English vs American

Posted by: furtive

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 14:53

Braces = Suspenders

Which makes me wonder what you yanks call those things that girlies use to keep their tights up

Posted by: Taym

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 14:56

Ok, I love this thread.

At school here (Italy) we mainly study British English, even though you never know until you learn enough to tell the difference between British English and American English. Now, what about this:

Rubber (UK) = Eraser (AM) ?

I still remember my classmates laughing when I asked for a "rubber", in Santa Clara University, CA, USA

Of course those are pretty funny ways to learn and never forget.

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:00

Quote:
What about the practice of dropping certain articles? I've always wondered about this:

UK: "He's in hospital" US: "He's in the hospital"

Isn't the latter actually correct English, even in England? When would you use one and not the other?

The first is used instead of the US "he's been hospitalized", where it's unknown (or irrelevant) exactly which hospital he's been taken to. The second would only be used when a particular hospital has already been discussed. There are plenty of similar constructs: "on holiday" rather than "on a vacation", "in bed" rather than "in their bed", and so on.

Another shibboleth to do with missing words is missing prepositions in US English: I've mainly seen this in cnn.com headlines, but people do it in speech too: "Let's do this Tuesday" rather than "Let's do this on Tuesday". And in US English, "protest" is a transitive verb with no preposition, and you can "protest" gay marriages, whereas in the UK it's intransitive and always takes a preposition: you'd have to "protest against" gay marriages. Mind you, elsewhere there's extra prepositions: in the US you "meet with" someone, whereas in the UK you just "meet" them.

Quote:
Speaking of words that start with H... What about the practice of treating H as if it were silent at the start of a word? Even extending to the choice of using "a" or "an" when placing the article before the word:

UK: "The dolphin will jump through an 'oop" US: "The dolphin will jump through a hoop"

"Hoop" has the H sounded in Received Pronunciation UK English, and no-one would say "an hoop" if they sounded the H. However, in the past the H was never sounded, and there are still some words where it isn't, such as "hour". And of course there are words where the H is sounded in some English accents but not others: a Yorkshireman would say "an 'oop". Some style guides for written UK English, including the BBC's, abhor this ambiguity and require "an" for all H words.

Peter

Posted by: sn00p

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:02

Quote:
No worries! I understand what you're saying. I guess we'll disagree then

But one last point:
Quote:
And yes, it's drink-driving, but you didn't write that in your orginal post, I copied what you wrote verbatim.

I've never seen your version with the hyphen until I read your post. I've read a number of British news reports that have used the term often but never put a hyphen in it. So that's the official way to write it? In the US it's "drunk driving," without a hyphen.

I wrote that subconsciously, my grammar isn't that great! Although looking it up on the web, "drink-driving" does seem to be the correct way to apply it (as opposed to "drink driving").

My problem with drunk driving is that its use with the word alcohol generally means 2 things:

John drunk some beers. (may or may not be feeling the effects)
John was drunk. (definately feeling the effects!)

When used in the term "drunk driver", I agree that it could mean that either "John drunk some beers and then drove" or "john was drunk while driving", but if you were to ask the average person on the street, I'd hazard a guess that they'd go for the second meaning of the word.

Each to their own though!

Posted by: hybrid8

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:04

Coriander and Cilantro both can refer to the leaf. The only difference depends on the enthnicity of the restaurant, store or cookbook you're reading.

I don't ever use the word Cilantro - it's always been coriander. And I've always lived around plenty of Italians. Or Eye-talians as they say in the US.

I also don't like it, not in salsa, not in anything really.

Posted by: CrackersMcCheese

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:05

Quote:

John drunk some beers.

John drank some beers? Is 'drunk' correct usage?

Posted by: furtive

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:07

fag = cigarette
homosexual = fag

Posted by: CrackersMcCheese

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:09

Also asking for faggots isn't a good idea!

Posted by: sn00p

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:13

Quote:
Quote:

John drunk some beers.

John drank some beers? Is 'drunk' correct usage?

No idea! Maybe, "john has drunk some beers" would have been a better example.

I'm sure the grammar police will be along to sort this out!

Posted by: tfabris

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:23

A very clear summary, peter. Thanks.

Oh, and regarding this:

Quote:
missing prepositions in US English: I've mainly seen this in cnn.com headlines

I don't count it when they do it in headlines. Headlines are a specific writing style where they're deliberately dropping prepositions and articles in order to fit a larger typeface in the limited space. They're not complete sentences.

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 15:39

Quote:
Braces = Suspenders

Which makes me wonder what you yanks call those things that girlies use to keep their tights up

Garter?

