Being British Act VI

[CakeorDeath]

Do British people call it "going out" when two people are boyfriend and girlfriend, or do they have another term for it? (This is for a Marauder-Era fic, if that makes any difference...)

Thanks is advance.

- Katie

Yes going out would be perfectly acceptable. Always happy to help!

[Heather25x]

Do British people call it "going out" when two people are boyfriend and girlfriend, or do they have another term for it? (This is for a Marauder-Era fic, if that makes any difference...)

Thanks is advance.

- Katie

Yes, the term "going out" is mostly used. For example, James would say, "Lily Evans won't go out with me, but she's going out with that Hufflepuff."

[Ghoul in Pajamas]

For my story I need some examples of popular British comic strips. I wrote Garfeild and Foxtrot originally, and the next day realized they might not be in British newspapers. *oops*

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!

[Magical Maeve]

It depends. Are you looking for a comic strip that would appear in a newspaper? It also depends on what era you are in.

If it's a newspaper then I suggest you Google the following titles with comic strip before the title in the search box:

The Daily Mail (Ultra Conservative/traditional)

The Sun (Down-market tabloid - beware, if you go to their website there may be scantily clad ladies. One of the most popular papers.)

The Daily Express (Mid-market tabloid.)

The Sunday Times. (Higher end tabloid with a populist touch. Has a seperate section on sunday for kids called the Funday Times that has cartoon strips.)

I'm not sure if the high-end broadsheets have strips. I usually don't get to the back page, which is full of sport.

Garfield is a current cartoon strip, and has been for sometime, although it switched papers a year ago. I have vivid memories of Garfield being well-known in popular culture mid-eighties. Never heard of Foxtrot, though.

Whatever you do, if you are being specific, check your dates.

[harrypotterfangirl21]

Well, I seem to visit here a lot... ^^;

Anyway (and I'm terribly sorry if this is an obvious question), is "flirting" British?

Also, what's a bad pick-up line that I can use? (For example, I've gotten this one before: "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? 'Cause you must be an angel!")

These are both in the Marauder's Era.

- Katie

[CakeorDeath]

Well, I seem to visit here a lot... ^^;

Anyway, (and I'm terrbly sorry if this is an obvious question), is "flirting" British?

Also, what's a bad pick-up line that I can use? (For example, I've gotten this one before: "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? 'Cause you must be an angel!")

These are both in the Marauder's Era.

- Katie

Yes flirting is british. You could also use chat up i.e. "Stop trying to chat me up"

[TyrannoLaurus]

A very Britishly bad pick up line is: "Get your coat, you've pulled". Although, most people nowadays use it consciously as a bad pick-up line (whether or not they're flirting). Phrases like 'going on the pull' or 'he's trying to pull tonight' are also very popular, especially by blokes, although the male intention is very seldom honourable

Flirt has been around for quite some time, often used for anything between friendly banter and serious persuasion tactics by both gender, though how long it's been around I can't say for sure (Jan'll know). I agree with Cake that 'chat up' is just as popular, too. This

[hpheart]

Yes flirting is british. You could also use chat up i.e. "Stop trying to chat me up"

Flirting is very British!

One Chat-up lins I've heard is Can I have your mobile number, I've lost mine?

[The Marauding Cupcake]

I've heard the phrases "taking the mick out" and a variant of that before, which I believe refers to teasing or making fun of.

I actually have a character saying something like "he wasn't making fun of me" and also "I was wondering how much I was going to be made fun of...". How would I go about wording it, or would th be all right as they stand?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[TyrannoLaurus]

These are two very common British phrases.

You can refer to who the person is taking the mick out of: "He was taking the mick out of me this morning."

Or you could tell someone to "Stop taking the mick"

You can also use "micky" (kids used to use micky in the 90's if that helps) or "michael" (if you want to be particularly sarcastic), or if the person is rather mad then "mick" is usually replaced by a certain swear word. It does mean making fun of someone, but it can also mean mimicking them, and is usually referred to someone very sarcastically ridiculing someone else. "Stop taking the mick" can also more generally mean, "Be sensible!"


Your second two phrases are fine We use the phrase "making fun of" quite often and it probably means the same as it does in America. It's also quite a good euphemism for someone who doesn't want to admit they're being ridiculed or even bullied. It can be backed up with, "They're only having a laugh" or "It was just a joke" with perhaps a shrug of the shoulders

I hope this helps!

Laura xxx