Britishry

English

Etymology

From British +‎ -ry.

Noun

Britishry (uncountable)

1. British attitudes and behaviours.
   • 1898 May, Ernest E. Williams, “Our Christmas Plum-Puddings”, in The Windsor Magazine, volume VII, London: Ward, Lock & Company, Limited, →OCLC, column 1:

     There is no more genuine Britishry in him than there is in the Anglo-maniac dude who turns up his trousers in New York because it is raining in London, you know.

   • 1985 Winter, Donald Horne, “Who Rules Australia?”, in Daedalus, volume 114, number 1, Cambridge, M.A.: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, →ISSN, →JSTOR, →OCLC, page 175:

     […] belief in Parliament is commensurate with general Britishry since in all kinds of details (although not in essentials), the Australian system has many similarities with the British […]

   • 1986, Anthony Burgess, Little Wilson and Big God, New York, N.Y.: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, →ISBN, page 193:

     But there had been a good deal of the shiftless Irish in him, a love of drink and empty conviviality, balanced by accessions of ramrod Britishry, hair well trimmed, shoes well polished.

   • 2006, Ed Wright, History's Greatest Scandals: Shocking Stories of Powerful People, Millers Point, NSW: Pier 9, →ISBN, page 212:

     Australia, due to the economic destruction of Britain during World War II, had begun to see its future within the American orbit. Even Prime Minister Robert Menzies swallowed his 'Britishry' and adapted Australia's foreign policy accordingly.

2. British people, collectively.
   • 1865, W[illiam] Howard Russell, Canada: Its Defenses, Condition, and Resources, London: Bradbury and Evans, page 149:

     The fair Canadians may have been too kind in accepting the name and position of "muffins" from the young Britishry; but the latter cannot say they have suffered much in consequence. A muffin is simply a lady who sits beside the male occupant of the sleigh—Sola cum solo, "and all the rest is leather and prunella."

   • 1908, Thomas Hardy, The Dynasts: A Drama of the Napoleonic Wars, […], part third, London: Macmillan and Co., […], →OCLC, Act VI, scene viii, page 281:

     Till Britishry and Bonapartists lose / Their clashing colours for the tawny hues / That twilight sets on all its stealing tinct imbues.

   • 1988, Jan Morris, Hong Kong, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN, page 96:

     Below them economically in the ranks of Hong Kong Britishry is a much larger class of the less plutocratic bourgeoisie, business executives, brokers, advertising men and women, lawyers, doctors, academics, journalists.