Posted by: g_attrill

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 17:00

Quote:

Courgette / zucchini

Also Marrow / Melon

Foxed me when I saw "Wallace & Gromit" in NY, they recorded two versions, one where his Gromit's marrow was referred to as a melon for US audiences (and others presumably), but the UK version called it a marrow.

Posted by: drakino

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 17:18

Quote:

Dinner = Lunch
Tea = Dinner (lower class)

This also varies depending where in the UK you are, and how old you are!

I think age has to do with it here in the US as well. Up until a few years ago, my great grandmother was still alive, and her meal schedule was:
breakfast - morning
dinner - noon
supper - evening

Looks like wikipedia has a dedicated meal section, even covering the origins of second breakfast, and elevenses.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 19:40

Quote:
I get mixed up between the US terms Junior High, High School, School, College and University. Someone explain!

I think we've had this one before, but....

In the US, there are 13 years of education (commonly called grades) prior to college/university: kindergarten (optional) and first through twelfth grades. Usually individual schools only teach a subset of those grades, and they're usually divided up as K-5, 6-8, 9-12. K-5 is usually called "elementary school", 6-8 is usually called "middle school", but used to be called "junior high school", or just "junior high" for short, and 9-12 is usually called "high school". Some places divide it up differently, usually for private schools and very small school districts, just because it doesn't make sense to have three divisions for the small numbers of students that they have. These levels of education are provided by the government to all children, and are in fact required up to some level (which I forget the specifics of, and probably varies by state anyway). There are private schools for these grades, too. Children are usually sent to private schools because their parents feel that the public schools are not appropriate for their children, ranging from that they think the quality is poor or that they think their children need religious-based education. Children can also be "home-schooled", which means that they are taught by their parents. The common notion is that home-schooled children often grow up poorly socialized.

A high school diploma is the lowest recognized level of education, and if that's all the education you have, you're likely to have a hard time finding work beyond skilled labor.

"College" and "University" both refer to education past 12th grade. This education is not provided for free, though there are a large number of schools that are run by governments, and they tend to cost less, especially for people who are citizens of the government it is run by. "College" and "University" are almost interchangeable. The difference tends to be that colleges tend to have a limited scope of the degrees that they offer, whereas universities offer degrees in a wide range of subjects, but a more appropriate distinction is probably just that some of these schools call themselves universities and some call themselves colleges. Also, universities often subdivide themselves into colleges based on subject. For example, the university I attended had a college of physical and mathematical sciences, a college of engineering, a college of design, a college of humanities, etc.

"School" is a term that refers to all of those, and you just have to know which one by context. It's kind of like "train". You might be referring to Amtrak/British Rail or you might be talking about a subway or you might be talking about an el.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 19:42

Quote:
Marrow / Melon

What do you call the stuff inside bones that generate blood cells?

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 19:51

Quote:
No difference: drunk [EDIT]was originally not an adjective.

The first etymology I could find (not near my OED right now) dates it as an adjective back to 1340, which is well prior to modern English. It even predates the Great Vowel Shift. So, yes, it was not originally an adjective, but only if you go back to Middle English.

Posted by: mlord

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 19:59

Quote:
I don't count it when they do it in headlines.

That should be, I don't count it as such when they do it in headlines.

Posted by: andy

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 20:07

Quote:

Also Marrow / Melon

Foxed me when I saw "Wallace & Gromit" in NY, they recorded two versions, one where his Gromit's marrow was referred to as a melon for US audiences (and others presumably), but the UK version called it a marrow.

That is a bit of artistic licence then. A UK marrow does not equal a US melon.

A marrow is a type of squash (in fact I think it might actually be just a large Zucchini/courgette). It isn't very popular nowadays, but from my childhood I remember it being stringy, slimey and just plain nasty. Could just have been the way it was cooked though...

We also call the stuff inside bones marrow.

Posted by: Phoenix42

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 20:55

Write to me (UK), write me (US).
Even after 6 years in the US it still bothers me to hear / see that.

Posted by: g_attrill

Re: English vs American - 31/07/2006 22:37

It's worth mentioning this site, it has a large collection of British terms:

http://www.effingpot.com/

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 05:12

I took my kids to Legoland in Windsor a couple weeks ago. My son said something about the water on a water ride, but he pronounced it the American way with a "d" in place of the "t" (as in Wa-der). A nearby girl spouted out in her cockney accent, "Did you hear how he pronounced the word wa'er?"

