Question for UK members

[SarahLouise]

I think these days we are so surrounded by US culture/TV etc, well, especially if you are active on the internet, that I don't really think twice about the meanings of most everyday words. But you do have a lot that did confuse me when I first heard/read them, such as Jumper for pinafore dress and Spackle which we just call filler, or by the brandname Polyfilla! Those are just two that sprung to mind, but there are loads more.

Bangs spring to mind too - us Brits call it a fringe!

 

[jdbenson]

Football Coaches

I thought I was pretty well versed in British vs American English, but when I was last in the UK, I got stumped. I was going down the the local pub and as I passed the car park I noticed a sign posted which read: "No football coaches allowed." I kept thinking, "Is this pub for the players only, not the coach of the team?" It too me 15 minutes to realize that it meant "No SOCCER BUSES allowed."

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I say shone . . . you say shined.

Let's all say arsenal and see who's kids fall on the floor laughing.

bk

 

[Paul]

To be fair, I get confused by northern UK slang more than US slang.

Oh really, we not that bad I hope, well it can be like that in the Dales.

 

[BellyTank]

Oh really, we not that bad I hope, well it can be like that in the Dales.

Gid orf moy laaaand!!!


B
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[BellyTank]

Same as NZ, you see "bloody" everywhere and hear it everywhere. Nobody bats an eyelid with the word.
Same with "bugger".

Yeh mate- even dogs say Bugger in NZ!


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[Tango Yankee]

The filmmaker obviously didn't understand that "Bloody" is a purely British expletive. The derivation of that term, by the way, is "By Our Lady", which in ancient times would have been a rather powerful oath. This is why the Brits look upon it as a very seriously naughty word, while Americans find it charmingly quaint.

I don't know why, but I've used the term "bloody" (often as "bloody hell") since I was a teen-ager. Not something you'd expect from someone who grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles.[huh]

It took me a while to get used to the greeting "You alright?" as opposed to the US version "How are you?" or "Howya doin'?". Initially my reaction was something along the lines of a startled "Why, do I look that bad?" lol

Cheers,
Tom

 

[carter]

I must admit that there have been a few times, when watching a program on BBC America, that I have had to rewind and playback to understand what was said.

That being said, the head of the detective squad (What is the proper title?) on Life On Mars has a command of the language, particularly when upset, that is admirable.

 

[Smithy]

Yeh mate- even dogs say Bugger in NZ!


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You've seen "that" ad then BT...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQ0OjlvUlo

 

[Benny Holiday]

The funniest one I've heard is 'thong'. Thongs here are what the Americans called 'flip-flops', from what I can gather. Of course, over there a thong is something altogether different!

 

[TheKitschGoth]

The funniest one I've heard is 'thong'. Thongs here are what the Americans called 'flip-flops', from what I can gather. Of course, over there a thong is something altogether different!

Yeah, you don't want to start talking about your thong over here lol That really will get you some funny looks

 

[BellyTank]

Yeh- my thong's giving me a blister, ya know?, right in between...

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[Sir RBH]

Yeah, you don't want to start talking about your thong over here lol That really will get you some funny looks

is it time to mention "Bumbags" or "fannypacks"

I sincerely hope not!!

 

[BellyTank]

Someone already did- in the beginning.

"Does my fanny look big in this..?"


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[herringbonekid]

oh, American ebay sellers, if you're shipping (posting) some vintage trousers to the UK PLEASE don't write 'used pants' on the parcel description. that phrase conjures up all kinds of deviant behaviour that you wouldn't want your neighbours to suspect you of.

 

[Luddite]

oh, American ebay sellers, if you're shipping (posting) some vintage trousers to the UK PLEASE don't write 'used pants' on the parcel description. that phrase conjures up all kinds of deviant behaviour that you wouldn't want your neighbours to suspect you of.

I had a package marked 'leather pants' delivered to my work address. I still haven't lived that one down........

 

[Smithy]

I had a package marked 'leather pants' delivered to my work address. I still haven't lived that one down........

That's brilliant!

 

[dhermann1]

Bloody

"Bloody" used to be a bad one, it's long since passed over to the quaint.

 

[matei]

I usually switch back and forth between UK/US terms. It depends on with whom I'm speaking.

I've found that many people in the UK and Ireland know what Americans are referring to when they use American terms, but not the other way around. Perhaps because there are so many US programs on the TV over here? [huh]

 

[Alan Eardley]

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

Alan