American baffled by 9 everyday UK phrases – and they are pretty funny

Living in a new country can be difficult, with local customs that can feel totally alien. For some, communication can be a huge barrier – and that can even be the case if you speak the same language.

One baffled American woman, who is currently living in London, has taken to TikTok to share nine everyday British phrases that left her feeling very confused.

She has released a series of clips on her channel @Girl.london7 with the rundown of expressions.

The woman said: “I have adopted some phrases and some I haven’t because some I just feel like an imposter saying them in an American accent!”

Below we reproduce her full hilarious list – as well as what she said about each of the phrases.

Bits and Bobs

She explains: “This just means lots of little stuff. Here’s an example ‘I’m going to go to the shop and pick up some bits and bobs.’

“So you’re not doing your full weekly shop – you’re just picking up some extra stuff.”

Bob’s your Uncle

“This was very confusing to me when I first moved to the UK because I was like ‘What if my Uncle’s name is like Tony? What if Bob’s not your uncle?'”

Taking the Mick

“Again, when I first heard this as an American, I’m like ‘Mickey Mouse?'”

The word ‘do’

“The next one on my list isn’t so much a phrase but it’s the term ‘do’ as in like a leaving do or a hen do or like a birthday do I think people can say.”

She added: “We don’t use the word ‘do’ like this in America.”

You look smart

“Smart in the US is typically only referring to your mental abilities. It’s not referring to how you dress.”

Swings and roundabouts

“We don’t say this in the US. Most of us barely know what a roundabout is…that’s not true we do know what a roundabout is but we don’t use them. They’re not part of our culture.”

Chockablock

“This is where something is really rammed like traffic is chockablock or just something is really full.”

She added: “We would say rammed.”

Full of beans

“So to be full of beans in the UK – it’s not talking about baked beans. It’s talking about energy or enthusiasm.”

Spanner in the works

“This is one where Americans do have an equivalent phrase. There is a reason why we don’t say spanner in the works and that’s because we don’t use the same word for spanner.”

She added: “The majority of Americans would refer to it as a wrench.”