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You probably know already how much we love the British and their culture here at Bored Panda. This quirky nation which is home to a smashing sense of humor mixed with brilliant sarcasm and self-reflection has proven time and again that Brits are some of the best entertainment sources.

Just take a look at our previous features about funny British pics with no context here and here, and it becomes self-evident.

This time we’re taking a look into British memes, which possess a hilarity in their own right. Shared by a Facebook page “British Moments,” it perfectly captures the everyday absurdity and fun in the life of Brits.

The British sense of humor has a reputation for being among the funniest and most unique types of humor there is. So to find out more about what role culture plays in our sense of humor as well as about the key elements in British humor that make it stand out, Bored Panda reached out to professor Sophie Scott, the British neuroscientist and Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow at University College London.

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    #3

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    Pirates of Zen Pants
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's true! Bap, batch, barm, bun, cob, muffin, teacake, etc. The British have about twenty words for bread roll.

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    Prof. Scott told us that culture and its people play an enormous role in one's sense of humor. “That’s because there are very few things that cross time and place and that are funny to all humans. If you look at things that are funny for all human beings, you tend to find most commonly found things across cultures that are not particular to a culture,” prof. Scott explained and added that these things include “slapstick, or taboo things to do with toilets and farting [laughs].”

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    #4

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    Pirates of Zen Pants
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What an absolute legend! Too drunk to recognize his girlfriend, but still mindful to be faithful to her. If they made this into a movie, it would star 1990s Hugh Grant.

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    #6

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    Pirates of Zen Pants
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill...and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah"

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    According to the professor, that's because you don’t need much cultural understanding to understand it. “You don’t need language to understand jokes based on toilet humor or slapstick and there are fewer barriers to accessing the meaning of the joke,” prof. Scott argues.

    Meanwhile, at the opposite end of that is where cultural humor stands. Prof. Scott argues that it depends on a person being able to understand what things mean in that culture. “Any one culture will have specific humor to that culture which would seem quite hard from anyone from the outside to understand.”

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    Akucdota
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It is so sh*tty that childless people even need to come up with this kind of excuses to avoid working overtime

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    #9

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    Cloie Mary
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's a dude on a budget that can't afford the price of everything rising

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    “Some scientists translated Australian jokes into French and French jokes into English and presented them to Australians and what they found was that people didn't find the jokes funny. It’s not just the words, its that cultural meaning whether you find it or not find it funny,” prof. Scott explained.

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    When asked what makes British humor unique, prof. Scott said that it’s hard to say because there are no scientific studies done on it.

    “I suspect that anything that’s important to the culture will be something that will influence the comedy and the humor in that culture and all the sorts of things that jokes are made about.” Prof. Scott explained that British culture still has a pretty distinct class system and she believes that influences their sense of humor and things they laugh at.

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    Another thing specific to British humor is a tradition of the underdog kind of humor: “like Tony Hancock and Ricky Gervais and The Office, which I think are speaking to that kind of class-based interest that our culture has.”

    According to prof. Scott, a sarcasm you often encounter in British humor can be understood as a stance that you are taking for humorous purposes. “You could take a number of different approaches, like an aggressive stance, a playful stance, or a sarcastic stance, which is this cynical position,” she explained.

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    Katy McMouse
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Last night, my husband let a woman with more items than he had jump ahead of him when a new register opened. She insisted on paying for his fish and bag of veggies. That's never happened to him before and he was totally dumbstruck. Thanks, mysterious lady - you've shown my husband a side of humanity he's not experienced until you came around.

    gridsleep
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    On the other hand, nobody owes anyone else an easier time of it. Brian up there is just a d**k.

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    Jaya
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why are we applauding bullying like this? She was first in line, offering you to go first is optional, not an obligation. How can you be so entitled that you think you have the right to mess up someone's groceries because they didn't get to go first? Disgusting.

    Scott Hadlington
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The hell, she was in front of you mate!! She don't have to give up s**t.

    Hello_my_name_is_Genevieve
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Uncool. What is she supposed to do? Let every wankers with fewer items jump in front of her??

    FinkAdele
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    It won't spoil, someone will eventually buy it and be angry why shops sell spoiled meat - thank your stupid neighbours, man.

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    Ryan-James O'Driscoll
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This guy's not funny. Wasting food and causing other people grief because he feels entitled to jump the queue. Tw@.

    LoudMansLover
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If she was in front of you with that many items then her items were on the belt, right? That seems entitled to expect to go in front just because you had less. And to steal her items, and waste them besides? I hope this is just passive aggressive humor.

