Is irritating. Is it their version of the American "great!"?
The overuse of the word "brilliant" by the Brits
by Anonymous | reply 121 | March 30, 2018 8:59 PM |
Yes. Colloquially, it just means "wonderful!" or "excellent!", etc: "This grilled cheese sandwich is brilliant!". It has nothing to do with either intelligence or bright light.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | January 28, 2012 11:16 PM |
Amazing!!
by Anonymous | reply 2 | January 28, 2012 11:17 PM |
Awesome!
by Anonymous | reply 3 | January 28, 2012 11:20 PM |
I like to hear Brits say that.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | January 28, 2012 11:21 PM |
"tons"
I have tons of shit to do this weekend.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | January 28, 2012 11:22 PM |
Bril.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | January 29, 2012 12:53 AM |
They also say "fake" in place of "phony".
Brits get fixated on words, and repeated them like a broken record. It's like they were just taught a new word off Blue Peter.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | January 29, 2012 12:57 AM |
Oh, and the word "massive". "It's gonna be massive."
by Anonymous | reply 8 | January 29, 2012 12:57 AM |
When did they stop saying "gear?"
by Anonymous | reply 9 | January 29, 2012 1:05 AM |
If you think that's bad, go someplace like France, where they insist on using words that aren't even English!
by Anonymous | reply 10 | January 29, 2012 1:05 AM |
[quote]Yes. Colloquially, it just means "wonderful!" or "excellent!", etc:
"Mmmm -- this grilled cheese sandwich is delicious."
by Anonymous | reply 11 | January 29, 2012 1:06 AM |
Here in Canada, the overused word is "perfect". It drives me nuts.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | January 29, 2012 1:11 AM |
Non-native English speakers who pick up British English tend to overuse it too. When I lived in Sweden it was very common for English-speaking Swedes to think that every third thing was "brilliant."
"I adore the TV programme 'Friends'. It's brilliant! Now let's eat some lutfisk."
by Anonymous | reply 13 | January 29, 2012 1:18 AM |
Oi, fit builder!
by Anonymous | reply 14 | January 29, 2012 1:20 AM |
I refer to it as "British brilliant."
by Anonymous | reply 15 | January 29, 2012 1:25 AM |
True that.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | January 29, 2012 1:41 AM |
They've been doing that forever. When I lived there 20 years ago everything was brilliant - including deciding to go to KFC to get fried chicken before closing time. "Brilliant!!!"
by Anonymous | reply 17 | January 29, 2012 2:04 AM |
"Legend" - Brits like that word too.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | January 29, 2012 2:12 AM |
At least I get "briliant." There are those weird Britims like "have done" that I can never get. When I think I understand the connotations and meanings, I find some use that completely confounds it.
Have done. Mad. Naft. Pull. I will never get it.
"Mum was so mad she said I should go to hospie when I was knackered. I have done, I said, but nurse said I was a stupid cunt"
Now some brit will tell me how wrong my use of everything was in that wee story.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | January 29, 2012 2:20 AM |
The Brits' bizarre need to call things "pudding" that clearly aren't pudding at all. Very annoying.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | January 29, 2012 2:24 AM |
brill
loads
ghastly
fucking hell
know what I mean
at the end of the day
by Anonymous | reply 21 | January 29, 2012 2:30 AM |
No one ever accuses us of overusing soap or toothpaste.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | January 29, 2012 2:36 AM |
They sound so uncool when they use the word cool. And so obnoxious when they give each other nicknames. But the ad agencies must love them cause their voices are all over the tele. They rhink it gives their products an air of sophistication without knowing what total slobs they are and how much they hate and are jealous of Americans.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | January 29, 2012 2:42 AM |
Madonna sounded like an idiot saying "tits up" on Graham Norton a couple of weeks ago. At last I got why people are so annoyed by her faux-Brit accent, which I could never perceive before.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | January 29, 2012 2:45 AM |
I think the Brits' use of the word "brilliant" is lovely.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | January 29, 2012 2:57 AM |
"Excellent" was overused by Americans for years.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | January 29, 2012 3:30 AM |
Why do so many British move to Spain? I understand they want sunshine, but why Spain as opposed to Italy, Portugal or southern France?
by Anonymous | reply 27 | January 29, 2012 3:32 AM |
The wine is probably cheaper there. Cause Brits are as cheap as they come. Talk a big game but won't spend an extra pound.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | January 29, 2012 4:35 AM |
The only place on earth where Hetero Men say something is "ever so lovely!"
by Anonymous | reply 29 | January 29, 2012 4:39 AM |
Latest trend: "massive"
by Anonymous | reply 30 | January 29, 2012 4:40 AM |
'Perfect!' is the new fad in the U.S.
