British

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Cockney Accents Are Fading Out


Certain
English
Accents Are
Dying Out
new study
Nov 5, 2023 9:03 AM CST

Certain English Accents Are Dying Out

A new study found that younger sets from southeast England have three main dialects

(Newser) - England's many colorful accents may not be apparent to an untrained ear, but locals can easily distinguish what region someone comes from the minute they open their mouth. Researchers out of the University of Essex are keeping tabs on dialect changes in southeast England, the BBC reports, and recently...

Marks on Teeth of 82 Bodies Shed Light on Mass Grave

Burial site in Netherlands filled with Brits dates to War of the First Coalition in late 18th century

(Newser) - Experts believe they finally know why 82 bodies were tossed in a mass grave in the Netherlands in the late 18th century. The skeletons discovered well-preserved in clay outside the historic walls of Vianen in November 2020 belong to mainly British soldiers who were there to fight against the French...

A Legendary Voice From WWII Is Dead
A Legendary
Voice From
WWII Is Dead
OBITUARY
Jun 18, 2020 12:13 PM CDT

A Legendary Voice From WWII Is Dead

British singer Vera Lynn, known for such wartime hits as 'We'll Meet Again,' dies at age 103

(Newser) - A legendary voice from World War II has been silenced. A statement from the family of Dame Vera Lynn says they are "deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain's best-loved entertainers" on Thursday morning in Ditchling, East Sussex, "surrounded by her close family."...

Treasure Hunter Seeks $1B in Gold From Sunken Ship
Treasure Hunter Seeks $1B
in Gold From Sunken Ship
in case you missed it
Feb 4, 2017 1:15 PM CST

Treasure Hunter Seeks $1B in Gold From Sunken Ship

Lord Clive wreck off Uruguay will be raised next month

(Newser) - When the British warship Lord Clive was blasted by Spanish cannon fire just off the coast of Uruguay in 1763, about 270 crew members went down with the ship. Now a treasure hunter from Argentina hopes it's also still home to more than $1 billion in gold coins, reports...

Texas Woman Comes Out of Surgery With British Accent

Lisa Alamia was born and raised in Lone Star State but doesn't sound like it anymore

(Newser) - When Lisa Alamia says the word "kitten," she's not talking about a cat—it's just what it sounds like when the Texas woman says "kidding," a British affectation that isn't an affectation at all, but a symptom of the foreign accent syndrome she...

Nazis Turned Candy Bars Into Secret Weapon

WWII-era drawings reveal German booby-traps

(Newser) - First, force the British to endure food shortages—then make them eat exploding candy bars. That was at least part of the Nazi plan to destroy Britain during World War II, according to drawings of German weapons recently seen for the first time, the Smithsonian reports. Among the drawings: a...

These Games Will Be Quite British

 These Games 
 Will Be Quite 
 British 
olympics
Jul 27, 2012 8:57 AM CDT

These Games Will Be Quite British

London 2012 will celebrate UK—without going overboard

(Newser) - Don't expect a rerun of Beijing: This year's Olympics will have a more understated character, better suited to their host country, organizers say. "What you’re going to get, generally speaking, is an image of the UK as it is, warts and all," says a promoter....

Irish Furious After Starbucks Calls Them Brits

Twitter post was intended for UK only: coffee giant

(Newser) - Starbucks' Irish Twitter account has just 2,000 followers, but an awkward tweet it directed to them has managed to piss off an entire nation: "Show us what makes you proud to be British," the company tweeted during the Diamond Jubilee. The coffee giant says it intended the...

Mount Everest's Mystery: Should We Solve It?

Two British adventurers may have climbed it first

(Newser) - A long-frozen roll of film may solve one of Mount Everest's most enduring mysteries. England has long been caught in the romance of two British adventurers who scaled the mountain with a team in 1924 and were last seen a few hundred yards from the peak. Did George Mallory...

Constant Oil Leaks Killing Gibraltar Bay: Critics

Spain and UK feud while spills threaten the strait's ecosystem

(Newser) - As blame spreads between Spain and the UK, so too does ecosystem-destroying oil in the Strait of Gibraltar. Europe's No. 1 transfer port, located between the towering Rock of Gibraltar and the Spanish fishing town of Algercias is, on any one day, home to tens of oil tankers and...

