British Quirkiness

Years ago, a German friend said to me that I could get away with anything because I am British … but that was before Brexit and tmy home country‘s reputation fell to the ground ☹.  However, I know there are still a lot of Anglophiles out there who still love all things British. 

The British are known for being quirky which, according to the Cambridge dictionary, means ‘unusual in an attractive and interesting way’. Well, that is open to interpretation!

I was reading recently that the British House of Commons or Parliament still has two red lines to prevent the opposing sides from attacking each other with swords during debates, and I think we saw a lot of quirkiness during the coronation of King Charles. And as for Parliament’s Speaker, John Bercow’s ties and the way he shouted “Order!”, there are many YouTube videos to prove it!

But how about the language? Just writing it can present challenges (e.g. piece and peace, flour and flower) and if you look in Babbel you will find other weird rules:

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/weirdest-english-rules

So you have my full sympathy when it comes to getting to grips with (understanding) the rules! Next time we’ll look at the quirky and totally confusing things we often say!