Instead of 'okay' or 'yes', non-thinkers constantly now say 'perfect!'.
I really dislike the use of 'perfect!'
And I dislike how the brits say 'brilliant!' for the most mundane, run of the mill, non-brilliant things.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | January 29, 2012 4:51 AM |
Spot on.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | January 29, 2012 5:04 AM |
R24, I've said tits up for years, and never had any idea it was a Brit thing.
I live in a red-state hell around a lot of rubes and rednecks, and I say it to mean someone is dead or passed out supine, and also in reference to myself to mean I need to cheer up or stop dragging my ass or waking up and get some energy.
A friend and I even use the symbol ^.^ to mean tits up, though I also use it instead of a :) to indicate humor or kindness in a text or on FB.
And now you tell me it's an affectation of a Britishism? That's a pain in the ass.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | January 29, 2012 5:05 AM |
Americans don't say "amazing" as much as the Brits say we do. But they say "brilliant" far more often than we think they do. For such an articulate people they have a limited vocabulary and take a word and beat it into the ground.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | January 29, 2012 5:13 AM |
R34, you must be kidding - many people in the U.S. say 'amazing!' constantly and many say 'awesome!' constantly.
I do think it shows a limited vocabulary and a great conformity.
Also, they constantly use amazing and awesome to describe things that are NOT amazing or awesome at all. They say the most mundane, ordinary things are.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | January 29, 2012 5:18 AM |
No they don't, R35.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | January 29, 2012 5:23 AM |
I hate it, like, when English people, like, don't talk the way, like, real people talk.
And, of course, like, every sentence needs to, like, go up at the end?
Why can't the English, like, learn to speak?
by Anonymous | reply 37 | January 29, 2012 7:14 AM |
R37, on the scale of amusing, from 1 to 100 you are at .002.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | January 29, 2012 7:19 AM |
Lorraine Kelly is the UK's Brilliance Tsar.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | January 29, 2012 7:24 AM |
brilliant should be used for something spectacular or outstanding, not for the mundane
by Anonymous | reply 40 | January 29, 2012 7:29 AM |
r38 --
r37 here. Sorry I bored you. Maybe the satire was a bit heavy handed but don't you find the ignorant arrogance displayed by the Americans on this thread as breathtaking as it is astonishing?
I mean Americans telling the English how the language should be spoken?
It's like straight men deciding how a musical should be done.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | January 29, 2012 8:00 AM |
Well lovelies if you don't like to hear it then there is a very simple answer. Don't listen. Noone forces anyone to watch TV from other countries etc. If this is all there is in life to annoy you then think yourselves incredibly fortunate.
Excuse me while I go away to give myself a good slap for opening another anglophobic thread.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | January 29, 2012 8:51 AM |
R37 is right. Like totally like right.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | January 29, 2012 9:13 AM |
I don't think I've ever used the word "brilliant" in my life.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | January 29, 2012 9:21 AM |
I've virtually never heard it used by a fellow Brit except for a shade of paint and I'm ancient.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | January 29, 2012 9:44 AM |
[quote]Why do so many British move to Spain? I understand they want sunshine, but why Spain as opposed to Italy, Portugal or southern France?
Back in the days of the Franco dictatorship Spain was dirt cheap and the government allowed massive development of the coast and the islands. Coupled with cheap no-frills flights between Spain and the UK and suddenly working class Brits could afford sunny vacations.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | January 29, 2012 9:47 AM |
Is this thread taking the piss??
by Anonymous | reply 47 | January 29, 2012 9:48 AM |
Epic.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | January 29, 2012 10:24 AM |
Major!
by Anonymous | reply 49 | January 29, 2012 10:42 AM |
This thread is going all wonky!
by Anonymous | reply 50 | January 29, 2012 10:43 AM |
...and pear-shaped, no doubt.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | January 29, 2012 11:07 AM |
Everyone in the NY theater community is obsessed with the term "spot on" these days to describe something they love.
