I’ve now lived in the UK for more than 6 years and, let me tell you, there are some things that still surprise me! This article contains 20 weird / fun facts about the UK!
The only alcohol which can be sold in imperial (rather than metric) measurements, is beer and cider (third pints, half pints, two-thirds of a pint, and any multiples of half a pint). You can sell spirits in multiples of 25ml or 35ml, but have to choose one or the other in your establishment [1].
It’s weird, but—hear me out on this—it’s pretty tasty!
I had always used quite as a synonym for very, but it can also mean nearly the opposite. For example, if someone says a meal you cooked is ‘quite good’ they may mean it’s not very good at all and might be insulting your cooking!
It’s similar to someone asking you ‘what’s up?’ They’re not actually wondering if you are okay (or what is up), it’s just a way of greeting someone.
Well, that’s the record anyway [2]!
Maybe they sent it to Australia with all the prisoners back in the day lol.
Apparently, this was for men shaving in the sink, but, today, it’s pretty inconvenient.
This is based on a 1313 statute which remains in force today [3].
This basically entails memorising the thousands of roads within a 6-mile radius of Charing Cross [5].
There are 494 called the Crown [6].
45% of that is in tunnels [7].
Well, 1.12 square miles to be exact. Today, it is a bustling business hub and also the location of the Bank of England.
It is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch [9].
Brits drink 30 MILLION more cups of tea per day than coffee [11].
And, there you have it, my top 20 weird facts about the UK! Which one do you think is the strangest? Let me know in the comments below!
Check out my other articles about London life here.
[1] Gov.uk (n.d.). Weights and Measures: the law. Retrieved April 6, 2021, from https://www.gov.uk/weights-measures-and-packaging-the-law/specified-quantities
[2] Wikipedia (n.d.) Geoff Marshall. Retrieved April 6, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Marshall#:~:text=Marshall%20has%20twice%20held%20the,2004%2C%20on%20his%20fourth%20attempt
[3] The Law Commission (March 2013). Legal Curiosities: Fact or Fable?https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/app/uploads/2015/03/Legal_Oddities.pdf
[4] Wylie, I. (2015, October 19). ‘Traffic lights are so dictatorial' … but are roundabouts on the way out? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/oct/19/traffic-lights-roundabouts-way-out#:~:text=The%20UK%20today%20boasts%2025%2C000,a%20proportion%20of%20road%20space
[5] Transport for London (n.d.). Learn the Knowledge of London. Retrieved April 6, 2021 from https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/learn-the-knowledge-of-london
[6] Pubs Galore (n.d.) Most common names of open pubs listed on Pubs Galore. Retrieved April 6, 2021 from https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/stats/pubs/pub-names/
[7] TFL Community Team (n.d.). Tube Trivia and Facts. Made by TFL. Retrieved April 6, 2021 from https://madeby.tfl.gov.uk/2019/07/29/tube-trivia-and-facts/
[8] Brown, M. (2016, July 27). Is the Square Mile Actually a Square Mile. Londonist. https://londonist.com/2016/07/is-the-square-mile-actually-a-square-mile
[9] McAlpine, F. (2016). How to Pronounce the Longest Place Name in the UK. BBC America. https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/09/how-to-pronounce-the-longest-place-name-in-the-u-k
[10] Condé Nast Traveller. (n.d.). England's Weirdest Customs. Retrieved April 6, 2021 from https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/strange-customs-english-traditions-weird-events
[11] Nannestad, C. (2021, February 9). This is Why the British Drink So Much Tea. Reader's Digest. https://www.rd.com/article/why-british-drink-tea/#:~:text=Brits%20drink%20a%20lot%20of%20tea&text=The%20proof%20is%20in%20the,start%20them%20young%20over%20there
[12] Roland, E. and Donvito, T. (2020, April 17). Things You Probably Didnt' Know About Queen Elizabeth II. Reader's Digest. https://www.rd.com/list/facts-about-queen-elizabeth-ii/
[13] Central Mailing Services (n.d.). History Behind the British Stamp. Retrieved April 6, 2021 from https://www.centralmailing.co.uk/blog/british-stamps/#:~:text=Great%20Britain%20issued%20the%20world's,in%20profile%20or%20semi%2Dprofile
[14] BBC (2020, July 6). Coronavirus: ‘England's oldest pub' reopens. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-53309100
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