'I moved from US to UK and six words and phrases baffled me'

An American woman living in the UK has shared her confusion over British words and phrases that left her "baffled" when she first moved here, including "lollipop lady" and "taking the mick". Ashley Jackson, 42, relocated from Austin, Texas, to Stretford, Greater Manchester, in April 2022 with her husband Andi, 40, originally from Preston, Lancashire, in search of "better opportunities" for their children Levon, six, and Matilda, four.

Since settling into life in the UK, she's had to get to grips with British lingo, including terms like "lollipop lady", "arse", and "taking the mick". Ashley reckons Brits are "great" at shortening words and she enjoys "dissecting" the language.

The librarian said: "You guys are really great at slang and I absolutely love it. So many words pop up in daily conversation and I take note, or I'll look to my husband and he'll explain to me.

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"Taking the mick – I think my mother-in-law, Pam, first used that term. I was like, 'What? Where are we going? What are we doing?'

"I've come to find out lots of variations of words and phrases. The first one that came to mind was lollipop lady. I realised it was a crossing guard and was like, that's so cute."

Ashley has "so many things" she adores about the UK and shares them with her online followers through her posts.

She added: "Other words I don't understand are 'chalk and cheese'. 'Gordon Bennett' is one I hear a lot and 'Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt'.

"I'm infatuated with how creative everyone is with their language here and I like dissecting that. A lot of people give me the etymology of words, which is great.

"It helps me get to know culture more and I guess help me feel I'm fitting in more and learning the culture. You're embedded in history, the culture, everything is more kid-friendly.

"The nature is more a part of everyday life. There are lots of green spaces, it feels like a more genuine, authentic, place.

"I don't really know how to explain it. I just feel like it's organic and natural and comes from a place of history. The dialects come from where you live - everything has a story."

She has shared snippets on social media of new words she's picked up and her thoughts on them.

Ashley said: "A lot of this I post about is kind of hoping for an explanation from the community and who better to ask then the Brits themselves."

Despite missing home, Ashley admits she's "really happy with" the UK's rainy weather as a refreshing change from Texas heat.

She said: "I find a lot of people are enjoying my content as I'm talking about the positives of living here as opposed to the 'UK versus USA' stance. And people are always commenting, saying they are thankful for me seeing the little things in culture and not taking advantage of it."

Words and phrases Ashley had not heard of before moving to the UK

Lollipop lady

Arse

Taking the mick

Chalk and cheese

Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt

Gordon Bennett