English taps in bathrooms and kitchens are different from the ones used in Europe. In England they have two taps – a hot and a cold tap on each side of the basin, instead of the tap with which you can mix the temperature of the water.
In most countries cars drive on the right side of the road. In England (and a few former colonies) they drive on the left–hand side of the road.
The English police do not carry guns. They are the only police force in the world not to be armed.
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) channels of British TV do not show any adverts – only programmes.
English measures of length are:
a mile – 1609 m.
a yard – 91 cm.
a foot – 30 cm.
an inch – 2,5 cm.
English measures of weight are:
a stone – 6 kg.
a pound – 454 g.
an ounce [auns] – 31 g.
English measures of liquids are:
a gallon ['gælәn]– 4,54 lit.
a pint [paint] – 0,75 lit.
Up to 1971 English money with its pennies, shillings and pounds was not based on the decimal system: 12 pence for a shilling, 20 shillings for a pound, 21 shillings for a guinea [‘gini]. The latter got its name from the first coin struck from gold on the coast of Guinea. In 1971 Britain changed over to decimal currency system – 100 new pence to the pound (£). New coins or pieces were introduced: the ½ p., 5 p., 10 p., 20 p. and 50 p. coins.
“The Daily Express” is a “popular” paper for those who prefer entertainment to information. It is largely filled with sporting news, accounts of crime, advertisements (ads), gossip of little worth (about private life of society people, from stars, etc) and strip cartoons. Other popular papers are “The Sun”, “The Daily Mirror”, “The Daily Mail”. This kind of newspapers is called tabloids.
“The Daily Telegraph” is a daily London newspaper of conservative orientation. It is a “quality” paper for educated readers who are interested in important domestic and foreign news. Other quality papers are “The Observer”, “The Guardian”, “The Times” and “The Independent”.
John Smith is indeed Britain’s most common name. “Smith” originally meant a foundry man or a metal worker as in Blacksmith, Ironsmith, Coppersmith and so on. It became a term meaning people who worked with their hands. Before Industrial Revolution the majority of families in Britain were peasants, illiterate and named after their profession or residence. Those who could not spell his own name were called “Smith”.
“John Smith” is one of those shot, sweet, virtually phonetic Biblical names that are simple and plain. Many names come and go but John Smith lives on forever. There are about a million and a half Smiths in England and Wales.
Visitors to the British Isles need extra courage to drive on what for them is the”wrong” side of the road. After the tourists leave the airport they are bombarded with signs which remind them to keep to the left. But in spite of this hundreds of accidents happen annually with inexperienced travellers who don’t know which side of the road they should be on.
Academics found out that the English can claim two millennia of keeping road left to Roman invaders. The Romans liked to keep their right arm free to grab a sword from across their bodies on the left hip.
They also liked to keep the whip hand free to crack it over the backs of oxen and horses.
We know who lives in at № 10, but who lives in the rest of Downing Street?
№ 10 Downing Street has been the official residence and official office of the British Prime Minister since 1735. The house is one of the three houses which still remain. They were built by Sir George Downing, who obtained the lease on the site in 1860. The other house № 11 is the official residence of the Chancellor Exchequer. The ground floor and the basement of house № 12 are used as offices. This house is also the home of the corner shop selling all manner of food and drink during all hours at night.
What is the national costume in England?
The English don’t have the national costume. The costume that most expresses the spirit of the English is that of a shepherdess for the female, i.e. a peasant blouse, a skirt, a laced waistcoat, a petticoat, stockings, buckled shoes and a sleeveless coat. The national costume of England has never stood still, but like its society has evolved through the ages. It now stands as: denim, jeans, trainers, and football shirts with regional variations.
We can also see national dress each year in Spanish resorts. The “Brit on Tour” wears a string vest, a knotted hanky on the head and turned trousers.
Who invented the kilt?
The first type of kilt was made in Scotland in the XVI century. It was originally one item which was cut above the knee and belted in the middle. In the XVIII century it was made into a two – piece item of clothing consisting of a little kilt and a tartan plaid. Tartan design originates from Holland and kilt from England. Tartans eventually became part of uniforms which differentiated new regiments of army.
Another version says that the kilt was invented by the Romans and was worn by all ranks in the Roman legions. Naturally the higher the rank the better the quality and design.
Why do the British say “dressed to the nines”?
The expression “dressed to the nines” has come from a term going back many hundred of years. The expression “dressed to the eyes” (meaning pleasing to the eye) in Old English was written as “to then eyne”. So it is easy to see how this has become now “to the nines”. This expression is also connected with the price of admission to entertainment places of the past. The most expensive seats often cost nine pence, and were referred to as the “nines”. To be dressed to the nines meant that one was beautifully dressed for the best seats in the house.
