American living in UK shares common phrase that may lead to an awkward situation

02 March 2024 , 20:02

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Americans may have a hard time understanding certain British sayings (Stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/Maskot)

Americans who have moved over to the UK may end up making a serious wardrobe blunder due to a common British phrase.

Although American and British English are seen as almost identical, it's surprising how their small differences can cause a whole host of problems. For example, if you order chips at a bar, you'll end up with a bowl of fries and not a packet of Cheese and Onions Walkers. You need sweets, not candy, and it's corriander - not cilantro .

Americans have also been left dumbfounded by popular British greetings, such as the classic 'you alright'. They have no idea whether the phrase warrants a response or not, and struggle to decipher its meaning. But there's another common expression that means something entirely different across the pond, and it could get you into an awkward situation...

TikTok star Jeff Thurm says Yanks would take the phrase 'fancy dress' extremely literal. "If I had to guess I would assume you need me like in a full tux, I need to look fancy," he said in a now-viral video.

"I need to dress really, really well and look good. This is an important event if it's fancy dress. Like, imagine telling a girl in the US you need to wear a fancy dress tonight... They are coming down in a ball gown or a cocktail dress or something nice and fancy."

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Of course, in the UK - fancy dress means impersonating a character from a TV show, film, or even profession through costume (aka a policeman or pirate). We'd tend to use terms like 'black tie' or 'formal' if an event required 'fancy' clothing...

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Hundreds of viewers took to the comments section to share their experience with the phrase. "The code was Dress Fancy. Everyone was in cocktail and black tie. I showed up wearing all red and devil horns. Not a great day," one British user wrote. Another said: "I went dressed as Mickey Mouse to a school dance. Everyone else had shirts and ties on."

A third added: "Better to be an American going to a fancy dress party in UK than a Brit going to an American fancy dress party." One clever user found a genius solution to prevent any blunders - by dressing smart either way and pretending you've come as James Bond or Cinderella if everyone else is in fancy dress.

Are you an American living in the UK? Which phrase or saying has thrown you off guard? Let us know in the comments section below

Liam Gilliver