LIST: Things about The UK you wish you had known

Wow, Midnight Blue.

To say that my light-hearted remark about something I find endearing about the UK ...(a comment other people have also light heartedly commented on and related to)... to say that I am - in one remark - setting new visitors to the UK up with a false sense of what to expect?

To say that what we've written was an "insultingly exaggerated take and pretty mocking"?

And to put some pretty long and interesting word in me & Bmore's mouth by suggesting that a casual remark was "making it sound to the casual reader as if this stupid signage and over-wording is all the quaint little Brits do with their time."?

And that "as a Brit, I find that patronizing."

Well, I guess all I can say is to not read QUITE so much disastrous intention into what I've written, or anyone else in this topic.

To maybe give me some credit and not assume the worst.

Because my husband, as a Brit, agrees with me. In fact he finds it just as funny as I do. And so you don't get me wrong here, I mean "funny" as in "endearing and sweet" rather than "ha ha you have nothing better to do with your time."

So seriously, no offense was intended - which I think was pretty obvious.

And to put some pretty long and interesting word in me & Bmore's mouth

That's actually amazingly ironic!   

That's actually amazingly ironic!   

I'm pretty sure there are web sites dedicated to the differences in public signage around the world. Between the dodgy pictograms, questionable grammar (esp when translated for the tourists), and just plain differences in style (cultural), it's pretty fascinating - be it US and UK or UK and Japan, etc.

I hardly think anyone need to get offended by it all.

I had no idea that my blood would be replaced by tea.   

Well, "Dogs must not foul this area" is hell of lot more straightforward then "Oh very sorry to mention it but if you don't mind could you possibly not allow" etc etc......which just strikes me as an insultingly exaggerated take and pretty mocking.

Some of this is making it sound to the casual reader as if this stupid signage and over-wording is all the quaint little Brits do with their time.

AS a Brit, I find that patronizing.

Oh you cute little Brits with your silly and flowery language!

Riiight.
 

As a Brit, I find it sort of sweet that we're that much more polite than people in other countries! A friend who was visiting recently from the US took pictures of some of our beautifully-worded signs to take back to the zoo where she works in the US! She was amused, but more impressed than amused.

I always like the "Polite Notice" signs put up to be misread as "Police Notice"

I like the signs on shops that say "Possibly the best sandwiches/ice cream/fish and chips/etc. in the UK".

As if I am going to visit every sandwich shop in the UK, and if I find one that makes better sandwiches, there's going to be trouble.

I like the signs on shops that say "Possibly the best sandwiches/ice cream/fish and chips/etc. in the UK".

As if I am going to visit every sandwich shop in the UK, and if I find one that makes better sandwiches, there's going to be trouble.

That cracks me up, too! "Possibly the best builders in the UK" but we don't want to discount the possibility that there's someone better, nor do we want to be seen to be bigging ourselves up. 

I loved a restaurant sign in Glasgow that I think was on Q-G's 365 at one point:  Good Food, Average Service!

And DH and I love this sign, which is along a country walk, here in the Leeds countryside...



Good to know the West Yorkshire police are looking out for your stuff! 

I like the signs on shops that say "Possibly the best sandwiches/ice cream/fish and chips/etc. in the UK".

As if I am going to visit every sandwich shop in the UK, and if I find one that makes better sandwiches, there's going to be trouble.

Sorry to hijack, but is that 'possibly the best sandwiches' from the Brown's shop in Heslington or is there another sandwich shop in York with that?  I'm curious if there is another one claiming it too.   

That cracks me up, too! "Possibly the best builders in the UK" but we don't want to discount the possibility that there's someone better, nor do we want to be seen to be bigging ourselves up. 

Must be fair and all that!

I've never seen that, btw, the "Possibly..." but that's both hilarious and oddly sweet.

Must be fair and all that!

I've never seen that, btw, the "Possibly..." but that's both hilarious and oddly sweet.

The "possibly the best builders" one sticks in my head because I saw it on the side of a van during my first week in the UK. 

The "possibly the best builders" one sticks in my head because I saw it on the side of a van during my first week in the UK. 

For some reason what popped into my brain when I read that was that if a truck in the US said "Possible the best builders..." on one side, it would say "...next to God!!!" on the other.


(No offense meant to anyone!)

I like the signs on shops that say "Possibly the best sandwiches/ice cream/fish and chips/etc. in the UK".

I think that (probably ) these sort of signs caught on with the long-running Carlsberg advertising campaign of the 1980s which all ended with the same slogan, for example: