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Every place has a little something to offer to its visitors, be it food, scenery, people, or something else completely. And while Britain, for instance, is typically known for its Royals, love for milky tea, and unique accents or words that no foreigner will ever be able to pronounce on the first try (yes, it’s the worsest… worcestst… worcestershire sauce I’m referring to), the British are also often known for their witty sense of humor.

Today, we have listed some examples of said humor for you to get acquainted with, together with some posts depicting what life in Britain is like, both in the shape of ‘British Memes’, as shared by the community titled exactly that. Scroll down to find the memes on the list below and see for yourself what the unique charm of Britain comprises.

Below you will also find some thoughts shared by one of the moderators of the community, as well as Bored Panda’s interview with a cognitive psychologist, Gary Klein, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions on humor.

#1

We All Know That It's True

We All Know That It's True

Dylbo2008 Report

#2

Bluetooth, Innit?

Bluetooth, Innit?

Rupesh__k Report

#3

The

The

SpartanHotwife Report

The story of how the ‘British Memes’ subreddit was created is quite a straightforward one—the moderators saw there was a niche and decided to go for it. “British humor is dry and doesn't shy away from making fun of itself,” one of the mods told Bored Panda in a recent interview, adding that memes are fun, so why not give such a subreddit a go?

“I like how relaxed and casual smaller subreddits are,” they added. “Like a village compared to the cities of the big ones.” While the sub might not be considered among the largest fish on Reddit, it has amassed more than 22 thousand members already.

#4

Brilliant 😂

Brilliant 😂

Proper-Jello4283 , joeheenan Report

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#5

It All Makes Sense Now

It All Makes Sense Now

Nemisis_007 Report

The moderator of the ‘British Memes’ subreddit is arguably right about British humor being rather dry, which is why it might not appeal to everyone equally. A study from 2021 found that users of American English perceived British humor as less funny and were less able to get the ironic and sarcastic aspect of such humor, compared to their counterparts using British English.

The irony and sarcasm adorning British wit might not be amusing to everyone, either, but not taking things personally—when they don’t cross the line of decency, of course—and laughing at certain situations instead can sometimes be beneficial, too. According to the cognitive psychologist Gary Klein, humor can be used to make certain situations easier to bear or to help us keep our cool if needed.

#6

Bruh

Bruh

HaroldYtPs Report

#7

Those New Builds Are Horrendous

Those New Builds Are Horrendous

Tenpumpkin77962 Report

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#8

Happens Every Time…

Happens Every Time…

LmbLma Report

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“When we see the humor in a situation, we are less likely to take things personally, less likely to feel defensive and threatened, and more capable of responding constructively to the people involved,” Klein wrote for Psychology Today. That’s what, according to the expert, having a comedy mindset is all about.

#9

Seems About Right

Seems About Right

BejPlum Report

#10

The Americans Are Beginning To Figure Us Out. They’re Yet To Discover Eddie Hall Though

The Americans Are Beginning To Figure Us Out. They’re Yet To Discover Eddie Hall Though

Financial-Fill9108 Report

#11

My Good Sir, We Simply Do Not Require Firearms

My Good Sir, We Simply Do Not Require Firearms

diddlydiddlydiddly1 Report

In order to learn more about the comedy mindset, Bored Panda got in touch with Dr. Klein, who emphasized that such a mindset helps people cope with frustrating events, reduce stress, and counter a tendency to take things personally, thereby reducing anger when things don't go their way.

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But this coin, too, has two sides. “There is unfortunately a downside to the comedy mindset—finding humor in another person's suffering, which is something to be alert to and to guard against,” Dr. Klein pointed out.

#12

Laughed My A*se Off

Laughed My A*se Off

Gstq1998 Report

#13

"Hand In A Looter The Minute You See 'Em But The Biggest Looters Are The British Museum."

"Hand In A Looter The Minute You See 'Em But The Biggest Looters Are The British Museum."

NorthernPashtun , NoContextBrits Report

#14

Comedy

Comedy

RUFUS_BOI_2008 Report

When it comes to the darker side of humor, the internet seemingly plays quite a significant role in it. According to Dr. Klein, nowadays, the online culture tends towards viciousness rather than humor.

“There seems to be no shortage of people ready to pounce on displays of humor; the online culture seems to drive towards a caustic perspective, rather than a comedy mindset. Even people who do see the humor in things may be intimidated not to express that humor, whereas caustic and sarcastic reactions seem to rule the day.”

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#15

This Is Very True. I'm A British Person

This Is Very True. I'm A British Person

Lammaking49 Report

#16

The British

The British

Tiny_AngelKiss Report

#17

Get A Rat

Get A Rat

d3lt4run3 Report

While British humor is often accompanied by a pinch of sarcasm, not all of it is based on caustic humor or equally heavy to bear. The Brits can bring wit into something as mundane as cooking, too, and whoever named some of their traditional dishes seemingly did. Similarly to British humor, some of the names used for certain dishes—a ‘toad in a hole’ served for dinner, for instance—might sound bizarre at best, when you’re not familiar with them.

In addition to the toad in the hole—which in reality is some sausages in Yorkshire pudding, unlike what the name suggests—there’s also rumbledethumps (yes, that’s a dish, not a spell from a Harry Potter book), and bangers and mash. Make sure to leave some room for some Eton mess or knickerbocker glory for dessert!

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#18

British_irl

British_irl

FryerBoiii_UwU Report

#19

Britain

Britain

Hot_Snuggles Report

#20

Speaking Through Experience

Speaking Through Experience

Depurplelobster Report

But food isn’t the only thing the British have specific names for. When it comes to vocabulary, there can be problems related to being misunderstood in some places, as the words they use might be different from those used in other English-speaking locations. For instance, asking for chips in the UK and in the US would result in two different forms of snacks; and you would also most likely be surprised about the different outcomes you’d see after requesting a torch.

#21

Horse Back Riding

Horse Back Riding

Suspicious_bandaid Report

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#22

Anybody Else Agree?

Anybody Else Agree?

Zen-bunny Report

#23

Just An Average British Night Out

Just An Average British Night Out

reddit.com Report

If you’ve enjoyed browsing these British Memes, feel free to continue to our previous editions on British humor here and here, or open our meme category for more amusing content. Happy scrolling!

#24

London Be Like

London Be Like

communistd0gg Report

#25

British Vibes

British Vibes

Cletus2255 Report

#26

Not Again

Not Again

Explosive-Cherry2474 Report

#27

The Empire Shall Rise Again

The Empire Shall Rise Again

imnotsusman123 Report

#28

This Is Why Fonts Are So Important

This Is Why Fonts Are So Important

Delicious-Cake-2039 , CheapeDouglas Report

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#29

Well Dodgy Like

Well Dodgy Like

Shockwavepulsar Report

#30

Very

Very

the-high-ground666 Report

#31

How Is He Gonna Recover

How Is He Gonna Recover

NelsonFisher5 Report

#32

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Markarma3100 Report

#33

Decisions, Decisions

Decisions, Decisions

Seaf-og Report

#34

Waiting For It To Cool First

Waiting For It To Cool First

Military-Lion Report

#35

Honestly Mate. Same Tho

Honestly Mate. Same Tho

Throwaway2314233 Report

#36

Flavourtown

Flavourtown

DaanBaas77 Report

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#37

That Face Your Belly Makes When Beer Is Incoming 🍻🍻🍻

That Face Your Belly Makes When Beer Is Incoming 🍻🍻🍻

AmyyGrace Report

#38

Happy Pancake Day!

Happy Pancake Day!

flopsychops , SoVeryBritish Report

#39

We Don't Have Time For Small Talk

We Don't Have Time For Small Talk

BigInTheGame85 Report

#40

That's Right

That's Right

juanralucard Report

Note: this post originally had 74 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.