Alternative words for British

Slang

Limey

'''''Limey''''' is an old United States|American and Canada|Canadian slang nickname for the British, initially specifically sailors. The term is believed to derive from ''Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)|lime-juicer'', referring to the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy practice of supplying lime juice (an antiscorbutic) to British sailors to prevent scurvy in the 19th century. The term is believed to have originated in Australia in the 1880s. A fake etymology is that it is a derivative of "Gor-blimey" ("god blind me!").

Pommy

The term '''''Pommy''''' for a British person is commonly used in Australian English and New Zealand English, and is often shortened to '''''Pom'''''. The origin of this term is not confirmed. One etymology of the term is thought to be that, as the majority of early immigrants to Australia were British, it is rhyming slang for "immigrant" from a contraction of the word "pomegranate", or possibly more directly related to the appearance of the fruit, as it bears a more than passing resemblance to the typical pale complexioned Briton's skin after his or her first few days living under the hot Australian sun. Another etymology, is such that POM is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM). This refers to the fact that most of Australian's first settlers were convicts, sentenced to transportation. Upon arrival in the country they would sport a "uniform", with the four initials emblazoned on the back. Convicts with an extended stay on Australian soil would no longer have to wear the shirt, and would often refer to newer entrants into the country as "Pohmmys". The modern term excludes the H. Such actions could have presumed the Australian trait of self-joking. But though this may be commonly believed, it is believed to be false, as the term was coined long before acronyms were believed to be used in common parlance. Other suggestions are mostly along the lines that POM is a different acronym, such as "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Port of Melbourne", referring to the fact that the earliest Australian settlers were convicts. None of these explanations bears up under scrutiny. Some etymologies can be considered false etymology|false etymologies, however there is a little to no evidence of a truthful conclusion to the word. The use of the word 'Pom' is considered mildly derogatory - some may use it to cause offence, or to address the British nation as a whole, but it is mostly used as a friendly derogatory term amongst people who know each other well, especially if one of them is British and the other Australian.

Rooinek

In South Africa the term 'Pom' may also be used, while Afrikaans speakers use the term '''''rooinek''''' (literally 'red neck', on account of the sunburnt skin).

Britisher

In India, the term ''''Britisher'''' may still be encountered, but is largely obsolete elsewhere.

John Bull

'''''John Bull''''' was originally a character created by John Arbuthnot in 1712 to satire|satirise the Whig war party. Later in the 18th century, British satirical artists James Gillray, Thomas Rowlandson and George Cruikshank contrasted the stout and healthy British cartoon character with scrawny French Revolution|French revolutionary sans-culottes Jacobins. In the 19th century the U.S. cartoonist Thomas Nast also drew the character.

Tommy

The name '''''Tommy''''' for a soldier in the British Army is particularly associated with World War I. Germany|German soldiers would call out to Tommy across no-man's land if they wished to speak to a British soldier. The French, and British Commonwealth|Commonwealth forces also used the name. Tommy is derived from ''Tommy Atkins'' which had been used as a generic name for a soldier for many years (and had been used as an example name on army registration forms). The precise origin is the subject of some debate, but it is known to have been used as early as 1743. Rudyard Kipling published the poem ''Tommy'' (part of the ''Barrack Room Ballads'') in 1892 and in 1893 the music hall song ''Private Tommy Atkins'' was published with words by Henry Hamilton and music by S. Potter. In 1898 William McGonagall wrote ''Lines In Praise of Tommy Atkins''.

Brit

The term '''''Brit''''' seems to have become popular in more recent times, particularly in US usage. The term is not usually offered offensively and is generally not perceived as such, however there are circumstances in which it is used pejoratively, for example by supporters of Scottish independence when referring to their Unionists (Scotland)|Unionist opponents.

Proposed alternatives

Use of alternative terms has been practiced and advocated by some people to distinguish UK nationals from people living specifically in Great Britain or the British Isles. In practice, this is not usually necessary in British English because ''British'' without any modifier (like ''British cooking'') is usually understood to refer to the UK, and the term British Isles has become increasingly unacceptable to people in the Republic of Ireland. By contrast, while Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain, it is part of the United Kingdom, and the Unionists (Ireland)|Unionist community defines itself as British.

Other languages

In much the same way as the word 'England' is used (incorrectly) to refer to 'Britain', the term 'English' is used interchangeably with 'British' in many languages, hence in French language|French, a British man may be called '''''un Anglais''''', while a British woman may be '''''une Anglaise''''', even though they may be from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. However, when it is specifically known that the person is from Scotland, French people always call that person ''un(e) Écossais(e)'', and they wouldn't call that person ''un(e) Anglais(e)''. If the person comes from Wales or Northern Ireland, the distinction is more blurred for French people, and those people will often be called ''Anglais'', although strictly speaking they should be called ''un(e) Gallois(e)'' for a Welshman, and perhaps ''un(e) Irlandais(e)'' for someone from Northern Ireland, although choosing the correct term here opens up another kettle of fish. People from the Republic of Ireland are always called ''Irlandais'' of course, and never ''Anglais''. The literal translation of 'British', ''britannique'', is used more in official contexts, for governments rather than for individuals: this is reflected in the description of the British monarchy|monarch as ''His/Her '''Britannic''' Majesty''. Less formally the French also call the British '''''les rosbifs''''' (beef#Roast beef|roast beef), due to the fondness of the British for this particular dish. The common British slang term for the French, ''Frogs'', has a similar culinary root. Sometimes the concepts of "British" and "English" even get turned the other way around, and this also occurs among some English speakers, who think that the ''use'' of the terms "English" and "England" are to be avoided, when it is, in fact, their ''misuse'' that causes offence. There have been cases (such as in the Finland|Finnish press) where the writer has divided "England" into "Britain" and "Scotland", for example as in: ''"Of the English, the Brits are often more stuck-up than the Scots."''; however, this is quite a rare phenomenon. Many world languages such as Chinese language|Chinese and Japanese language|Japanese, use terms for Britain which are obviously based on "England/English". This may cause offence among Scottish people|Scottish, Welsh people|Welsh and Irish people|Irish people.

See also

Alternative words for American

British Isles (terminology)

External links

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/english/Sa/Sassenach.html

http://gwybodiadur.worldonline.co.uk/phrases.htm

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pom1.htm