The US and the UK - two countries separated by a common language!
By rosie_123
@rosie_123 (6113)
March 10, 2007 7:28am CST
As I was reading through MyLot this morning, I came across a thread about "chips", and got totally confused, because, of course, the things we call chips here in the UK are NOT the same things that people in the US mean when they speak of chips. And it got me thinking about an old quote from George Bernard Shaw - that "England and America are two countries separated by a common language".
I'm not so much talking about the spelling here - such as we say COLOUR and FAVOUR, and the Americans drop the "u", but I'm thinking about actual words that mean different things in both languages, and can cause confusion.
The one that always comes to mind with me is the innocuous little English word "f*g". In the UK this is just another word for a cigarette, but I know that in the States it means something different entirely, and I learnt that the hard way, when I once said I was "dying for a f*g" when I was in the US, and got some really funny looks - LOL! In fact it must be so serious in the States, that I was shocked to find I wasn't even allowed to type the word when I started this discussion, - it told me it was a "violation" - LOL - which is why I had to add the asterisk!!! So can you think of any others?
13 people like this
34 responses
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
10 Mar 07
Yes there are so many words that can be different and I had to laugh when you said you were dying for a f*g, I would have love to have seen the looks you got!
In some spell checks, it used to annoy me that whenever a u was put in like neighbour and colour it would underline it to say it was a wrong spelling, then I realized I had the US spellcheck on LOL... Talk about D'oh..
Ok others, well theres..
Sweets in the UK, in USA it's called candy
UK biscuit USA cookie
UK loo USA bathroom
UK lift USA elevator
UK nappy USA diaper
UK flat USA apartment
UK dummy USA pacifier
Check this link out will give you lots and lots more
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/words.htm
4 people like this
@sweetlady10 (3611)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Sometime I feel the English language is crazy lol. Every country where English is the main language has some of their own words. Like for the same things British use one word, in US it is different so in Canada and Australia. When you say petrol in UK we say gas in US. I think in Canada they use some words as like British and some like here in US and ofcourse they have some of their own. Canadian call it pop when in US we call it soda. In UK you spell cosy and in US we spell it cozy.
3 people like this
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
10 Mar 07
The soda/pop argument cuts a deep riff in US society, lol. I grew up in Chicago and always called it pop. But I went to college in Missouri and there was a huge collective argument that went on my first year over what you call it, lol. Finally they had to ban any posters that called it one or the other to stop the constant bickering (I kid you now--I guess there wasn't much to do in town). We either had to call it "soda pop" or "carbonated beverages."
It is still a discussion I hear a lot. I have started calling it soda, now, but I don't know why.
3 people like this
@cristlegirl (817)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Actually in michigan and the some of the northren states, we also use pop in place of soda. I didn't hear the word soda until I was 6 and moved to colorado. Some states you don't use either, just the name of what you want.
2 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
10 Mar 07
Ah yes - soda! To a Brit, soda just means bicarbonate of soda, that you either use to clean kitchens with, or to dissolve in water to settle an upset stomach. A fizzy drink is just - well a fizzy drink!!!
1 person likes this
@livingtwist (410)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Now thats for sure true, we are separated by a common language. I spent little over 6 years in the UK as a field engineer for a US aerospace firm and found this to be true in many everday dealings with the folks there. Many things were confusing and didn't sem to make sense to me till I had ben there for awhile. I'm sure its way a lot of folks feel when coming to the US at first, we tend to not really understand till we've been there and experienced it first hand. And as a tourist you never seem to have ebnough time to grasp this. Having lived and worked there for a few years made on fully aware of the differences.
3 people like this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
11 Mar 07
Sometimes I think someone should write a Brittish-American English dictionary.Here is one of the words that can confuse us cousins, braces. In the U.K they are supports for pants, in the U.S. they are a way to straighten teeth.The phrase that means totally different things is "knock me up". In the U.K. it means that you will visit. In the U.S. I can't say what it means.A word that is spelled differently is licence. In the U.S. we spell it lisence.How about biscuits? In the U.K. they are what we call cookies. Here in the U.S. they are similiar to your scones.See why we need that dictionary?
3 people like this
@Married2aMarine (1273)
• United States
10 Mar 07
I grew up learning the Queen's English (UK style) and am now married to an American. We tease each other constantly about the words we use like trunk vs boot of a vehicle, serviette vs napkin, etc. It's hard now cos' we have a little one and I guess I have to teach him American English since that's where we're residing now. So, I have to be conscious about the words I use to describe things. Sigh....what a pain in the you know where!!!
3 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
10 Mar 07
Ah yes - I never understood that napkin thing! To us Brits, a napkin is a bib you put on a baby to stop them spilling their food all over themselves. It is not feminine hygeine at all!
2 people like this
@Cougarlover152 (108)
• United States
10 Mar 07
I'll be marrying a gent from the Manchester area in a couple of weeks, and we have great fun with the language differences! Can you imagine the look on his face when I asked him to please get me a towel? (In England, "towel" refers to a woman's sanitary napkin!)
