English is a foreign language

[vincegamer]

call(v.):
UK = visit
USA = telephone

ring (v.):
UK = telephone
USA = (contextually) hit - or else completely meaningless.

 

[Gin1906]

This one is for the ladies,
when I was younger I lived in a foster home, the foster parents were from Canada, the looks on faces at dinner when I ask for a napkin :wow:
Turns out a \"napkin\' is for feminine hygene. While a \"servette\" (not sure if I that correctly) is what you would wipe you mouth with at dinner!
Still cracks me up.
Gin

 

[Naukhel]

Originally posted by dauber22
Well, in the US, I\'d definately get strange looks if I excused myself to step outside and \"blow a fag\"

This brings to mind an old radio sketch, with a british host doing a show about cigarette appreciation, and an american guy calls in to the show.

\"So, you like to suck fags, right? Good for you! What kind of fag do you like to suck?\"
\"Huh? What? I just...\"
\"Oh, come on now, mate. Be honest. You\'ve called in. Tell us how much you like to suck fags!\"

It goes on for a few minutes, until the american guy breaks down in tears and admits he\'s gay on the radio, at which point the host of the show makes fun of him for not knowing what the show was about.

 

[Ritual]

Funny no-one\'s mentioned \'pissed\' yet... :]

 

[Naukhel]

I think they\'re the same.
USA: Pissed - Could be angry or drunk.
UK: Pished - Could be angry or drunk.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by Naukhel
I think they\'re the same.
USA: Pissed - Could be angry or drunk.
UK: Pished - Could be angry or drunk.

Maybe so, but I\'ve seen a couple of examples where things have got confused thanks to this word.

For instance, recently there was a photo exhibit here in Stockholm by a Swedish photographer who had documented the British rockabilly scene sometime in the late fifties or sixties. There was one photo where he apparently had instructed the guy he was shooting to look \'pissed\' (he wanted him to look mean...). The guy interpreted the instruction a bit differently and the photo was quite amusing!

 

[Naukhel]

Sometimes, you just have to pay attention to the context. lol

It would really help if those british people didn\'t talk so funny, though, wouldn\'t it?

*gets beat upside the head by his british wife*

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Originally posted by wiccanpony

Originally posted by Dragon Forge Design

I wouldn\'t have categorized a \"wench\" the same as a \"slut\". Maybe the US version is different in other parts of the country, but a WENCH is just an evil, ornery woman, Like a bitch, just less cursy.

No thats a Witch.. a wench is still like a slut.. like a bar wench... or maybe not lol

Am Not!!lol

Oh Gosh..ive gone and done it now.. please don\'t put a curse on me

 

[Modderrhu]

Originally posted by Naukhel
I think they\'re the same.
USA: Pissed - Could be angry or drunk.
UK: Pished - Could be angry or drunk.

I think in the UK, well SA anyway, it\'s:
pissed off - angry
pissed - drunk
The US makes its distinction based on the context?

 

[sniffles]

Originally posted by Gin1906
This one is for the ladies,
when I was younger I lived in a foster home, the foster parents were from Canada, the looks on faces at dinner when I ask for a napkin :wow:
Turns out a \"napkin\' is for feminine hygene. While a \"servette\" (not sure if I that correctly) is what you would wipe you mouth with at dinner!
Still cracks me up.
Gin

I think it\'s \"Serviette\". Anyone?

I remember being quite confused while staying with a family in London one summer, and the mum asked at dinner one night what her children would like for pudding. Then she offered them a selection of items: fruit, ice cream, etc. ???

US: Pudding - a dessert dish with a similar consistency to yogurt. Chocolate and butterscotch are among the most popular flavors.

UK: Pudding - synonym for dessert.

I grew up with a similar sort of vocabulary issue going on, though. Growing up in Texas, when you asked someone if they wanted a coke, you meant, \"Do you want a carbonated flavored beverage?\" You then would follow by telling them what choices they had - Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, etc. But here in the Pacific Northwest when you say Coke you mean Coca-Cola. When you\'re offering generically it\'s a \"pop\".

