American Phrases That Confuse the British

The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw supposedly described England and America as “two countries separated by the same language.” Whether Shaw actually said it or not (the evidence is inconclusive), the observation remains true. Despite sharing the same linguistic roots — and far more similarities than differences — the English spoken on either side of the Atlantic does sometimes differ in delightfully baffling ways. 

For Americans in the United Kingdom, hearing the British casually say phrases such as “bits and bobs,” “Bob’s your uncle,” and “bog standard” can be both amusing and confusing. Likewise, plenty of American phrases leave Brits scratching their heads, despite the popularity of Hollywood movies and American TV in Britain. Here are some of the most common offenders that tend to baffle the British. 

While many Brits know what a quarterback is, they might be a little confused by the idiom “Monday morning quarterback” — referring to someone who confidently analyzes and criticizes decisions after the fact. The British equivalent could be an “armchair critic” — but that doesn’t necessarily imply a criticism of something after it has happened. The American phrase comes out of the tradition of NFL games being played on Sundays, leading to amateur critiques on Monday.

Bird-watching is hugely popular in the U.K., but if an American tells a Brit that something is “for the birds,” the reaction might be a blank stare. In the U.S., if something is “for the birds,” it is worthless, pointless, or not worth bothering with. This likely originated as Army slang during World War II, when U.S. soldiers noted birds picking out seeds from horse droppings, the seeds being of no use or interest to anyone else. A common British equivalent would be “a load of old _____” (insert various words here, including “cobblers,” “rubbish,” “tosh,” and numerous NSFW alternatives).

While a Brit may have heard the phrase “to talk turkey,” there’s a good chance they don’t know exactly what it means. In America, it’s a common expression to describe speaking frankly and directly, and getting down to serious business without unnecessary pleasantries. The phrase likely dates back to colonial America and may have originated from negotiations involving the plump game bird. The British are more likely to associate turkey with Christmas dinner than with straight talking, and might instead say, “Let’s get down to brass tacks,” or “Let’s stop beating around the bush.”

Jumping the shark is the moment at which something — a television series, a career, a cultural phenomenon — passes its peak and begins a significant change for the worse. It comes from a 1977 episode of the American sitcom Happy Days in which the character Fonzie jumps on water-skis over a shark — a moment widely regarded as when the show declined in both quality and popularity. The phrase is now used far beyond television, but its origin is so specifically American that many Brits, while they may have heard it used, likely don’t understand its meaning and are unfamiliar with its origins. 

This is a particularly treacherous expression for travelers crossing the pond. In American English, to luck out means to have a stroke of good fortune — to get lucky. But in British English, it means exactly the opposite: to run out of luck entirely. An American saying, “We totally lucked out and got the best seats,” is sharing good news, while a Brit might say, with a sigh, “We totally lucked out — there are no seats left.” It’s a fairly rare case of a phrase meaning diametrically opposite things to native speakers of the same language.

In the U.S., to play hooky is to skip school or work without permission. The phrase has been in use in America since at least the mid-19th century, possibly derived from the Dutch word hoekje, referring to the game of hide-and-seek. But “playing hooky” would sound strange to Brits and might not even be understood. They would instead use “playing truant,” “skiving,” or “bunking off” (along with other regional variants). 

A bum steer is a piece of false or misleading information — typically bad advice that sends someone in entirely the wrong direction. The phrase is used in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, but it never gained traction in the U.K. In fact, the average Brit would likely be quite confused by the expression, as “bum” is primarily an informal, everyday word for a person’s buttocks — which would normally not require steering. 

When Americans table something — a measure, a motion, a proposal — they are postponing it or setting it aside. But in Britain, to table something means the opposite: to bring something forward for immediate discussion (i.e., to put it on the table for consideration). It’s a difference fraught with potential mishap — in a meeting between two groups from either side of the Atlantic, it’s entirely possible that both parties leave convinced they have agreed on something different.