Many Brits tend to eliminate the t's in certain words. I've also noticed a lot of vowels added to the ends of words ending in vowels (Angeler instead of Angela, Christiner instead of Christina).

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 05:18

And I forgot to mention...

Brilliant vs Great/Fantastic

In American, the word Brilliant refers to 2 things: the brightness of an object or the extreme genius of one's intellect.

Posted by: sn00p

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 05:32

Quote:
Many Brits tend to eliminate the t's in certain words. I've also noticed a lot of vowels added to the ends of words ending in vowels (Angeler instead of Angela, Christiner instead of Christina).

You have a similar thing too!

Craig - "Creg"

Posted by: Roger

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 07:10

Quote:
Many Brits tend to eliminate the t's in certain words.

That's a glottal stop and it's common in Estuary English.

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 10:30

Quote:
A marrow is a type of squash (in fact I think it might actually be just a large Zucchini/courgette). It isn't very popular nowadays, but from my childhood I remember it being stringy, slimey and just plain nasty. Could just have been the way it was cooked though...

It's just a large courgette, yes. They're horrible if overcooked (especially if boiled); the best thing to do with them is hollow out the centres, stuff them, and bake them, either halved lengthways or cut crossways into thick rings.

With the right weather, watering, and feeding, marrows can become truly gigantic; competitive marrow-growing is very much a part of Wallace's Yorkshire culture. Competition-sized specimens are probably inedible however you cook them.

Peter

Posted by: Dignan

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 10:37

Quote:
they're usually divided up as K-5, 6-8, 9-12. K-5 is usually called "elementary school", 6-8 is usually called "middle school", but used to be called "junior high school", or just "junior high" for short, and 9-12 is usually called "high school". Some places divide it up differently, usually for private schools and very small school districts, just because it doesn't make sense to have three divisions for the small numbers of students that they have.

I don't mean to extend the tangent, but I wonder how common the various divisions are. For example, my entire county uses a similar system, except that middle school is grades 7 and 8 only, with 6th being part of elementary school. And the last part of your statement doesn't apply, because Fairfax County in Virginia is a very large county with a very high population.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 12:02

True, it does vary somewhat. But you still have three divisions. And the naming convention is basically the same, where elementary, junior high/middle, and high schools are three separate institutions for three separate, but continuous, sets of grades.

Posted by: furtive

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 12:56

Some more:

Handbag = Purse
Waistcoat = Vest

And the pizza hut adverts that are currently being shown in the UK are obviously American because the taglne is "We you the pizza, you do the math"

Which raises 2 points:

1) maths = math
2) "you do the math" is a real americanism

Posted by: JBjorgen

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 13:46

Quote:
Handbag = Purse

along those same lines:

Rucksack = Backpack

also

Trousers = Pants

Posted by: gbeer

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 14:25

Quote:
... pronounced it the American way with a "d" in place of the "t" (as in Wa-der)...

oooh! I do that. Never noticed it for being recognized as an American accent.

Posted by: furtive

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 19:01

When in NY my wife asked for a bottle of waTer in a deli and the guy didn't have a clue what she wanted despite her saying it very clearly a number of times.

Being an old hand at the NY accent (having lived there for a couple of years) I just leaned over and said waDer and he understood me first time

I can't understand how he couldn't understand someone saying it like it is spelt though.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 19:05

It was probably the difference in the pronunciation of the "A". In the US, the "A" is much more flat, almost whiny sounding. In the UK, it's much more at the back of the throat. I think that the difference in the pronunciation of the "T" is largely based on the differences in how we pronounce that vowel.

Posted by: canuckInOR

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 19:19

Quote:
Jam / jelly

I always thought the difference between these was that Jam had chunks of fruit in it, but jelly didn't -- it was just made from the juice of the fruit. But then, I'm neither British, nor American.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 19:29

That's the US difference. In the UK, jam is either one and jelly is what we in the US would call gelatin, or, more likely, Jell-O.

Posted by: andym

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 20:01

Quote:
Trousers = Pants

Up here in the north west Pants == Trousers

Posted by: g_attrill

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 20:04

Quote:
When in NY my wife asked for a bottle of waTer in a deli and the guy didn't have a clue what she wanted despite her saying it very clearly a number of times.

I had the same problem asking for a "tuna melt" - (pronounced "tuner"), after repeating it he said "oh, you wanna toona melt?"

Posted by: andym

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 20:07

Quote:
I can't understand how he couldn't understand someone saying it like it is spelt though.

I think the man was obviously a spazz.

