Strange American Customs/Sayings

[peg2001]

I worked for several months with 2 gentlemen from Britain. We had lots of fun teasing each other about the way we said things and the things that we ate. Now they are back home and I miss the cultural exchanges.

One of them brought a can of "mushy peas" to work one day because we couldn't believe that was actually a food product that people could buy. We laughed for months when they offered a good ol' boy from Tennessee an "ice lolly" and then had to go on to try to describe what an ice lolly was. We were finally able to translate it into what we call a popcicle.

Have you run into difficulties or humorous situations in America because of cultural differences or different names for the same thing?

Thanks for sharing!
Peggy

 

[Amazing-grace]

My family and I stopped for drinks at a place in IOA, there were a group of guys smoking, which wasn't very nice to say the least, I said at the top of my voice "I'M NOT SITTING HERE, IT STINKS OF FAGS!!"...................Oops.
Fags is slang for cigarettes in the UK
It doesn't take us long to slip into your lingo though,
restrooms instead of toilets
cookies instead of biscuits
check instead of bill
Entree instead of main course
And as for tea.... I do remember to ask for hot tea now, but it usually comes with a slice of lemon and some very obscure teabags. Much source of amusement to me and DH...LOL!

 

[Dimplenose]

On our trip to WDW we found that the word "momentarily" has a different meaning in the US. Over here it means for a short time in the US it means in a short time. When told the monorail would stop momentarily we thought we'd better get off quickly before it started moving again.

Libby

 

[WDWfan uk]

Hi Peggy ....... yes we truly are two countries separated by a common language!
Our guide books have a list of translations which are very useful for first-time visitors!
I've been puzzled by words I've seen on the DIS in the past and I've puzzled others!
e.g. I mentioned conkers and having a conker fight and totally confused everyone! (Conkers are in fact the fruit of the horse-chestnut tree ..... similar to chestnuts!! ... and children put string through the conkers and they try to destroy each others conkers by hitting them = conker fights!)
Then ...... I didn't have a clue what Bleachers were until Snoops explained that they are stands where you sit (LOL!!!!) to watch baseball etc.
and Calgon ... one of the other mods said she was going to put Calgon in her bath and enjoy a nice soak ..... Calgon here is something we use to get rid of limescale in washing machines
On our first visit to Florida, my son asked for chips with his meal and was served US chips!! He actually meant fries - we call fries chips and chips crisps ........ and I can think of many more where those came from!!!!

 

[Olaf]

I love British slang--so colorful! I did a summer in the UK going to school and spent a few nights comparing notes at the local pub with the British students. I was in for a bit of a surprise when I ordered some cider. In these parts, that's a pungent apple juice, over there, well . . . let's just say it was pungent.

Here are some of my favs.

bloody - (much better than what we say)

Rumpy-pumpy - (use your imagination fellow Yanks)

Sod-off - (again, so much better than our version)

Snog - (this one is a riot. "Hey baby, up for a little snog?" yuck!)

swot/swotting - (a brain/to study hard)

cor - (this one always left me rolling on the floor)

daft - (so much better than just plain old stupid)

jumper - (over here this is a dress like thing that a young girl would wear)

Hooter - (over there it's a nose, over here it's . . . self-explanatory)

braces - (horribly expensive metal thingies to straighten one's teeth)

I love the way the Brits are always saying "brilliant," everything is always brilliant. There's also huge or hugely. Someone will say, I'm hugely disorganized. We never say hugely. That and "horrid," you guys like that word too.

A few years ago, there was a show on about Prince William's gap year somewhere in South America. Anyway, he was cleaning a toliet and wearing yellow rubber gloves and he referred to them as "marigolds." Never heard that one before; I thought it was funny.

I could go on and on and on, but I'll spare you.

 

[UKAnnie]

When I was over in the States last month I was in a craft class and as someone finished a project I complimented them and said "well done". She was doubled up with laughter at the expression - they say "good job". Another friend said her English grandmother used the expression and her daughter had said "you make me feel I've been left in the oven too long!"

Ann.

 

[Olaf]

Originally posted by UKAnnie
"you make me feel I've been left in the oven too long!"

That's a one good Ann.

Just being a nosey busy body. What kind of craft class did you take? Did you like it?

 

[UKAnnie]

Steph - I visited American friends and her church had a Super Saturday when all the ladies went to do crafts. In the church hall each big table had a craft to do and my friend signed me up for two. The first one was a snowman. It was a ready-made plaster? one which I painted and frosted. The second craft was pre-cut wooden stars and circles of wood which I painted and stacked together with a glue gun then wired on Christmas decorations to make a small Christmas tree.

