Britishisms: the art of taking the mickey

Tina Ricks
Aug 26, 2017 · 2 min read

The British, who know how to do pomp and ceremony like no others on the planet, the people who brought you these dudes, the people who brought us the changing of the guard…

My new best friend wouldn’t smile at me.

They have a remarkable ability to take the mickey. To make fun of themselves. To make fun of pomp and pomposity whenever something seems over the top. Overdone. Too much.

Here are some of the delightful examples I’ve come across since we arrived. London, like New York and Paris and Portland, has a bike rental service. Officially they’re called Santander Cycles, after Santander Bank. But the locals call them… Boris Bikes. After former mayer Boris Johnson who was mayor when they were launched.

My son, perched on a Boris Bike

Tall modern buildings in London’s financial district have a similar fate. What started as the Swiss Re building, is now affectionately known as The Gherkin. A type of cucumber used for pickling.

The Gherkin (a type of cucumber). AKA 30 St. Mary Avenue, London.

And this one, at 20 Fenchurch Street? It’s the Walkie-Talkie.

The Walkie-Talkie

However, my favorite so far is a ship. A really, really big ship. An aircraft carrier that came into Portsmouth Harbour while we were visiting, ready for the rest of its fitting out until it goes into service in about two years. Officially, the HMS Queen Elizabeth. We saw her from a passenger tourist boat. She’s big. Really, really big.

HMS Queen Elizabeth. AKA “Big Lizzy”

But, as the British are so fond of doing, she also has an unofficial name:
Big Lizzy.

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Tina Ricks

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Writer, editor, traveler, knitter, adventurer, dog mom, queen of the suburbs, and baker of tiny pies.

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