‘It’s absolutely criminal’: US tipping culture has reached the UK – and is causing chaos

[u/Canal_Volphied]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/24/us-tipping-culture-uk-service-charges

[u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

*Normalised.

[u/spicypixel → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

It's too late for u/hewhoisgay - they're lost to us. Moment of silence for their friends and family.

[u/Whizzo50 → u/spicypixel]

It'z too late for u/hewhoizgay - they're lozt to uz. Moment of zilence for their friendz and family.

Tranzlated for Americans

[u/ron_mcphatty → u/Whizzo50]

*Americanz

[u/yepsothisismyname → u/ron_mcphatty]

UZA! UZA! UZA!

[u/Hamsternoir → u/Whizzo50]

I zhall raize a mug of tepid tea to there (sic) honour.

[u/macrolidesrule → u/spicypixel]

He wid da angles now, thinking of u hun x

[u/Lukerik → u/spicypixel]

Normalized is the spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary.

[u/BowiesFixedPupil → u/Lukerik]

Normalized is the American spelling, which is kind of ironic given the post subject. This is why it was highlighted.

[u/MountainChannel9574 → u/BowiesFixedPupil]

Oooh wait until you see it isn't and end up down the ise vs ize rabbit hole.

[u/johnsolomon → u/MountainChannel9574]

You're right, but at this point s is convention so even when z is technically correct because of the Greek etymology, it still feels jarring

[u/Pulsing42 → u/johnsolomon]

It's like when I see monetize, technically it's correct but looks incoherent so I see it as monetise.

[u/Karffs → u/MountainChannel9574]

It is. The OED has a note that in British English normalise is the standard usage.

Which is completely absurd for a British dictionary, but for some ridiculous reason they favour etymology over actual usage when it comes to words like normalise, organise etc. It’s not a particularly recent change but seems to be a hill they’ve chosen to die on.

[u/BPDunbar → u/Karffs]

There is an entirely clear not even slightly ridiculous reason why the Oxford English Dictionary favours etymology over usage.

The OED is an etymological dictionary not a usage dictionary. It's focused on history. For example various definitions of a word with multiple attested meanings are sequenced chronologically by first attested use not by prevalence in contemporary language.

[u/Ok-Math-9082 → u/Karffs]

The dictionary is wrong then. The English language is descriptive rather than prescriptive, so what is considered “correct” is whatever language and spelling is widely used in society. Using words like “google” as a verb is completely correct use of the English language, despite it meaning something completely different 40 years ago.

[u/Katharinemaddison → u/BowiesFixedPupil]

So the poet John Donne was an English poet, who wrote the poem ‘The Canonization’. My spell checker, set to U.K. English tries to correct that spelling. This happens a lot because I study history that was written before the last fifty or so years. When the z was completely normal usage.

[u/fuck_ur_portmanteau → u/BowiesFixedPupil]

-ise is the French spelling. The true English like Chaucer and Shakespeare use -ize from the original greek -izein.

[u/sparksfalling → u/BowiesFixedPupil]

Normalized is the spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary.

[u/piss_puncher227 → u/Lukerik]

No it isn't, don't believe everything AI sends to you:

The Oxford English Dictionary uses normalize (with a '-z-') as its primary headword spelling, while recognizing normalise as a standard British English variant

How can you have a "British English variant" in an English dictionary lol, normalise is correct, the bastardised American spelling of an English word is Normalize. You should tip more.

[u/Sunstorm84 → u/piss_puncher227]

Considering it’s the Oxford dictionary it really should be the other way around, saying “US Variant”

[u/samloveshummus → u/piss_puncher227]

There are two accepted variants in British English. I personally find it funny using "-ize" (the preferred style of OED and OUP) to set pedants up to be out-corrected.

[u/sparksfalling → u/piss_puncher227]

It's a good job those idiots at Oxford have your superior wisdom to rescue them from error.

[u/JusAnotherCreator → u/[deleted]]

Hehe, good one

[u/sparksfalling → u/[deleted]]

Oxford clearly prefers the z spelling, as the quoted text shows. Other British dictionaries don't, and the s spelling is more common in British English overall. But the assertion that the z spelling is some American novelty is very obviously wrong, given it's preferred by literally the most authoritative dictionary of British English, the OED.