    Wondering Alice
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't think it is passive aggressive at all. It's just humour. It might not be your humour, but it is a thread about Brits.

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    Becky Samuel
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's Aldi. 107 items scan in about 2 minutes tops. They're mental fast in there.

    Maiun
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I bet if she'd actually asked to go in front the woman would have said yes. If she just stood there all aggressive and pissy she doesn't deserve any courtesy.

    Where’s The Shovel?
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To all those shrieking about first come first served and entitlements etc. it's called having good manners.

    N Burnette
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think only someone with arthritis in hips/spine will understand: walking around can be uncomfortable but tolerable and the exercise is good but standing still is excruciating. Walmart doesn't have express lane, people buy baskets full, half as many registers as before. Am I entitled to jump ahead of the 2 full baskets with my 2 items? No. Would it have been nice to not wait 15 minutes in pain? You bet.

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    Wondering Alice
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's not true. Brian is joking. Probably he is the type of guy who lets people jump ahead of him, but someone didn't reciprocate and he imagined doing something mean. No way he went to Aldi to buy one carrot and a turnip (most Aldis need a car to get to, and it would not be worth petrol or hassle when he would most likely have passed a few co-ops on the way) that type of exaggeration clearly marks this to my British ear as joke.

    lara
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If this is supposed to be funny I am at a loss as to how someone can be so vicious and others think it is funny.

    Wondering Alice
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's funny because that's what he was thinking, not what he did. His exaggeration of the 1 carrot and a turnip and the precise odd 107 items stand out as obviously not true story. More likely, he had a small basket and she had a big trolley and if just before her first item was scanned she had noticed him and offered to let him in he would have said he wasn't in a rush.

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    Beth D
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You could have ask the women to go ahead of her...YOU might not have been what she was thinking about or even noticed you.

    Ruth Hempsey
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's sarcasm . I don't think citizens of the US of A know what that means. Otherwise known as wit. 🙄

    Daniel Mattock
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Normally I think people should let those with one or two items go ahead- I’ve been on both sides, it’s a nice bit of camaraderie- but why didn’t this guy just go to another checkout?

    Allie
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I (Canadian) lived in the UK for a decade. On more than occasion, I offered to let a person behind me in the grocery store queue with fewer items go ahead of me . Every time, the person declined and seemed horrified that a stranger had spoken to them. I stopped asking because I assumed I was committing some kind of faux pas.

    Hev Bushnell
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What makes me laugh the most here is 'gourmet'.... from ALDI 🤣

    Paul Z.
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why should you be entitled to go first in the 1st place? You are the 2nd in line. You wait. Oftentimes I get asked if I want to go first because I have a few groceries. I often decline and thank them... they were there first. 1st come 1st serve. Take your time. Wait. Engage in a conversation, relax. You get to pay your carrot and turnip.

    Wondering Alice
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Brits can be very precise about queueing etiquette - but letting others in is very common in most of the country. Asking if you can cut in is usually considered very rude unless you clearly have an emergency such as you are buying medicine, nappies or baby formula.

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    A sarcastic stance is when you find humor by not being too enthusiastic about things, prof. Scott argues. But she believes that’s unlikely to be specific to British people. “Finnish people seem to have quite a similar sense of humor to British people in some respects. Monty Python was famously considered to be very funny by people in Finland,” the professor concluded.

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    #23

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    Pirates of Zen Pants
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yikes. British citizens, I'm sending you a shipment of sunscreen on behalf of my people, the pasty-skinned Irish-Americans of Boston, Mass.

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    #28

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    Robert T
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Only in summer when its too hot in the house. We go and stand in the fridge section of Tescos to cool down. ;-)

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    #29

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    Katy McMouse
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Tangy Tom's, Spicy Bikers, Space Raiders? Are those actual names of chips or character names from a Benny Hill skit?

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    #32

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    Evy Cl
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    lmao i remember this! they still did that when crazy frog first came out

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    #33

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    King Joffrey
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    For non-British people: 'spoons' stands for Wetherspoons, the largest pub chain in the UK.

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    #34

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    Two_rolling_black_eyes
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I find it ironic that so many of the big British banks (Lloyds, Barclays, etc) were started by Quakers and grew because people trusted the Quakers because of their ideals of avoiding usury, avoiding gathering too much wealth, and being honest in all transactions. Inheriting the business (look at the Waltons) has a tendency to cause you to forget that your parents grew the business by treating people well.

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    Jaya
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So I hear you got a 10 dollar raise? Yeah, but it's not as good as it sounds.

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