I had a friend from Manchester and it was a constant thing with him.

Surprise party with all his friends and family that he gets misty eyed over: "Quite nice of you?"

A guy tells story of losing his leg to a landmine: "My, that's awkward"

As I got older I learned this is really a British thing. Even so much to the point that a British regiment in Korea lost reinforcements when a British Soldier described a complete invasion as "a bit hairy."

Is there any historical basis to this? How did a whole island of people find themselves doing this so consistently?