US versus UK english

[dontpanicbobby]

I know there are a lot of Phandroid Forums members from the United Kingdom and I need you to verify some of these terms I found while cruising around the web. Is this list even remotely accurate? I find it very hard to believe our language has diverged this much.

 

[EarlyMon]

Lmao!

Pants in the UK are the same as underpants. We both call them trousers.

The rest I'm not going near.

 

[Hadron]

The first two are genuine.

Many of the others are different in US and UK, but most certainly not what is said there:

Mailman is Postman
Restroom is Toilet
Pants are Trousers
Sidewalk is Pavement (that one is fun, because most Brita don't know what "pavement" means in the States!)
Tic-Tac-Toe is Noughts and Crosses
Eggplant is Avocado
Cotton Candy is Candy Floss

The others are the same both sides of the Pond.

(There is a slang term which relates restroom and cottage, but as this is a family forum we won't go there...)

 

[EarlyMon]

How can eggplant be avocado?

Your guacamole must be terrible! :rofl:

 

[mikedt]

How can eggplant be avocado?

Your guacamole must be terrible! :rofl:

I hope the school restaurant gets it right when I ask for Qi

 

[Hadron]

How can eggplant be avocado?

Your guacamole must be terrible! :rofl:

Oh yeah, you're right - that not an avocado (comes of looking at stuff on a little screen ).

Aubergine was the word I was looking for (took me a while to think of it - I knew it was brinjal, but couldn't think of the English!).

But as you see, people over here don't use eggplant anyway.

(And I must confess that I don't like guacamole anyway, whichever you make it with ).

 

[mikedt]

I know there are a lot of Phandroid Forums members from the United Kingdom and I need you to verify some of these terms I found while cruising around the web. Is this list even remotely accurate? I find it very hard to believe our language has diverged this much.

Did this list come from People's Education Press (Ministry of Education) in Beijing? Because I'm reasonably familiar with three sorts of English. US English, UK English and PRC English.

As far as eggplant goes, the books tend to favour(favor) American vocabulary. All the students and local English teachers know eggplant, and never heard of aubergine or bunglespleen(whatever that is). After all we do eat a lot of the stuff. For getting "Her Majesty's sugar barnet" instead of candy floss, that looks like they got confused with some Cockney rhyming slang. "Barnet fair" which is rhyming slang for hair.

BTW something to be aware of with PRC English, be very careful what you order...

Guanchang = a sausage.
Guanchang = an enema.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

The list is from twitter via Neatorama.

 

[SiempreTuna]

Can't see the original link, but in the UK we call an "eraser" a "rubber"

Similarly, in the UK and Aus, we commonly use the leading brand name when referring to sticky tape. In the UK, this is "Selotape" while in Aus, it's "Durex" .. which is the leading brand of condom in the UK

 

[mikedt]

I just posted it into my WeChat micro-blog, so all the students and friends can see it. Although I'm quite sure many of them won't know what a pretzel is, because we don't have those here.

 

[Codegerm]

I just posted it into my WeChat micro-blog, so all the students and friends can see it. Although I'm quite sure many of them won't know what a pretzel is, because we don't have those here.

What, no pretzels?!

 

[SiempreTuna]

.. it's not like have Dubbya as premier

 

[zuben el genub]

I remember the Vulcan running into UK terms when he had a Triumph 500cc bike.
He wandered in wanting to know what a "spanner" was. The manual was printed in the UK.

Figured since I had a British sports car, I'd know.

 

[SiempreTuna]

A "spanner" is an eejit - as any fule kno

 

[EarlyMon]

No no, a spanner is that sorta round thing under bridges that makes them safe for British motors.

It's also what the bicycle repair man used so adroitly.

 

[rabidhunter]

Ha, because of a factory that was established long ago in my city, the nickname of our city is Pretzel City. Our high school mascot is the Pretzels. Does this mean that we are Salty Harrumph City? And when another town plays against our high school, are they playing the Harrumphs?

 

[lunatic59]

Just another day for Bicycle Repairman.

 

[EarlyMon]

 

[Stuntman]

I thought I'd chime in with the Canadian English versions:

US / Canadian

Zip Code / Postal Code
Fall / Fall or Autumn
Donuts / Doughnuts
Restroom / Washroom
Plow / Plough

 

[EarlyMon]

I thought I'd chime in with the Canadian English versions:

US / Canadian

Zip Code / Postal Code eh
Fall / Fall or Autumn eh
Donuts / Doughnuts eh
Restroom / Washroom eh
Plow / Plough eh

Ftfy

 

[Codegerm]

I thought I'd chime in with the Canadian English versions:

US / Canadian

Zip Code / Postal Code
Fall / Fall or Autumn
Donuts / Doughnuts
Restroom / Washroom
Plow / Plough

It is actually doughnuts here in the US too. "Donuts" is just part of the trademark name for Dunkin' Donuts. Krispy Kreme's sign says doughnuts. Krispy Kreme is better anyways...

Home - Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Coffee

 

[big_z]

My last company made me take a public speaking class. The instructor remarked that she had been assigned to speak to a group of UK and US people on airline security. She mentioned "fanny packs" several times. The UK people were mortified, which she noticed. Later she caught them in an elevator and asked them about it. Moral of the story: make sure you know what's offensive in your target cultures.

 

[Codegerm]

There is a big difference between "knocked up" British definition and "knocked up" US definition!

 

[mikedt]

There's a big difference between ****** US definition and ****** UK definition... yes make sure you know what's offensive to your host's culture...good advice from @big_z

 

[out of ideas]

It's bathroom, not restroom!

Grrr...words.