that the company ran a ‘health scheme’.

Apparently, ‘scheme’ implies illegality and scamming over the pond…’
–vicarofsorrows

15.

‘When I left the group of Americans I said ‘Cheerio’ after a dull work meeting. They all stood in stunned silence. Then one said ‘A Cheery ho? Who are meeting next?”
–Lard_Baron

16.

‘My English cousin left his jumper at a car rental office. They spent 20 minutes looking for jump leads.’
–stuffit123

17.

‘My friend decided that the correct phrasing for when I was mocking him was to tell me to ‘stop taking a piss on him’. I managed to get him to repeat it twice pretending I hadn’t heard because it was so amusing to me.’
–Splurgerella

18.

‘Few ex army guys where I work. While in Afhganistan a US pilot was asked to ‘take a reccy further up the road’.

Time passed so they asked for an update. Pilot responds ‘Heading back to rearm. Road is wrecked as requested’.’
–Leenesss

19.

‘When I first moved to London, a guy I was talking to was holding a drink in each hand. I commented that it was early to be double fisting, and the guy almost spat out his beer.

That’s how I learned it’s called being ‘double parked’ here.’
–Plot4b

20.

‘A young American lady I, from the UK, was a having a thing with, asked if I was pissed and why when I said yes. My answer because of the several beers I’d had was confusing to her.’
–Tigweg

21.

‘Once ordered egg and chips In New York and they gave me egg and crisps.’
–SeaTop1203

22.

‘Friend of my husband named Jez. He went to America for work. Every time he introduced himself to someone new they would pull faces and ask him to repeat his name several times as if they couldn’t understand it.

When he moved on to another employer a guy pulled him aside and advised him to use his given name of Jeremy in future. For over a year everyone he met thought his name was Jizz.’
–vikatoyah

Source r/AskUK Image Screenshot