One of the best things about England, in my opinion, is hearing the unique expressions people use. In fact, I only truly felt that I had arrived in England when our coach driver exclaimed, “Blimey!” a mere twenty minutes after landing in London Airport. Over the past few days, my American companions and my new British acquaintances have bantered back and forth to figure out which phrases are uniquely American or British. It is quite strange to fail a common vocabulary test which is supposedly given in the same language you have grown up with, but when Aubergine suddenly means eggplant and a brolly is an umbrella it becomes apparent just how different British and American English can be. Of all the common British exclamations, I have compiled a short list of favorites:

1. Blimey!

2. Bloody hell!

3. Cheers!

4. Ridiculous! — When said in a British accent, this word is so much better.

5. Brilliant!

We will see if I have future additions. As for “brollies,”  you know it rains a lot in a country when you find one of these on a college campus (personally, I wouldn’t mind a few around USF):