# english or american?



## jols (Nov 4, 2007)

just read the end of a thread and it started to talk about the difference between the languages.

is there anything that we brits say that makes you laugh or you dont understand the meaning of?

id be glad to help


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 4, 2007)

How do you spell 'tomato'?


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## jols (Nov 4, 2007)

same way as you do.

are you taking the micheal?


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## hawkeye (Nov 4, 2007)

Whats up with the "U" in color.  Madness!


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## TATTRAT (Nov 4, 2007)

As a Brit that has lived in the US for 20 years, I get more a kick out of talking to my family and hearing things, more so then hearing things in the US dialect.

Zed=Z
Chips=Fries
going to hospital/store/etc...=never say THE hospital, THE store...
Donky's years=long time
Fort Night=2 weeks
****er=I just love ****er
Bullocks=Bulls**T or sometimes balls
Hob=Oven
Bonnet=Hood
Lorey=Truck
Boot=Trunk


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## Kanikula (Nov 4, 2007)

hawkeye said:


> Whats up with the "U" in color. Madness!


 

Hey what about NOT having it!!  :greenpbl:


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## lostprophet (Nov 4, 2007)

Why-aye man, Ah  canna  understand why the Americans find it hard te  understand weh  english


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## TATTRAT (Nov 4, 2007)

lostprophet said:


> Why-aye man, Ah  canna  understand why the Americans find it hard te  understand weh  english




lol


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## skieur (Nov 4, 2007)

hawkeye said:


> Whats up with the "U" in color. Madness!


 
The "U" in colour is Canadian from "couleur" in French.  We don't speak the same language as you "yanks" or "brits" in English.  We also don't speak the same French as those in France either.  Our French is older and better.

skieur


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## Alex_B (Nov 4, 2007)

I think the sentence

"I'm wearing a skirt today, and no pants."

would be interpreted very differently in English and American, right? 

An what about 

(English - American)
pissed = drunk
pissed off = really angry / pissed
arse = ass
ass = donkey


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## Alex_B (Nov 4, 2007)

oh, and the word "buns" rings a bell somehow...

and a pint in the US is alot smaller than in the UK.


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## hawkeye (Nov 4, 2007)

skieur said:


> The "U" in colour is Canadian from "couleur" in French.  We don't speak the same language as you "yanks" or "brits" in English.  We also don't speak the same French as those in France either.  Our French is older and better.
> 
> skieur



If it's from Canada, it must be better.:er:

lol


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 4, 2007)

Bo llocks = talking rubbish, nonsense as in 'what a load of old bo llocks'
The dog's bo llocks = good stuff, the best as in 'it's the dog's bo llocks'

You'd think after all this time the Americans would have learned to speak English.


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## photogincollege (Nov 4, 2007)

dont forget bloody!!!


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## Josh66 (Nov 5, 2007)

Aluminum vs. Aluminium


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

photogincollege said:


> dont forget bloody!!!



what does it mean in American??


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## deanimator (Nov 5, 2007)

There´s an interesting effect based on the size of the country...

Small countries "look outside" a lot more than larger countries...which is logical really since there´s not a lot going on at home.

Check this out: People from New Zealand are very aware of language differences and know most Britishisms and most Americanisms, for example. People from England are relatively aware of Americaisms too. But, try testing the average American with some Britishims - he´ll be hard pressed to tell you what they mean.

This feature is of course not limited to language awareness. It´s simply a mathematical function, and there´s not much that can be done about it.


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## jols (Nov 5, 2007)

im enjoying this thread 

keep em coming


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

O|||||||O said:


> Aluminum vs. Aluminium



In German we have a saying, which translates roughly as follows:

If you are immune against a minimum of Aluminium, then you are aluminium-minimum-immune.


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

not as strong as lorry and truck ... but what about lift and elevator?


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## deanimator (Nov 5, 2007)

Bloody Nora mate!


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## Chris of Arabia (Nov 5, 2007)

*** = cigarette
*** = something else entirely


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## Chris of Arabia (Nov 5, 2007)

I can't quite believe that got censored


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

Chris of Arabia said:


> *** = cigarette
> *** = something else entirely



f a g = cigarette

f a g g o t = a bender?