 

[Naukhel]

Brevity is all, so context is relevant.
\"I\'m so pissed... I love you guys!\"

\"That guy just called my mom a bitch! I\'m so pissed at him!\"

 

[Gin1906]

you guys are missing my favorite one in relation to my sister... I\'m so drunk I just pissed myself.....


as to the whole soda, coke, pop thing, when I was in the Army, you could tell what part of the country a person was from (generally) by how they ordered their beverage, up northeast ish its soda, south its coke and northwest pop.
even though I grew up in the northwest, I refer to it as soda. When DH asks for a pop, I usually smack him up side the head, POP
Gin

 

[bayrodney]

I\'m only familiar with the USA definitions, Slut is one word where i use the USA definition lol

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Originally posted by Gin1906
you guys are missing my favorite one in relation to my sister... I\'m so drunk I just pissed myself.....


as to the whole soda, coke, pop thing, when I was in the Army, you could tell what part of the country a person was from (generally) by how they ordered their beverage, up northeast ish its soda, south its coke and northwest pop.
even though I grew up in the northwest, I refer to it as soda. When DH asks for a pop, I usually smack him up side the head, POP
Gin

POP is what the weasel does.. soda is something you drink

When I was in college in Wisconsin..we had the ol water fountain vrs Bubbler debait..

 

[Sand Rat]

Well, as a Texan, with a damn yankee for a father (Yank - UK - American Yank - US - Northerner Damn Yankee - US Southern - Northerner who moves to the south and stays), who grew up watching British comedy, my Anglish/Merican/Spanglish is just hellish.

Now I work in Iraq with folks from the whole world - and try to make myself understood to Indians who learned proper Anglish Anglish.

Gets confusticating from time to time!

 

[Dedwrekka]

Originally posted by sniffles

Originally posted by Gin1906
This one is for the ladies,
when I was younger I lived in a foster home, the foster parents were from Canada, the looks on faces at dinner when I ask for a napkin :wow:
Turns out a \"napkin\' is for feminine hygene. While a \"servette\" (not sure if I that correctly) is what you would wipe you mouth with at dinner!
Still cracks me up.
Gin

I think it\'s \"Serviette\". Anyone?

I remember being quite confused while staying with a family in London one summer, and the mum asked at dinner one night what her children would like for pudding. Then she offered them a selection of items: fruit, ice cream, etc. ???

US: Pudding - a dessert dish with a similar consistency to yogurt. Chocolate and butterscotch are among the most popular flavors.

UK: Pudding - synonym for dessert.

I grew up with a similar sort of vocabulary issue going on, though. Growing up in Texas, when you asked someone if they wanted a coke, you meant, \"Do you want a carbonated flavored beverage?\" You then would follow by telling them what choices they had - Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, etc. But here in the Pacific Northwest when you say Coke you mean Coca-Cola. When you\'re offering generically it\'s a \"pop\".

Actually I think the Serviette/Napkin thing is a dispute between English and French. Serviette is, very roughly, French for household linen.

Heck, down here try telling someone you actually ment that you want a Coca-Cola and they stare at you like your crazy. Everyone here only serves Dr. Pepper.

 

[Naukhel]

Dedwrecka...
Did they all spend the late 70\'s and early 80\'s watching Scott Baio singing his way through the commercials?

I drink Dr. Pepper and I\'m proud...
I\'m part of an original crowd...

There are several places in the world where those commercials and Mr. Baio\'s \'cute appeal\' in those days created cults of \'Peppers\' that have carried on to the current day.

This appeal has been cut off in some northern states by Pepsi\'s \'Generation Next\' campaign, and in the western regions by the Mountain Dew X-treme assault.

But in the Great White North, Coke is holding firm and steady, proudly bearing only red and white as its colours, stirring patriotic fervour in all canadians.

Strangely, all of these groups feel good about 7-Up.

Ha ha haaaaah.

 

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by Modderrhu
How about \'wank\'?
Some places in the US refer to smart people as wanks. In the UK, it\'s decidedly different.

I think that \"wonk\" is an expert and wank is, well, you know... and then there are the wank wonks, I suppose.

Also, the original Dr. Pepper guy was David Naughton, the same guy from American Werewolf in London.

 

[Naukhel]

True. But he didn\'t have Scott Baio\'s \'cute appeal\'.
He just had the \'lucky bastard had that great sex scene in that movie\' appeal.

 

[Hoblit]

hehe. This whole thread just reminded me of a Joke.

What\'s a Yankee?

It\'s like a quickee but you do it yourself.lol