Though Americans and Brits both speak the English language, there still appears to be much that gets lost in translation.
ln fact, one woman from the US has revealed one quirk that has left her laughing and, now she has noticed it, she can’t stop.
The strange verbal tick is something the social media user has noticed time and again when listening to stories told by Brits.
Dani Carbonari, 32, originally from Los Angeles, moved to London permanently ten months ago to escape work fatigue after falling in love with the UK while on holiday.
And while the model and influencer has made the capital her home and Brits her adopted family, there are still a few things that surprise her.
In a video, the expat said she’s noticed this one mannerism and has found she now does it too.
She explained that as Brits tell their stories, they stop periodically to inhale before continuing.
She said: ‘I already know people are going to make fun of me for this. However, there’s this thing in London – and if you tell me it’s not real you’re lying – British people do this inhale thing.’
Dani Carbonari, 32, originally from Los Angeles, moved to London permanently ten months and revealed in a TikTok that since moving has noticed this strange UK quirk
To illustrate her point she simulated a conversation, saying: ‘Where they’re talking talking and they’ll be like “so, basically yesterday I went there,’ she then stops and sucks in air through her teeth before continuing “and yeah so then I bought a candle”.
Dani explained it ‘was a thing’ that she had never noticed before but now can’t stop doing herself, confessing: ‘I notice it all the time, I do it all the time.’
And the content creator said she believes it’s so widespread she has even come up with a nickname for it, calling it ‘the British inhale’.
The TikTok star went on to say she wasn’t sure why they did it and suggested it was because Brits are often stressed or they need time while telling the conversation.
‘Maybe they’re stressed and they need a moment to breathe, but it is a real thing,’ she said.
And Brits flocked to the comments under Dani’s video to confess they hadn’t even realised they did this, with some people saying they hadn’t even noticed it was a British-specific quirk.
One user wrote: ‘I’m British and never realised it was a British thing’, while another commented ‘I was very ready to argue. Then you did it and I thought, “yeah she’s got me here”‘.
Another said: ‘This is so niche I’m so shocked we’ve been clocked’, and one user wrote, ‘Yeah I didn’t realise that untill you said that but I just thought everyone did it’.
She explained that as Brits tell their stories they stop periodically to inhale before continuing and took to social media to share her surprise
Brits flocked to the comments under Dani’s video to confess they hadn’t even realised they did with some people saying they hadn’t even noticed it was a British quirk
One Scottish TikTok user confessed they had also noticed it, commenting: ‘Yes It’s definitely a London thing. (From a Scottish person)’.
Others joked it was because they were tired from telling a story, writing: ‘It’s shorthand for “oh God the sentence isn’t finished yet, they still want me to keep talking, please someone interrupt me I can’t keep doing this”‘.
And Dani isn’t the first to clock strange British mannerisms.
A post on the Q&A website Quora asking ‘What do British people say or do that confuses you?’, has attracted a flood of replies.
Those living across the pond admitted that British culture is filled with quirks that left them utterly baffled, including the use of the word ‘dinner’ when talking about ‘lunch’.
Sherry Ginevra, who moved from the US 10 years ago, wrote of her confusion at people greeting her by asking: ‘You alright?’
‘I would get a confused look on my face and say “yes”, wondering what looked so wrong about me that everyone was always asking me if I was alright. I would sometimes go look in the mirror to see if there was something wrong with my face,’ she said.
Other differences mentioned, included British football being called soccer in the US, and tourists were also warned to be vigilant when ordering food to avoid any dining surprises.