Taliban Offer Kidnapped Doc for MIT Terrorist

Insurgents nab Scottish aid worker, want Aafia Siddiqui in return

(Newser) - The Taliban today admitted to kidnapping a female Scottish aid worker in Afghanistan, and offered to trade her for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani ex-MIT student sentenced to 86 years in prison last week for trying to kill FBI officers. Siddiqui’s sentence set off a wave of...

Dubai Upholds Month in Jail for Kissing Brits

Pair kissed in a restaurant; Emirati woman told cops

(Newser) - A Dubai appeals court today upheld a one-month prison sentence for a British couple convicted of kissing in a restaurant. The pair landed in court after an Emirati woman complained about the public kiss, which the couple insisted was just a peck on the cheek. They were arrested in November...

9 Missing Foreigners Found Dead in Yemen

Hospital workers had been picnicking; al-Qaeda blamed

(Newser) - Nine missing foreigners, including three children, have been found dead in Yemen today, their bodies mutilated, a security official said. The foreigners, including seven Germans, a Briton, and a South Korean, disappeared Friday while on a picnic in the turbulent northern Saada region. Shepherds roaming the area found some remains...

World's Largest Cave Found
 World's Largest Cave Found 
May 1, 2009 5:03 AM CDT

World's Largest Cave Found

(Newser) - A British expedition team has discovered what they believe to be the world’s largest cave deep within the Vietnamese jungle, the Telegraph reports. At 650 feet high and nearly 500 feet wide, Hang Son Doong—or Mountain River Cave—is twice the size of current record holder Deer Cave...

'Cult' Writer JG Ballard Dead at 78

(Newser) - British author JG Ballard died this morning "with great sadness" after many years of poor health, his agent said today. The 78-year-old novelist and short story writer was most famous for his semi-autobiographical book Empire of the Sun, later made into a film by Steven Spielberg, and his controversial...

Jargon Not a Best Practice, Brit Bureaucrats Told

Confusing phrases are keeping people from using services: agency

(Newser) - This recession requires the British government to drop its jargon and get consensually transparent, er, clear. A government agency frets that people are missing out on services because they don't understand bureaucratic lingo like the following phrases, per Reuters:
  1. Slippage: Why not just admit the delay?
  2. A menu of options
...

Manners Killed Titanic's Brits as Yanks Fled: Study

British were more likely to line up for lifeboats, researcher contends

(Newser) - British passengers aboard the Titanic were most likely to die because their sense of propriety inclined them to line up for lifeboats while Americans elbowed past to save themselves, claims an Australian researcher who is studying how people react in life-threatening disasters. Americans were 8.5% more likely than other...

US Phrases That Annoy Brits
 US Phrases That Annoy Brits 
OPINION
Dec 27, 2008 6:50 PM CST

US Phrases That Annoy Brits

"Happy Holidays", and "Have a nice day," irksome Americanisms

(Newser) - Toby Harnden must live among Yanks in his job as a correspondent for the UK's Telegraph, and sometimes American phrases drive him nuts. Here are his worst offenders:
  • Happy holidays (just say Christmas, please)
  • Have a nice day (make it stop)
  • You're welcome (this one's just "Pavlovian" to him)
...

Sorry, Pops, Lily Allen Ain't My Mouthpiece

Mockney posturing does not make her an expert on gang violence

(Newser) - British pop singer Lily Allen can carry a cute tune, but "spokesperson for her generation"? Puh-leeze, Emily Hill writes in Spiked. Allen's first album, Alright, Still, "soundtracked a summer," inspiring middle-aged music hacks to praise her and London Mayor Boris Johnson to ask for her insight...

Mumbai-Linked Terror Crew Hunts Western Recruits

Lashkar-e-Taiba seen as stepping stone to al-Qaeda

(Newser) - The Islamic militant group thought to be behind the Mumbai terror attacks has recruited Westerners, particularly Americans and Britons, to aid in planning and executing attacks, the Los Angeles Times reports. A 23-year-old Brit, convicted this year on terror-related charges, was among the Lashkar-e-Taiba adherents helping get converts to Pakistan...

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