US English versus English English & customs & attitudes etc etc etc

[Ash aka sky]

Originally posted by acepepper
Btw, anyone wanting an excellent sample of the English language in it's most wonderful form, should get hold of a copy a a British comedy called The Office. It doesn't get any better than that.

The Office is shown regularly on BBC America.

 

[Richyams]

I watch a lot of TV, never heard of 'The Office'....I have only watched BBC America once or twice, now that Benny Hill is gone, there aint no reason to watch it. Maybe I need to check it out.

A lone man in a diner should refrain from asking a young, nubile, female waitress for a breakfast banger.....unless she looks real open minded and kind of loose.

 

[MinnieYC]

It's fun to remember the slight differences.

The term "toilets" can be crass to some Americans. When you hear toilet in the US, it's usually referring to the actual toilet, rather than the room where it is located.

I've noticed that if you ask someone in London where the elevator is, you'll often get a blank stare. But I rarely hear it being called a lift in the US.

Chips (UK) = Fries (US)
Crisps (U) = Chips (US)

Football (UK) = Soccer (US)
American Football (UK) = Football (US)

Knickers (UK) = Panties (US)

At Broadway shows, the section closest to the stage is referred to as the orchestra section.
At West End shows, this section is the stalls.

The term sweets is used a lot more in the UK than in the US.

 

[elisebutt]

You could go on for hours on this one

Pavement(UK) - Sidewalk(US)
Tights (UK) - Pantyhose - (US)
Pants (UK) - Panties (US)
Trousers(UK) - Pants (US)

etc etc etc

 

[Jimbo]

DW and I were just talking last night about how the British throw around the word "brilliant." Here the word is reserved for something really spectacular, but the British seem to use it to simply mean satisfactory.

There's an irritating US commercial for Guinness that sort of mocks this. A brewer comes up with an idea ("we'll put it in bottles"), and another brewer says "brilliant!!!" Over and over.

Plus if you've ever had our Guinness you wouldn't say it's brilliant in the US way. Maybe in the British way.

 

[2BoysMum&Dad]

In Britain, the meaning of the word "brilliant" is often in the tone of voice. If you mean it to really mean brilliant in the way you say Americans use the word, jimbo, you would have to look kind of excited with it.

This word can also be said with a sort of "sarcastic" tone of voice and maybe a bit of a sneer and then it will mean that something is stupid or a joke.

With Brits, you really have to listen to the tone of voice as much as the actual words they are using and try "reading between the lines".

2BoysMum&Dad

 

[elisebutt]

That brings up another thing - the way we use different words - A current one is 'pants'

Loads of the kids use this to describe something thats rubbish!!

i.e - that new show on t.v is really pants!!!!

LOL

 

[Jimbo]

DW's fairly new job requires her to have a lot of phone meetings with their British group. She said that these guys were throwing around the "brilliants" like crazy. So for a while she thought she was pretty hot stuff. Eventually she's figured out that with these guys, at least, it's just basically is a synonym for OK.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

When at WDW, please don't ask Mickey to "knock you up" in the morning!



When I was in London the desk clerk at the hotel asked me, "what time would you like to be knocked up"..........
I thought.......what a friendly place!!



Also - is it: Garbage (northern US and Canada), Trash (Southern US) or rubbish??

 

[emmagata]

Originally posted by 2BoysMum&Dad
"Take the piss" is the phrase you are after. It is an unpolite phrase in Britain meaning "joke", "taking the piss" = "joking" and not necessarily a phrase you would want to use in front of children (although I don't think it's technically a swear word!). This word is also a verb relating to going to the toilet or "restroom"!!!

I suppose that the English phrase could considered similar to something we say when we are laughing so hard that we think we are going to pee (in) our pants.

 

[emmagata]

Originally posted by 2BoysMum&Dad
In Britain, the meaning of the word "brilliant" is often in the tone of voice. If you mean it to really mean brilliant in the way you say Americans use the word, jimbo, you would have to look kind of excited with it.

This word can also be said with a sort of "sarcastic" tone of voice and maybe a bit of a sneer and then it will mean that something is stupid or a joke.

With Brits, you really have to listen to the tone of voice as much as the actual words they are using and try "reading between the lines".

2BoysMum&Dad

We have quite a few words that have a dual purpose depending on the tone of the voice.

Fantastic
Great
Lovely
Wonderful
Terrific
Marvelous(not many people use this word anymore)
Nice
"way to go"

 

[issa]

while I was having a conversation with a european, trying to arrange plans, they kept saying "fine". We would ask things like "Would you like to go out for dinner? Thier reply was simply "Fine".

Are you sure?
"Yes, that's fine"

As we continued making plans they continued with the "fine"'still I was really worried I had done somthing wrong or offended them.

When I finally asked what was the matter..did they have any other ideas or were they upset, they looked startled..they were actually fine!!!! like ok, happy..taken literally...FINE


Fine in the US is generally used when people are ticked off and just agree to a situation rather than an argument

 

[caitycaity]

btw, the toilet thing definately wouldn't offend me or anyone i know. i guess it probably depends on where in the US you are.

i never call it a restroom, i always say bathroom.

 

[peg2001]

If you get a blank stare as you try to ask for an "ice lolly" on a hot day, try using "popcicle."

I had the pleasure of working with a fellow from Britain a few years ago and this is the one we joked about most. The first time he offered us an ice lolly, we had no idea what he was talking about.

Peggy

 

[NMAmy]

Oh, I love this thread. My husband is British and even though he's lived in the States for 25 years will still throw out the odd phrase from time to time. As people stare at him blankly, I'll quickly translate for him!

The one I've had to break him of is telling me to "mind" something. If a car is rushing at me in my blind spot in a parking lot (oops...car park!), he'll shout frantically, "Mind the car!" It's one situation where I can't translate quickly enough to realize what the heck he's saying! He's now learned that he can tell me to mind something any other time, but in a dangerous situation he must tell me to "Watch out for that car!"

We did go to England this summer to meet the folks so I got to hear "Mind the gap" incessantly on the tube.

 

[Feralpeg]

I've taken the opportunity to talk with many visitors to WDW from the U.K. and I have to say that I have never encountered a rude or unfriendly person from your country! In many ways, some U.S. visitors should use you and your countrymen as an example of good behavior. Please enjoy yourself and don't worry about offending anyone. From my experience, you are all so polite, I can't image you'd offend anyone. If you inadvertantly do, it is not your problem. Anyone who takes offense at someone else's honest mistake is not worth worrying over.

Have a great trip!

 

[onecoolmama]

While writing in the US and one makes a mistake...I would try to refrain from asking for a rubber.

We say the word eraser...it would be taken quite differently then you would mean!

I love this thread. My grandfather was English and fought in the war for England. He always tells me that I speak American and he infact speaks English! LOL!

 

[sharbear]

How about putting something in the boot of the car. I always have to think about that one! (I sure hope I'm right, isn't that the trunk)

 

[Danauk]

Oh I love this thread. When my American friend came to visit last year we had so much fun trying to explain different words to one another. I still can't bear to use the American word for a bum bag, which my DH took great delight in using a lot when we went to WDW!!
Also have any of you British people tried explaining the comcept of a traditional British christmas pantomime to American friends? I tried to explain it to a few American friends who really couldn't understand the concept of one, and really couldn't see how it was a family show!!

 

[Phrebert]

We went to England on our Honeymoon. One sign really caught us off guard: "Mind your Head."