ABCIN
{ab-kin, ab-sin}
Acronym referring to the culturally and institutionally similar countries of Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. (In other words, all of the Western Anglophone countries that aren't the United States.)
These countries have many cultural, linguistic, and institutional similarities, including populaces that are largely English-speaking (which moreover use 'British' rather than American varieties of the language), common law legal systems, Westminster systems of government, and significant numbers of people with heritage from the British-Irish isles. The countries also for the most part are members of the Commonwealth and share a common monarch as their head of state (all except Ireland), overlap considerably in the sports they play, are relatively multi-ethnic compared to other non-English speaking Western countries, maintain warm diplomatic relations with each other, and, at the governmental level, generally favour social and economic policies that are relatively liberal.
Although these countries share a number of qualities and characteristics with that other Western Anglophone country, the United States, the degree to which the US is distinct or an outlier along certain salient metrics means that in general, when making comparisons between Western Anglophone countries or Western countries, it's often helpful or practical to group the ABCIN countries together relative to the US or groups of other Western countries.
Acronym referring to the culturally and institutionally similar countries of Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. (In other words, all of the Western Anglophone countries that aren't the United States.)
These countries have many cultural, linguistic, and institutional similarities, including populaces that are largely English-speaking (which moreover use 'British' rather than American varieties of the language), common law legal systems, Westminster systems of government, and significant numbers of people with heritage from the British-Irish isles. The countries also for the most part are members of the Commonwealth and share a common monarch as their head of state (all except Ireland), overlap considerably in the sports they play, are relatively multi-ethnic compared to other non-English speaking Western countries, maintain warm diplomatic relations with each other, and, at the governmental level, generally favour social and economic policies that are relatively liberal.
Although these countries share a number of qualities and characteristics with that other Western Anglophone country, the United States, the degree to which the US is distinct or an outlier along certain salient metrics means that in general, when making comparisons between Western Anglophone countries or Western countries, it's often helpful or practical to group the ABCIN countries together relative to the US or groups of other Western countries.
1.
A: Tell me, how can I refer to all the Western Anglophone countries that aren't the US in a way that is concise and which can't potentially cause offense? Lumping them together as 'British' countries seems lazy and likely to annoy people from some of these places, yet referring to these nations as 'the core Commonwealth countries and Ireland' or 'majority white Anglophone countries that aren't the US' gets annoying quickly. If I'm to satisfyingly write up my piece about differences between the US and these other countries then I need a nice easy term that I can refer to this bloc of countries with
B: Oh, that's easy mate. ABCIN has you covered. Your article wants to compare and contrast US culture with ABCIN culture
2.
Biggest adjustment I had to make moving to the US after spending so much time in ABCIN countries? Changing the way I interact with people. Americans are more literal-minded than a lot of ABCINners, and don't care as much for (or indeed always understand) banter, irony, or self-deprecation. Not for the worst, living in this country I've had to become complimentary to my friends, less obviously cynical, more emotionally open, and on the whole basically more upbeat and positive
3.
American: Oh, my apologies. Guess I'm not familiar with your British sense of humour
Australian: Well, actually, I'm Australian mate and, not to put too fine a point on it, someone of Irish extraction. It's my ABCIN humour that you're not familiar with. But yeah nah, all good
A: Tell me, how can I refer to all the Western Anglophone countries that aren't the US in a way that is concise and which can't potentially cause offense? Lumping them together as 'British' countries seems lazy and likely to annoy people from some of these places, yet referring to these nations as 'the core Commonwealth countries and Ireland' or 'majority white Anglophone countries that aren't the US' gets annoying quickly. If I'm to satisfyingly write up my piece about differences between the US and these other countries then I need a nice easy term that I can refer to this bloc of countries with
B: Oh, that's easy mate. ABCIN has you covered. Your article wants to compare and contrast US culture with ABCIN culture
2.
Biggest adjustment I had to make moving to the US after spending so much time in ABCIN countries? Changing the way I interact with people. Americans are more literal-minded than a lot of ABCINners, and don't care as much for (or indeed always understand) banter, irony, or self-deprecation. Not for the worst, living in this country I've had to become complimentary to my friends, less obviously cynical, more emotionally open, and on the whole basically more upbeat and positive
3.
American: Oh, my apologies. Guess I'm not familiar with your British sense of humour
Australian: Well, actually, I'm Australian mate and, not to put too fine a point on it, someone of Irish extraction. It's my ABCIN humour that you're not familiar with. But yeah nah, all good
ABCIN by Charlemagne1993 December 19, 2019
Urban Dictionary Merch