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Post by cristina on Oct 27, 2009 17:24:10 GMT
The first word that springs to mind when I think of vastly different meaning between The UK and the US is "pissed." The first time I heard a Brit use the word I was mighty perplexed.
Another word that confused me initially was "jumper." I don't think either country's use of the word makes sense, frankly.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2009 18:37:22 GMT
I can't even think of a common American use of the word jumper, but I certainly agree that British usage leaves me perplexed, as does the word knickers, which I don't think were ever an undergarment in American usage but rather something that might be worn golfing.
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Post by cristina on Oct 27, 2009 18:47:15 GMT
I can't even think of a common American use of the word jumper, but I certainly agree that British usage leaves me perplexed, as does the word knickers, which I don't think were ever an undergarment in American usage but rather something that might be worn golfing. In the US, a jumper is a sleeveless dress, worn over a blouse or other shirt. My grade school uniform was a plaid jumper worn over a white blouse with a little round collar. Something along these lovely lines:
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2009 19:05:30 GMT
Oh, that's right! Not being a girl (and not having been one in the past either), I always forget about "girl clothing terminology".
During my entire childhood, my French mother railed against the word "brassiere" which is the French word for a baby shirt. Of course this has nothing to do with English vs. American English.
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Post by cristina on Oct 28, 2009 4:29:15 GMT
Oh, that's right! Not being a girl (and not having been one in the past either), I always forget about "girl clothing terminology". Thank you for clarifying that you never were a girl.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2009 10:42:14 GMT
One British word that I had to figure out from the context was "biro".
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2009 11:55:52 GMT
It also took my a while to get a grip on the Australian word "dunny".
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Post by bazfaz on Oct 30, 2009 17:06:14 GMT
The British use hoover to mean vacuum clean the house. And then it gets extended from that so that a greedy person hoovers up all the food.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 7:08:11 GMT
Man seriously ill after being shot in Croydon
Is this proper British English? It's hard to know when reading tabloid headlines. In American English, it would be "Man in serious condition" rather than "ill," which is reserved for diseases. Or am I completely wrong?
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Post by auntieannie on Aug 9, 2011 9:39:51 GMT
I would say seriously injured rather than ill but then english is not my mother-tongue.
going back on track i know english-speaking people have trouble when it comes to the foot accessory known as "nu-pieds" in french, you know the one that is basically a sole with a loop going around your big toe and a bigger loop to include the four other toes. How do you call that? Ozzies' word seemingly creates a lot of hilarity, but I cannot remember it for the life of me!
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Post by bjd on Aug 9, 2011 9:43:08 GMT
They used to be called thongs, but then that word started being used for the sort of underwear Monica Lewinsky supposedly wore and now I never hear anything but flip-flops.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 11:20:51 GMT
Flip flops are still called thongs in Australia. Regarding the nu-pieds, which is a tiny bit more than a flip flop, no site seemed to agree totally on the translation, but the most likely candidate was "beach sandal."
Reading more of the British press, I came across the word "fixture" in terms of scheduling football matches (of course the articles were about cancelling the football matches). I have never seen that usage before.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 9, 2011 16:39:43 GMT
When I hear "thong", my first thought is still of rubber beach sandal. I assume younger people only know the word to mean token underwear. Maybe the man in the headline was shot with a tainted bullet? ( ) I have a question which I think belongs in this thread -- what the heck were "boom boxes" called before they were called "boom boxes"? I know there was another term, as the first time I heard "boom box" (early 80s, maybe), it had to be explained to me. Also, is this the universal term in all English-speaking countries?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 17:21:22 GMT
I think they were just called portable stereos.
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Post by patricklondon on Aug 9, 2011 17:40:42 GMT
Or ghetto blasters, though I always thought that was an American usage we imported.
I must say, it never occurred to me that "ill" might be taken to mean the consequence of infectious disease rather than injury: from the patient's point of view, the experience isn't that different. The British usage might relate to the habit of understatement, where if a doctor says your loved one is ill, they mean "I hope s/he hasn't booked a holiday", and if they say "rather poorly today", they mean "You might want to make sure your darkest suit gets to the dry cleaner sharpish". It may also be that there is an inherited reaction amongst editors and journalists against the usage of a word like "serious" or "critical" as an adjective on its own: "Man critical after being shot" (=well yes, never mind critical, I'd be hopping mad).
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Post by auntieannie on Aug 9, 2011 18:32:02 GMT
oh, you're so funny, Patrick! ;D
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Post by bjd on Aug 9, 2011 18:54:32 GMT
The term for me is ghetto blasters too. I vaguely remember the term boom boxes, but can't remember if there was anything like that before. Weren't there just transistor radios that some people would carry around close to their ears?
"man critical after being shot" to me requires elaboration. What is he being critical about? The food? the weather?
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 10, 2011 1:27:55 GMT
The aim?
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Post by patricklondon on Aug 10, 2011 17:02:45 GMT
My point exactly. That's why they would say "critically ill".
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2014 13:54:48 GMT
British cracker jokes almost always elude comprehension by people from the other hemisphere, and they really make you realise how huge some of the cultural differences are.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 18, 2014 14:44:18 GMT
As for the man, I'd say he was wounded. "Ill" refers to disease, though not necessarily infectious. Also cancer, heart disease etc.
As for the jokes, I certainly got all of them, though didn't think any were particularly good or pointed.
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Post by bjd on Dec 19, 2014 8:16:04 GMT
I got the jokes too (except for Michael Gove (who is he?), but one-liners usually work better as stand-up comedy with a pause for effect, not written down.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 18, 2018 19:03:32 GMT
What a great thread! Why has it fallen into disuse?
Anyhow, a pronunciation thing about almonds. To me they would be “arlmonds” but just watching a cooking programme and it eas pronounced “allmonds”.
Which?
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Post by lugg on Oct 18, 2018 19:13:36 GMT
Neither ...for me I would say ... Al-monds.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 18, 2018 19:16:33 GMT
Oh no....
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 18, 2018 19:29:42 GMT
I say al-monds, but then I also say sal-mon.
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Post by onlyMark on Oct 18, 2018 19:30:59 GMT
Nuts.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 18, 2018 19:41:53 GMT
Samman.
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Post by lugg on Oct 18, 2018 19:44:52 GMT
Yep nearly ..sam-mon
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 18, 2018 20:02:47 GMT
London pronunciation
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