@TheKristoffersens (200)
• Denmark
10 Mar 07
Very funny discussion. I have to say that as a non native Englsih speaker, it is even harder for us to use the appropriate version of the word in the appropriate circumstances. Where I worked before, there was a lady who did the exact same mistake as you with the f.g word, except that she actually asked someone to join her for one ! Imagine how far this could have gone if it had not turned into a company joke ;) Anyway, in my case, I just use both versions of the words like nappy or diaper, mail or post, elevator or lift, depends on what comes to my mind first !But because I have many English native friends, I am more likely to use the English version (if I said diaper, they would just correct me and say NAPPY!)
3 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
10 Mar 07
Well my partner is a non-native English speaker too, though he has lived in the UK over 20 years now, so I appreciate your problems. Thanks for your response, - I've really enjoyed reading all the responses here.
@jan135 (535)
• Australia
10 Mar 07
Yeh the old chip thing,in the UK chips are called crisps.
In Australia crisps are called chips and then you have hot chips which in the US are called fries. Confused!!! LOL.
Then there's the vest thing. In Australia a vest is called a singlet and a vest to an Australian is a waistcoat.
I find it quite funny all the different names for different things in the English speaking countries.
2 people like this
@greengal (4286)
• United States
10 Mar 07
F*g, yes I remember the one..lol Coming from India where the English language has the Brit influence I had a tough time too when we I came to the US. UK and India use more or less the same English words. Of course some are most "Indianised" lol
Well coming back to words, we say pavement where as in the US it is sidewalk. I think it is a motorway in UK where here it is a freeway/highway. Do they use the word parcel for left over food in restaurants taken home? I'm not sure of that one because in India we say parcel and here in the US it's a "to go" box or doggie bag..lol And parcel means something sent by mail.
I must say I enjoyed this discussion rosie, I read the earlier responses on nappy and towels..lol~ We too wipe ourselves dry with towels but of course sanitary napkins are sometimes called sanitary towels as well. Ah the English language, tricky as ever! I will surely add to this if I remember more.
2 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
11 Mar 07
Well we don't really use "parcel" to describe food taken from a restaurant here in England, - we would day "doggie bag" too! The only time parcel would be used to describe food, is in relation to aid sent to refugees, or perhaps people in natural disasters etc, where food is packaged up to be sent abroad, and usually described as a "food parcel"!
One that nobody has mentionesd yet, that I just thought of was the fact that most Americans say "trash", whereas we in the UK call it "rubbish". We will take the (rubbish) bins out for collection, never the trash cans! Thanks for your response!
2 people like this
@lvap0628 (731)
• Philippines
12 Mar 07
This is a very good discussion rosie_123. Coming from an Asian country, I've learned a lot from this thread. We are more used to the American English language so when we hear British English we get lost.
@winky73 (1404)
• United States
12 Mar 07
Thanks rosie_123....I really had fun reading all the different responses.I started learning english in 5th grade in germany and they teach what I call the proper english and when I started being around more americans I ran into some of those little mix ups as well.The only word I can think of right now is mate....nobody here would use that word to describe someone as a friend.
2 people like this
@elisa812 (3026)
• United States
11 Mar 07
Haha yes, I know exactly what you mean! I have been really confused by those types of slang differences too. Back before I met my husband, I had a male friend who was from the UK and I'm from the US, and he told me I looked "well fit." I was so confused! I actually laughed at him cause I thought he was telling me I was really healthy, lol. I finally realized it meant something different to him. hehe
2 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
11 Mar 07
I hope you took his comment as a compliment - for it was surely mesnt as one:-))
@revdauphinee (5703)
• United States
10 Mar 07
yes the funniest one to me is when anenglish person askes an american what time they want to be knocked up in the morning?In america this means getting someone pregnant!
2 people like this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Cot-This one confused me for quite awhile. I would hear people saying they had the cot for the baby or their baby sleeps in a cot. To me a cot is a metal framed fold up bed for camping or in emergency shelters. Apparently in the UK a cot is a baby crib.
Nappy-For me this is what I tell my two year old he needs when he's tired. "Time for a nappy" or It's nappy time" In the UK this is a diaper.
That's all I can think of for now. I'll give it some more thought and probably come up with a few more!
2 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
10 Mar 07
Yes - you are right with those. A cot here in England is a small bed with protective sides for a baby, whilst the bed you use in camping is just a "camp bed"! LOL! I never knew you called it a cot!!! And I must admit I just don't like the word "diaper" - don't know why - a nappy sounds much nicer to me:-)) Guess it's just what you're used to!
I always get confused my Autumn, and Fall too. We call it Autumn, because of all the lovely autumnal colours. Guess Americans call it "Fall" because it's when the leaves fall!? Thanks for your response.
