What's the most annoying British habit?

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Spiritual_Fall363@reddit

Smoking / Vaping e v e r y w h e r e!!!

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dohouch@reddit

Not mine "The British are too polite to be honest, the Germans too honest to be polite"

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JeffBroccoli@reddit

Calling their evening meal their “tea”

Tea is a drink. Stop it.

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Savanarola79@reddit

That's a Northern thing and probably a class thing too.

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ShoestringJane@reddit

Tea is a drink and the evening meal in our house lol. We are having quiche and salad for tea tonight (sorry, not sorry)

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As someone who just moved here from Canada, the amount that Brits complain about the UK (which is actually a fantastic place) is a very annoying habit. Obviously nowhere is without issue, especially these days, but the negativity is astounding.

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daniluvsuall@reddit

It's just so baked in to the way we think. I can objectively say we're really not a bad place, we do have some serious money problems as a country but it is generally a nice place.

Like for example, in some YouGov surveys it asks you "Name something you think Britain is good at" and I really struggle to think of something.

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shaneo632@reddit

Not being direct about things.

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daniluvsuall@reddit

I hate this. I try my best to ask direct questions, I get absolutely incensed when I ask a direct question - get one answer, then they say something else behind my back.

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flyingmooset@reddit

Crabs in a bucket mentality

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Ok-Employer4535@reddit (OP)

Yeah right!

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Odd-Swing-2025@reddit

Honestly fuck this. I hate it.

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Icy_Distribution3467@reddit

Queuing

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Christian-Metal@reddit

"You go first."

"Oh thank you. Sorry!"

"Sorry. No, that's alright, sorry".

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NewPumpkin8217@reddit

You missed out an ever so sincere 'are you sure!?' or two.

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

What most non-Brits don't realise, though, is that none of those uses actually means they feel sorry. They may never have given a genuine, heartfelt apology in their life.

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eric-artman@reddit

Average monkey needs 2 weeks here to realise it.

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Pedantichrist@reddit

What the actual fuck, dude?

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eric-artman@reddit

A person with inteligence of a monkey knows that after being here for 2 weeks. If you need me to explain my comment

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Christian-Metal@reddit

Most Brits do know this. It's just something we say. It's, erm, sort of reassuring when we do it and the other person responds in kind.

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

I'm rather fond of it myself. You can use it to mean almost anything from genuine regret to fuck off.

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Christian-Metal@reddit

It is brilliant. Oh, I do love being British - it's things like this that make me proud. 😊

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

A lot of people don't appreciate the subtle beauty of passive aggression.

I have two entitled, rather obnoxious neighbours who are having extensive building work done that's caused noise and disruption, sometimes seven days a week, for over a year. There's a piece of wall between them that still needs painting, which I call the perineum.

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Christian-Metal@reddit

No, go on. You first.

No you.

No - come on! You go.

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GoshILoveSlothS@reddit

We are not the only nation to overuse the word "sorry", I once had a "polite off" with a waitress in Toronto, Canada lol

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SianBeast@reddit

The 'race to the bottom' mentality.

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Pedantichrist@reddit

Yup.

Got to work hard and provide for your children, but those children whose parents worked hard and provided for them? Posh twats, eh?

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Lion-Resident@reddit

What does this mean?

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OnRoadRadio@reddit

I guess people look down on others earning more than them?

and we love being miserable.

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Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit

Bring infuriatingly indirect

“Would you like a tea?” “I’ll have one if you’re having one”

That’s not an answer, that’s telling me to decide if I think you want a tea.

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Pedantichrist@reddit

No it is not. I do not want one that much, but I will always tolerate another cup of tea, and if you have one then I will be envious, so I will also have one if you are.

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fussilyarrabbiata@reddit

I’m not British but I do find this rather charming! :D

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fussilyarrabbiata@reddit

I’m not British but I do find this rather charming! :D

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SianBeast@reddit

To me that's more like "I'll have one as long as I don't have to make it", which, I don't mind so much.

But, if I'm asking my partner and kid who wants chicken and who wants steak because there's one of each after I've picked mine and they both go "I'll have whatever".. that's not helpful information guys!!

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Savanarola79@reddit

But if they genuinely both mean it, you can just give each of them a random choice and it should be OK, surely? Of course if they were being indirect and polite in a British way....then it's not helpful at all!

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LayingInBracken@reddit

I'm Dutch (apparently we're famous for being very direct. No time for dilly dallying when your country is at risk being flooded. Again.) living in the UK and I can definitely relate.

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Savanarola79@reddit

"Would you like a bag?" at the supermarket. Yes, I'd like one, but I'm not paying 40p for one, so I'll do without.

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N4t3ski@reddit

That scenario can continue for a few rounds of "Oh, well I was only going to have one if you were"

And "oh, well, I dont want to be a bother"

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acabxox@reddit

This is what I had to change first when I started working with people from Eastern Europe and Russia. They pretty much shouted “Just say yes or no!!” repeatedly at me for weeks lol.

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Luggagespider@reddit

Criticising EU countries, like we're the panacea (but also looking up the USA, who have fucked us over again and again since the end of WWIII like we need saving by them or something). Aside from that nothing, we're fucking brilliant!

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Normal-Internal164@reddit

Sorry?

