British humor can be a hard nut to crack sometimes, so Bored Panda reached out to Lucy Bella Simkins, an English teacher who has gained a massive following on YouTube for her engaging and informative videos about the English language. With over 9 million subscribers, Lucy has established herself as a respected authority on all things related to the English language. She also offers loads of lessons and an interactive pronunciation tool, which you can check on her website here. Scroll down for the full interview!
One of the defining characteristics of British humor is its subtle wit. This is often seen in British sitcoms, such as Blackadder or The IT Crowd, which rely on clever wordplay and sarcasm to elicit laughs from viewers. Besides that, Lucy Bella Simkins, English teacher and YouTuber, shared that Brits absolutely love to mess around with the language and make double entendres and innuendos, “all of which are delivered in a completely serious manner - deadpan! Sarcasm is a huge part of British humor - think Chandler from friends with a British accent! We are also super self-deprecating. The best b**t of a joke is yourself.”
British humor has long been recognized as unique and often difficult to understand for those not familiar with it. We asked Lucy Bella Simkins how she thinks British humor differs from the humor of other cultures. The teacher replied that sometimes they (Brits) can be pretty hard to read, and many find them to be offensive or passive-aggressive. “Some other humor styles are more direct and obvious, but there is a lot of overlap amongst English-speaking countries. We also have really dark humor, but people are becoming less tolerant of it."
Satire and irony are integral elements of British humor. According to Lucy Bella Simkins, Brits love ‘taking the p**s’ (making fun of something in a lighthearted way) of the absurdities of everyday life. “Some of our really popular comedians, like Michael Macintyre, became famous for simply mocking typical British habits like loving ‘queuing’ (waiting in line), getting frustrated when tourists stand on the wrong side of the escalator, and doing everything possible to avoid making eye contact when waiting in a lift (elevator!)”
British humor is known for its use of idioms and colloquialisms. These expressions add an extra layer of humor to jokes and can often be difficult for non-native speakers to understand. One such idiomatic expression commonly used in jokes, as shared by Lucy Bella Simkins, is ‘to give him/her/them one’. The teacher explained that it is a fairly juvenile idiom they like to use in jokes. “It can be used as an innuendo meaning to sleep with someone. Extra points if you say it without appearing to realize what you’ve said, other than a slight smirk at the end. ‘She asked me for a cucumber, so I gave her one.’ Not very high-brow, but after a pint or two it might get an unimpressed snort out of me.”
For a better understanding of English humor, check out Lucy's Youtube profile! Among other things, she made an informative video on British humor and comedy, which you can find here. If you're curious about some more funny English idioms, Lucy has you covered, just click here!
