I finally understand this whole "Cheers!" thing.
I've made it a personal goal to get people to smile here. My colleagues at WBL tell me that people only say hello to each other in the country. Perhaps that's why I really like the friendliness of the little villages in the UK. People here make fun of the super nice American wait staff at restaurants, something that I usually don't enjoy if I'm served by a complete tool, but when a person smiles a little, it brightens my day. When I walk down the road to work people walk very fast, look straight ahead with a stony face, and even when they almost run into someone they don't say a word. Granted I'm walking right by King's Cross a lot, one of the biggest tube/train stops in London, but still.
There's nothing better to a person abroad than a local giving that person a smile. I've had the most luck with the Waitrose checkout people. I think they probably get tired of the usual grim Londoner not even looking them in the eye. The wait staff in the British Library canteen just think I'm completely hapless, so they take pity on me and smile when they see me.
Today I experimented a little. Instead of saying "have a nice day," my usual mantra after purchasing something, I tried the much more colloquial, "cheers!" I almost fell over when the man at the video store smiled and said it as well. Now I'm trying to define this pesky word. It's not "thanks," because I hear people saying "thanks! cheers!" It's an innocuous phrase that many a pretentious American appends to the end of his/her email to sound...I don't know...smarmy? When I see cheers in that context, it almost always makes me think mean thoughts. But here, it's a powerful little word. It's a combination of 'have a nice day, thanks for your help' and a general acknowledgment that someone did something for you.
In the right context, (i.e. whilst I'm here) this is a powerful little word that I plan to use more often!
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3 comments:
I completely know what you mean about American academics using the word "cheers" to sign their emails - it looks odd!
Glad you've found the key to unlocking a few British smiles!
I second that. You know this to be one of my pet peeves! But used properly--to get the brits to loosen up a bit--it seems just right. Glad to hear your starting to blend.
Miss you!
J
In the north, even in the cities, people say hello or good morning or whatever (but not "hi" -- that's distinctly American -- except on the phone) and so I always make the mistake of saying "hello" to strangers down in London, since I've spent more time and know more people in the north. Even the runners in London don't greet each other as they pass, which other runners definitely do.
But if you're ever north, especially in Yorkshire, don't say "cheers" -- say "ta" instead. It's basically just "thanks." "Cheers" is decidedly southern -- another reason why it irritates me when Americans use it, since I'm partial to northerners!
And I think Londoners are more closed off than the rest of England, the way New Yorkers are compared to the rest of the US. It's a big city thing. You just don't talk to strangers. Or rather, it's a *pedestrian* big city thing. When you're confronted with your fellow human beings constantly -- something that doesn't really happen in SoCal -- you need to close yourself off to protect a little personal mental space. My midwestern father mistakes Londoners and New Yorkers for universally unfriendly assholes, but it's really just about needing to be cautious.
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