BritSpeak© by Peter Bradford

When you travel to a foreign country you expect to have difficulties with the language. But surely things should be OK in Britain, shouldn't they? They speak English there don't they?
Well, Yes and No! Yes—they do speak English. But, No—not like Americans!
George Bernard Shaw noted that the two countries were divided by a common language, and how right he was. You don't even have to leave the comfort of your living room nowadays to come into contact with "BritSpeak". If you read English thrillers or watch PBS, Bravo or A&E you'll forever be coming across words you don't know, or worse, words you think you know but which don't seem to mean the same as they do in the States.
"BritSpeak" is obviously similar to English as it's spoken in America, however, the differences are more than enough to cause substantial problems for the unprepared visitor to the UK. I can assure you that there is a verbal pot-hole waiting for you in just about every sentence you venture down!
What would be your reaction, for example, if your neighbor told you that he is a hooker at weekends? Or perhaps a friend tells you that she always has a joint on Sundays?
Maybe a friend asks to borrow a rubber from you. Or perhaps he tells you that he really needs a fag.
What do you make of the freeway signs that ban football coaches from rest areas? What's with these people that they don't let the likes of Steve Spurrier pull over for a snack?
And let's not forget the strange looks that you might get if you tell your neighbor that you always give your wife a pat on the fanny as you leave home in the mornings. Or you mention that your father always wears suspenders when he's in the office.
"BritSpeak" won't solve all your language problems, but with over one thousand British words and phrases that are little used in the United States, it will go a long way towards building that much needed verbal bridge across the mighty Atlantic!