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## deanimator (Nov 5, 2007)

No...a ***got is a bundle of wood


Edit: Sheesh.... *F A G G O T  *


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

this censorship is a ****ing ****** !!!


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## TATTRAT (Nov 5, 2007)

Bloody hell!


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 5, 2007)

A f aggot is also a type of food. See here

English in the UK is far more plastic than people think. We play with our language and we always have.


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## jols (Nov 5, 2007)

***gots are lovely like a meat and onion meatball with suet.

what do you mean plastic


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## deanimator (Nov 5, 2007)

malleable


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## jols (Nov 5, 2007)

what does that mean?



malleable......describes a substance that is easily changed into another shape


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## deanimator (Nov 5, 2007)

> &#8211;adjective  1.capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.   2.adaptable or tractable: the malleable mind of a child.
> [Origin: 1350&#8211;1400; ME _malliable_ < ML _malle&#257;bilis,_ equiv. to _malle_(_&#257;re_) to hammer (deriv. of L _malleus_ hammer) + _-&#257;bilis_ -able
> 
> 
> ...


Means it´s useful :mrgreen:


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## Meysha (Nov 5, 2007)

Have a look at this for an interesting read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences

I figure, if most people can easily understand what I'm trying to say, then that's english. What's the point in picking over finicky rules that are centuries old. Am I able to say that because my great great grandfather wrote a dictionary in scotland? hehehe


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## Becky (Nov 5, 2007)

I guess the distance between America and the UK might explain a few of the language discrepancies... sure Norn Iron's (that Northern Ireland by the way) only across the pond, I dunno what the hell happened there!!!


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## Helen B (Nov 5, 2007)

Wat fettle the day ma?*

Fortnight. What is it? Many Americans look at me blankly, because I forget that it is not a common word here.

Marmite. Why do we like it so? How come we are allowed to buy it in New York? Shouldn't it be banned by the FDA, like Solpadeine is?

First Christmas here. I was sent to buy two gallons of cider. I could only find tiny little bottles of weak fizzy stuff in the alcohol section, so that's what I came home with. Then I discovered that the commonly available 'cider' is unfermented in the USA. Not the 11% stuff we got mortalious on in Kent.

Why can't you get any decent beer in the whole of North America? Why is it all so unnatural and fizzy? Why don't they sell Tanglefoot?

(Converse: Why do the British drink warm flat beer?)

They sing the Red Flag with different words. When I sing the Red Flag with the words I know they think it's a song I made up (this really happened - I have performed it, albeit in the manner of a Burlesque comedy singer). Oh that I could write such stirring stuff. To begin with I did wonder why they played the Red Flag so much at Christmas.

Speaking of stirring stuff, the USA National Anthem is rather good though. Makes me proud to have been from the very naughty nation responsible for that little disagreement of 1812, and hence the inspiration for such a fine song. 

Notes to Americans: Please stop referring to the Royal Army, and please start sending the Red Cross parcels again. Why did you stop?

Best,
Helen

*How are you today, my friend?


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

Meysha said:


> What's the point in picking over finicky rules that are centuries old.



Because it is fun being diverse!

Why do we eat different food all over Europe and drink different beer and why are there so many ways to speak English in the UK and German in Germany ...

*Because this makes the world so much more interesting!

*


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

Helen B said:


> (Converse: Why do the British drink warm flat beer?)



Because it is better! ... keep in mind this comes from a German who should like fizzy Pils like most of his fellows .. but I do not.


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## Alex_B (Nov 5, 2007)

Becky said:


> I guess the distance between America and the UK might explain a few of the language discrepancies...



Hmm, and what then explains the differences between the language in Edinburgh and that in Glasgow? Or the language barrier between Essex and the West country?

geographical distance cannot be the cause


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## Becky (Nov 5, 2007)

Hmm good point!! Are there different word usages between these places or is it just accent? Bit of both maybe...


