Things that Americans find odd about the UK

The other day, I made out a birthday card to my BIL in America, and I absent-mindedly put his address on the flap where my return address should be, and we didn't have any Tippex or anything like that for me to fix it.

I ended up crossing it out and rewriting it.

DH didn't understand why I was bothered - he didn't understand that when BIL gets a card the first thing he is going to do is look for the return address to see who it's from. He could probably tell from the airmail stamp, but it would still be nice for him to see the return address.

My teacher today kept saying "minus (number)" where I'm used to "negative (number)".  So -25 would be pronounced "minus twenty-five" as opposed to "negative twenty-five".

My step dad makes rice at least once a day and has for about 15 years (long story but yeah he's obsessed with it).  The best method by far is to put it in a Pyrex dish and microwave it.  I don't know the measurements but definitely the just enough water, let it steam and then fluff it method.  I've actually hated rice my entire life but I love his!

I also get bugged by the no return address thing.  DH thought I was insane for freaking out about putting a return address on things but I would freak out in the US if I got something without a return address.  I'd be all...OMG it's a freaking bomb.

My teacher today kept saying "minus (number)" where I'm used to "negative (number)".  So -25 would be pronounced "minus twenty-five" as opposed to "negative twenty-five".

Ooh this would drive me batty -I'd keep saying minus from what?   

My teacher today kept saying "minus (number)" where I'm used to "negative (number)".  So -25 would be pronounced "minus twenty-five" as opposed to "negative twenty-five".

Ooh this would drive me batty -I'd keep saying minus from what?   

My math teacher would do the same here, and it confused me a bit at first. xD

I do brown rice in the oven in a casserole dish, rinsed and measured.  It just turns out best that way, IMO.  We don't have a microwave, and I never really liked running them for the length of time it took to nuke rice.  White basmati I do the rinse, boil in a lot of water, and drain thing.

I always did the measure and fluff in the US.  It's how my mother does it, and I just thought it was the way you cook rice.  Then when I moved here, I saw my BF and my flatmate just chuck it in the pot with a bunch of water and wait until it's cooked through.  It never even occurred to me that you could do that.       

That's how I cook it now, just because it takes less effort (not that the measure and fluff is particularly tasking, but there you have it). I haven't considered which turns out better, but now I'm tempted to try it the old way and see if I can notice a difference...

My teacher today kept saying "minus (number)" where I'm used to "negative (number)".  So -25 would be pronounced "minus twenty-five" as opposed to "negative twenty-five".

This is absolutely normal British usage. -1 is "minus one".

If someone doesn't put enough postage on a letter or parcel, instead of it being returned to the sender, it goes to the recipients' post office and the recipient has to pay the extra postage.

They don't have to. The recipient is offered the choice of paying the extra postage plus an administration charge. If they refuse, Royal Mail will attempt to return items to the sender provided that a return address is clearly printed or written on the envelope or package. Items without a return address go to the Royal Mail Belfast office, to be opened to look for a senders address. If this is not found then the item will be destroyed.

I'd keep saying minus from what? 

Zero.

Zero.

Oh a negative (minus) number is below zero? Who woulda thunk? Amazing I could get an engineering degree, oh wait, 2 engineering degrees, using lots of advanced maths without knowing that. {insert sarcasm smiley face}

It's duh, obviously not a hard concept- "minus 1".  I am just used to hearing as 2 minus 1 or 4 minus 3 etc. But on other hand, negative is just that- especially if just outright talking about negative values.(Of course temperature over rules that) 

They don't have to. The recipient is offered the choice of paying the extra postage plus an administration charge. If they refuse, Royal Mail will attempt to return items to the sender provided that a return address is clearly printed or written on the envelope or package. Items without a return address go to the Royal Mail Belfast office, to be opened to look for a senders address. If this is not found then the item will be destroyed.

But you can't find out what's in the envelope or package - and whether you would have wanted it - without paying the postage.

I've heard people in the US use "minus" instead of "negative" in front of numbers. I think mostly older people. I vaguely remember some of my teachers (in the 1970s or early 80s) using it that way.

But you can't find out what's in the envelope or package - and whether you would have wanted it - without paying the postage.

Exactly.

Oh a negative (minus) number is below zero? Who woulda thunk? Amazing I could get an engineering degree, oh wait, 2 engineering degrees, using lots of advanced maths without knowing that. {insert sarcasm smiley face}

It's duh, obviously not a hard concept- "minus 1".  I am just used to hearing as 2 minus 1 or 4 minus 3 etc. But on other hand, negative is just that- especially if just outright talking about negative values.(Of course temperature over rules that) 

Exactly. Minus is an operand, so I'm always waiting for the other half of the equation.

Exactly. Minus is an operand, so I'm always waiting for the other half of the equation.

Er, no, it's an operator, the 1 is the operand. The minus sign is the sign of the number, and is usually pronounced "minus" everywhere except in the USA since the 1960s.

The minus sign has three main uses in mathematics:

1. The subtraction operator

2. Directly in front of a number and when it is not a subtraction operator it means a negative number. For instance −5 is minus 5.

3. A unary operator that acts as an instruction to replace the operand by its opposite. For example, if x is 3, then −x is −3, but if x is −3, then −x is 3. Similarly, −(−2) is equal to 2.

Using the word "negative" instead of "minus" when saying negative numbers aloud is a USA-only thing dating from the "New Math" of the 1960s. For Americans who went to school before then, and also for natives of all ages of most other English speaking countries, the normal way to pronounce -1 is "minus one".