Is that a Britishism or did it derive from Ben Brantley using it and thinking it was a Britishism?
by Anonymous | reply 52 | January 29, 2012 11:40 AM |
I worked in Montreal about 15 years ago and all the locals there under me said "perfect" whenever they meant "yes, I agree with you and will do your bidding."
by Anonymous | reply 53 | January 29, 2012 11:43 AM |
Considering we Americans tend to use "awesome" as a tacit response to everything from someone stating their hometown to someone stating where they put the groceries... I don't feel we have room to judge.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | January 29, 2012 12:38 PM |
The Brits don't overuse the word 'brilliant'. The Americans do overuse the word 'awesome', however.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | January 29, 2012 12:47 PM |
I worked as a copy editor on a Middle East expat-run newspaper; the senior management was British, the reporters mostly Canadian and American. We were supposed to enforce 'British' English. Nothing upset our senior Brit managers more than the use of the word 'awesome'. Drove them crazy whenever a reporter used it, even in speach. We also had to substitute daft Britishisms like 'lorry' for 'truck'.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | January 29, 2012 1:22 PM |
I used to work with a lot of Brits and whenever I did something they approved of, they would say "You're a star". It would drive me up the wall. God smacked is another repulsive expression.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | January 29, 2012 2:23 PM |
R57, the term is gobsmacked.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | January 29, 2012 2:29 PM |
You do realise that in 20 years time this thread will be the Chinese bemoaning the way Americans don't speak correctly?
No one speaks 'correctly'. Just because America has a monopoly on everything else in the world it doesn't mean you can ditate the use of English.
Americans also over-use stupid, inane words which have now all but lost meaning. However because you are so used to it you don't recognise it.
(And I hope that Lorraine Kelly and all of her 'brilliance' will be quickly sent back to Scotland once they achieve that freedom that they so desperately desire)
by Anonymous | reply 59 | January 29, 2012 3:01 PM |
Most overused word by gay men: "fabulous"
Funny how straight guys never seem to use it.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | January 29, 2012 4:34 PM |
"Funny how straight guys never seem to use it."
"Fabulous" was W's favorite word when he was in the White House.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | January 29, 2012 4:39 PM |
My peeve is the Brit overuse of "actually."
In one of Stephen Fry's novels, there's a character named "Ashley," who, upon arriving at university, thinks the posh crowd is constantly talking about him. He quickly realizes that they're just using "actually" in every sentence.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | January 29, 2012 4:41 PM |
[quote] Everyone in the NY theater community is obsessed with the term "spot on" these days
It's an affectation that sounds ridiculous coming from American mouths, as does, "Good on you."
by Anonymous | reply 63 | January 29, 2012 4:42 PM |
"At the end of the day, I'm not bovered."
by Anonymous | reply 64 | January 29, 2012 4:47 PM |
And the Americans overuse of AWESOME is any better? You know what's AWESOME the Grand Canyon. End of story.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | January 29, 2012 5:24 PM |
R61 = James Dale "Jeff Gannon" Guckert
by Anonymous | reply 66 | January 29, 2012 6:13 PM |
Brits think all Americans say "amazing" because they hear American celebrities say it a lot on their TV screens on chat shows and the like. Celebrities are not representative of the population at large. However Brits all say "brilliant" no matter who they are and that's a fact.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | January 29, 2012 6:29 PM |
R67, I am a former NYer living in flyover land, and I hear Americans who are not celebrities overuse amazing and awesome everywhere I go: here in redneckland, and in NY when I'm visiting friends and family, and in other parts of the country, when I'm just traveling.