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## lostprophet (Nov 5, 2007)

Alex_B said:


> Hmm, and what then explains the differences between the language in Edinburgh and that in Glasgow? Or the language barrier between Essex and the West country?
> 
> geographical distance cannot be the cause



that'll be cos west country folk are all a bit different from the rest of us if you know what I mean ;-)


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 5, 2007)

Becky said:


> Hmm good point!! Are there different word usages between these places or is it just accent? Bit of both maybe...



Words and language are used differently. There are variations in slang and dialect. Most of it is historical. We've had waves of invaders over the centuries and each has brought their influence.
The Britons, Picts, Celts, Angles, Jutes, Saxons, Danes, Normans... And GB has always been quite tribal. Each succesful group has imposed their language on the loser.
For example the word f*** was a commonplace Saxon word. The Normans put their stamp on the country by suppressing Saxon words and so f*** became 'a coarse word used by common people'.
Again, Merdegrave was Saxon for 'a clearing in the forest' but the Norman monks compiling the Domesday book saw only the French meaning of merde. They changed it to 'belle' giving polyglot placenames like Belgrave in Leicester.
It gets even more complex. The common street name ending 'gate' in York comes from the Norse for street. But in non-Viking towns the ending 'gate' comes from the connection with the various gates in the city walls.
Place names in England are always an indication of who founded it.
And this doesn't take account of all the words we acquired from the British Empire.
With all of this history is it any wonder we English play word games and think changing meanings is normal?


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## Chris of Arabia (Nov 5, 2007)

WikiVanRental?


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 5, 2007)

Second cousin. Nice man. Talks with a limp though.


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## skieur (Nov 5, 2007)

Helen B said:


> , and please start sending the Red Cross parcels again. Why did you stop?
> 
> Best,
> Helen


 
In Canada the tainted blood scandal totally destroyed the reputation of the Red Cross.

skieur


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## skieur (Nov 5, 2007)

hawkeye said:


> If it's from Canada, it must be better.:er:
> 
> lol


 
"Ben wé!"    That is French Canadian for "Well, of course!"


skieur


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## WolfSpring (Nov 5, 2007)

I've always hated the way english uses the term on holiday, it always drove me crazy to here that in the middle of summer I'd be like, what holiday is going on?


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## kundalini (Nov 5, 2007)

I know this is a topic of language, but can I add my two cents worth.  Working in the field of engineering and architecture, the one thing that really winds me up is the lie I was told in primary school.  We (America) are going metric (circa 1970's).

Drawings, to me, is a language.  That was how I was taught and that is how I proceed to communicate with my clients.  WTF happened?  I do not accept that any length, volume, mass or area can be as easily comprehensible as that with a base of 10.


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## Meysha (Nov 5, 2007)

kundalini said:


> I do not accept that any length, volume, mass or area can be as easily comprehensible as that with a base of 10.



Huh???


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## kundalini (Nov 5, 2007)

Meysha said:


> Huh???


 
Okay, for example.  I work for a global company that is based in Germany.  The factory Planning Guides we recieve for the equipment is in metric.  In order to provide our American market with layout drawings, we have to convert all metric dimensions from the Planning Guide to Imperial equivalents.  

Since the metric system is based on the base unit of 10, it just doesn't get much easier than this.  This is the same for all measurements.  Whether you are measuring a straight line (linear), the amount a container holds (volume), the weight of an object (mass) or the amount of carpet needed for your lounge (area), the Metric is a base 10.

If your Aussie lounge was a rectangle sized 6.5M x 4.25M (lucky you), we Yanks would have to convert that to roughly 21'-4 7/8" x 13'-11 1/4".  To carpet that area would be 27.6M SQ or 298FT SQ.  If you had a ceiling height of 2.5M the the total square area to paint would be (6.5 x 2) + (4.25 x 2) x 2.5 = 55M SQ.  Where as we would have to plug in all the feet / inches and fractions to come up with the same equivalent.  It's just a waste of resources in my opinion.  Base 10 rocks.


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## Christina (Nov 5, 2007)

its interesting how language changes from place to place, but it also changes from state to state..

florida  coke is coca-cola
in west virgina its Pop.