I LOVE American hobby/craft shops such as Michael's, Jo-Anne's, etc. We have nothing like that in England, we're lucky to have a small small section of crafts in a department store. I also picked up some packs of Christmas decorations to make yourself, from Walmart - so cute and so cheap. They will be ideal for the girls at our church youth group to make. Again - nothing like that to be found in England.

Regards.

Ann.

 

[Olaf]

Yes, I'm craft store junkie myself. I have to really watch it, I can spend a ton of money in those places. Just about every Sunday (newspaper) there is a 40 percent off coupon for Michaels. It is so hard to resist!

I asked about your class because there is a rubber stamp/scrapping store near WDW, and I thought that you might have stopped by there. I've been meaning to check it out, but never seem to make it by there.

 

[UKAnnie]

Oooh! I've just thought of another funny re American customs that happened whilst we were in the US. DH and I went browsing in a small store that had the cutest things. As usual us Brits are not used to the overwhelming courtesy offered by your store assistants. We were greeted very warmly and she ended by saying "if you have any questions at all, please just ask". DH has a wicked sense of humour and a few minutes later went back and said to her "oh, yes I've a question - how old was Lenin when he died?!". Well you should have seen the poor girls face. She didn't know what to think or say. I quickly told her that it was just his eccentric English sense of humour! DH said "well you did say if I had any questions I just needed to ask".

Ann.

 

[Dimplenose]

There are craft shops if you look for them - I quite like Hobbycraft at Colliers Wood, but they have branches all over England. They are like a supermarket with all sorts of craft materials.

I'm sure they've got a website - I just don't have the address at the moment.

Libby

PS Marigold is a make of rubber gloves which tends to get used to describe any rubber glove. (A bit like hoover describes any vacuum cleaner)

 

[Bwalker]

Hi Ann,

I just had to chuckle over your response. I have a part-time at the Disney Store and of course, one of the things we are trained to say is "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask".

This offer must be amusing to more people than just your DH. Whenever I ask that of someone from your side of the pond, I can see the twinkle in their eye as they prepare themselves to come up with a question for me And of course, it is totally unrelated. The question is always followed up by an embarrassed wife who is usually apologetic for her DH which always makes me chuckle.

And the world continues to go round and round .......

Here's to our differences

Cheers,
Lorraine

 

[Olaf]

Thanks for the explanation on "marigolds" Dimplenose. I think I'm going to start calling them marigolds, it's sounds much better than rubber gloves.

 

[Enright78]

When I cut myself no one knew what i wanted when I asked for sticking plasters! I tried elastoplast and everyhting I could think of till my cousin reminded me that in the states they are Band Aid!!

 

[UKAnnie]

Libb - have just seen a tv advert for Hobbycraft stores. The nearest one to us is quite a drive - do you know what sort of things they stock? I like x-stitch and scrapbooking and am always looking for fun and inexpensive crafts for the kids at our youth group at church.

Lorrainne - thanks for your understanding of us poor wives of eccentric Englishmen. Thank goodness your courtesy and sense can stand them too!

Regards to all.

Ann.

 

[UKAnnie]

Steph - my daughter is a scrap-a-holic and she has a list of the best scrappin stores around WDW. I can find out from her which she thinks are the best ones if you would like. We (DH + DD + DSIL) are due to visit end of next January - just can't wait. So no doubt we will be visiting several of the scrappin' and craft stores in between our park visits.

Regards.

Ann.

 

[Dimplenose]

Hobbycraft stock things for lots of crafts e.g. rubber stamping, cross stitch, decoupage, plaster modelling and kids crafts. I think they're very good if you're starting out on a hobby or want to find something new to try. I can usually find what I want for rubber stamping but not always. If you're an expert at your hobby their stock may not be advanced enough.


I've found their website

www.hobbycraft.co.uk


hope this helps

Libby

 

[Olaf]

I'm into rubber and scrapbooking. It's a sickness! And there's no cure!

 

[BevS97]

Calgon ... one of the other mods said she was going to put Calgon in her bath and enjoy a nice soak ..... Calgon here is something we use to get rid of limescale in washing machines

You know, I have a feeling this is the same stuff.... It's just something that softens the water.

Bev

 

[BevS97]

Annie!

I didn't know you were into scrapbooking and you say you are in the North East. Where are you? I am always looking for fellow scrappers here in the North East, I'm in Whitley Bay.

You are right there's no hobbycraft up here, but Ward Art and Crafty at the MetroCentre is pretty good.

If you want to meet other scrapbookers in the UK, then click on the UKScrappers link in my signature.

and my apologies to everyone for this off-topic post, but I can't see a way to PM UKAnnie.

Bev