It's simply incorrect to say an enormous number of Americans don't use those words to describe a things that are neither amazing nor awesome.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | January 29, 2012 6:38 PM |
Brits also love calling things "iconic," a bit of hyperbole I find to be quite irritating.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | January 29, 2012 6:44 PM |
"Iconic" is also overused in the fashion world regardless of country: "the iconic Birkin Bag," "Meisel's iconic 1991 photoshoot," "Yves Saint Laurent's iconic Opium perfume," etc.
by Anonymous | reply 70 | January 29, 2012 6:55 PM |
Diabolical!
by Anonymous | reply 71 | January 29, 2012 9:14 PM |
You've got to wonder what people who describe shoes or potato chips as "awesome!" would say if the Second Coming were to occur in their presence.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | January 29, 2012 9:25 PM |
Brilliant is overused in the States also. Except in a way that is more tedious. Everybody who has had some mild success, especially in music or movies, at some point it seems has been described as brilliant. Give me a break. There are maybe a handful of truly brilliant people produced by every generation. Einstein was brilliant. St. Augustine was brilliant. Mozart was brilliant. I think I made my point. Madonna is NOT brilliant. Enough already. It's okay to simply say that someone is very talented or accomplished, and leave it at that.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | March 4, 2012 10:16 PM |
what a load of pricks, since when could an American string a complete sentence together ?
by Anonymous | reply 74 | June 21, 2013 8:43 PM |
Didn't "awesome" start out with Bill & Ted and Garth and Wayne. That was the first time I'd heard used in the context we hear it so much now.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | June 22, 2013 7:39 PM |
Amaaaaaazing
by Anonymous | reply 76 | June 22, 2013 8:06 PM |
In the 1960s, Brits overused "super." In the 1970s, middle aged Americans overused "super."
by Anonymous | reply 77 | June 22, 2013 8:09 PM |
[quote] I worked in Montreal about 15 years ago and all the locals there under me said "perfect"
I hear a lot of young women saying "perfect."
It makes me say, "Molodyets."
by Anonymous | reply 78 | June 22, 2013 8:14 PM |
My Brooklyn Jewish sister in law went to live in ZA and came home using lots of Britishisms from her friends. The most hilarious thing is hearing someone say "cock up" in a thick Brooklyn accent. "The whole thing was a caaaak op!"
by Anonymous | reply 79 | June 22, 2013 8:22 PM |
This thread is truly EPIC!
by Anonymous | reply 80 | June 22, 2013 8:35 PM |
I also like to hear the british say that, as well as "bloody". I love the british accent, it's bloody brilliant!
by Anonymous | reply 81 | September 10, 2014 5:52 PM |
It is much less annoying than "awesome."
by Anonymous | reply 82 | September 10, 2014 9:43 PM |
I have an American friend who lived over there for a number of years. He will occasionally refer to something as "brilliant." I generally respond by saying "Brilliant? What is so intelligent about it?" I've done it enough he knows I'm taking a piss on him.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | September 10, 2014 9:46 PM |
Scathingly brilliant idea!
by Anonymous | reply 84 | September 10, 2014 9:55 PM |
The shits...innit! Up the cunty Limeys, too.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | September 10, 2014 10:06 PM |
Hayley.
Humph.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | September 11, 2014 12:59 AM |
I remember the first time I heard a London lad say "Whatever!..." in Sainsbury's in Camden Town.
I thought "Oh, it's arrived here now!" That was in '88. Then you started hearing it all the time.
"Go for it!'...early '80s.
"Networking" mid-'80s.
"Wicked!' came from America too, I think. Very annoying.
An English-ism from the '80s & '90s that made my skin crawl was "Hiya!'...sort of, I'm cool and relaxed "Hiya!'
The English sometimes say "Terrific!', but it way too optimistic sounding and they act like they've taken a risk using it.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | September 11, 2014 1:19 AM |
agreed with OP. They really do say it too much
by Anonymous | reply 88 | September 11, 2014 2:26 AM |
AWESOME. This is an AMAZING new sandwich from Arby's. It's UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
It must have been CRAFTED by a sandwich ARTIST!
by Anonymous | reply 89 | September 11, 2014 2:43 AM |
[quote]Scathingly brilliant idea!
Now THIS is a catch phrase ready for a revival.
by Anonymous | reply 90 | September 11, 2014 2:44 AM |
This thread is diabolical.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | September 11, 2014 3:06 AM |
You know people have beat a word into the earth when they are reduced to adopting a nickname for that word.
"Brill."