Whilst at uni my flatmate moved his girlfriend in, she was from california and couldn't understand a word I said. However my flatmate who hailed from Dundee was understood perfectly, looking back now I wonder whether she was just taking the piss.

Posted by: Mataglap

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 21:48

Whilst vs. while

Posted by: Ezekiel

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 22:17

How could we have gotten this far without bollocks/balls? And did I miss it or did someone already post the link to the English/American Dictionary page?

This is a very amusing thread...

-Zeke

Posted by: tfabris

Re: English vs American - 01/08/2006 22:45

Quote:
In American, the word Brilliant refers to 2 things: the brightness of an object or the extreme genius of one's intellect.

With the word frequently being used the British way in the hugely popular Harry Potter films, I'll bet that this is one usage that will become commonplace in the US within a generation.

Posted by: FireFox31

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 01:03

Haven't read the whole thread, but how about:

al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num

Aren't there some other creative chemical name differences? Do the English still use names such as Hydrargyrum, Stannum, Plumbum, Aurum, Argentum, etc? (totally copied from wikipedia; I only knew the odd symbols off hand)

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 01:07

Quote:
...And the pizza hut adverts that are currently being shown in the UK ...

I had to laugh when my Brit work-mates told me about the local "Peetzer 'ut"
It sounded for all the world like Pizza Rut, which tickles my funny bone like 'Dead Lobster' (Red Lobster) and 'Craplebee's' (Applebee's) (US restaurant chains).

Speaking of work mates:
mate= friend
partner= mate

On the food front:
I got blank stares from the hotel proprietor one morning when I asked if it might be possible for the kitchen to make some 'French Toast' for me.
Eggy Bread = French Toast
The seasoning is quite different, too. Most Americans expect the dish to be neutral, served with butter and then sweetened with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup.
In general, I was horrified at the amount of salt in the food I was eating in the UK.

Oh yeah-
porridge = oatmeal (a salty affair in Scottish tradition)

'Nowt' (nothing) and 'Sommat' (something) were common colloquialisms in the area I was working.

It took me a while to get used to being greeted with 'Are you alright?'
Americans usually reserve that one for accident victims.

Posted by: bootsy

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 02:20

Wow, this far without...

Lift = Elevator

That one always cracked me up when my English friend in 5th grade would use it. Oh, what about...

Naught = Zero
"Zed" = "Zee"

Those two caused me big trouble in College Calculus. Our Professor was a South African Dutch and I could barely understand what he was saying when he was speaking English... much less explaining Calculus.

And I was always under the impression that "waDur" was not American, but a New Jersey thing... or am I confusing that with "Wudder".

Posted by: andy

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 04:38

Quote:

In general, I was horrified at the amount of salt in the food I was eating in the UK.

That is odd. I am always shocked by how salty the fast food and food in some diners is in the US.

I remember a visit to a Denny's diner in Bellevue, WA where I could barely eat any of the food it was so salty. I didn't have a rental car at the time, so my breakfast choice was Pizza Hut, Denny's or some crappy steak house (as they were the only places in walking distance of my hotel).

The people in the UK who slag off US food in general however clearly haven't gone to the US themselves and eaten selectively. In the two areas I have been to (Washington State and Manhatten) I ate plenty of excellent food.

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 05:02

Quote:
Whilst vs. while

The word 'whilst' really bothers me for some reason, especially in the context that it is use throughout the UK.

Here's one I heard on the radio this morning:

anti-clockwise vs counter-clockwise

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 05:04

Quote:
I was always under the impression that "waDur" was not American, but a New Jersey thing...

I think that's "waaduh".

Posted by: tahir

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 08:00

Quote:
With the right weather, watering, and feeding, marrows can become truly gigantic; competitive marrow-growing is very much a part of Wallace's Yorkshire culture.Peter

We're running a virtual marrow competition at Downsizer, based solely on length. Hate to say it but they don't stand a chance I've got the longest marrow I've ever seen developing on one of my plants.

My favourite way to eat marrow is boiled, mashed, loads of butter, black pepper and nutmeg. Great with any meat, especially lamb. Makes a good veggie curry too.

Posted by: tahir

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 08:36

BTW broiled = grilled doesn't it?

Posted by: Dignan

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 11:11

Quote:
Haven't read the whole thread, but how about:

al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num

Oh, sorry, that's another one that bothers me. Why is there an extra syllable in there? Is the word actually spelled differently in the UK?

Posted by: Roger

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 11:23

Quote:
Quote:
al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num

Oh, sorry, that's another one that bothers me. Why is there an extra syllable in there? Is the word actually spelled differently in the UK?

