Always queue, never cut in

Why it matters

Queueing is treated as a basic fairness norm, not just politeness: first come, first served, no exceptions for who seems in more of a hurry. The habit traces back to crowds at Industrial Revolution factory gates and became a full national reflex during WWII rationing, when queuing for scarce food and supplies was a daily fact of life, it's now considered central enough to British identity that it comes up in the UK's own citizenship test. Cutting a queue is one of the most reliably irritating things you can do to a British stranger, and people will say something if you do it, quietly or not.