Further examples from the BBC on Britishisms in the US and Canada.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249

Rather interestingly it includes the word "numpty" (I am uncertain of a correct spelling as I had only ever heard it used orally and not written).

I formerly thought the word had uniquely Scottish roots as I did not hear it used in conversation in London until some four or five years after my arrival here. It has become really popular in the last ten or so years and it still sounds a little funny to hear it pronounced with an English accent.

Spoken with a Scottish accent and with varying tones it can be used in a range of meanings from the good-natured rebuke to the absolute direst insult when prefixed with an anglo-saxon colloquialism.

This post was last modified: 17-10-2012 08:16 AM by jgdoherty.