Yes.

Posted by: Dignan

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 11:31

Gotcha. Interesting read! Thanks!

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 11:49

Quote:
Haven't read the whole thread, but how about:

al-U-min-ium vs. al-oo-mi-num

Aren't there some other creative chemical name differences?

I've heard:

con-Trawversy (all run together) vs. con-Tro-vers-y
common-Try vs. common-Tary

Posted by: Tim

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 12:04

Australia has some that threw me the first time also:

Take Away = Carry Out

That was the biggest one I remember, but I don't remember hearing it in the UK.

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 12:05

Quote:
con-Trawversy (all run together) vs. con-Tro-vers-y

Mmm, good spot (though even people who say con-Trovver-sy say con-tro-Ver-shal). The one that seemed to cause the Austinites most amusement on our recent trip to the Sigmatel mothership was shed-yule vs. sked-yule.

Peter

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 12:49

Quote:
The people in the UK who slag off US food

Hah! I believe the British are renowned the world around for their terrible cuisine. Not to say that there aren't good things to be eaten in the UK (heck, there's a US reality TV show starring Gordon Ramsay, so we apparently have to import Brits for food -- or maybe just vitriol) but it seems the majority of it is imported from other cuisines. You don't see much boiled meat on the menus of good restaurants.

Quote:
I am always shocked by how salty the fast food and food in some diners is in the US.

I agree with you, actually. Most chain places seem to really oversalt food. I imagine that it's to cover up the freezer burn resulting from cross-country food shipments.

Posted by: CrackersMcCheese

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 12:49

Barf and vomit would be another (maybe).

In 'Day of the Tentacle' I couldn't figure out what 'Fake barf' was for about 2 weeks. Maybe I was just an idiot

I owe a lot to The Simpsons for teaching me a lot of Americanisms.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:02

For the record, in case you didn't know, "barf" is very slightly off-color slang. No one would really be offended by it, but you wouldn't say it to the queen. "Vomit" is certainly a viable word, and the one you would use when talking to the queen. I can't imagine why you'd be talking to the queen about vomit, though.

Posted by: tahir

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:06

Puke is cross cultural though isn't it?

Posted by: furtive

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:22

Yes

Another one

Enemy plane = Bogey
bogey = booger

Posted by: Mataglap

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:36

"Way Out" vs. "Exit" on signs

Posted by: JBjorgen

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:53

I heard an anecdote the other day...I have no idea if it's true or not.

Patton asked a Britsh general for a "shedule" (schedule).

The general, somewhat pleased, asked Patton where he had learned to say "shedule" properly. He quickly replied, "I learned it in shool."

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:54

snog = french kiss
skip = dumpster

Posted by: CrackersMcCheese

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 13:58

I don't think I've used the word 'snog' after the age of 12! Its mostly kids that would use it (I think). I have no idea what I've call a french kiss nowadays :S

Posted by: JBjorgen

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 14:25

Another confusing one for Americans: trying to figure out the difference between a barrister, a solicitor or an advocate.

We just have lawyers (although attorney, counselor, or more rarely advocate are all synonyms).

Posted by: hybrid8

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 16:44

Does anyone still use the term "french kiss?" I french kiss everyone, so it's all just a kiss to me.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 17:15

Well, I didn't know another term beyond a desperately denotative one.

Quote:
Coach: Yeah, I saw them smooching in the parking lot. I was putting up a notice there on the bulletin board.
Diane: With probing tongues?
Coach: No Diane, with a thumb tack and my thumb.

Posted by: g_attrill

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 17:22

Quote:

Quote:
Coach: Yeah, I saw them smooching in the parking lot. I was putting up a notice there on the bulletin board.
Diane: With probing tongues?
Coach: No Diane, with a thumb tack and my thumb.

You have inadvertently mentioned another few differences:

notice board = bulletin board
drawing pin = thumb tack

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 17:33

How about push pin?

Posted by: andy

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 17:39

Don't think I came across push pin until I saw it in mapping software.

Posted by: CrackersMcCheese

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 17:52

Taps vs faucet? Or do you US guys have taps too?

Oh.... and;

Torch = Flashlight
Rubbish = Trash (in terms of things that get thrown away)

Posted by: Ezekiel

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 18:06

We have both taps and faucets. However, we also tap trees to get the sap out for maple syrup (the real kind).

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 18:10

Well, we have "tap water", and I've heard people refer to a "tap" as the source of water (as in "get some water from the tap"), but I've never heard anyone call a faucet a tap. A tap would be the thing from which you get beer out of the keg.

