How do you respond to a dinner invitation that says "Eight for eight thirty"? What might induce you to get off a London train at a place called Mud Chute? When is it okay to drive over a sleeping policeman? And, why do the Brits keep saying "Who's she, the cat's mother"?
Rules, Britannia is an invaluable resource for Americans who want to make a smooth transition when visiting or relocating to the UK. This entertaining and practical insider's guide contains scores of established do's and dont's that only a Brit would know.
Most of us know that an elevator is called a "lift," a toilet is a "loo," and the trunk of your car is the "boot," but who would have a clue about a "sprog" or a "gobsmacked berk"? These phrases are part of daily conservation in the UK, and leave many visiting Americans as baffled as if they listening to a foreign language.
Covering such essential topics as vocabulary, house- or "flat"-hunting, business culture, child rearing, and even relationship etiquette, Rules, Britannia will ease the anxiety that comes with a transatlantic move or extended visit, and is sure to make any old Yank feel like a regular Joe Blogs.
"Amazingly thorough. If you don't know a plonker from a slapper or a berk from Joe Soap, this is the book for you."
Joe Queenan, author of True Believers and Queenan Country
"A godsend to Americans trying to negotiate the minefield of British life…it will be like having a helpful British best friend in your pocket, to guide you through all the tricky bits."
Kate Fox, author of Watching the English
"Although I have traveled through the UK and written about it for years, I found myself reading RULES, BRITANNIA with the pleasure of a first-timer. Toni Summers Hargis answered questions I didn't even know I had, and I smiled in recognition of many of the small but very important nuances she points out. For anyone who wants to arrive in the UK armed with the knowledge of an insider, her book is well-organized, humorous and amazingly comprehensive."
Susan Allen Toth, author of My Love Affair with England and England as You Like It