1 person likes this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
10 Mar 07
I don't really care for "diaper" either. I tried nappy once after I figured out it wasn't just a word for sleeping but got a few too many strange looks. I try to just say "the baby needs to be changed" or "we have to buy some *brand name*".
Another one I think is a UK word is dummy. Here we put "pacifiers" in the baby's mouth if their fussy. A dummy is someone that's not too bright.
Holiday- as in "I'm going on a holiday" In the US, holiday is a day to celebrate like Christmas or New Year's. In the UK it's when you go away or take a break from work or school (we say vacation).
Here's one I'm still not sure of, here we put GAS in our cars and can take pain medication while giving birth, in the UK you take GAS while giving birth and put petrol (I think) in your cars. What exactly is that gas? Obviously it's not what we use for fuel in our cars.
Bum-We use this too a little when we're referring to our backsides but mostly it means either a homeless person or someone who's being lazy.
2 people like this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
10 Mar 07
The gas we use is called Entonox - it's a mixture of oxygen, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which is meant to provide good pain relief without making you drowsy, or too weak to push. And yes - we most definately don't use petrol in childbirth, but we do put it in our cars!!! LOL! We do occasionally use bum here too if we are describing a lazy person, but it's not that common.
1 person likes this
@viviansnow (29)
• China
10 Mar 07
Yes~``
It's hard to distinguish AmE and BE~```to our Chinese or other people who are learning English.~~`
What is the exactly meaning of 'the first floor'?
I's a very interesting thing to me like chinese to you.
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Ha ha, good question. I consider the first floor to be whatever one you walk into first--which I guess is the ground floor to others. I get thoroughly confused when buildings use the ground floor then 1st floor configuration because I think--if I'm walking up stairs I am going to the 2nd floor, not the 1st.
2 people like this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
10 Mar 07
First floor is the one above the ground floor, the ground floor being the one at ground level.
[For your information, "distinguish BETWEEN AmE and BE.]
All the best urban
2 people like this
@claudia413 (4280)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Very interesting discussion, Rosie. I am in the USA and have both Canadian and UK friends. We always get tickled at the other's usage of certain words. You can certainly learn a lot by having friends from other countries and also by reading a lot.
We have a lot of different words for the same thing here in the states, usually depending on what part of the country you're from. It can really be funny at times when you're trying to figure out what someone else means, and you know you're both speaking "English".
2 people like this
@Signal20 (2281)
• United States
10 Mar 07
I remember a couple years ago, my ex's parents had 2 friends from the UK. THe came over here to visit once, and one thing I thought was funny, the husband had such a strong & thick "accent", I couldn't understand a word he was saying lol. No problems understanding the wife. She said it was because he was from the southern part, don't recall where now, she said the slums lol. I guess that's no different then here in the US with the different accents across our country. But anyway, the husband was talking about something, and said this word. I said huh? He repeated it and I was still lost lol, and finally turned to his wife to find out what he was talking about, he said you know, where you put your car. Apparantly he was talking about a garage, I can't remember what the word he was using. But I remember thinking the same thing you're saying, it's amazing how words have total different meanings. I watch reruns of Ab Fab on BBC every now and then, they'll say I have to get a f*g, and I just think I'm surprised the FCC didn't jump all over that being as it's broadcasted here....:)
2 people like this
@cristlegirl (817)
• United States
10 Mar 07
I tend to pick up things from movies a watch and books I read, and I went through this huge Brittish obsession, I'm in the u.s. So for a long time a used the brittish meaning for words, I still do sometimes! I got some very strange looks from people.
2 people like this
@ScotsFerret (375)
•
10 Mar 07
The biggest one for me when I was younger and watched any American programs on the TV was fanny as far as I was concerned they were swearing until I realised they actually meant bum.
Another that I saw mentioned was Sneakers (US) - Runners (Canada) but here in the UK we call them Trainers mostly but then you also have regional variations such as Gutties or Pumps.
As for the 'Soda' 'Pop' debate for me it was always just 'Juice' until my fiancé moved up from Wales, he calls it pop, when I asked him if he wanted juice he thought I meant fruit juice so we had a fairly long discussion about juice lol
For him its... For me its...
pop - fizzy juice - juice or whatever type of fizzy juice IE cola
squash - - diluting juice
juice - - fruit juice IE fresh orange
Also here in Scotland you can sometimes here fizzy juice being referred to as 'ginger' but not so often any more
1 person likes this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
10 Mar 07
Yes - juice is just fruit juice here in the South too. LOL! Thanks for your answer!
@cillerman (403)
• Bulgaria
11 Mar 07
Americans shouldn't pretend that their english is something different. It's still english. I am very annoyed when americans call their english... AMERICAN. It's so lame that they don't even have their own language, but they claim others'.
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
11 Mar 07
Well to an English person, their use of the language is so different from ours, it almost is another language - OL!
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
12 Mar 07
I call what we speak here in the States American English.
1 person likes this