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## kundalini (Nov 5, 2007)

I heard they call it tonic in the Northeast.


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## JohnMF (Nov 6, 2007)

too many spell checkers on computers still have "American-English" dictionaries.

and that's my two cents worth...

...sorry, i mean two bob's worth


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## ZedU54 (Nov 6, 2007)

skieur said:


> The "U" in colour is Canadian from "couleur" in French.


 
... you're partly right...the Canadian spelling of words like 'colour' is a holdover from Canada's being a British possession for some 200 years...but it actually goes back much further than that...it's a result of the French influence on the English language following the Norman Conquest...



skieur said:


> We also don't speak the same French as those in France either. Our French is older and better.
> 
> skieur


 
...in France, those would be fightin' words!!...


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## ZedU54 (Nov 6, 2007)

kundalini said:


> I heard they call it tonic in the Northeast.


 
...depends on what part of the Northeast...here in New England, we call it 'soda'...


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## ZedU54 (Nov 6, 2007)

Helen B said:


> Wat fettle the day ma?*
> 
> Fortnight. What is it? Many Americans look at me blankly, because I forget that it is not a common word here.
> 
> ...


 
...well, we Americans are not all completely ignorant...(of course, it helps if you've spent a little time on the other side of The Pond)...some of us know that a 'fortnight' is two weeks (contraction of 'fourteen nights', perhaps?)...but I don't remember ever seeing or hearing of anything called 'Solpadeine' when I was over there...
...now, what kind of 'weak, fizzy stuff' did you find when you were looking for cider?...I've been able to find some Strongbow over here (although I had to travel to Massachusetts, and I'm in Maine...couple hours' drive), which I developed quite a fondness for...of course, Strongbow isn't 11%, but I think it's still awfully good...and don't EVEN get me started about the beer!...suffice it to say that I feel your pain, and seek out imported beer whenever I can...
...and by the way, the melody of our national anthem is, ironically enough, based on an old song from England...in fact, according to some accounts, it was originally a drinking song...I can't remember the name of it, although it contains the name 'Acheron'...

...but here are a couple of amusing anecdotes from our own experience living in England, with some humo(u)rous examples of the language difference...we were living in the village of Risby, right outside of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and my wife volunteered to help out with the local playgroup (we had two small children of our own)...well, one day the playgroup were going on a trip (I forget where), and they asked everyone to 'bring a lunch and a squash'...well, my wife was extremely puzzled when she read that; she wondered what she was going to do with a squash (not knowing that in the UK, a 'squash' is a type of soft drink...in the US, a 'squash' is one of several types of gourd, which was all she knew)...she was picturing herself showing up with a little bag and a Blue Hubbard (a particularly large variety of the gourd), and how 'daft' that would look...
...and then there was the time when one of the neighbo(u)rhood women came to the door, and after some conversation, said that she would 'knock us up' later (innocent enough in the UK, but in the US, 'knock up' means to get someone pregnant)...the look on my wife's face after that was priceless...
...oh, to have those days back again!...


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## skieur (Nov 6, 2007)

ZedU54 said:


> ... you're partly right...the Canadian spelling of words like 'colour' is a holdover from Canada's being a British possession for some 200 years...but it actually goes back much further than that...it's a result of the French influence on the English language following the Norman Conquest...
> 
> 
> ...in France, those would be fightin' words!!...


 
Your history is correct.  Both were slightly tongue in cheek comments.  I am somewhat surprised that I did not get a comeback from someone with a France/French background. 

skieur


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## ZedU54 (Nov 6, 2007)

skieur said:


> Your history is correct. Both were slightly tongue in cheek comments. I am somewhat surprised that I did not get a comeback from someone with a France/French background.
> 
> skieur


 
...you might not have liked it if you did...in all seriousness, I have seen it before, where a Québecois(e) posted a message talking about their kinship with the French...someone from France responded, highly offended at this, and the response was quite rude...


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## skieur (Nov 6, 2007)

ZedU54 said:


> ...you might not have liked it if you did...in all seriousness, I have seen it before, where a Québecois(e) posted a message talking about their kinship with the French...someone from France responded, highly offended at this, and the response was quite rude...