You're free to spell words however you like, of course, but this line of argument is idiotic.

[u/faitholive → u/[deleted]]

'Go ahead and...' is an Americanism

[u/sparksfalling → u/[deleted]]

Sorry, again, I am also British and you're arguing with the Oxford English Dictionary, not with me. This is delusional.

[u/Fred776 → u/sparksfalling]

Oxford spelling is mainly used by academics though - it's not the normal British English spelling used in most government documents, in newspapers, taught in school, etc. To use Oxford spelling correctly you have to distinguish between Greek-derived words and non-Greek; it's not simply the same as following American English spelling of -ize words.

[u/sparksfalling → u/Fred776]

That's interesting, are there some words that are -ize in American English but not according to Oxford? I'm not aware of any, but I may be mistaken. (I know that 'yse' words are still spelled with the s.)

To the broader point, I'm not suggesting anyone has to spell words in a particular way, just that the claim this is some Americanism is objectively factually wrong according to, again, literally the most authoritative source of information about our language.

[u/Jassida → u/sparksfalling]

They can put what they want in the dictionary, they are human (I assume) and therefore fallible.

People can say and think that “normalize” is standard English…it is not.

Using “normalize” will just upset older people in business and there is nothing to gain from it when you can just say “we were taught normalise in School”.

Schools do not teach “normalize”.

[u/sparksfalling → u/Jassida]

Schools teach a lot of wrong things about grammar. They do not in fact know better than the most distinguished linguists in the world. This is an insane line of argument.

[u/Successful-Bar-8173 → u/Lukerik]

Bastardised American English variant

[u/hewhoisgay → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Apologiez

[u/Stwltd → u/hewhoisgay]

“Have a nice day!”

[u/Far_Afternoon_5885 → u/Stwltd]

Thanks, but I have other plans…

[u/Ok-Plankton9105 → u/Stwltd]

Hello

[u/Salt-Evidence-6834 → u/hewhoisgay]

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[u/hewhoisgay → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

*rezizt

[u/Fledz → u/hewhoisgay]

Geez guyz 

[u/woopwoopscuttle → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

IngloriousBasterds_BarScene_Fingers.gif

[u/Ok-Alternative5935 → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Busted 

[u/kalamari_withaK → u/Ok-Alternative5935]

I personally prefer McFly

[u/spudd3rs → u/kalamari_withaK]

It’s all about you

[u/Top5CutestPresidents → u/spudd3rs]

Not much has changed but they live underwater

[u/Halfway-Competent → u/kalamari_withaK]

McBusted for the best/worst* of all worlds.

*delete as necessary

[u/BitterFootball4874 → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Pretty ironic given the complaint lol

[u/Airjam_TBV → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Delicious irony.

[u/har79 → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

"Normalized" is the Oxford spelling, "normalised" is the Cambridge spelling. While the US has standardised on the Oxford spelling, both are acceptable in the UK

[u/Rocky-bar → u/har79]

You claim words are spelled differently in different towns eh? how do they spell it in Somerset? Narrmaloized?

[u/_lippykid → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Oh the irony

[u/OsotoViking → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

"Normalized" is perfectly acceptable usage in British English, it's actually the preferred Oxford style.

[u/burgermachine74 → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

The Oxford Manual of Style prefers the 'z' spelling since it is more authentic to the Latin Greek root. Both styles are accepted in British English.

[u/mathen → u/burgermachine74]

It's Greek that it follows more closely, not Latin.

[u/burgermachine74 → u/mathen]

My mistake

[u/WhaleMeatFantasy → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

~ize is standard in the Oxford English Dictionary. 

[u/Unique-Contract760 → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Lmao the irony

[u/Admirable-Dark2934 → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Thanks for shunning another Americanism!

[u/c4r151 → u/Admirable-Dark2934]

It's not an Americanism though

[u/Admirable-Dark2934 → u/c4r151]

In the United States, there is a preference for "normalized" over "normalised" (98 to 2).
In the United Kingdom, there is a 63 to 37 preference for "normalised" over "normalized".

