Different words for the same things depending on which country you're in.

Options
14041424345

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,081 Member
    Options
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Ironically, Oklahoma is notorious for tornados due to it being mostly flat while there are also hardly any basements in the state because the water table is too high...due to it being mostly flat.

    As for the toilet being in the bathroom, it just makes sense. You need the sink there to wash your hands, it's already a private space and it's logical to centrally locate all the plumbing.
    There is a trend with newer/nicer homes these days of having a "closet" of sorts for the toilet within the bathroom (I assume so that John can use the john without fumigating Martha while she showers).

    And yes, if you are standing up with water pouring into you, you are taking a shower and not a bath. Taking a bath involves sitting/laying in standing water. Most bathrooms here have bathtubs with shower heads installed. A separate shower is mostly only used when space is at a premium or when it's a really nice bathroom complete with a whirlpool/garden tub (and perhaps a toilet closet).

    Ooh, I must have a nice home.... we have a toilet with a separate door that opens out of the ensuite (master) bathroom. But we also have a stand alone toilet (not a "half bath, just a tiny room with the toilet in there) in the hall and then we walk a few steps to the other bathroom to wash our hands.
    I've learnt lots about US words for bathrooms watching US house hunters shows - I didn't know what half bath (toilet and handbasin) three quarter bath (toilet, handbasin, shower but no bath), full bath (all the stuff including a bath) were but now I'm much more educated! Oh, and I know a soaking tub from a jetted tub. I think we would call them a bath vs a spa.

    I've also learnt that apparently the things that everyone desires in a house in the US are open concept living room/kitchen, hardwood floors, granite countertops and double basins in the master bath. Unless you want a tiny home but even then people still want baths half the time.

    We must have a nice home too.... Our ensuite has a toilet with a door. Our other toilet is right next to the main bathroom aswell.

    What do other places call the outback/bush? As in, desert areas, or areas that aren't forested, just heavily shrubbed? If you live in those areas here, youre living "in the bush" or "Out bush". We do have some forests/rainforests, but lots of "bush"

    Hereabouts (Michigan/US), if we're talking about where people live (but with bigger spaces between them), we'd say "out in the country". As in, "I live in the city, but my sister lives out in the country." "Rural area" is another, slightly more formal, term. If you're talking about (true) wilderness, or mountains, or desert, or something, you might say that instead. But any of those could be "out in the country" conversationally, too.

    To me, "out in the country" implies a rural area with a farming type feel. Corn fields, cows, barns and horses...
    "Out in the sticks" implies more of a backwoodsy setting.

    I would also recognize "out in the bushes" as a variant of "out in the sticks."

    ETA: go far enough out into the sticks and you'll end up "out in the boonies."
    (Also, boondocks or boonieville)

    I recognize "out in the sticks" or "boonies" as a more casual variant, with the latter being really far out there. Also, some less polite terms like "BFE" (b*m-f***ing Egypt is the usual translation of the abbreviation). I've also heard "out in Podunk" for living on (for example) a spot way out in the country but near an intersection with maybe a gas station, convenience store, bar and/or church. ;)
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    Yeah, I've heard "out in Podunk" as well. I usually say East Boonieville.
  • ninthnarnian
    ninthnarnian Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    What about the term Redneck?

    For someone "out in the country" and not so ehem.. Refined shall we say.

    I have also heard Hillbilly

    What do other countries (I'm in USA) call these "folks?"
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    What about the term Redneck?

    For someone "out in the country" and not so ehem.. Refined shall we say.

    I have also heard Hillbilly

    What do other countries (I'm in USA) call these "folks?"

    Redneck and hillbilly are not the same.
    A redneck is a typically southern (though not exclusively), unrefined, blue collar "good ol' boy."
    A hillbilly is a backwoodsy hick from hill country, typically Appalachia (aka, my dad's side of the family).
    A hick is a person who lives "out in the country" or "in the sticks" and acts/talks in a way befitting their rural lifestyle.

    ETA: for example, the guys from Duck Dynasty are rednecks. Turtle Man is a hillbilly.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    What about the term Redneck?

    For someone "out in the country" and not so ehem.. Refined shall we say.

    I have also heard Hillbilly

    What do other countries (I'm in USA) call these "folks?"

    I use the term redneck too' but only if they live out in the sticks/bush/boonies. People who live in the city are called ferals. Like the people who live down the end of our street in the only rented property around here... They are loud and love to fight in their front yard, can not finish a sentence without using the F and C words, treat their dog ( i will continue to call the rspca every week until they take him away) and kids like crap, their front yard hasnt been mowed in months and have and will live on welfare for the rest of their lives after popping out 5 more kids, and for some reason kids that live in these families don't own shoes! They are the average Aussie feral.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    I asked this before, do all Americans say Erbs instead of Herbs? Why is the H silent?
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    Options
    I asked this before, do all Americans say Erbs instead of Herbs? Why is the H silent?

    Cause American English. The "H" is pronounced when it's someone's name... Like "Herb"
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Options
    I asked this before, do all Americans say Erbs instead of Herbs? Why is the H silent?

