British Humor

Brits are convinced they have the best and most sophisticated sense of humor in the world. They are equally convinced that Americans, Germans, Scandinavians, Belgians, the Dutch, and Japanese totally lack anything resembling a sense of humor.

Americans are mocked because they do not understand irony. They're accused of living behind the "irony curtain".

The first thing to understand about British humor is sarcasm, which runs the gamut, from clinically clever one-liners, to heavy-handed digs about your sexual identity. If you're a man who takes pride in his appearance, you'll be accused of being a "gayer", a "bender", a "backdoor boy", an "iron", or a "limp wrister".

Brits mock anything that moves, including themselves. If you're a sensitive American who can't tolerate fun being poked at your country, flag, national anthem, armed forces, or president, you face a tough time in Britain. Don't get upset; it'll cause more caustic remarks to be fired at you.

If a Brit calls your ex president Bush "a thick, gay-bashing Texan", fight back by saying, "It's better than being led by a Scottish muppet with no neck" (Gordon Brown). The Brit won't be offended, he'll laugh with you.