Why there is tradition of putting candles on the birthday cake.
The custom of using lighted candles is connected with the Greeks. They made honey cakes in the shape of the moon and lit them with tapers. These cakes were placed on the altar of Artemis. Candles were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from evil spirits and to ensure security for the coming year. Astrologers consider the sun’s position at birth to indicate the strength of a person’s heat and the measure of vital energy. It is our battery power on which we run and it is recharged annually when the sun reaches the same birth position. That’s why people wish each other “Many Happy (Solar) Returns”.
Just before our birthday we feel weak. Our energy runs low and so the candle flames are a symbolic reassurance that the spirit of life in us is renewed. The older we get the more candle power we need to give us new hope for the year ahead.
The “Father of English Pottery” was Josiah Wedgwood. In 1759 he founded the Wedgwood firm. This firm invented and produced a wide range of tableware and ornamental wares. Wedgwood’s greatest achievement and contribution to British pottery industry was his development and production of cream coloured earthenware. Inexpensive and beautiful, this new tableware became very popular among people all over the word. Fine bone china was first made by the firm in 1812 — 1822 and has been made by the company ever since. Fine bone china is made from three main raw materials — china stone, china clay and oxbone. It is the bone (reduced to a fine ash) that gives china its whiteness, translucency and above all its amazing strength.
Cup of tea.
The English custom of afternoon tea goes back to the late XVIII century. Anne, wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford, decided that she suffered from a “sinking feeling” around 5 p. m. and needed tea and cakes to bring back her strength. Before long complains were heard that the “labourers lose time to come and go to the tea — table and farmers’ servants even demand tea for their breakfast”. Tea had arrived fashionable. Tea Rooms were opened for high society, and soon tea became the national drink of all class.
Today the British drink more tea than any other nation an average of 4 kilos a head per annum or 1,650 cups of tea a year. They drink it in the bed in the morning, round the fire on winter afternoon and out in the garden on sunny summer days. In times of trouble the kettle is quickly put on, the tea is made and comforting cups of the warm brown liquid are passed round.
The British first heard of tea in 1598, and first tasted it in about 1650. For nearly two centuries all tea was imported from China until, in 1823 a tea plant was found growing naturally in Assam in India.
Sixteen years later the first eight chests of Indian tea were sold in London and today London’s tea markets deal in tea from India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and Africa more than China.
Tea making in England is an art. The hostess first of all rinses the teapot with boiling water (this is called “warming the pot”) before adding four or five teaspoonfuls of tea. The amount of tea varies, of course, according to the number of people present. T he pot is then filled with boiling water and covered by a tea-cosy to allow the tea to infuse or draw for five minutes. English people seldom put lemon or rum in their tea.
Tea is not a meal at all, but a suitable occasion for social intercourse when people often come in for a chat over their cup of tea. There two kinds of tea:”afternoon tea” and “high tea”. “Afternoon tea” takes place between three-thirty and four-thirty and consists of tea, bread, butter and jam, followed by cakes and biscuits. “High tea», however, is a substantial meal and is eaten between five-thirty and six-thirty by families which do not usually have a late dinner. In a well-to-do family it will consist of ham or tongue and tomatoes and salad, or a kipper, or tinned salmon, with strong tea, bread and butter followed by stewed fruit, or tinned with cream or custard and cake.
Where do you think most tourists go when they visit Britain? It is the Buckingham Palace? Stratford-on-Avon? Oxford? They spend most of their time visiting the pub.
The most popular drink in the pub is beer. You can have a glass of it, called a pint, or a small glass which the English call half. If you want English beer, you ask for “bitter” because in England beer is a very general word and can mean “lager”. Most pubs are owned by a brewery, the factory that makes the beer. These sell only the beer made by that brewery.
There are two things that confuse foreigners. The thing is that a lot of pubs have the same names. The most popular pub names are: “The Red Lion”, “The Crown”, “The White Hart”.
Another confusing thing about pubs is their opening and closing times. English pubs open at 10:30 in the morning and close at 2:30 in the afternoon. They open again at 5:30 and close at 11:00. But on Sundays the pubs open one and a half an hour later, and close half an hour earlier. But in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, opening and closing times are completely different.
The game of darts.