    Cause American English. The "H" is pronounced when it's someone's name... Like "Herb"

    Don't want to mix those up when seasoning supper :open_mouth:
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Options
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    I asked this before, do all Americans say Erbs instead of Herbs? Why is the H silent?

    Cause American English. The "H" is pronounced when it's someone's name... Like "Herb"

    Don't want to mix those up when seasoning supper :open_mouth:

    Right. An herb goes with spices but Herb is an old man.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    I asked this before, do all Americans say Erbs instead of Herbs? Why is the H silent?

    OED says h was silent until the 19th c for English English too, so we just kept it the old way. Here's the derivation so silent h makes sense: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=herb

    (Herb short for Herbert would be different.)

    Bigger reason, maybe, is that English English seems to be more aggressive about anglicizing French words, compare filet with the t pronounced to our fil-ay. That being particularly a 19th c thing for the English when we tended to prefer the French in some ways makes sense to me culturally.

    Didn't stop us from mangling, er, improving, French named cities, though. See, e.g., the many towns named Versailles.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,931 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    I like the "same word for different things" variation too.

    Such as:
    Bangs in Canada and bangs in Australia.
    Canadian bangs would be called fringe in Australia. Australian bangs means boobs I think haha.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    I like the "same word for different things" variation too.

    Such as:
    Bangs in Canada and bangs in Australia.

    Haha yes indeedy. We call hair bangs a fringe here.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    I like the "same word for different things" variation too.

    Such as:
    Bangs in Canada and bangs in Australia.
    Canadian bangs would be called fringe in Australia. Australian bangs means boobs I think haha.

    Bangs in Australia is not boobs... It's having sex :o

    Boobs might be knockers.... Or fun bags...
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,843 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    What about the term Redneck?

    For someone "out in the country" and not so ehem.. Refined shall we say.

    I have also heard Hillbilly

    What do other countries (I'm in USA) call these "folks?"

    Bogans.

    Hoons.

    These aren't necessarily people out in the country, although they may be, and these words are closer to Redneck than Hillbilly.

  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Options
    Tonight my wife used the word "gormless" to describe a person who was looking dumb and stupid!! Hadn't heard it for a while. Her British expressions resurface occasionally.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Options
    Machka9 wrote: »
    What about the term Redneck?

    For someone "out in the country" and not so ehem.. Refined shall we say.

    I have also heard Hillbilly

    What do other countries (I'm in USA) call these "folks?"

    Bogans.

    Hoons.

    These aren't necessarily people out in the country, although they may be, and these words are closer to Redneck than Hillbilly.

    I would use bogan like redneck, neither necessarily from the country... Hoon I associate more with a reckless driver.

    I'd probably use "country bumpkin" to describe people who live out in the country.... Similar to hillbilly....
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    edited January 2017
    Options
    A lot of people in Alberta seem to get referred to as "rednecks", presumably because there were (and still are) a lot of cowboys and ranchers around here, but I'm not sure how accurate that term really is for them. :)

    I remember that when we moved here I asked my son (then 12) if he knew what the Calgary Stampede was, and he said it was a bunch of people pretending to be cowboys in a competition. I told him they're not pretending to be cowboys, most of them are cowboys - that's their job. He was - another British expression? - gobsmacked. :)

    I guess the English equivalent of 'redneck' might be 'country bumpkin', often used in reference to people from the West Country area but could also apply to those from Norfolk or other 'country' areas.

    (Edit: I just saw @livingleanlivingclean 's reply above noting 'country bumpkin' too! :) )
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Options
    Here, Alberta Canada, it seems to me that a redneck is someone who may or may not be blue collar but tends to enjoy things like hunting, and doing for themselves. More likely t smoke and have tatoos. (Tatoos are not NEARLY as common in Canada as they are in the States) A conservative politically speaking.

    A LOT of rednecks work in the oil patch up here. I married one. LOL

    I think hillbilly seems to be an extreme redneck who lives out of the cities, is poor, and may or may not work. Or have teeth.
  • KeithWhiteJr
    KeithWhiteJr Posts: 233 Member
    Options
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Poutine ... incidentally, not pronounced quite as 'brightly' as it looks. Even I don't get it right and I'm Canadian, but it is something more like 'poot-an', I think.

    201473-poutine.jpg


    Fish and Chips

    55983c6c6b6ebb72637456f8_codandchips.png


    That's a Fish Fry! Very big on Friday nights around here. Everyone has a Friday Fish Fry special.

    Eh...a fish fry is an event (most popular during Lent). I wouldn't see a plate with fried fish and fries and call it a fish fry. I'd call it fish and fries or fish n' chips (even though I certainly don't call fries chips).


    A fish Fry isn't usually an event here. Its usually a meal. It's battered and fried fish served with coleslaw and french fries, and sometimes a roll.

    EDIT: Here is what Wikipedia says about it...

    "In the United States, the dish is most commonly sold as "fish and chips", except in Upstate New York and Wisconsin and other parts of the Northeast and Upper Midwest, where this dish would be called a fish fry."

    Yes a Fish Fry is an event, Fried fish would be a dish.


    Everyone keeps saying that, but here a Fish Fry is a dish lol.