Entertaining piece on the BBC News Magazine web site of the supposed deluge of new American words entering everyday British English. The article cites the usage of 'stepping up to the plate'--a baseball term--as having entered the language in the UK without most people being aware of the expression's origins. However, to continue with the sporting analogy, is British English really on such a 'sticky wicket'? After all, Americans increasingly use British English terms like 'cut to the chase' without being aware of its origins in the obscure game of Real Tennis.