19 Quirks British People Don't Realise The Rest Of The World Finds Weird

    Using "you alright?" as a greeting.

    Jasmin Nahar
    by Jasmin Nahar

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what quirks about Britain they find weird. Here are some of their thoughts!

    1. The amount we say "bye" on the phone before hanging up.

    BBC One

    "My S.O. says it at least four times." – nicolewilson

    2. Eating beans on toast.

    Lleerogers / Getty Images

    "I will never understand beans on toast! Who wants soggy toast covered in plain-ass beans?" – melonnac

    3. These signs.

    Oli Scarff / AFP / Getty Images

    "The road signs that say 'The North' or 'The West' but don't tell you where you are." – maranonatownsend

    4. Our passive-aggressive use of "you're welcome".

    Disney

    "Using a quiet 'you're welcome' as a punishment for someone who doesn't say thank you, like if you hold the door open for someone and they don't say thanks or if you let someone past on a small road and they just drive past."

    – prettylittleliar15

    5. The phrase "taking the piss".

    20th Century Fox

    "My boyfriend is English and the first time he said it we were on the phone and I just kind of assumed he meant 'hold on, I have to pee'." – jennamsperez25

    6. Ending messages with "x".

    jake @moteIboy

    why do other british people put an x after literally everything they're like "oh my nan just died x" am i missing out on something

    Reply Retweet Favorite

    "I honestly thought my friends from other countries didn't like me or found me really annoying because they never put an 'x' at the end of their messages, it's only been a recent realisation that it's just another awkward overly polite British thing!" – elliew4a694ef26

    7. Greeting people with "you alright"?

    Ashleigh-Laura @Ashleigh_Laura_

    I need to stop greeting people with 'are you alright?' Bc they don't understand it means 'how r u doing' and I get so many bewildered looks

    Reply Retweet Favorite

    "'Are you all right?' as a greeting!! Took me *months* to figure this one out, kept thinking I must look upset or something!!" – toujoursmoimeme

    8. The concept of TV licences.

    Flickr: rlancefield

    – miat449838923

    9. The sheer variety of lightbulbs we use.

    Flickr: theenmoy, Flickr: iancvt55

    "The lightbulbs! There are two types of fitting (screw and bayonet) and two sizes, but you can't tell without unscrewing what you've got, so you either have to be the kind of person with the foresight to check all your bulbs before they burn out and pre-buy appropriate replacements, or you just wait until they burn out and hope when you go to the store you remember not only that you need whatever watt lightbulbs but also that you need skinny bayonets or large screws or whatever, and life is complicated enough without all that!" – lisac49abaf840

    10. Putting carbs inside other carbs.

    Flickr: click-trackheart

    – alyssabarbrajeanm

    11. Pickle being a type of relish, as opposed to in North America where it means a pickled cucumber.

    Flickr: 44282411@N04

    "Pickle to an Englishman is not the same as a pickle to someone from North America." – davida4616ed2f9

    12. How sweary we all are.

    Universal

    "The cursing thing is so strange to me! My roommate is from the UK (we live in New York) and whenever her parents come over the amount of F-bombs and C-U-Next-Tuesdays that come out of all of them is hysterical. They're legit the nicest people on the planet but just don't give a second thought about swearing in front of one another. It's such an odd cultural thing. My parents would have my head if I ever used that language in front of them!" – JillBeth

    13. Referring to all desserts as "pudding".

    Bloodstone / Getty Images, Sirichai_ec2 / Getty Images

    – CharlotteLindsey

    14. Apologising too much.

    XL /

    "They say sorry all the time! You could essentially hit someone in the face and they would say 'sorry my face was in the way of your fist'." – TrickleMonster

    15. Our quiet acceptance of drinking from scaly kettles.

    reddit.com

    "Being TOTALLY FINE with the mineral buildup on the bottom of tea kettles. That is not normal and you know it!" – sheilam436a80251

    16. Adding milk to tea.

    Yanjf / Getty Images

    "I've never understood the whole milk with tea thing. In my honest opinion, milk dilutes the flavour." – nprfan1

    17. Full English breakfasts.

    Flickr: waldopepper

    "Who the hell eats beans and sausages in the morning????" – f4736bc889

    18. Root beer not being a commonly drunk thing.

    Bhofack2 / Getty Images

    "My boyfriend had never had root beer until he came to visit the US. They do have it in the UK but it's much less popular." – cassier497ff7fb7

    19. And finally, the popularity of instant coffee.

    Flickr: bg_dn

    "WHY?!?" – am11jn

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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