Erin Moore is the author of That’s Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms, and What Our English Says About Us. A former book editor, she is an American expatriate living in London. Before participating in a Zócalo/Smithsonian “What It Means to Be American” panel in London on whether America is still a British colony, Moore visited the green room to discuss advertising faux pas, her shredded Barbour jacket, and her admiration for America’s can-do spirit.

 
Q: If you had to pick one American …