Brits have been sharing the hills they’ll die on no matter how stupid they sound – 22 especially homegrown beliefs we’ll defend to the death

Have you got an opinion that you’re willing to defend to the point where you start to look like a bit of an idiot? You probably have. It’s something that’s asked fairly regularly online, so we’ve all had the opportunity to think about it. But have you got a UK-specific one? That’s what they’ve been talking about on the AskUK subreddit, after user GainsAndPastries asked:

‘What’s a hill you’re willing to die on, no matter how stupid it is?’

And got plenty of answers from people with very British axes they wanted to grind.

1.

‘The correct way to use a phone is to place it to your ear. Why on earth would you hold it out in front of you rather than have the other person’s voice delivered directly into your ear?’
–flimflam_machine

2.

‘The boot of a car is not a door.’
–PMW84

3.

‘Driving is never ok after a drink. I know that this is not stupid, but I know loads of people who insist that ‘it’s fine, I’ll only have one’. I’m Scottish.

‘The law here is that one is enough to take you over the limit. I need to explain to English colleagues travelling to Scotland that they need to stop drinking early in the previous evening in order to be legal in Scotland.’
–Objective-Resident-7

4.

‘A staycation is a holiday where you stay at home and have day trips out. A holiday where you stay somewhere else in the UK is a holiday.’
–cheandbis

5.

‘Shamina Begum is British. She may belong in prison, she may be a danger to our society, but she was born British and is our problem. Sorry, if that’s not a funny response but it’s definitely a hill I will choose to die on.’
–Dadda_Green

6.

‘Horse shit left on public footpaths is an annoyance, and horse riders should do more to clean it up.’
–PaulBBN

7.

‘Oxford commas.’
–90210fred

8.

‘The misuse of the word ‘literally’, is not an example of ‘the ever evolving nature of the English language’. It’s just thick people being thick.’
–Various_Ad2320

9.

‘Wetherspoons is alright.’
–Shoddy_Obligation142

10.

‘Adults walking around in sportswear/leisurewear like trackies or yoga pants look scruffy and lazy. I don’t care if your Armani tracksuit cost £200, you still look like more of a slob than someone wearing a £15 pair of jeans.’
–Forum_Lurker42

11.

‘Disliking people like James Corden or Meghan is a complete waste of people’s time and energy. You don’t know enough about them as a person to have a valid opinion. Just live your lives without worrying about celebrities.’
–royalblue1982

12.

‘Ed Sheeran is just a bit meh, no more, no less. Seems a nice bloke though.’
–Particular-Bid-1640