If you liked this, watch 7 American English Words That Are Catching on in Britain now: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZrF8bK2i15bapqs.html

I am a 57-year-old American and I’ve been using the word wonky to describe something thing that is askew or messed up my whole life.

In my experience, Americans do use "sorted" to mean "resolved," but if we want that meaning, we don't use the word "sorted" alone. Instead, we say "sorted out." For example, "Let's talk for a few minutes to get our Christmas plans sorted out."

I was once in Florida on a small fishing boat with my dad and a local guide. About half way through the trip, the local guy turned to us, dead serious and squinting - "What language are you guys speaking? Norwegian?!". We're Geordies of course (northern/newcastle). Things were pretty awkward from then, as he was strapped (of course) and seemingly didn't believe that we were British anymore..

Little-known fact... The word 'fall' for autumn was originally used in England during Henry 8th's time, but went out of fashion. The word autumn entered English from the French automne.

I really like "Cheeky", its a far less aggressive version of annoying/mischievous/surprising

Wonky has been somewhat common in the US for at least 30 years. I used it as a child more often than i do now.

A few words that I’ve tried to implement in my daily life and get other people on board are “Mate,” “Bloke,” “innit,” and “cheers.” I just like the way those words sound and flow. I have a delusional sense of belief that I, alone, can make these words catch on lol

This brings back fond memories of when I was in the US Army and stationed in West Germany at GHQ Rheindahlen. I got a "proper" education from my British "mates." I use all these words along with wing (fender), boot(trunk), bonnet (hood) and referring to a truck as a "lorry." I do love and respect my UK cousins. "God Save The KIng!"

when I was a teenager I had heard the word "bugger" a few times with little context. I assumed in meant "to annoy" like we use "bug". I would go on to use the word in that context on a semi-frequent basis. Quite a few times I would approach someone and say something akin to "hey, mind if I bugger you for a moment?". I was pretty damn embarrassed when I learned the true definition of the word.

I don't blame Ron Weasley for Bloody Hell. I blame Chief O'Brien!

“Chuffed” is my absolute favorite, and I got it from watching all the British KZfaqrs I love. Crossing my fingers that “…and Bob’s your uncle!” will catch on sometime soon in the US. 😅

"Arse". That is a recent favorite of mine. 😂

As an older Canadian I picked up most of my English words and phrases from Monty Python, on The Buses, Benny Hill, and Are You Being Served with a bit of James Herriot thrown in. It’s off to bed for me now, I’m knackered.

I've heard both wonky and dodgy used commonly my entire life over here in the pacific northwest. I've never even thought of them as british. At this point I don't even think they are.

"Gutted" is one I've heard with more frequency. I think most people here were exposed to it through The Great British Bake Off, which became extremely popular to stream during the pandemic when everyone took up baking as a hobby.

Lost in the pond is a proper brilliant KZfaq channel.

I grew up in Texas and am nearly 50 years old and the word "wonky" has been part of my vernacular all of my life. I actually assumed it was a southern US word since it's used so much where I grew up. I don't think this is a recent addition to American English, at least for Southern US English. Maybe this is the case for Midwestern US English, but it's been commonplace in Texas for my entire life.

For "sorted" in the sense of resolved, Americans have traditionally said "sorted out".

"Chuffed" always sounded like a word for being upset by something to my ear. Funny that it's the direct opposite.

Proper brilliant Laurence! My most used import (and go-to expletive) is *'bugger'* -- British profanity in general seems utterly adorable and carries no cultural baggage even though I'm well aware of what the words actually refer to.

I will say that "sorted" by itself is usually only used in American English to describe a system of organization, as in "sorted by color." But the British meaning you mention of "resolved" has always been used in American English, but it requires the preposition "out" along with it. A Brit might say, when a problem has been resolved, "I'm glad we got that sorted," while an American in the same situation would say "I'm glad we got that sorted out." Sometimes, the American phrase even adds a modifier, with the phrase "all sorted out" (and even "mostly sorted out" in cases where there are still a few details to be fixed) being common, as well. But "sorted out" is a tried-and-true American English-ism, I've been using it since I was in elementary school, and I just turned 68 recently.

I have lived my entire life in the American Midwest, and have heard "wonky" for the last 30 to 40 years. Not all the time, but often enough. The others are "newer", and indeed seeing more use!

