The English language has long been an insatiable borrower of vocabulary from other languages, a consequence of the English being insatiable invaders of other countries, but there’s something categorically different about the avalanche of Americanisms that are being aggressively normalised into the UK mainstream with unprecedented rapidity, to the point where US English now penetrates every aspect of British Isles English; grammar, spelling, syntax, idiom, phonetics and pronunciation as well as vocabulary. No facet of verbal or written expression remains untouched. There’s a word for this process: acculturalisation (in American: ‘acculturation’). This isn’t the organic, evolving, interacting change that is intrinsic to all languages; it’s a sudden, unnatural, overwhelming and strictly one-way onslaught led by the rapacious Tech Giants of corporate America, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix.

We know all about acculturalisation in Wales; it’s been the main weapon of our imperialist colonisers for 500 years. So I am able to derive a frisson of delight from watching the English hoisted by their own petard, those supposedly proudly independent bulldog Brits as usual surrendering like pissy lapdogs without so much as a whimper to US domination, absorption and cultural hegemony. However, looking at the bigger picture, the process is merely a flavour of what the extreme rightwing ideologues running the UK have in store for this dysfunctional, rotten to the core, rogue state. The very purpose of the Brexiteers was always to become much more like the USA, discard laws designed to mitigate the ill-effects of capitalism on employment, the environment, the climate, food, health etc, and unleash a free-for-all race to the bottom until their beloved Britain is a completely privatised, unregulated offshore tax haven arranged for the benefit of foreign corporations, laundered finance, billionaires and Tory party donors. In that fresh hell, getting ever closer as Hard Brexit looms, the biggest losers will be the very same lumpen proletariat brainwashed Sun-readers who voted for Brexit in their millions. Mind you, Britain’s multitude of stupid, crude racists are likely to forgive Johnson’s government any and every abuse, damage, failure, scandal and incompetence so long as he pursues a far-right direction. For many becoming the 51st State would be a dream come true: they would gain the right to bear arms.

It has been calculated that over 400 new Americanisms have become embedded in the UK in the last 20 years alone. Below is a random and by no means comprehensive selection I’ve happened to notice in the last couple of years, along with the part of speech and a translation. Some have long been familiar but only recently entered general use.

HOMEWORK: Print out the list and learn off by heart; you’ll be needing it.

