I still sound very Canadian, but some British phrases have become part of my everyday speech. I love saying them, even when they sound ridiculous in my accent, and a few have slipped into conversation without me noticing.

Some started as a joke, when I was trying to be a bit silly or a bit British. Now I say them normally. Whether that’s a good thing probably depends on how often you’ve had to hear me say “risk it for a biscuit”.

I’ll give you a shout / That’s a good shout

I never would have used “shout” this way in Canada. On Twitch, when we’re brainstorming video ideas or deciding which game to play, someone might suggest something I haven’t done before or haven’t played in ages. “That’s a good shout” is my way of saying it’s a good suggestion.

“I’ll give you a shout” does a different job. It means I’ll contact you, call you or reach out when I’m ready, or when whatever I’m working on is finished. Same word, two uses that I enjoy far more than I probably need to.

Risk it for a biscuit

This is probably one of my favourites, and people around me have asked me to stop saying it. I won’t. The idea is that you’re taking a chance because you hope there’ll be a reward or some benefit at the end, although I say it in situations that don’t call for it at all.

It’s fun to say, and I know how stupid it sounds in my accent. Once you’ve said it once, it’s hard to stop. Much like eating biscuits, really.

Fancy a cuppa?

This feels particularly British to me. Usually, when I’ve heard someone ask “Fancy a cuppa?”, they’re offering tea. It could be at a friend’s house or in the home of someone you don’t know that well. Offering a cup of tea feels so much a part of British manners.

My partner and I don’t really drink much tea, although I’m slowly getting more used to it. I’m still very much a coffee person, so when I ask him if he fancies a cuppa, he knows I mean coffee. I’ve borrowed the phrase without quite borrowing the drink.

Go on then

This wasn’t even on my original list. I said it while talking about offering a cuppa and realised it needed a place, which is a fairly good sign that I’ve started using it without thinking.

Someone on Twitch suggests playing Among Us? Go on then. My partner suggests getting Chinese? Oh, go on then. Another pint or a biscuit gets the same answer. It’s a way of accepting an offer, and I’ve started saying it unironically because I find it so much fun.

Are you daft?

I enjoy this insult, the question asking whether someone’s being foolish. Before living here, “daft” wasn’t a word I heard much except in films and on TV, so it feels very British to me. It also sounds weird when I say it.

Would I say it to a stranger or some random person in the pub? No. Will I say it to friends? Absolutely, unfortunately with a little fake accent that I almost can’t help doing. I’m so sorry.

I’m just popping out to the shops

This one is subtle enough that I didn’t notice it until I was preparing my list and trying to catch myself saying things. Then I heard myself say, “I’m just popping out to the shops. Do you need anything?” and realised how British it sounded.

There are two changes in that one sentence. I used to say I was “going to the store”, or name the store itself, such as Walmart. Now I’m “popping out”, and I’m going to “the shops”. Neither part had stood out to me until I put them beside what I would have said before.

You’re taking the piss

This is harder to explain than it is to use. When my partner says something to make fun of me, I might ask if he’s taking the piss. I also use it for something ridiculous or outlandish, such as the example of someone charging £10 for a burger. In that case, I’m complaining about the price rather than saying someone has made a joke about me.

I struggled to explain it even though I already used it, which tells you where my vocabulary had got to. The phrases I might once have said ironically had become things I said normally. Including “risk it for a biscuit”, whether the people around me liked it or not.

Watch me explain the seven phrases.