We also have spigots, but that's usually an exterior-wall-mounted faucet. Occasionally you hear "sillcock" as another name for a spigot. I believe that it's the more technically correct term.

Posted by: Mataglap

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 18:32

Ha! Syncronicity: http://www.overheardintheoffice.com/archives/002582.html

British employee: Well, this was supposed to be completed by now. It looks like it's gone all cock-up.
American #1: What?
British employee: I'm sorry, do you not have that phrase here?
American #2: In America, you can't say cock like that. I shouldn't hear you say cock.
American #1: We say fuck. Fucked up.
British employee: Ok, how's this: Fuck off.

1 Corporate Drive
Orangeburg, New York

Posted by: Phoenix42

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 21:13

Thanks Mataglag, that will pass tomorrows boredom.

Posted by: gbeer

Re: English vs American - 02/08/2006 23:10

Sometimes words just don't register as anything but noise. I'm sure its not for the same reason but I'm finding more often, while watching Directv certain words just aren't understandable. Repeated replays don't seem to help.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 02:08

jimjams = pajamas

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 02:42

cheerio = ???

Posted by: tanstaafl.

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 03:45

OK, I have to tell one of my favorite jokes here...

An Englishman visits his cousin in America, and among the places they go is a cannery where they are putting string beans in cans. The Englishman comments to the foreman about how impressive the whole operation is, and the foreman responds, "Well, you know how it goes -- we eat what we can, and what we can't eat, we can."

The Englishman laughs, and says he has got to remember to tell that story to the folks back home.

Sure enough, he lands back at Heathrow, and the first thing he says to the welcoming party is, [imagine this with an English accent, please!] "I heard the cleverest anecdote over in America. It seems that... umm, let me think, yes, got it! It seems they eat what they can, and what they can't eat, they put up in tins."

tanstaafl.

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 06:37

Clerks and cashiers in Britian greet customers with the phrase, "Can I help?", where in America, the phrase is, "Can I help you?"

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 13:06

roundabout = traffic circle

Posted by: Roger

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 13:30

Quote:
cheerio = ???

toodle-pip?

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 16:19

You have some strange ideas about what passes for American English, my friend.

Posted by: furtive

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 16:36

I'm sure there are about as many English people who say "cheerio" as there are Americans who say "tootle-pip"

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 16:42

I only really brought it up because I heard it while watching BBC America last night. On "As Time Goes By", which seems less than farcical about that sort of thing.

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 20:07

Quote:
I'm sure there are about as many English people who say "cheerio" as there are Americans who say "tootle-pip"

(embarrassed) I say cheerio all the time. (And that's even without my going to the US, which always makes my language veer towards the stereotypically British: I start saying things such as "right-ho, chaps".)

I'd guess the nearest US equivalent to "cheerio" is "ciao".

Peter

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 22:28

Quote:
British employee: Well, this was supposed to be completed by now. It looks like it's gone all cock-up.
American #1: What?

Hmm- I've heard 'going tits up' for something dying.

'Give it some welly' = ~ work harder at it

'taking the mickey/mic/michael/piss out of someone' = ~ to make fun of

'bodge job' = 'jerry/jury rig' or 'mickey mouse' something

'Are you winning?' = ~ Is your work going well?

Hmm- I might have to mine the Two Wheels Only that I got for the flight home for more choice Brit idioms.

Posted by: gbeer

Re: English vs American - 03/08/2006 23:52

Quote:
I'd guess the nearest US equivalent to "cheerio" is "ciao".

Peter

Which of course is really Italian for "See-Ya Later".

Posted by: Mataglap

Re: English vs American - 04/08/2006 15:23

'bodge' is a good one!

'bespoke' vs. 'custom'

Posted by: mac

Re: English vs American - 06/08/2006 15:54

Quote:

Another shibboleth to do with missing words is missing prepositions in US English: I've mainly seen this in cnn.com headlines, but people do it in speech too: "Let's do this Tuesday" rather than "Let's do this on Tuesday".

I always have to read such sentences at least twice. I often seem to consider the final word to be an adverb or noun and wonder exactly how people manage to "run Tuesday" or "announce Thursday".

Mike.

Posted by: CrackersMcCheese

Re: English vs American - 06/08/2006 16:03

One that really bothers me is 'semi'

In the US its pronounced sem-eye, whereas we say sem-ee. For some reason it really gets on my nerves!

And 'missile'. Any time I hear an American say it, they pronounce it as miss-ill, whereas with us, its a miss-ile.

