Question for UK members

[CharlesB]

Bugger. A non-offensive noun in the US, a (painful and offensive) verb in the UK.

Alan

I was lucky enough to be born in the philly area. Everyone swears like a sailor there couple this with the fact that my grandfather is a Scot and the rest of the family are commonwealth. I got the best profanity of both worlds growing up

 

[Edward]

I used to know an Australian girl who once announced in a highly indignant tone that she'd been thrown out of a pub in Aus for "wearing thongs." S'how I learned that particular one!

I'm pretty much fully conversant with US terminology given long exposure to US television and films (movies!), as well as the web. I don't mind it much, though I do often find myself correcting my own vocabularly and deliberately using our own terminology. Nothing against the Yanks (or for that matter the Confederates ), but I do want to speak my own language, not yours. I have a hard enough time presrving my dialect while living amongst the sassenachs....

The braces / suspenders thing arises very often within the Rocky Horror community - I once had a whole email debate for a week with an American friend regarding whether Riff Raff wears "suspenders" with his trousers.... she was saying well, you can quite clearly see them, I was looking for tiny bumps on his thighs... eventualyl she realised we were talking at cross purposes and what she saw so clearly were braces. lol

Being an Irish boy, I've also often had to explain to Americans the difference between craic and crack.

 

[nobodyspecial]

During my last trip to England I enjoyed shopping in grocery stores and noticing the different terms used to describe ordinary household items. I'm easily amused and could have spent hours doing this and wished I had taken photos of the various items.

Dish soap = washing up liquid (my favorite). One does not "do the dishes" in England, they "wash up" not by using soap and water, but with "washing up liquid."

Also, one does not make a pot of tea, one "brews up" a pot of tea.

Lastly, when departing from a train on the underground a recorded voice says to "mind the gap" while stepping from the train to the platform. In a shop I noticed a vendor selling various underground souveniers, one of which was a thong (not the shoes) with the underground symbol and the words, "mind the gap." Wonderful humor.

 

[Graeme]

no one that uses the term 'one' to describe themselves would use the term 'brew up', the terms come trom (traditionaly) different ends of the social scale.

T pots are rarely used at all anyway.

As for dish soap, do you mean you actually use a solid bar of soap to wash up?, or 'wash pots' as its called in sheffield.

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Breadcake= roll,bap etc
loppy = filthy, disgustingly dirty

 

[nattily_attired]

I like useing terms like bobbie dazzler and Bobs your uncle.

 

[nobodyspecial]

Another that came to mind; US cookie = British biscuit

 

[Rufus]

Indeed Edward,

While workin in LA I asked my coworkers 'what's the craic?' to be met by embarrassed stares. Oddly nobody wanted to go for a drink then.

They liked 'numpty' though.



Rufus. in rainy London

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

RUBBISH

 

[Graeme]

what about 'fella' as in 'alright fella' for a greating, used male to male.

Is it used in the states?

 

[Edward]

Rufus, these things do happen. Sometime you really should try "What's the crack, I'm off to put a jumper on, then I'm up for a swally. Who's with me?"

lol

Another that came to mind; US cookie = British biscuit

True.... we do have cookies here, but they're large and soft - biscuits are "hard" and crunchy.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

When I offered an American to smoke a fag, I learnt the New World word for "non-smoker" - he said "No, thanks, I'm straight."

Prolly like "dry" for an alcoholic who's beaten the addiction or sommink.

 

[TheKitschGoth]

Rufus, these things do happen. Sometime you really should try "What's the crack, I'm off to put a jumper on, then I'm up for a swally. Who's with me?"

Eh? lol

 

[Rufus]

Ah welcome to Northern Iron girl! ;-)

Ed, a swally's not a bad plan sir.... I've got to finish a comic book by next week for 2000ad, but if you're ever around and fancy a jar, drop me a line! I'm in Bethnal green, but can easily get into town.

Or we could set off for the John Hewitt....

Ruf

 

[Edward]

Hell, we should set that up real soon. I'd no idea you were so close (some reason I had it in my head you were living out of town) - I'm just down the road; my flat is in the block diagonally opposite the Blind Begger.... How are you fixed back end of next week?

TKG: What I said, my dear, was:

"What is happening? I am going to don a sweater, and then I would like to partake of a beverage. Who wishes to join me?"

Speakin' Norn Irn. It's wheeker, so it is.

 

[Rufus]

Wow! You are close! I live near Cambridge Heath station!

I'm around next week! PM me,and I'll meet you up!

rufus