To be clear, I am American and generally do not refer to British people - no matter where in the U.K. they're from - as "Brits."

From what I understand, people from Scotland and Northern Ireland do not like being referred to as "Brits." That I totally understand.

But in the past, I was told that people from England - and assumedly Wales - don't like being referred to as "Brits," and that many consider it a slur. I respectfully understood.

However, for the past several years, at least, I have noticed a lot of English people referring to themselves as "Brits" in a very casual manner (as if they don't even consider it a slang term).

So, is 'Brit' a slur - particularly for English people? Is it offensive? Or is it acceptable?