Britishism

American  

[brit-i-shiz-uhm] / ˈbrɪt ɪˌʃɪz əm /

noun

1. Briticism.

2. any custom, manner, characteristic, or quality peculiar to or associated with the British people.

3. the aggregate of such qualities regarded as characteristic of a British person.

   His cool reserve is just part of his Britishism.

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Britishism British  

/ ˈbrɪtɪˌʃɪzəm /

noun

1. a variant of Briticism

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Etymology

Origin of Britishism

First recorded in 1880–85; British + -ism

Example Sentences

The Times of London gave it two out of five stars, saying that it was “little better than much of the Diana tat,” a Britishism for a cheap souvenir.

From Washington Post • Jun. 30, 2021

When asked if this was an arcane Britishism, he replied, “No. It’s autocorrect gone mad.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2016

Bedlamite,” an obsolete Britishism, is there because it’s a word that a literary guy like Mercer would know.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 12, 2015

“I’ll always come a cropper at some point,” Everett says cheerfully, using a Britishism for “screw up.”

From New York Times • May 10, 2013

My research has actually led me to propose a year when bumbershoot changed from U.S. regional slang to presumed Britishism: 1939.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2011