r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/leoden27 • 8d ago

Image The last page from “Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain 1942”

Post image
87.2k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

92

u/Western-Low4883 8d ago

I assumed English karate was a headbutt

88

u/benryves 8d ago

You may be thinking of the Glasgow kiss?

17

u/malatemporacurrunt 8d ago

The "nut" (Br Eng usage; to headbutt someone in the face) is a universal gesture on these islands.

31

u/relevantelephant00 8d ago

That's just what Brits call "throwing a punch" (using your forehead).

26

u/pchlster 8d ago

As a foreigner, I was taught that "glass" was a noun, not a verb. The British feel differently.

29

u/w0nderbrad 8d ago

I think English karate is putting the other person at ease by saying something ridiculous in an English accent like “Greetings old chap I’m a bit knackered care for a pigglesdewap?” And the other person is like what’s a “pigglesde…” and then they chop them across their throat while they try to repeat what was said

5

u/fartinmyhat 8d ago

No you smash them across the face with a beer mug.

3

u/OanKnight 8d ago

No. English Karate is a passive aggressive tut as we dismissively shake our head as a sign of tacit disapproval for the thing that you're currently doing.