Posted by: mac

Re: English vs American - 06/08/2006 16:30

Regarding toodle-pip:

Quote:
I only really brought it up because I heard it while watching BBC America last night. On "As Time Goes By", which seems less than farcical about that sort of thing.

I believe that toodle-pip is related to toodle-oo which I was once told resulted from British Soldiers in the First World War being unable to say "Tout a l'heure, alors". Oh, that's another one, it's "First World War" not "World War 1".

I've been caught out by the Day of the Tentacle barf and failing to successfully order water in California too. I caused a great deal of confusion at Comdex one year asking for the number of a stand before some helpful guy shouted from the back of the queue that "stand is British for booth".

The English "fillet" is such an old word (although originally from Latin via Old French according to wikipaedia) that I suspect that the French pronunciation in American restaurants was for effect and it stuck.

Mike

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 06/08/2006 17:15

Quote:
I believe that toodle-pip is related to toodle-oo which I was once told resulted from British Soldiers in the First World War being unable to say "Tout a l'heure, alors".

OED says "origin unknown" but the first citation is 1907 so that could be about right.

Quote:
The English "fillet" is such an old word (although originally from Latin via Old French according to wikipaedia) that I suspect that the French pronunciation in American restaurants was for effect and it stuck.

On this one OED says that the spelling "fillet" supplanted "filet" (except as a French affectation, as which it never went away) during the 1600s, which of course is roughly when US English was forked. It's possible that US English always spelt it "filet", but originally pronounced it fillet, with the French pronunciation filtering down from pretentious restaurants to supplant the phonetic reading.

I'd been to the US several times before I realised that the restaurant chain "Chick-Fil-A" was intended to refer to chicken fillets, and not to chickenfilla, which had always sounded unpleasantly close to Polyfilla.

Peter

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 06/08/2006 19:28

Quote:
I'd been to the US several times before I realised that the restaurant chain "Chick-Fil-A" was intended to refer to chicken fillets, and not to chickenfilla, which had always sounded unpleasantly close to Polyfilla.

Peter

For some odd reason my brain has always inserted another A into Chick-Fil-A making it Chick-A-Fil-A. Caught some grief off that a few weeks ago.

Anyway...

to be 'pissed' = to be drunk (which has many euphemisms in the US, but not that one)

to be angry = to be 'pissed' (aka 'pissed off' or P.O.'ed)

On a side note, I've always thought it's better to be pissed off than pissed on, but maybe that's a chicken-and-egg sort of thing.
(insert tongue-in-cheek smiley here)

Posted by: mac

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 05:14

Quote:

On this one OED says that the spelling "fillet" supplanted "filet" (except as a French affectation, as which it never went away) during the 1600s, which of course is roughly when US English was forked. It's possible that US English always spelt it "filet", but originally pronounced it fillet, with the French pronunciation filtering down from pretentious restaurants to supplant the phonetic reading.

Fair enough. It never sounds genuinely French the way I've heard it pronounced in American restaurants - the final syllable gets too much emphasis and goes on for too long.

So, how does an American say filleting or filleted? Is it fill-utt-ing (like it is in the UK) or fill-ay-ting?

Mike.

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 05:25

Quote:
So, how does an American say filleting or filleted? Is it fill-utt-ing (like it is in the UK) or fill-ay-ting?

Mike.

We say 'fillay-ing' or 'fillay-ed'.
'fillay-ting' is something quite different. No knives, please!

Posted by: Dignan

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 10:15

Quote:
'fillay-ting' is something quite different. No knives, please!

Lol! I'm going to be thinking of that Rowan Atkinson bit all day now

After watching Inside the Actors Studio with Hugh Laurie:

???? = demolition derby

Posted by: Taym

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 11:04

Quote:
Quote:
I'd guess the nearest US equivalent to "cheerio" is "ciao".

Peter

Which of course is really Italian for "See-Ya Later".

... and "hello" as well.

Posted by: andy

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 11:41

banger race = demolition derby

or at least it is close, I think

Posted by: tahir

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 11:48

Quote:
banger race = demolition derby

or at least it is close, I think

Thats the one, bugger me I'm going senile

Posted by: boxer

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 12:30

Quote:
Whilst vs. while

This is a difficult one, especially in a thread started by an American who had been recently in West Yorkshire:
"While" to most of us means " during".
In West Yorkshire, and particularly centred around Leeds, it means "until" as in:
"He won't be back while 2'O'clock"
Therefore logically if you put up a sign saying: "Do not cross the road while the lights are red" half the Leeds populus would get run over.