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L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit

Pedantry. That tendency towards very literal correction. rather than focusing on what might actually have said, it's a distinctly British characteristic to hone in just one the one word that might possibly have been misspoke in a sentence, rather than take in the actual meaning of what was actually said as a holistic whole.

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Boring_Storm4633@reddit

home in holistic whole = tautology. /Jk (tee hee hee) 😂

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Boring_Storm4633@reddit

*home in /jk

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BloatedBaryonyx@reddit

Oh no

Oh no that's me.

Look in my defense it's so often that I'm not sure if someone meant X or Y because it could mean both and I know it's just the one word but I really need the clarification, what if I get it wrong!?!

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Glittering_Swan2205@reddit

I raise you Germany.

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Savanarola79@reddit

A comma would have been appropriate after 'correction', rather than a full stop. Sorry, couldn't resist 😜

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CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit

correction. rather

"This should be a comma actually..."

But yeah, I absolutely agree. Did you, or did you not understand what was being said, expressed? Was it that difficult to use a little brain power to work out the message because of that?

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Commercial-Whole8184@reddit

I think you should have said “what may actually”, rather than “what might actually”. It makes the whole piece barely legible.

(Joke btw)

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RBisoldandtired@reddit

Is all of reddit just pedantic British people? lol

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L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit

I see you take my point.

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captainfishpie@reddit

saying sorry to your dog when you accidently wake them up

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steffaann11@reddit

Definitely not being direct. You never know what a Brit actually wants! They’re too afraid to offend you, but being honest is just much better so that we know what we like and what we don’t like!

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undoneyet@reddit

Moaning about other people.

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MrPejorative@reddit

Gambling. Constant queues in every shop for lottery tickets and scratch cards. Thank God most supermarkets now have them with the cigarettes. Addicts corner I call it.

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blue_rizla@reddit

We're pretty mopey people. Quite whiny and negative when you get us in a group.

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ArrowPresby@reddit

Sitting on the priority seats when the eldery, disabled or pregnant need them on busses and trains.

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kebabby72@reddit

Cologning people.

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Jayatthemoment@reddit

The Irish say ‘Pogue Mahone’, we Brits say ‘Jo Malone’.

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Lazy-Contribution789@reddit

Is it an annoying habit? Is it something that's happening today? Is/was it uniquely British?

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Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit

It’s actually spelt “Kölning” these days

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AfricanLad@reddit

It's like Türkiyes voting for Christmas

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HiroPr0tag0nist@reddit

I'm always cologning people. It's a bad habit but I just can't quite.

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tutti_frrutti@reddit

More confusing than annoying but calling lunch dinner still makes me so confused. Is dinner no longer an evening meal? And wdym mean tea instead of dinner???😭

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ThePeake@reddit

I really hate the long-running non-joke of saying any incongruous but inoffensive habit, like putting the milk in first or dressing sock-shoe-sock-shoe, as being psychopath behaviour or something a serial killer would do.

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Timely_Cake_917@reddit

Some of those nuns on call the midwife.

Insufferable at times

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Certain-Pass-6551@reddit

Not taking responsibility from when an animal, usually a fox, gets into your rubbish overnight before bin collection day and leave shit all over the place - it sucks to have to clean it up, it's not pleasant but it's better than rubbish and rotten food floating around the outside of your house for the next few days.

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silly______goose@reddit

Being asked "you ok?"

As someone new to the UK, I always feel conscious when I hear that because it feels pointed since the only time I get asked that outside of here is when I'm shitfaced or passing out, so it makes me feel self-conscious.

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Savanarola79@reddit

"Alright?" is even worse. I'm English and it still confuses me sometimes.

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Spottyjamie@reddit

Littering

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daz1987@reddit

And it seems flytipping is going that way.

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MarkCrystal@reddit

Apologising for stuff that is by no means your fault

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sharkkallis@reddit

Guy in the hospital bed next to me a few years back apologised to the driver of the car that ran him over and broke his leg.

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Savanarola79@reddit

I'm very wary of that now because in disputes it can be taken as evidence that you accept blame. If an accident is genuinely not your fault, don't apologise!

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ClarifyingMe@reddit

"keep calm and carry on" when those in powerful are shafting us and go absolutely rabid when some poor fuck does something and news tells them to be mad at ti.

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Savanarola79@reddit

Litter 🚮

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CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit

Being overly conscious of other people's needs. Don't misunderstand me, I think it's good to be conscious of other people's needs.

However, when you ask someone what they would prefer and they actually attempt to answer what they think you would prefer. They think they're being nice but actually, they are being about as unhelpful as they could possibly be.

Not only are you guessing what I want despite me being stood here to tell you, but you're also avoiding telling me what you really want and therefore the decision ends up being made lands between what I really want and what you think I want, which means, it's likely not my preference but it also lands far from yours... Everyone loses.

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Electronic_Law_5295@reddit

So all of peep show lol

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

Not chatting. Since I hit 60 I've found myself doing much more of it because there's now very little risk of either side worrying it's a come on or a prelude to robbing them. This is also partly responsible for how we've raised a generation of young people who don't know how to have a conversation, because they don't see it modelled.

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iamworsethanyou@reddit

Making some quietly self deprecating comment about our mediocrity. It's about all we're capable of these days

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sharkkallis@reddit

Yep, and then when you're confident?

"Bit of a big 'ead on 'I'm, eh?"

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