Author |
Message |
Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Friday, June 25, 2004 - 1:10 am
I was reading a thread at another site about the different terms used between British and North American cultures. I was getting such a chuckle out of some of them, I just had to share with you all here. Since several of the people there are British, it was very interesting to read of some of their personal experiences, especially when one country's word meant something anatomical to the other country. Don't know if anyone here can relate personal experiences since we're pretty much all North American. But maybe some of you have travelled abroad and can tell of some experiences. Here's the thread I was reading to inspire you. It gets pretty funny a few pages in, so don't quit at the first page. I think page 4 had some of the funniest ones. Differences between American English and British English
|
Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, June 25, 2004 - 8:19 am
Well, I remember when I was in London and I went to Tony and Guy to get my hair cut. I told my hairstylist that I wanted to change my hairstyle a little bit. "I think I'd like a little bang" I suggested. Little did I know that in London that requires sexual service, not hair services. Oh and I remember how confused I was at first about coffee. The first time I went to that atrocity called Pret-a-manger and heard the inevitable question "black or white" I thought to myself "isn't there anything in between?"
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Friday, June 25, 2004 - 1:24 pm
To knock someone up means to call around to their house to see them. Cardigan or jumper is a sweater.
|
Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 12:06 pm
Way back in my single days, my friends and I went to England for a grand tour. We stayed with one of my friend's boyfriend who she met when he was in the US for a rugby tour. We went to his local pub where they were playing music and met all of his buddies. Being from the south, we all loved to "shag" (a dance) to beach music and the like. We were excited when a song came on that we could shag to and asked some of the guys to shag with us. Well, you should've seen their faces!! We quickly learned that "shag" in England means f***! Of course being young and crazy and full of a few pints, we tormented them the rest of the trip by just saying the word. And I will never forget being served pork 'n beans for breakfast at a sweet little old lady's house in Scotland.
|
Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 1:12 pm
LOL Beach! That's similar to one of the stories in the link I provided. Another one from that site has to do with what a fanny is over there. It has to do with female anatomy. Lets just say (quoting one of the stories on the site), when someone told a little boy they were going to spank his fanny, he told them he doesn't have one! LOL Tish. I think they said bangs for us is a fringe over there. RB. One of the interesting things about the thread on that site is how some of the Brits have never heard of some of the terms we know them for (like knocking someone up). Apparently, its more regional, or even generational.
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 1:30 pm
Well, Who...it's a fairly antiquated expression...from the 60s ;) A bonce is a head. Clobber can either mean gear or to hit someone. Knackered means tired out.
|
Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 2:26 pm
Ah, well I was just a wee one still in my nappies at that point RB. 
|
Carrie92
Member
09-15-2003
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 3:52 pm
I think I learned from a Fergie interview that to "get pissed" in Britain is to "get drunk". Which totally explained that Chumba Wumba song, "Tubthumping". (I don't have a clue what tubthumping is) It's the one that goes, I get knocked down but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down. and in the background there's this womans voice singing: Pissing the night away....pissing the night away..
|
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 5:22 pm
Either that...or the backup singer is preggers and just running to the loo a lot!
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 5:40 pm
Lol, Teach. I think in those lyrics though Carrie, it means 'wasting time'.
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 5:58 pm
Here are some of my faves: Parking lot - car park Dessert - pudding Garbage can - dust bin Have sex - get a leg over Intermission - interval Panties - knickers
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 6:05 pm
Oh and they don't have garage or yard sales. They will go to a community parking lot and have 'boot sales'. They bring what they want to sell in the trunk/boot of their car. Strawberry is pronounced 'strawbree'. Special crossings with flashing lights are called 'zebra crossings'. The crossing guard is called the 'lollipop man'. Cotton candy is called 'candy floss'. The carnival is called 'the fair'.
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 6:22 pm
Take out - take away Rummage sale - bring and buy I always liked the way Hyacinth Bouquet pronounced Brochure - Bra-sure
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 6:25 pm
Well, the irony with Hyacinth's pronunciation was...her last name was actually Bucket but she insisted on pronouncing it 'Bouquet.' ;)
|
Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 1:21 am
Heee. I say "get pissy" instead of drunk too, but that's cause I stole it from Jay-Z who talks about getting "pissy pissy" on Cristal on his song "Hard Knock Life". LOL.
|
Lostintheglades
Member
07-10-2000
| Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 5:06 am
LOL...."Hard Knock Life" is my cell phone ring... Another one...this one is from my techie world. If you're reading a manual on any kind of electrical appliance and the word "Mains" is there...they're talking about the power supply. Mains = Electrical cord and outlet
|
Mak1
Member
08-12-2002
| Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 5:37 am
When DD was in London, her uncle took her on a "pub crawl", so much more descriptive than "bar hopping".
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 7:54 am
Pram...short for perambulator...it'sa baby buggy. Push chair...is a stroller.
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 10:46 am
I've notice they call electricity, the electrics
|
Djgirl
Member
07-17-2002
| Monday, June 28, 2004 - 6:21 am
It's funny because we use some of these terms in Canada. Get Pissed = get drunk Carnival - fair Cotton candy - candy floss
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Monday, June 28, 2004 - 9:41 am
nurse - sister operating room - operating theater - or just theater cane - stick crib - cot cot - camp bed
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Monday, June 28, 2004 - 6:02 pm
A sweater can also be called a 'ganzy'. A raincoat-macintosh or mac rubber boots-wellingtons or wellies umbrella-brolly backpack-haversack
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - 4:16 pm
Ponky-dirty
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - 4:39 pm
two weeks - fortnight
|
Rupertbear
Member
09-19-2003
| Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - 4:41 pm
seaside-beach
|