Yes, Games Workshop, who produces Warhammer, very much exposed me to lots of British terminology through various publications. More recently (last 15 - 20 years), their PC and mobile games have really brought a lot out. The green skinned Ork / Orc races in their games have been assigned a British Cockney accent. This gave me access to many of the phrases you used here as a teen / early 20’s person.

I've heard 'Flat' used a lot instead of apartment.

Bloody hell, this was bloody brilliant the way you sorted this proper phenomenon of how wonky American vs. British word usage is.

I’ve been using “wonky“ for quite a while, but I have mostly heard it used as generally not quite right, and that’s the way I’ve used it. On the other hand, generally when I’ve heard the word “chuffed“ it has been from British KZfaqrs.

That sofa/couch/settee, that short sleeved shirt and OMG that carpet - I'm sure many of us in our late 40s/early 50s saw that old photo of you and were like "that's just like me at home at that age".

My wife is British (I’m American) and I find myself saying “Oh my days” ever since we’ve gotten together since I always loved the way she said it

I started saying, "And Bob's your uncle!," after watching too many British panel shows like WILTY, and my boyfriend told me to just knock it off. Now he's picked up the expression and sees just how wonderful it is. The one Brit I dated in my life was a Liverpudlian who said "actually" more than anyone should be legally allowed to.

I have to admit I’ve used Wonky many times 😅 Wonky seems such a natural description of something off, ungainly, unstable.

Thats funny that you call him Harold Potter. I picked up most of the words you mentioned by watching IT Crowd. I love that show!

I like your (obviously put on for the camera) weary, almost despairing, teetering-on-the-edge-of-losing-your-temper-but-you-must-get-through-it-somehow energy. It's very British.

I (a US native), recently received an email from my web designer (a UK expat) suggesting that we get together for a 'chinwag'. Although I am well-versed in both tongues, I had never hear that term before. The term was self-explanatory. We chatted over a cuppa.

I love language and the differences in 2 English speaking countries. My favorite British word is gobsmacked.

I get all my British words from 'The Repair Shop' Chuffed was the one I could not wrap my head around. Brilliant!!! easy.

I picked up the word lovey while traveling through Labrador City, NF. A word I use when when I play with my English bulldog, Joy.😆😎

Love how Kafka mysteriously disappears at 2:22 into the video. I was gobsmacked !

I've heard (and used) "wonky" regularly and often since growing up on the US East Coast (both North & South), and I was born in the 1950s. In addition, I can remember my mother-in-law using it regularly (especially when I hung her Christmas decorations), and she was a lifelong Wisconsinite.

Here in Ireland brilliant has been in use for at least 30 years.

I didn’t know this was a British word until recently, but in my region of Maine I’ve said “eyup” as a greeting my whole life.

I've used many of these words/phrases for decades. Likely they were attached to my vocabulary through Monty Python and other PBS shows in the 70s-80s.

I have become indoctrinated to many idioms in English slang due to my love of all the writings by Sir Pterry Pratchett, God rest his soul.

Love your channel! I would like to offer a theory that the decline of the use of proper in both countries is because of the rise of casual culture. People don’t wear proper clothes to go out anymore they wear t-shirts. It used to be mandatory to wear proper footwear when traveling, now people travel in flip flops ( a good way to get your toes stepped on). It used to be implied, if not written in a proper dress code, that you wore proper clothes to work. In my experience the minimum standard was a pair of pants with a belt and shirt with a collar ( shirt tucked in if it has round tails, untucked is ok if it has square hem). Not just in attire, meetings are casual nowadays, nobody reports to the boss, you just talk to the boss like any regular person, that would have been considered disrespectful not very long ago. Meetings are casual too. The only time I frequently hear the use of proper is at a bar, getting a draft beer. We all want to know that we are getting a proper pint and not getting shortchanged. Not trying to call it right or wrong, just observing the culture change, hence the language. Cheers!

I took 2 linguistic classes and the word 'sorted' would be an interesting one because "American Flapping" would make it sound like its own thing. Example. British - "Sor-ed" where the T is silence and American Engish - "Sor-dd-ed" where we turn the T sound into a DD. I spent a good bit of my time living close to the Appalachian Mountains, we used a lot of older British words like 'Yonder' & 'Reckon'.

Personally, I have made it my one man mission to incorporate the word "faff" into American English. There really is no alternative, and a multitude of errands and responsibilities do call for it.