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 13:14

Quote:
Another shibboleth to do with missing words is missing prepositions in US English: I've mainly seen this in cnn.com headlines, but people do it in speech too: "Let's do this Tuesday" rather than "Let's do this on Tuesday".

How would you say "Let's do that this afternoon."? I can't think of any other way to say it that isn't terribly awkward, and surely both "this afternoon" and "Tuesday" are noun-phrases.

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 13:38

Quote:
How would you say "Let's do that this afternoon."? I can't think of any other way to say it that isn't terribly awkward, and surely both "this afternoon" and "Tuesday" are noun-phrases.

Hmm. You're right that there's an inconsistency there, but at least it's a consistent inconsistency: "We'll do it this month" / "We'll do it in September". And in "Let's do that today", "today" is just as much a noun as "Thursday". In US English, is using a preposition for "Tuesday" or "September" optional, or actually wrong?

Peter

Posted by: wfaulk

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 14:13

No, it's not wrong at all. Somehow without the preposition it seems more definite, almost as if "on Tuesday" implies "if we get around to it".

And no one would ever say "We'll do it September". You definitely need an "in" there.

Posted by: peter

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 16:54

Quote:
And no one would ever say "We'll do it September". You definitely need an "in" there.

I'm sure I've heard people say "We'll release this January", or "We'll release this first quarter", but I guess they might be unintentionally adopting headline-speak.

Peter

Posted by: andy

Re: English vs American - 07/08/2006 18:49

Quote:

I'm sure I've heard people say "We'll release this January", or "We'll release this first quarter", but I guess they might be unintentionally adopting headline-speak.

Plenty of the Americans on the development teams I have worked on use just those sorts of phrases all the time.

Posted by: lectric

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 00:07

"We'll release this January" just sounds so wrong to me. "We'll release this first quarter" sounds perfectly fine. I have no idea why, that's just the way it is.

Posted by: gbeer

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 01:56

Quote:
Quote:
Another shibboleth to do with missing words is missing prepositions in US English: I've mainly seen this in cnn.com headlines, but people do it in speech too: "Let's do this Tuesday" rather than "Let's do this on Tuesday".

How would you say "Let's do that this afternoon."? I can't think of any other way to say it that isn't terribly awkward, and surely both "this afternoon" and "Tuesday" are noun-phrases.

Typically "Lets do that after lunch." or "Can it wait till this afternoon." or "Lets save that for this afternoon."

till = until (didn't even think about that until rereading what was written)

Posted by: Cybjorg

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 09:36

Quote:
...half the Leeds populus would get run over.

And what would be wrong with that?

Posted by: Roger

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 10:33

Quote:
Quote:
...half the Leeds populus would get run over.

And what would be wrong with that?

The other half wouldn't?

Posted by: boxer

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 12:30

Quote:
Quote:

Quote:
...half the Leeds populus would get run over.

And what would be wrong with that?

The other half wouldn't?

Speaking as a Kentish Man, as opposed to a Man of Kent, I've never had a problem with the folk of Leeds, not that I live in the immediate vicinity!

Just a minute though....an empegger from the other side of the pond and he didn't come for the traditional yorkshire hospitality from Cris (As much a Yorkshireman a I!) myself, Mrs. B and the Boxette, make sure you get in touch if you come again

Posted by: Roger

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 12:50

Quote:
Speaking as a Kentish Man, as opposed to a Man of Kent, I've never had a problem with the folk of Leeds, not that I live in the immediate vicinity!

Nah, I was joking. And I'm a Man of Kent, so there

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 13:29

Quote:
Just a minute though....an empegger from the other side of the pond and he didn't come for the traditional yorkshire hospitality from Cris (As much a Yorkshireman a I!) myself, Mrs. B and the Boxette, make sure you get in touch if you come again

It would be a pleasure to visit! Thank you for the invitation.
Unfortunately, the work on my project was all-encompassing during this past stay and ruined any chance of breaking away- even for a day on the weekend.
I had to miss Hugo's garden party, too.

I'm not sure when the next trip over will be (not for a while or for as long, God willing) but be sure that I will post a thread.

Posted by: boxer

Re: English vs American - 08/08/2006 18:47

Quote:
And I'm a Man of Kent, so there

Ah, I shall be that side of the river for the weekend in mid October, I'm sure that I'll get down more than a scoop or two of Shepherd Neame, the biggest thing that I miss about my youth!

Posted by: Robotic

Re: English vs American - 21/08/2006 03:54

While watching The Secret Life of Machines, I stumbled multiple times across this one:

Valves = Vacuum Tubes

English vs American