Many Brits have been left scratching their heads after an American woman questioned what an 'off licence' is as she had never heard the term before moving to the UK Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Many of us have popped into an "off licence" without pondering the origin of the term. Typically, off licences are stores dedicated to selling alcoholic beverages, and although they're still spotted on high streets and in local shopping precincts, their prevalence has waned due to the convenience of picking up liquor during our regular supermarket trips. However, the actual meaning behind "off licence" might not be something we've considered.
An American woman living in Blighty has stirred British curiosity after expressing her bafflement over the term in a TikTok video that went viral. Living in the UK for 10 years, Lisa Dollan, who goes by Yorkshire Peach on TikTok, shared her bewilderment: "Things I don't understand about the UK even though I've been here 10 years. Starting off strong with off licence.
What does it mean to be off licence? "Who is on licence? I guess it's because when I moved over I was already a couple of years sober and now I've been sober for 12 years so because I don't drink, I don't know [what an off licence is]. It's just not a term in the states." It seems a rather puzzl.