Idioms in American and British English

[Sam165]

Hello teachers
Is using British idioms in American english or the opposite a wierd and unusual thing? Or is it ok?

 

[GoesStation]

[STRIKE]Hello teachers[/STRIKE] [The effort to be courteous is appreciated, but we actually prefer that you just ask your question. Thanks!]
Is using British idioms in American English or the opposite a [STRIKE]wierd[/STRIKE] weird and unusual thing? Or is it OK?

Many of them will be understood, but many won't. Many of us Americans have been watching a lot of British TV in the last ten years or more, so we're more likely to understand British idioms than we would have been in the past.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I can't think of any idioms that aren't used by both (though I'm sure there are some). But there are lots of words and expressions that are mainly used by one or the other.

Usually it's a matter of convenience. For instance, the British peckish doesn't have an exact American one-word equivalent. So it's useful here, and you hear it sometimes.

 

[GoesStation]

For instance, the British peckish doesn't have an exact American one-word equivalent. So it's useful here, and you hear it sometimes.

It's common in my Appalachian-influenced region, often combined with another bit of dialect as "I'm feeling a mite peckish." It has a mildly jocular tone to my ear.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes, it's always used playfully.

 

[PeterCW]

In the past the use of American idioms by a native BrE speaker would have been seen as an affectation but with the increased availability of American TV shows on cable channels there is a lot more crossover now.