911 phrase 999
9/11 phrase 11/9
24/7 phrase all the time
abolishment noun abolition
advisory noun warning
advocate for phrase advocate
aging adjective/verb ageing
ahead of preposition before
airplane noun aeroplane
alternate adjective alternative
aluminum noun aluminium
anyways adverb anyway
apartment noun flat
appeal a sentence phrase appeal against a sentence
applesauce noun apple sauce
ass noun arse
assist noun pass
atm noun cashpoint
a town hall phrase a public meeting
automobile noun car
awesome adjective ordinary
baby shower phrase expectant mother extracting gifts
backstory noun past
baked-in adjective integral
bee noun competition
beer noun lager
bettor noun gambler
bite me interjection fuck off
black friday phrase clearance sale
bleachers noun outdoor seats
blowhard noun braggart
boilerplate adjective ordinary
bougie adjective vulgar
brit noun britisher
bro noun pal
brownie noun cake
bucket list phrase wish list
bum noun homeless person
(to) bum verb cadge
burglarize verb burgle
butt noun arse
call out verb invite
candy noun sweets
caregiver noun carer
catch a break phrase have some luck
catfishing noun deception
cell phone noun mobile
chapter book phrase children’s book
cheat on phrase two-time
check noun cheque
checking out phrase leaving
chill adjective placid
chips noun crisps
cohort noun marketing category
condominium noun block of flats
consolatory adverb consolingly
consult with phrase consult
content creator phrase seller
cookie noun biscuit
cookie-cutter adjective mass-produced
cosplay noun fancy dress
county lines phrase drug dealing
creative noun advertiser
critter noun animal
cupcake noun fairy cake
(to) curate verb select
curb noun kerb
(to) date verb go out with
deep-dive phrase analysis
dial back phrase adjust
dial down phrase reduce
diaper noun nappy
diner noun cafe
dirt noun soil
dive in phrase start
double down phrase reiterate
dove verb (past tense) dived
downtown noun city centre
dox verb bully
(to) drawdown verb reduce
(to) drop verb release
drug store noun chemist/pharmacy
dude noun man
duke it out phrase fight to the finish
eatery noun cafe
eggplant noun aubergine
elevator noun lift
empathic adjective empathetic
‘erb noun herb
faceplant verb fall
fall noun autumn
fanny noun bum
(to) farewell verb attend a funeral
faucet noun tap
flashlight noun torch
flip-flop noun/verb u-turn
footway noun pavement
for the ages phrase memorable
friendship group phrase brief acquaintances
fries noun chips
from the get-go phrase from the beginning
fubar slang acronym snafu
fulfilment centre noun warehouse
(to) game verb manipulate
gas noun petrol
gaslighting noun manipulation
get-go noun start
ghosting noun ignoring
gift noun present
gifting verb giving
gig economy phrase sweatshop
goddam interjection bloody
going forward phrase in future
good to go phrase ready
gotten verb got
got your back phrase supportive
(to) graduate verb leave school
grits noun porridge
guys noun people
hack noun shortcut
handi-transit vehicle noun mini-bus
hardscrabble adjective difficult
hash brown noun fried potato
heads-up noun advance warning
head upphrase lead
hike noun increase
historic adjective insignificant
hole-up verb hide
hood noun bonnet
hook up phrase get off with
icky adjective sickly
iconic adjective fairly well-known
i could care less phrase i couldn’t care less
ideation noun thinking
i guess phrase i suppose
i love that… phrase i like the way…
i’m good phrase i’m well
(to) impact verb affect
independence day phrase july the 4th
influencer noun tout
janitor noun caretaker
john doe phrase joe bloggs
journey noun non-event
king tide phrase spring tide
(to) kvetch verb moan
lean into phrase persevere
learnings noun knowledge
likely adverb probably
line noun queue
listen up phrase listen
literally adverb metaphorically
lockdown noun curfew
mac’n’cheese noun macaroni cheese
mad adjective angry
main street phrase high street
making out phrase kissing
math noun maths
mean adjective nasty
(to) medal verb win a medal
meet-cute noun encounter
meet with phrase meet
misspeak verb lie
misstep noun mistake
mold noun mould
mom noun mam/mum
momentarily adverb soon
moreish adjective enjoyable
neurodivergent adjective neurotic
normalcy noun normality
off of preposition off
oftentimes adverb often
onboarding noun training
outage noun power cut
out of preposition from
pants noun trousers
paralegal noun clerk
parking lot phrase car park
passing noun death
paycheck noun wages
pay raise phrase pay rise
period noun full-stop
person of colour phrase black person
pick-upnoun van
playbook noun script
playdate noun prearranged playtime
pled verb pleaded
podiatry noun chiropody
(to) podium verb win a medal
poop noun poo
precarity noun precariousness
pre-loved adjective used
preppy noun young fogey
prom noun school dance
protest a decision phrase protest against a decision
purposeful adjective deliberate
quieted verb quietened
rambunctious adjective rumbustious
r*pe noun/verb rape
reach out to phrase contact
real estate noun property
realtor noun estate agent
(to) recuse verb withdraw
regular adjective normal
restroom noun toilet
résumé noun cv
retail noun shopping
right now phrase now
rock up verb arrive
role noun job
roommate noun flatmate/housemate
run for phrase stand for
safeguarding noun care
sanctimony noun sanctimoniousness
scoping verb assessing
scrubs noun surgical gown
season noun returning tv series
semi-trailer noun articulated lorry
shapewear noun corset
sheet cake noun slab cake
showrunner noun tv producer
shredded adjective grated
(to) shutter verb close down
sidewalk noun pavement
signage noun signs
slated adjective due
slots noun fruit machines
smart adjective intelligent
smarts noun intelligence
s’mores noun sweets
sneakers noun trainers
snuck verb (past tense) sneaked
so exclamation um
sore adjective angry
(to) source verb obtain
specialty noun speciality
stakeholder noun shareholder
stan noun fan
start over phrase start again
stoked adjective pleased
stop light phrase traffic light
storied adjective eventful
streetcar noun tram
(to) summit verb reach the top
sundown noun sunset
suspenders noun braces
suss adjective shrewd
suv noun 4×4
swathnoun swathe
sweatpants noun tracksuit bottoms
tailgate noun boot
tailpipe noun exhaust
takeaway noun lesson
takedown noun criticism
takeout noun takeaway
talk with phrase talk to
(to) task verb assign
tchotchkes noun knick-knacks
thanksgivingnoun harvest festival
the exact same phrase exactly the same
third wheel phrase gooseberry
thrift adjective second-hand
thrift shop noun charity shop
thru preposition through
tidbit noun titbit
totalled adjective wrecked
transportation noun transport
trash can noun bin
trending adjective transient
trick or treat phrase give me sweets or else
trucker noun lorry driver
trunk noun boot
tub noun bath
tuxedo noun dinner-jacket
undershirt noun vest
unhoused adjective homeless
unpack verb explain
uplift verb lift
upscale adjective expensive
upskill verb teach
upsell verb flog
uptick noun increase
vacation noun holiday
veggies abbreviation veg
vest noun waistcoat
veteran noun ex-soldier
vicious cycle phrase vicious circle
wait on phrase wait for
welfare noun social security
wild swimming phrase swimming
windshield noun windscreen
woke adjective aware
workaround noun stop-gap
works two jobs phrase has two jobs
wraps verb ends
write me injunction write to me
yard noun garden
zaftig adjective plump
zee noun zed
zucchini noun courgette