American. I lived in Essex for a year in 1974, “bloody hell” is still a daily part of my vocabulary.

I like “knackered” it feels more visceral.

I have been using wonky all my life. My mother would say that you just needed to cook wonky meat a little longer to make sure that it was safe. A depression era child upbringing never left her.

I used to work for a manufacturing company where the director of research and development was a brilliant but mercurial Britt. When one of his creations catastrophically disassembled itself in the lab, he described the results as a "Right, proper, bloody mess," which I believe to be the best third-level intensifier that can be spoken in polite company.

Really love your content, keep it up

"Proper sorted" is a f***ing brilliant phrase. Thank you for enriching my dictionary with this.

I am a lifelong Anglophile and the only one of these I haven’t adopted is chuffed. Time to add a new word to my vocabulary!

I spent many happy formative years in England as a pilot for USAF. The use of language and how it was applied was wonderful. The context and the reasoning behind common phrases was illuminating. I adopted numerous words, but the one that always stayed with me was cheers, mate. Something so simple given without expectation but heart warming to the core.

Wow. I didn’t think I’d see it come up, but I’m absolutely chuffed to see it amongst the seven words! 😮

Don't forget the influence of _Monty Python_ on American culture - "Spam" is the most popular one, plus there's "throatwablermangrove" 😉🤣

I’ve used “wonky” for as long as I can remember - wonderful word! And then there is “gobsmacked” - I just love the way it sounds and is so perfectly descriptive!

I've been saying "wonky" since early childhood in the late 60s...my Daddy said it was short for "cattywampus". We here in New England also use "sorted" quite often..."well, he got that sorted".

My husband and I picked up "sorted" and "mind" and "proper" (and others) during our last trip to London. We used them just between us as a nostalgic nod to London for a while, but soon added them to our normal speech. It isn't only because of "Mind the Gap" from the tube stations anymore. "Brilliant" also makes a regular appearance, but we haven't shortened it to "brill" yet in normal conversation. I've been using "wonky" as long as I can remember and didn't even realize it was a British term. We've also been influenced by watching "Keeping Up Appearances" and others. We both love Brit TV and films.

I heard an American use 'gander' as in 'having a gander (look) this week. I was most surprised!

I’ve adopted the word “wheelie-bin” which is more fun to say and shorter than “recycling bin.”

I’ve said wonky all my life and love the book Wonky Donkey! I follow Julie Montague, The American Viscountess, and she’s uses brilliant all the time. I had no idea it was largely British usage.

American here, I frequently say "bloody hell", "palaver", "faffing about", "around the shop", "boffins", "chuffed to bits", "load of bollocks" and I often call my dog a "cheeky bastard"

I'm an 80's/90's kid. I've used and heard "Wonky" all my life in the rural Midwest. Right gobsmacked, I was, finding out it's a British word! Innit.

I’ve been using wonky since the 1970’s never realized it was British in origin. My ww2 veteran grandfather used it, usually to describe an apparatus that needed attention/ fixed before it was proper broken.

A lawyer I worked for who took business trips to London every few months used "sorted". I learned "chuffed" from some Beatles quotes.

"Bloody" is definitely the British word that's entered my vocabulary.

That was a good and brilliant video. I’m chuffed and gobsmacked that you featured these words. Bloody hell, it was proper the dogs bollocks

I watch a LOT of British tv & youtube videos. I've picked up "let's get crackin'", stop wafflin', & several others that of course refuse to come to mind at this moment. But honestly, some of these words &/or sayings were quite common when I was growing up here in Texas. I must assume that my ancestors were originally from England? Had to laugh at "Harold Potter"! That was hilarious. 🤣🤣

Bloody hell, I am quite chuffed at this brilliant video about these proper British words!

Two Britisisms I've used are "git" and "twat", probably from watching all of Red Dwarf for so many years 😂

I'm hearing "hoovering up" (as a general term for data collection etc) on US podcasts a lot more. Hoover never used to be the de-facto verb for vacuuming when I was growing up in the (North east) states (in the 80's) but was one that instantly stood out when I moved to the UK (...doing the hoovering...) Seems the verb is catching on over the pond now too, though possibly only for non-vacuuming tasks... IDK.

After many years working overseas, I still tend to use "cheers" when saying good-bye in person or on the phone. Knackered is my favorite. A perfect description of tired/completely worn out. I am also quite fond of "Bob's your Uncle".

