Do Americans understand British English?

[knickernicker]

I can't think that there is any American phrase, word or accent that I wouldn't understand, but I wonder if an American would understand everything I say.
I remember sitting for a meal with some people from Boston and being acutely aware of needing to edit what I said to remove any British idiom. It was an odd feeling as when watching American films I forget they're a different nationality.

Scone, that's because we're back in the territory of good old British double speak, which is well nigh impossible for a non-British speaker to truly understand. It's almost always derogatory but occasionally not:

My workload is crazy - I think my boss is taking the piss = I'm being asked to do too much and it's not possible; my boss is asking the impossible.

My Mum has asked me to make nice with horrible person X when she knows that X has already done something which is awful = i.e. Mum is taking the piss by asking me to do this.

Occasionally = X said at work to Y (Y looks like Megan Fox) that she's a total heifer (i.e. really overweight, when Y is far from it). Observer would say - no, she's taking the piss, makes you want to feel uncomfortable. [This one doesn't happen much]

Rarely = X said to me that I can do [some impossible and mostly jokey thing] - my reaction would be 'you're taking the piss'.

Can be used to describe a situation where someone is humorously ragging you - i.e. he's only taking the piss, don't take it so seriously

But most of the time is negative towards the person towards whom the piss is being taken iyswim.

Sorry a bit pissed (i.e. drunk, haha) but does this make sense?

It's not nearly as nuanced as quite or very. Both modifiers, along with fuck/fucking, that can mean completely contradictory things depending on context, which is hard for someone from another culture to 'get' without discussion/coaching.

Thanks, y'all. I do think I understand it better though I would never be confident enough to use it.

Scone if yuo can explain 'Bless your heart' you'd do a lot for intercontinental understanding!

That's hard. Let me start with an example.

A Southerner says about a co-worker: "Tom does try hard, bless his heart."

What this probably really means is "Tom is the most incompetent person I have ever met in my entire life."

I'm in Canada. A lot of Canadians, particularly those in the Eastern Provinces are huge Coronation Street fans. As a result they have quite a good understanding of English sayings.

DH did once ask someone at work if he was, " going outside to smoke a fag". He got quite a strange look. It refers to something completely different!

Here's a short tutorial.

cottageintheoaks.com/2012/06/the-many-nuances-of-bless-your-heart/

The 'half-10' thing is what bothers me the most. Americans would say 10:30. If you say 'half-' for any time they won't know what you mean. I have to keep reminding myself to say ':30' instead.

In general the understanding of non-American English varies widely in the US. Urban hipsters take pride in their ability to get non-American turns of phrase. Less educated Americans or people in more rural areas just look at me in wonderment with a faint smile of amusement when I talk. Sometimes I get asked 'So where are you guys from?' or even sometimes a very good guess 'are you guys from Ireland / Scotland?' (which we are).

Scone that was a great example, and totally accurate. Made me laugh out loud.

I really like the nuances of "taking the piss." Not sure there's an American equivalent.

I had to explain the word 'quagmire' to an American relative ; she had never come across it.

When I say 'aww, bless' what I really mean is 'what a shit' and I am english . I always got the PA -ness of 'bless your/their/whatevs heart' I like it.
This thread has made me want to visit the US even if it's just to ask for water.

I am not only wishing to go, I AM, 5weeks today ,for 5 glorious weeks .
Can"t wait, S.F plus the rest of California , here we come .

Lessons, on a non-British speaker picking up the nuances, I think it is possible. Although I grew up in Singapore, I have worked in London for UK companies for 10 years and married to a Brit for as long. Immersion helps! Being on mn also helps to get a wider exposure to the way English is used in Britain. But it took a little getting used to at first.

Loved your permutations of "taking the piss".

I think BritEng is more nuanced because it is also contextual. It feels like what is left unsaid as much as what is said.

Scones, really interesting to read about Southerners saying the opposite of what they mean. Some of my US colleagues (not Southern) can also be quite subtle and give the Brits a run for their money!

There's also the use of the word 'right' to mean 'yes'.
"Did you just arrive here?" "Right." - meaning "yes, I did".
My brother does this all the time, drives me batty

I use it a lot when I'm negotiating on the phone or in person and I want to acknowledge what someone is saying without for a moment giving any indication that I agree with or accept what they are saying. It's also useful in shops to express your total exasperation with whatever you are being told about why they haven't got your order or whatever. Very PA!

Can somebody tell me what a Cornish Hen is?

A Cornish hen is a small immature chicken (does not actually have to be a hen) that weighs about 2 lbs. They are broiled or roasted. I am not much of a cook, but I do make these several times a year, with a stuffing made of apples, bread, and onions. Each hen serves one. DH and I sometimes have them for Thanksgiving when it is just the two of us. I believe they are some type of hybrid.

This is close to the way I prepare them, except that I use yellow or white onions instead of green.

www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cornish-hens-with-apple-raisin-stuffing/9baa70ee-5bae-4a15-b8a1-494076dfe6d5

Thank you Scone for the answer and recipe .

They sound so exotic. I imagine them running around squawking in a West Country accent or something! I wonder where the name comes from?

They sound like our Poussins.

That dressing looks amazing

Scone Great explanation of "bless your heart". I'm from the deep South myself and I thought it was spot on.

See what I did there, I'm learning to speak Brit (after eight years of living here) :)

There's a great book called 'Bless Your Heart, Tramp!' by Celia Rivenbark that contains all you need to know about the phenomenon of the Southern woman. Love it.

It took me decades of reading detective novels set in the US before I understood that a 'row house' is a terraced house. And a 'walk up' is a multi-story house without a lift. And a 'brownstone' is just a townhouse (often but not always multi-occupancy) made of a particular coloured brick which evokes a particular place for the author. So I wouldn't say I understand all AmEnglish, myself.

Mignonette I have to say I am impressed that you said "dressing." In the linked recipe the mixture is cooked outside the bird so definitely a dressing not a stuffing. I sometimes stick it in the whole bird (rather than splitting the bird) and that would make it a stuffing.

I am an American food pendant Scone! If you saw my bookshelves you'd see- packed with USA themed cook and food books. Obsessed I am. I make a cornbread studded dressing in the colder months- pour over some chicken stock then add apples, cranberries, onions etc. Lovely.

I am very particular about not muddling dressing and stuffing. I am glad to have met a fellow stickler for the right culinary term Scone!

Love the term 'walk up'.

but I think not a grammar pendant!