Private

Mailing ( post) addresses can be surprisingly tricky. For example:

John Smythe, Esq. (or Mr. John Smythe)
Managing Director
Sugar Plum Productions
The Gingerbread House (many houses and buildings have their own names) 33 Pudding Lane (the actual street address)
Sweet Corner (the neighborhood)
Mirkwood (the district, town or larger neighborhood)
Glasgow GG7 4UU (the city and postal code)
Scotland (the country)

British versus American English

Between 3,000 and 4,000 different words and phrases distinguish North American from British English. For example, potato chips in American English are crisps in Britain, where chips are french fries. To the British, a car's trunk and hood are the boot and bonnet, gasoline is petrol, the radio is the wireless and the drugstore is the chemist.

Consequently, there's plenty of room for confusion in what George Bernard Shaw called “a common culture separated only by its common language.” In Britain, to table something means to discuss it immediately (that is, to put it on the table), whereas in the U.S. it means putting something aside until an unspecified future date. (This particular difference in meaning has caused more than one business deal to go under.) Similarly, to “slate” something in the U.K. means to criticize it, while in the U.S. it means to put it on the schedule. And if someone requests a rubber (American slang for a condom), he wants an eraser. In Britain, knocking someone up means paying them a visit, whereas in American slang, it means getting someone (probably not your wife) pregnant.

Tea, the National Drink

“What would the world do without tea?” wrote Sidney Smith, an 18 th century British evangelist. “How did it exist [before]?”

The Dutch first brought tea to Europe via China in 1610. King Charles II, having grown up in exile at The Hague (because his father, Charles I, had been beheaded by Cromwell), brought home a taste for the leafy beverage. Touted as a panacea for everything from epilepsy and consumption to paralysis and vertigo, it soon became a trend among London 's high society. (“It easeth the Brain, strengtheneth the Memory, overcometh superfluous Sleep... and removeth obstructions of the Spleen,” claimed one enterprising purveyor.) By 1725, England was importing a quarter of a million pounds of tay (as it was called then) annually; one local complained that “as much superfluous money is expended on tea and sugar as would maintain 4 million more subjects on bread.” By 1800, the figure had risen to 24 million pounds. “Though ridiculed by those... not susceptible of influence from so refined a stimulant,” wrote English author Thomas De Quincey (1785-1859), “[tea] will always be the favored beverage of the intellectual.”

British invitations often carry the phrasing, 6:30 for 7 o'clock, or 12:30 for 1 o'clock. The first time mentioned is for drinks and socializing, while the second time is for eating, usually a sit-down dinner but sometimes a buffet. Skipping the cocktail period in big groups is permissible, but can be risky in small groups where your absence would be noticed. Have a good excuse ready, and use it freely, with apologies.

Small Talk

The weather, very changeable but rarely extreme, is the touchstone of British small talk, particularly in business settings. Try to keep your comments centered on the British weather; tales of waist-deep snows, torrential floods or searing heat back home may strike the British as bragging on your part. Even worse, they may think you're saying that their weather isn't very interesting in comparison.

A poker face sometimes accompanies the traditional stiff upper lip, and the combination makes the British difficult to read. They like it that way. Perhaps it's become ingrained with all those centuries of military and commercial empire-building, but showing emotion is regarded as a weakness (particularly in business), and so is letting other people know more than they need to know at any one time.

Understatement is the preferred manner of communication. Listen carefully for what may seem like mild, wry observations. In countries devoted to a more blunt and open style of doing business, such comments may be viewed as little jokes. In Britain, they may be the best indication you'll get of the real feelings of the British person you're dealing with. “Bloody nuisance, that clause,” uttered by a Briton, might be interpreted as a throwaway line, an offhand, inconsequential remark by an American. But to the Briton who said it, it was akin to all but shouting that a potential deal is doomed unless changes are made in the offending clause.

Business Attire

The British dress for business (that is, conservatively) and expect you to do the same. Even male artists and designers who favor ponytails and earrings put on ties and jackets for important meetings.

Pastels tend to look out of place at a London business meeting, even on a rare, hot August afternoon. Umbrellas (they're called brollies but sadly, they're rarely set off by a bowler hat anymore) are a popular, year-round fashion accessory, as are raincoats and well-made briefcases.

Guy Fawkes, April Fool's & Pancakes

Guy Fawkes Day (November 5) commemorates the foiling of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament. Children stuff dummies of Fawkes, stand out on the street and call, “Penny for the Guy!” hoping that passersby will drop coins in a hat or box. That night, they throw their dummies onto huge bonfires and set off fireworks displays.

It's possible that the British embrace April Fool's Day (April 1) with more enthusiasm than any other nation. Even the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and the national newspapers carry outlandish spoofs disguised as straightforward reportage (like a government plan to move Trafalgar Square ). All jokes are supposed to end at noon, but keep your wits about you for the rest of the day.

Nonverbal Communication

British reserve tends to heighten when meeting foreigners. While their communication style relies heavily on the many nuances of English, other subtleties also apply.

The British tend to follow the norms of Western body language: leaning forward shows interest, for example, while leaning back shows disinterest. While crossed legs are seen as a sign of relaxation and a casual attitude, they're only permissible in business settings if one's posture doesn't approach outright lounging.

Royalty

There are times, both socially and professionally, when foreigners are presented to British royalty. These are usually lesser princes and princesses, or dukes and duchesses — fringe royals who are more active in business (sometimes looking for deals of their own) and in high society (where they're notorious for hating to pay for anything). Even though they aren't part of Buckingham Palace 's inner circle, strict protocol prevails. Wait to be introduced. Never speak first. Give a little bow or curtsy if you want to fit in. If you don't bow or curtsy, no one will arrest you, but you probably won't end up involved in long conversations. Not that you'd end up doing so anyway — unless you're offering a really good freebie, or a way for the royal to make some money without working.