Bloody hell I'm gobsmacked, this was proper good, well sorted mate. Chuffed I watched it.

Many years ago in the late 80’s I watched a Tomorrow’s World where they entered “to be or not to be” in a computer and it came up 6 times previously before Shakespeare used it.

I think the best part of this video is how Lawrence’s cat learned how to teleport somewhere around the 2:50 mark

gobsmacked in Warhammer (the tabletop war game) is used by the Ork faction, because they have a thick cockney accent layered on all their lines, and they use a lot of cockney british slang. Due to its popularity in the USA, Warhammer has thus imported quite a few british-english slang terms into american-english speakers' lexicons.

I'm chuffed that this is bloody proper sorted.

Brilliant as in shiny, really good and brainy. From one of your UK subscribers

The only time I have ever heard "chuffed" in the US is when it refers to a sound the tigers and other large cats use as a happy greeting to each other and their human care takers .

I've been using 'Wonky' all my life and I'm 31. My mom used it all her life and she's 70. Both sides of my family moved to America in the 1880's-1890's, so they didn't bring it over.

Hi, cosmic video. I’m glad to have found you, liked and subscribed. xxx

You mate! Made me laff taday, I hit the the thingy so you can get some bob. you're very funny .. but not a snob. Your video presentation was top nosh. Elloo get this geeza a drink on me !!.

I first heard the word gobsmacked from a British friend about 10 yrs. ago. I loved it and adopted it immediately.

Using “cheers” for purposes other than celebrating a drink is becoming more common in the USA, typically as a greeting or a thank you. I started using it about 10 years ago when a British coworker said it to me while I was holding the door open for him. It is also fun to use as an email sign off when I dump a load of work on one of my colleagues. 😂

4:45 What I remember about "proper" is from the Beatles movie _A Hard Day's Night_ the "press" scene where a woman asks Ringo, "Is that haircut here to stay?" and Ringo answers, "This one is. It's stuck on good and proper now."

Actual LOL at your enunciation of 'seventeenth century'.

I use wonky but I was surprised knackered isn't catching on. I have used it and love the phrase because it sums up the feeling of tired and exhausted so well.

My favorite British word that I've adopted is "dodgy". I learned it from watching Ian Wright on Lonely Planet/Pilot Guides/Globe Trekker (depending on the year and market, the show went by several names) about 25 years ago. I had a number of British folks in my life then and my parents were anglophiles so they all understood me. I've started to use "brilliant" more often thanks to Duolingo's Scottish Gaelic which often has us using the word "sgoinneil" to describe things. "Brilliant" has an uphill battle though as it would have to unseat "cool" as my go to word to describe something amazing/useful/ground breaking/smart, etc. I'm surprised I didn't see "posh" on this list. Use of that word by Americans must have gone way up thanks to the Spice Girls.

First vid of this channel I’ve seen, and I appreciate the citation of such sources as Melissa on Facebook or Andy on KZfaq. Maybe one day I’ll be quoted in a vid, one can hope!

I have wanted to move from England to the us for a long time now and you have really given me a lot to think about until that moment, thanks a lot Lawrence ❤

Wonkey. I'm an American and I remember wonkey being used most of my sixty years. But Catawompus is probably related but I've heard that even more my entire life.

I’m 70 and we used it in my childhood in Tennessee . Hadn’t heard chuffed. Gobsmacked I learned when visiting the UK in the early 80’s. All I can say is your video is Brilliant !

I use brilliant, knackered, buggered, proper, sorted and dodgey. I also use bonnet, boot and prop shaft instead hood trunk and drive shaft.

"Responding on Threads" ... Bloody hell.

Warhammer is space fantasy war game played on table top (literally what it sounds like) played with miniature figures. That's a very watered down explanation, but the fact you used to live in Indianapolis you may have heard of Gencon, a large table top convention that covers board games, card games (like Magic and Pokemon) Dungeons and Dragons (though you're more likely to find Pathfinder games there) and war miniature games like Warhammer. Among many other things.

I’ve picked up the phrase “no worries”, but I think that’s more Australian! 🤷‍♀️

Lovely content. New Jersey native pushing 40, and I named a Christmas tree wonky. Don't think I got it from submerging myself in BBC television. *Shrug* Interesting.

Great video. Brilliant Alan Partridge impression. 😅

I picked up a lot of British vocabulary from reading John LeCarre, particularly one of my favorites, "tickety-boo."