Today's 'tribute' to Britain

British wags sum up their has-been nation in pithy humor. How about Seattle?

Crosscut archive image.

An 1897 street scene in London

British wags sum up their has-been nation in pithy humor. How about Seattle?

President Obama is hanging out with Queen Elizabeth and generally wowing London today. In that spirit, how about a little British humor of the famously self-deprecating sort?

In 2007 then prime minister Gordon Brown wanted a national motto to capture "Britishness" in a pithy phrase. Here are five-word responses submitted by readers of The Times (London):

Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Asbo, Tesco.


Britain; a terribly nice place.


Less stuffy than we sound.


Turned out quite nice again.


Sorry, is this the queue?


At least we're not French.


Once-mighty empire, slightly used.


Americans who missed the boat.


Fair's fair, so we ask our commenters to try to match this wit with five-word phrases to capture "Seattleness." And thanks to former Seattleite David Hancocks for sending along this item from faraway Melbourne, where he now lives.

  

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