Brit is it

Blimey, this is supposed to be America!

By Jan Freeman

April 11, 2010 | The Boston Globe

So you despise the phrase went missing? You think spot on is pretentious, at the end of the day is meaningless filler, and all such British vocabulary invaders should be deep-sixed in Boston Harbor?

Well, take heart: We are giving as good as we get these days, annoying our British cousins right back by exporting heaps of everyday Americanisms, along with a garnish of slang. The latest flurry of objections was touched off by BBC radio presenter Martha Kearney, who in a recent broadcast called on politicians to “fess up to” the need for spending cuts.

“Slack, lazy language,” said one listener. “What is wrong with just saying ‘confess’?” asked another. The Telegraph labeled the listeners’ response “outrage,” solicited a few more complaints, and ran a story about the threat of “creeping Americanisms.” And right on schedule, commenters queued at the paper’s website to unload their own peeves, both foreign and domestic. “Come on BBC — get back to using the term Railway Station, not the American Train Station.” “What about the latest word, ongoing. What is so wrong with continuing?” “What about all those BBC reporters and commentators, who wrongly say ‘different to’ when they mean ‘different from’?”

FULL STORY: Brit is it - The Boston Globe

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