You know you're British when...

Alain Quay

- you find that listening to the Archers keeps you in touch with your rural roots
- the highlight of Christmas is buying a cheap leather sofa on Boxing day
- your greatest fear is a chipped or cracked windscreen
- a foreign win at cricket and you offer to build a new Jerusalem
(Have the Israelis been consulted? Did anyone ask for a quote?)
- inclement weather means rail chaos

Others? :roll:

whyamihere

It says 'BRITISH CITIZEN' on your passport.

rick_chasey

whyamihere wrote:

It says 'BRITISH CITIZEN' on your passport.

Being a citizen is different to a national, is it not?

Stewie Griffin

It's an often told joke about us but I can't ever bring myself to haggle. I hand over the money or buy somewhere else, even if its more expensive at the second place as I couldn't go to the first place after politely saying no thank and leaving, that would be far too embarrassing. :oops:

Ollieda

I'm English......discuss:

(actually there's no way I could claim I was English with my surname and heritage but it's always interesting to have the English/British debate)

mattsaw

I love a good queue, even at the bottom of the steps at Wimbledon station where it's essentially a rugby scrum, I'll always stand and wait patiently behind the person at the back left of the mob.

Everyone else just walks past me :oops:

Even if there is a proper queue and someone pushes in I'll just tut under my breath

deptfordmarmoset

Mattsaw wrote:

I love a good queue, even at the bottom of the steps at Wimbledon station where it's essentially a rugby scrum, I'll always stand and wait patiently behind the person at the back left of the mob.

Everyone else just walks past me :oops:

Even if there is a proper queue and someone pushes in I'll just tut under my breath

I get the impression that Britain has no fury greater than a queuer jumped! We're fine when the rule's observed but very often become furious when someone disregards or is oblivious to that rule.

Actually, this is something that has just occurred to me: I haven't done enough cycling on the continent to be able to judge for myself but I've come across lots of accounts about UK drivers' sometimes appalling attitudes towards cyclists compared with other European countries. Could it be that UK drivers sense particularly strongly that cyclists are not playing to the rules of the road game - so that we get perceived as queue jumpers in a culture where queue jumping really isn't the ''done thing?''

whyamihere

Rick Chasey wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

It says 'BRITISH CITIZEN' on your passport.

Being a citizen is different to a national, is it not?

Doesn't seem so. My family's been here for many, many generations (for example, my parents' surnames are Williams and Pugh, both Welsh origin). I'm as much a British national as it's realistically possible to be, but it still says citizen on my passport.

TuckerUK

...every conversation you have will reference the day's weather at some point.

mattsaw

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

Mattsaw wrote:

I love a good queue, even at the bottom of the steps at Wimbledon station where it's essentially a rugby scrum, I'll always stand and wait patiently behind the person at the back left of the mob.

Everyone else just walks past me :oops:

Even if there is a proper queue and someone pushes in I'll just tut under my breath

I get the impression that Britain has no fury greater than a queuer jumped! We're fine when the rule's observed but very often become furious when someone disregards or is oblivious to that rule.

Actually, this is something that has just occurred to me: I haven't done enough cycling on the continent to be able to judge for myself but I've come across lots of accounts about UK drivers' sometimes appalling attitudes towards cyclists compared with other European countries. Could it be that UK drivers sense particularly strongly that cyclists are not playing to the rules of the road game - so that we get perceived as queue jumpers in a culture where queue jumping really isn't the ''done thing?''

I've never thought of things that way, you could have a point though. As a nation we do tend to get wound-up most when we perceive there's some kind of injustice or our natural sense of fair play has been wronged.

Equally though it's most British to mutter under our breath, trying to ram people off the road in a 4x4 is definately not on old chap.

Bozman

Irony, sarcasm, talking about the weather, the ability to queue, beer and being able to laugh at yourself!

Richard_D

When you treat 3 straight defeats at ODI as normal service resumed, ditto our tennis, golf, etc.stars falling at the final hurdle.

Frank the tank

When you moan about everything but complain about nothing.

RichN95.

A friend of mine got his British Nationality last week. He seems to have spent most of the time since watching Jason Statham films.

pottssteve

you understand, "I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue".

daviesee

You build a state of the art sporting venue and before it is complete, plan to demolish it :roll:

simon2names

Did you hear about the Englishman with an inferiority complex?,,,, He thought he was the same as everyone else :roll:

With apologies to our Celtic brethren

dynastarg9

When you say "sorry" so much it becomes meaningless.... (especially when pushing onto the piccadilly line at Green Park at 5:30)....

Nuggs

When the most viscious response to something untoward is a silent tut and a small shake of the head.

rick_chasey

whyamihere wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

It says 'BRITISH CITIZEN' on your passport.

Being a citizen is different to a national, is it not?

Doesn't seem so. My family's been here for many, many generations (for example, my parents' surnames are Williams and Pugh, both Welsh origin). I'm as much a British national as it's realistically possible to be, but it still says citizen on my passport.

I mean the other way - it's possible to not be remotely British - but by the virtue of having lived here for a long enough time (pre Citizenship test anyway) without causing any trouble, you are entitled to British Citizenship, yet retain your original nationality...

rick_chasey

...you consider ale as a legitimately normal drink to have in the pub.

domhnall_dearg

Rick Chasey wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

It says 'BRITISH CITIZEN' on your passport.

Being a citizen is different to a national, is it not?

Doesn't seem so. My family's been here for many, many generations (for example, my parents' surnames are Williams and Pugh, both Welsh origin). I'm as much a British national as it's realistically possible to be, but it still says citizen on my passport.

I mean the other way - it's possible to not be remotely British - but by the virtue of having lived here for a long enough time (pre Citizenship test anyway) without causing any trouble, you are entitled to British Citizenship, yet retain your original nationality...

A bit of research here would indicate that there are 6 forms of British "nationality" of which citizenship confers the most rights (of abode etc.). Look up what they mean yourself, they're not half as interesting as I thought they might be.

thecrofter

The rest of us know you're English when you talk about England but really mean Britain. This also applies to Americans

Ollieda

Rick Chasey wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

whyamihere wrote:

It says 'BRITISH CITIZEN' on your passport.

Being a citizen is different to a national, is it not?

Doesn't seem so. My family's been here for many, many generations (for example, my parents' surnames are Williams and Pugh, both Welsh origin). I'm as much a British national as it's realistically possible to be, but it still says citizen on my passport.

I mean the other way - it's possible to not be remotely British - but by the virtue of having lived here for a long enough time (pre Citizenship test anyway) without causing any trouble, you are entitled to British Citizenship, yet retain your original nationality...

My cousin was born in England and has a british passport. However he's a dual national of Ireland and Sri Lanka, not a "British National" I suppose there must be a few loop holes

Ollieda

dynastarg9 wrote:

When you say "sorry" so much it becomes meaningless.... (especially when pushing onto the piccadilly line at Green Park at 5:30)....

Or when someone pushes into you and you apologise for it!

pneumatic

you find a haggis in your fridge on 25th January

daviesee

pneumatic wrote:

you find a haggis in your fridge on 25th January

Pesky things get everywhere. Just as well we hunt the blighters down

TLDNMCL

...take tea bags with you on holiday. :oops:

Pep

you are obsessed about hose prices and celebrate when houses becomes more expensive.

beverick

You realise you're the foreigner in the England cricket team.

Bob

daviesee

Pep wrote:

you are obsessed about hose prices and celebrate when houses becomes more expensive.

You obviously do a lot of gardening then?