It is a traditional English game. In the bar of every English pub there is a dart – board and on most evenings the game of darts is being played. This traditional English game developed from archery. During the Middle Ages archery was much encouraged for military reasons. The first record of something like the modern game of darts appears in a 16th century description of a tournament where people threw missiles at a target by hand instead of using a bow. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers started to America in search of greater freedom. They sailed in the Mayflower and they played darts during their voyage. What is the game of darts? The dart – board has numbered sections. The darts are small above five inches long. They have a steel point, a metal body and three feathers. The players throw the darts at a target by hand. The score depends on the section in which the dart lands. A set of three darts is used during each game and each player throws them in turn. Usually expert players have their own private set of darts. But the pubs always provide occasional performers with a set of darts. Style is a matter for the individual. Each player must have a good eye and steady hand. But it is not always easy in a pub.
The fireplace in English homes.
Until recent times the fireplace in English homes has always been the natural centre of interest in a room. For many months of the year the English like to sit round the fire and watch the dancing flames.
In the Middle Ages the fireplaces in the halls of large castles were very wide. Only wood was burnt in such fireplace. Large logs were carted in from the forests and were put on metal bars which were made to support the logs while they were burning. In some of such fireplaces there were even seats inside. Such wide fireplaces may still be seen in old inns. Elizabethan fireplaces were very high. Sometimes they even reached to the ceiling. Most of them had carved stone or wood work over the fireplace. Sometimes there were columns on each side of the fireplace. In the 18th century above the fireplaces special space was provided for a painting or a mirror.
When coal fires became common, fireplaces became much smaller. Grates were used to hold the coal. Above the fireplace there was usually a shelf on which there was often a clock and perhaps framed photographs.
Do you know where the word “sandwich” comes from? It came from the name of an English politician John Sandwich (1718 – 1792). The Earl was very fond of gambling. He invented sandwiches in order to be able to eat without leaving the gambling table. He also gave the name to the Sandwich Islands, which are now called Hawaiian Islands.
A sandwich – man is not a man who sells sandwiches. It is a man who works about the streets carrying advertisements on two boards. One hangs over his chest and the other on his back.
The word “hamburger” comes from the name of German city of Hamburg and not from the word “ham”.
The word “cheeseburger” sometimes used to mean a similar kind of sandwich with cheese instead of meat.
Why are unwanted objects called “White Elephants”?
The phrase “white elephants” dates back to the times when India and Thailand were British colonies. A white elephant lives mainly in Thailand. Within the Buddhist religion the white elephant is a sacred animal. When Thailand was called Siam the kings kept the elephants because of their sacred position. The white elephants were kept in absolute splendour. If the kings of Siam wanted to ruin a person, they could do so by giving a gift of a white elephant to that person. In what way could the white elephant ruin person? On the one hand the person who was presented with the elephant couldn’t give the gift away. On the other hand he couldn’t afford the great expense of keeping such a sacred animal in splendour.
In the 11th century peasants in India used to sell their unwanted household goods from the back of an elephant. The elephants often turned white with fear when they saw crowds of people in the streets. So the phrase “white elephant” was applied to any unwanted item.
Why do people say “touch wood”?
The expression “to touch wood” comes from the practice of touching relics of the body or possessions of holy people in times of personal distress when a person asked for blessing and relief. People said that a large number of those relics were from the cross of Jesus Christ. In fact, touching wood was ancient superstition when in such a way people hoped to avert bad luck. Such trees as oak and willow were considered to be sacred and people believed that they had strong protective powers. Now the actual type of wood has become unimportant and any wood or even one’s head is touched.
This superstition has been changed in meaning through centuries. Today people say “touch wood”, “knock on wood” or “keep your fingers crossed” when they want to avoid misfortunes and hope for good luck and prosperity.
Why do people say “bless you” when someone sneezes?
For many hundreds of years there was a tradition to say “God Bless You” to anyone who sneezed. People believed that the force of a sneeze forced the soul from the body and the heart stopped beating. When anyone heard a sneeze nearby he said “God Bless You”.
Using these words he tried to help the soul of a sneezing person to find its way back. This phrase of saying “Bless You” to a sneezing person originated from Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century. He recommended to use these words after an outbreak of plague in Rome and called for prayers as protection against infection.
Does life really begin at forty?
This expression originates from Roman times. It was considered an honour for a family to send their daughter on her tenth birthday into the Temple of Vestal. The girl would remain in the temple for the next 30 years. She lived a simple life of vestal virgin in prayer abstinence and charity work. Even to see a man was forbidden and would result in expulsion. On her fortieth birthday the unfortunate (or fortunate) lady would be released and begin her new life as soon as possible.
There is another explanation of the saying. The French say that we spend twenty years growing, twenty years working and twenty years living. This probably dates back to a time when the life expectancy in France was only 60 years or so. In reality life does not begin at forty, but it makes people live in hope for another forty years.