 
Probably not.  I remember shocking a French professor from France with an essay demonstrating that Medieval French and the development of French was heavily influenced by the Norse language.  A no, no, or rather more like a "Sacre bleu!" but I still got my degree.   Chanceux, peut-_être!_

_skieur_


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## hawkeye (Nov 6, 2007)

ZedU54 said:


> ...in France, those would be fightin' words!!...



I wouldn't expect _too_ big of a fight


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## ZedU54 (Nov 6, 2007)

hawkeye said:


> I wouldn't expect _too_ big of a fight


 
...d'OH!...


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## altyfc (Nov 6, 2007)

What's really funny is when Americans try to act like they understand football.  You know... the proper kind, that they call soccer.

Case in point...



> Beckham gets a knock like a bear kiss on the doorstep but bulldogs his man before uncorking it.



What on earth is that about???!!! 

Apparently... a 'knock like a bear kiss' is a tackle that looks worse than it is; 'on the doorstep' means in front of goal; 'bulldogging' is showing determination to win back the ball; and 'uncorking it' is to unleash a powerful shot.

Yeah... whatever...


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## craig (Nov 9, 2007)

One of the editors I work with is from london (or something). She says cheers a lot. I understand what she is getting at, but it drives me up a wall. I also listen to a lot of podcasts from Hospital Records out of London. Every other word is wicked. 

I doubt that was the response you were looking for. I love our brothers across the pond. I just had to get it off my chest. And I spell colour. It is just too beautiful of a word to be color. 

Love & Bass


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 9, 2007)

At least she doesn't say 'toodle pip'! We kill people in England who say that.


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## Fangman (Nov 10, 2007)

Does any other that Yorkshire folk use the term "petal" as a term of endearment


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## Fangman (Nov 10, 2007)

Do Californian beach boys still have the silent "p" in swimming.

I've heard that in the Big Apple is still occurs in Bath, shower and bathing!


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## mrsid99 (Nov 10, 2007)

Check the difference between the English/American meaning of "jumper" when referring to an article of clothing....in the UK it's a sweater but one of the USA meanings is a small girls dress.
I wondered why when I came back after mentioning I was going to put on my jumper that everyone was staring with great interest that rapidly turned to disappointment!
FYI, the squash (gourd) is sometimes called a "marrow" in the UK.


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## Alex_B (Nov 10, 2007)

mrsid99 said:


> Check the difference between the English/American meaning of "jumper" when referring to an article of clothing....in the UK it's a sweater but *one of the USA meanings is a small girls dress*.



Huh, did not know that at all!

I don't wear either though


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## ZedU54 (Nov 10, 2007)

mrsid99 said:


> FYI, the squash (gourd) is sometimes called a "marrow" in the UK.


 
...yes, I knew that...didn't think of it when I was posting, however...


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 11, 2007)

Fangman said:


> Does any other that Yorkshire folk use the term "petal" as a term of endearment



Around the East Midlands the equivalent is 'chuck' and in Leicestershire it's 'me duck'.
Where I live 'the old boy' is how you refer to your younger brother.


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## mrsid99 (Nov 11, 2007)

kundalini said:


> I heard they call it tonic in the Northeast.


It's called "tonic" when it has quinine in it, a remnant of the British Raj in India.
They used to take quinine to ward off malaria but it's very bitter so they put it in the soda water and then added gin, hence the origin of a gin and tonic.
One meaning of tonic is something that improves ones health and the quinine did just that.


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## Fangman (Nov 11, 2007)

The fun explaining to younger American nieces that the must refer to their "fanny packs" as bum bags in the UK.  Plenty of giggles when their old uncle tried to explain why without embarasing their mother!


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## Hertz van Rental (Nov 11, 2007)

I blame that old film "Fanny By Gaslight"


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## JohnMF (Nov 11, 2007)

Fangman said:


> The fun explaining to younger American nieces that the must refer to their "fanny packs" as bum bags in the UK.  Plenty of giggles when their old uncle tried to explain why without embarasing their mother!



reminds me of that scene in The Office. which i wont repeat here : )


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