Sarcasm

One thing that sets Brits apart from almost every other nationality is our sense humour – in particular, our use of sarcasm. Comedy series such as Blackadder and Fawlty Towers relied upon sarcasm to form comedic relationships between characters:

 Blackadder: Baldrick – “I want my mother”

Edmund – “Ah, yes Baldrick. A maternally crazed gorilla would come in handy at this very moment.”

 Fawlty Towers (Talking about Manuel’s rat)

Sybil – “Perhaps it would be simplest to have him put to S-L-E-E-P”

Basil – “Who? Him or the rat? Might get a discount if we have them both done.”

 This indirect form of mocking and has always been a staple of British comedy and has worked its way into our everyday lives. Often confused with irony and misunderstood to be callous, sarcasm is a distinctively British comedic tool which we should be proud of!

Image credit: sidewalk flying