LIST: Things about The UK you wish you had known

Well just to really confuse matters after reading through alot of these posts a lot of the items must be regional in the UK.  As many things people are mentioning are how it is said/done in north/west.  On some of them I felt like the American was saying it how we do and saying how the brits say it how we don't here.

I think it is easier to assume everything in Britain is bloody complicated and work back from there

never say trash can, say bin. And don't say bathroom unless you're on about the room with a bath tub. I embarassed myself saying "where's your trash can?" to my fiances brother. And like Mindy said, sick is vomit not like "i'm sick" as in "I have a cold" or something, instead say "i'm ill." And DO NOT say "soda" lol, I got the piss taken out of me for that. My fiances friend actually said to me "soda? thats a sexy word"... hmmm I dunno if it IS sexy but they definitely don't know what soda means lol. And chips to us americans are actually crisps in the UK, and chips to them are fries.. but I'm sure you ALL know this.

one thing that caught me off guard - when someone would ask "Alright?"  
typical conversation my first six months in England:
Friend: "Alright Ariel?"
Me: "errr...yea, Im alright, why do you ask?"

I am used to only being asked if Im "all right" if someone suspects that something is wrong; however, it is a typical greeting in england, just as I would say to someone as a greeting "whats up?" or "how is it going?"

This did me in for months until i learned that an adequate response is "Yea, Im alright."

Things I wish I'd known... I wish I'd realized that it was easier to just accept an offer of tea even if I don't want it, and then drink it slowly instead of politely having to say 'no' after being offered 10 times.  

What is up w/ the booking in for your driving test, which there is about a two month waiting list.

And, you have to book in for you inspection, and it takes a day to do that.  God, I miss the convenience of home.

... because of the pubs closing so early (well, the ones with early licenses, er, licences  ) you have to drink your pints reeelly fast or your friends (mates) who are going to buy the next round (shout) will stare at you with disdain and longing until you chug (pound, skull, etc) it as they are used to having only a couple of hours to get drunk. I'm a slow drinker. Sue me!

Also, why didn't anyone tell me that they barely serve Newcastle Brown Ale here in London? A travesty!

Interesting posts - and I have not read all 11 pages.
So forgive me if I repeat what has been previously posted.

A couple of things.
Measurements in UK are now mostly metric, so if you cook or bake you will need to convert measurements. Mostly this is just a matter of arithmetic, but............Some things in US are given in volume, and in UK are given in weight.

Second thing. Speed cameras are EVERYWHERE in UK. Even my sister, who drives like an old lady (well she is..........lol) got caught doing 50 in a 30 mph zone.

Lack of decent pickles. Pickles, pickles, pickles!

Being looked at as if you're an alien if you try to strike up friendly conversation with a cashier.

As someone already mentioned, the lack of ice cubes (or the equally unappealing prospects of tiny ice cube trays that you'd find in a kid's toy refrigerator in the States, or those annoying blue plastic ice bags.

AC, AC, AC. It's funny that Europeans will actually project how many people will die from the heat in an upcoming summer, rather than save the vast majority of themselves by putting out the one-off expense to buy an air conditioning unit. It boggles the mind.

did anyone mention  lack of garbage  disposals? 

pedestrians  do  NOT have right of way..

massive spiders  that my DH swears are harmless  and  never wants  to kill!!   YUCK!!

Vanity bathroom sinks.. the kind you can  put stuff on  and  the kind that has a  faucet that lets  both water temps  come out at once,,

Vanity bathroom sinks.. the kind you can put stuff on...

We have one of those...

  and  the kind that has a  faucet that lets  both water temps  come out at once,,

and we have one of those ... in the kitchen ... 

There are no classic rock stations like they have in the states.  I miss that.

Even though I'm British I can certainly sympathize with some of the sentiments expressed here.      

No country music stations.

Radio is rather a wasteland here.   I've loved country music ever since I was a kid.  Living in the U.S. was wonderful in this respect, as I could listen to country all day and nobody thought I was strange.    I'm sorry to say that many fellow Brits think that those of us who like country are rather weird.  

Still, at least out here in the boondocks the local BBC station (Radio Norfolk) actually has -- Wait for it! -- three hours of country on a Saturday morning.    It's not  up to American coverage, but 3 hours per week is probably about the best you'll find in England.  

Being looked at as if you're an alien if you try to strike up friendly conversation with a cashier.

Understand fully.   Quite a few years ago I spent a lot of time traveling around the Deep South, and really adjusted to the friendly atmosphere and chatting with strangers.   The first day I arrived back in London I remember going into a cafe and just saying "Hi, how you doing?" or something like that without even thinking.   It took a couple of seconds for the strange looks I received to sink in.  "Oh yeah, I'm back in England now."  

I have to say that it's a lot better out here in East Anglia than in London or the other urban areas though.  People are much less hesitant about chatting to others, although it's still harder to strike up a conversation than in the States.

did anyone mention  lack of garbage  disposals?  

I've often wondered about that over the years.    They really make cleaning up in the kitchen easier.

pedestrians  do  NOT have right of way..

Legally they have right of way if already on a crosswalk ("Zebra crossing").  Car drivers are also supposed to yield to pedestrians when turning into a side street, just as in the U.S., although this rule has to be one of the most widely ignored on British roads.  

So few people seem to realize that cars are supposed to yield that when I do so I often get peculiar looks from pedestrians, and on occasions angry looks from drivers behind who clearly think I shouldn't have stopped.