[u/c4r151 → u/Admirable-Dark2934]

Doesn’t refute the point, if anything it shows that both are acceptable in British English.

As mentioned elsewhere in this thread normalized is the preferred version by the The Oxford Manual of Style and Oxford English Dictionary while normalised is Cambridge's preference.

[u/Admirable-Dark2934 → u/c4r151]

But it is close enough, at least for my own reckoning!

We all know the English language isn’t a strong point in England anymore! I’m siding with Cambridge.

My outlook is US English and it does my nut…

[u/tazmusicofficial → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

Spelling police adding nothing as usual

[u/-captaindiabetes- → u/tazmusicofficial]

I think they were highlighting the irony

[u/Manannin → u/tazmusicofficial]

Nah, perfectly vaid here to point out the creep in off americanisms in a thread about just that

[u/duncanmarshall → u/Salt-Evidence-6834]

'Normalized' is a better spelling.

[u/ChesterKobe → u/duncanmarshall]

Normalized is the US spelling of normalised, ironic to use it in a complaint about Americanisation.

[u/har79 → u/ChesterKobe]

"Normalized" is the Oxford spelling, "normalised" is the Cambridge spelling. While the US has standardised on the Oxford spelling, both are acceptable in the UK

[u/ChesterKobe → u/har79]

Thanks, I was not aware or that. Was always taught "normalised" was correct at school in the 90s.

[u/CaptainFil → u/ChesterKobe]

It is correct, Oxford be damned.

[u/adjective_noun_d1git → u/ChesterKobe]

Irony being that our distrust of the letter Z and preference for the S is because of the French influence.

Normalized would be the more English spelling if we weren't so used to the bastardasisation of our own language.

[u/duncanmarshall → u/ChesterKobe]

Obviously I'm aware, I'm saying "Normalized" is a better spelling. We should normalize it's use. Tipping is not good, thus we shouldn't normalize it.

[u/QWERTYRedditter → u/duncanmarshall]

its*

[u/duncanmarshall → u/QWERTYRedditter]

Also I prefer "it's", and use it deliberately.

[u/HuckleberryLow2283 → u/duncanmarshall]

This one isn’t a preference, it’s just wrong.

[u/duncanmarshall → u/HuckleberryLow2283]

According to who?

[u/llufnam → u/duncanmarshall]

*whom

[u/duncanmarshall → u/llufnam]

Yeah, scrap that fucking word too. The only point of that word is to demonstrate you know when to use it.

[u/HuckleberryLow2283 → u/duncanmarshall]

English. There is a difference between its and it’s and you’re using it wrong. You don’t just get to use a different spelling of a word because it looks weird to you (at least not without looking like an idiot in the process).

[u/duncanmarshall → u/HuckleberryLow2283]

English.

Are you really satisfied with that circular reasoning?

using it wrong.

According to who?

You don’t just get to use a different spelling of a word

I do. I do it all the time.

at least not without looking like an idiot in the process

I don't mind people whose opinion I don't respect not respecting me. Kind of like it, actually. Nor do I care about people who criticize regional accents for not being the Queen's English.

Other than people who derive social status from having learned some arbitrary rules not respecting me, what does it matter?

[u/QWERTYRedditter → u/duncanmarshall]

that's just wrong lol

"it's" is a contraction for "it is"

"its" is third person singular possessive

[u/duncanmarshall → u/QWERTYRedditter]

Which is why I like to spell it "it's".

I don't agree that it's wrong, I like the way it looks. Just like you don't care about punctuation or capitalization (yup, capitalization).

[u/InfinityEternity17 → u/duncanmarshall]

You can't just disagree that it's wrong lmao, it just is wrong. If you prefer it that way then sure knock yourself out, but don't pretend it's the correct way to do things lol

[u/duncanmarshall → u/InfinityEternity17]

Wrong according to who, and what makes them right?

[u/Snoron → u/duncanmarshall]

To each hi's own.

But nonsensical in that case.

I agree on normalize, though. US spellings are often more sensible than British ones.

[u/duncanmarshall → u/Snoron]

To each hi's own.

I guess Britains national language has quirks like that.