(vomit)
by Anonymous | reply 92 | September 11, 2014 3:19 AM |
I hear "right!" used in the beginning to almost every phrase.
by Anonymous | reply 93 | September 11, 2014 5:03 AM |
I agree, I'ld rather hear brilliant than AWESOME!!!
by Anonymous | reply 94 | September 11, 2014 5:24 AM |
I remember 40-odd years ago, instead of "briliant" they would say "super".
by Anonymous | reply 95 | November 8, 2014 6:21 PM |
Did they ever say "groovy"?
by Anonymous | reply 96 | November 8, 2014 6:41 PM |
It's either "brilliant" or "vile"
by Anonymous | reply 97 | November 8, 2014 6:56 PM |
I hope they don't continue to say "LMFAO" like the Americans still do. It is embarrassing.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | November 8, 2014 7:40 PM |
This thread is mega !
by Anonymous | reply 99 | November 8, 2014 7:49 PM |
Total bloody nightmare, mate.
by Anonymous | reply 100 | November 8, 2014 9:18 PM |
Unless you’ve got Hollyoaks on the telly I don’t think you’d hear ‘“brilliant” much these days. Moreso you hear “amazing” (Welsh origin) or “fantastic” (French).
I have a Dutch aunt who finds it amusing that the British use “rubbish” as a pejorative adjective. Every time I see her she will mockingly overuse the word.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | March 30, 2018 12:57 PM |
Thaaat'sss amaaaaziiiiinnngg.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | March 30, 2018 1:19 PM |
Mate, you OK?
by Anonymous | reply 103 | March 30, 2018 1:22 PM |
it's overused.
Also, "rubbish".
by Anonymous | reply 104 | March 30, 2018 1:43 PM |
Americans are so special. We should all do our utmost to strive to be just like them.
by Anonymous | reply 105 | March 30, 2018 1:45 PM |
When they end every sentence with "...yeh?" As in, "it's going to be a problem, yeh?" It makes me bananas.
And half the time, amazing is used sarcastically, Brits. Your slang sucks. Except for slapper. That's a good one. So is bloody. I have to admit I find it hilarious when people respond, "Bloody is." in an argument. Overall, however, American colloquialisms are better.
by Anonymous | reply 106 | March 30, 2018 2:05 PM |
That's because AMERICANS are better R106, yeah? Right.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | March 30, 2018 2:09 PM |
Bloody right, R107.
by Anonymous | reply 108 | March 30, 2018 2:13 PM |
I say super
by Anonymous | reply 109 | March 30, 2018 2:23 PM |
I heard my old boss use the word "scintillating" once which would have been an interesting departure from the normal slurry of overused adjectives except he pronounced it "skintillating" and had no idea that it wasn't said that way.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | March 30, 2018 2:35 PM |
[quote]Did they ever say "groovy"?
yes. In the 60s
by Anonymous | reply 111 | March 30, 2018 3:07 PM |
I'll tell you what American DLers overuse:
"Hot".
OMG! Check out this guy!! - he's so hot!
Yeah, he's hot.
He's so hot - thanks, OP!
Can't you find another fucking word?
by Anonymous | reply 112 | March 30, 2018 3:11 PM |
Agreed R112. We should return to handsome, fine, or fit IMHO. Dreamy and beguiling would even be better!
by Anonymous | reply 113 | March 30, 2018 5:19 PM |
It’s difficult to take Americans criticising how those from other countries speak when you have a President who can barely string a sentence together and when he does, unless he is reading something written for him, he has the vocabulary of a 9 year old.
by Anonymous | reply 114 | March 30, 2018 6:11 PM |
Only if we talk about American men's overuse of "awesome" and American women's overuse of "Amazing!"
I mean, REALLY?!
RIII-YGHT?
by Anonymous | reply 115 | March 30, 2018 6:52 PM |
I think it's "great" but also a little sarcastic. Like when people say, "FAAAN-tastic".
by Anonymous | reply 117 | March 30, 2018 7:14 PM |
I vote to bring back MARVELOUS! I've always been fond of this word. One must use it sparingly though, or it shall end up as the rest here.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | March 30, 2018 7:54 PM |
I’m astounded that anyone is horrified to hear expletives in everyday conservations of the post-‘South Park’ world. “Fuck” is now a filler-word over the dinnertable. For better or worse this is the world we’re in.
by Anonymous | reply 119 | March 30, 2018 8:51 PM |
^^wrong thread, sorry.
by Anonymous | reply 120 | March 30, 2018 8:52 PM |
Awesome sauce! (Is that better?)
by Anonymous | reply 121 | March 30, 2018 8:59 PM |