Most of us will have been to an "off licence" at least once in our lives, but do you know what the phrase actually means? Off licences are retail businesses that predominantly sell alcohol , and while you can still find them in high streets and other local shopping areas, they're not as common now that you can buy your booze with your weekly shop in a supermarket. For many, the meaning behind the term "off licence" won't have even crossed our minds before. But after an American woman living in the UK mentioned in a viral TikTok video how confused she was by the phrase, several Brits realised they actually had no idea what the term means either.
American mum Lisa Dollan, known online as Yorkshire Peach on TikTok, said in a recent video: "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." And although commenters on the clip wanted to answer her question, many stumped Brits realised they had no clue either - and were just as confused as she was. One person said: "I've never questioned 'off-licence' before, you've blown my mind and now I NEED to know!" And another added: "I have never understood off licence either and I've been in the UK my whole life.