Englishness
Stiff upper lip
Englishness is the quality of being distinctively English—the cultural traits, attitudes, and mannerisms associated with England and its people.
It evokes reserve, understatement, self-deprecating humor, and a certain stoicism: There's an Englishness to his stiff upper lip.
The term often carries nostalgia for tradition, village greens, and afternoon tea, though it can also imply insularity or resistance to change.
Tall ribbon-wrapped post
- bonfire nightEvening around outdoor flames
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
- BeefeaterLondon dry spirit brand
- StonehengePrehistoric megalithic circle
Guy Fawkes · Chaucer · roast dinner · cricket · pub · ale · fish and chips · red telephone box
Rule by crowned sovereign
- BBCBritish public broadcaster
- ShakespeareElizabethan dramatist and poet
- WestminsterLondon's political center
- OxfordHistoric English university town
Cambridge · Commonwealth · Victorian · Tudor · colonialism · Beatles · knighthood · chivalry
Informal British tea
- Earl GreyBergamot-flavored black tea
- brewSteeped or fermented drink
- afternoon teaLight meal around four
- high teaEarly evening British meal
teapot · kettle · scones · clotted cream · teatime · tea break · builder's tea · bone china
Linear shrub boundary
- cottage gardenInformal ornamental planting style
- villageSmall rural community
- rolling hillsGently rising, falling landscape
- green beltIntermediate martial rank indicator
footpath · rambling · National Trust · meadow · woodland · country lane · drystone wall · farmland
Very light precipitation
foggy · mizzle · blustery · mild · changeable · wellies · umbrella · anorak
Of the United Kingdom
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- passportGovernment-issued travel credential
- BritonUnited Kingdom citizen
- expatriateOne living abroad permanently
nationalism · patriotism · allegiance · sovereignty · heritage · ancestry · native · birthright
Respectful, considerate behavior
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
- civilityFormal politeness in conduct
- respectabilityMoral and social worthiness
- gentilityRefined social standing
decorum · etiquette · graciousness · tactfulness · deference · propriety · diplomacy · affability
maypole
Tall ribbon-wrapped post
- bonfire nightEvening around outdoor flames
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
- BeefeaterLondon dry spirit brand
Guy Fawkes · Stonehenge · Chaucer · roast dinner · cricket · pub · ale · fish and chips · red telephone box · double-decker bus
monarchy
Rule by crowned sovereign
- BBCBritish public broadcaster
- ShakespeareElizabethan dramatist and poet
- WestminsterLondon's political center
Oxford · Cambridge · Commonwealth · Victorian · Tudor · colonialism · Beatles · knighthood · chivalry · stiff upper lip
cuppa
Informal British tea
- Earl GreyBergamot-flavored black tea
- brewSteeped or fermented drink
- afternoon teaLight meal around four
high tea · teapot · kettle · scones · clotted cream · teatime · tea break · builder's tea · bone china · teacup
hedgerow
Linear shrub boundary
- cottage gardenInformal ornamental planting style
- villageSmall rural community
- rolling hillsGently rising, falling landscape
green belt · footpath · rambling · National Trust · meadow · woodland · country lane · drystone wall · farmland · pastoral
drizzle
Very light precipitation
rainy · foggy · mizzle · blustery · mild · changeable · wellies · umbrella · anorak · complaining
British
Of the United Kingdom
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- passportGovernment-issued travel credential
- BritonUnited Kingdom citizen
expatriate · nationalism · patriotism · allegiance · sovereignty · heritage · ancestry · native · birthright · belonging
courtesy
Respectful, considerate behavior
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
- civilityFormal politeness in conduct
- respectabilityMoral and social worthiness
gentility · decorum · etiquette · graciousness · tactfulness · deference · propriety · diplomacy · affability · cordiality
Englishnessforeignness
Quality of being unfamiliar
Frenchness · Germanness · Americanness · otherness · exoticism
Englishnesscosmopolitanism
Belief in shared humanity
internationalism · worldliness · multiculturalism · globalism · rootlessness
English, England, Anglicism, Anglophone, Englishman, Englishes, Anglosphere, Anglophile