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Uttering 'aaaah' after a first sip of cold beer and shouting 'wahey' when someone drops a drink: the traits that make you very British indeed

Ever wondered what it means to be a Brit?

A new survey asked 2,000 adults for the traits that they think make a person very British indeed – and, naturally, it involved a lot tea drinking, queueing and saying sorry.

Some of our favourite signs of Britishness, according to the poll, include shouting 'wahey' when someone spills a drink in the pub, uttering 'aaaah' after that first sip of a cold beer and having a barbecue as soon as the sun comes out.

Other typically British traits featured were saying "right" before you're about to do something, loving to hate the royal family and holding the door open for someone when they're far away so they end up running for it.

Going to the pub is a top British trait (Photo by Seth Weisfeld on Unsplash)
Going to the pub is a top British trait (Photo by Seth Weisfeld on Unsplash)

Though Brits were also associated with more serious traits, such as being tolerant, respecting LGBT culture and being supportive of immigration.

The research, which was conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Sky Arts to launch Art 50, a campaign for which artists have created pieces to show what it means to be British, also found differences of opinion between generations.

Some 42 per cent of pensioners consider it British to be proud of where you're from, but just 19 per cent of younger adults agree, and while 78 per cent of Brits would describe themselves as 'typically British', half think what it means to be British has changed over time.

The survey also found that almost one in three think the definition of 'typically British' has changed since the Brexit referendum and another 33 per cent think it will change again following our departure from the EU.

Meanwhile 29 per cent of Brits say they don’t feel able to show how proud they are of being British compared to before the referendum.

Top 40 signs you're British


1. Talking about the weather

2. Queueing

3. Having a roast dinner on Sundays

4. Putting the kettle on in a crisis

5. Liking fish and chips

6. Using tea as a cure/fix for everything

7. Saying 'sorry' too frequently

8. Saying please and thank you

9. Dunking biscuits in tea

10. Going to the pub

11. Having a stiff upper lip

12. Having a dry sense of humour

13. Having good manners

14. Sarcasm

15. Eating fry ups for breakfast

16. Being proud of where you are from

17. Pulling together in a crisis

18. Not complaining in a restaurant when the food is poor

19. Having meals based on what day it is - like Fishy Friday

20. Having a barbecue as soon as the sun comes out

21. Holding the door open for someone when they're unnecessarily far away so they end up running for the door

22. Wearing shorts and sunglasses the second the sun comes out

23. Respecting our elders

24. Moaning about our commute

25. Saying "right" before you're about to do something

26. Being tolerant

27. Being squashed on the train by a larger person and pretending you don’t notice when they are half sitting in your seat

28. Shouting "WAHEY" when someone drops a drink in the pub

29. Never letting your emotions get the better of you

30. Putting ketchup on everything

31. Uttering "Aaaah" after taking a first sip of a cold beer

32. Loving to hate the royal family

33. Eating cucumber sandwiches

34. Always clearing your plate at dinnertime

35. Refusing to eat non-Heinz baked beans

36. Being culturally aware

37. Not swearing or using bad language

38. Respecting LGBT culture

39. Being open with your feelings and emotions

40. Being supportive of immigration