Strange American sayings from an English Perspective

Liss_Bee

they ain't sneakers they're TRAINERS

I sometimes stumble when tryin gto figure out what to call those. I've lived in places where they have been called, gym Shoes, Tennis Shoes, sneakers, tennies, athletic shoes and trainers.

I have the same issue with dinner/supper. In some places I have lived you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. In some others you eat breakfast, dinner and supper. In others you eat breakfast, lunch and supper.

I get confused as to what I need to call each meal in conversations sometimes.

I call them tennis shoes... It's breakfast, lunch and dinner. But here in the wonderful Midwest, the farm folk call it supper. They also call a drive way a "Lane road" and add an r to wash. WTH is that about?

That's rural talk. I'm midwest, and everyone here call them driveways, and only the rednecks talk about warshing the place or going to Warshington.

Yes, the Midwesterners that need grammar lessons again. They also say Missouri pronounced mizz-o- uri

k8blujay2

Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

It's an off ramp =]

Access road... and the off ramp is only part if it as there is a road that parallels the highway.

Alluminati

Who puts marinara sauce on French fries???

Nobody! That's why I said, or that other red stuff you put on fries. I wouldn't want people thinking we go around putting ketchup on spaghetti here! No... that joy is to be experienced only in Russia (I hope!).

What Fullsterkur meant was some eastcoast people call marinara sauce "gravy". But it gets confusing because "gravy" is known by most of the world as the brown stuff :laugh:

ETA: Brown gravy +mozzarella+fries=bomb.com

Liss_Bee

Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

It's an off ramp =]

Access road... and the off ramp is only part if it as there is a road that parallels the highway.

It's all the same to me... off ramp.

rml_16

Who puts marinara sauce on French fries???

Nobody! That's why I said, or that other red stuff you put on fries. I wouldn't want people thinking we go around putting ketchup on spaghetti here! No... that joy is to be experienced only in Russia (I hope!).

What Fullsterkur meant was some eastcoast people call marinara sauce "gravy". But it gets confusing because "gravy" is known by most of the world as the brown stuff :laugh:

I knew about the gravy/sauce thing. But he asked about what we call the stuff we put on French fries.

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

We put ketchup on our fries.

Vinegar is another popular option, or at least was when I lived there.

"Gravy" must be those wacky Rhode Islanders, then. They also drink "coffee milk", so whaddaya gonna do...?

Vinegar on fries is very regional. I think it's a New England thing? I can't remember. But in NY we grew up putting ketchup on our fries.

I know a few NJ peeps who call marinara sauce "gravy." Hearing that makes my stomach turn! lol

To me, gravy is two things: the thick brown stuff people put on mashed potatoes or the thinner juices from a turkey.

Growing up, I always put salt and vinegar on my fries. My dad was New Hampshire born and raised. It was also what was put on everything in Scotland.

I have never been a fan of ketchup. It was however, a staple where I grew up.

In Idaho, they had "Fry Sauce" It was prepackaged, and came from all the fast food restaurants. It was a ketchup and mayonnaise conglomeration.

These days, I either eat my fries plain, or I use Worcestershire sauce, or if not available, A1 steak sauce as a condiment.

Fullsterkur_woman

Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

Frontage road. We're all French and fancible down here in Texas.

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

Northeast and Midwest are TOTALLY different places, culturally speaking! I grew up in the Northeast (upstate NY).

That's gotta be it then! His grandpa's family is out of Buffalo, and it was kinda home base for a lot of years... Thank goodness I didn't pick that up the year I lived there!

Here's one. Does anybody call that red stuff you put on pasta or the other stuff you put on french fries (or chips, if you prefer) "gravy"? I can't remember if that one came from WNY or Rhode Island...

LOL. I had two Italian friends who had an argument over this. The one from NJ called it gravy, the other from Virginia said calling it gravy was lame and not really Italian. It's supposed to be called sauce or marinara. I called it delicious.

Who puts marinara sauce on French fries???

I have dipped fries in marinara. *guilty*

k8blujay2

they ain't sneakers they're TRAINERS

I sometimes stumble when tryin gto figure out what to call those. I've lived in places where they have been called, gym Shoes, Tennis Shoes, sneakers, tennies, athletic shoes and trainers.

I have the same issue with dinner/supper. In some places I have lived you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. In some others you eat breakfast, dinner and supper. In others you eat breakfast, lunch and supper.

I get confused as to what I need to call each meal in conversations sometimes.

Here, supper is a lighter meal... Around here, if lunch is a lighter meal than dinner it would be called supper. Same with the vice versa.

beekay70

I work with a lot of English and Scots. One of the things that I didn't really notice but they picked up on right away was the American misuse of the phrase "out of pocket". It is intended to mean that something is going to cost you directly. I hear it often used to describe someone that is not available, e.g. "Ron will not be on the call, he is out of pocket."

The fanny, *kitten*, aluminium arguments aren't really sayings; just colloquial nuances.

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

Are you talking about a frontage road?

rml_16

We put ketchup on our fries.

Vinegar is another popular option, or at least was when I lived there.

"Gravy" must be those wacky Rhode Islanders, then. They also drink "coffee milk", so whaddaya gonna do...?

Vinegar on fries is very regional. I think it's a New England thing? I can't remember. But in NY we grew up putting ketchup on our fries.

I know a few NJ peeps who call marinara sauce "gravy." Hearing that makes my stomach turn! lol

To me, gravy is two things: the thick brown stuff people put on mashed potatoes or the thinner juices from a turkey.

Growing up, I always put salt and vinegar on my fries. My dad was New Hampshire born and raised. It was also what was put on everything in Scotland.

I have never been a fan of ketchup. It was however, a staple where I grew up.

In Idaho, they had "Fry Sauce" It was prepackaged, and came from all the fast food restaurants. It was a ketchup and mayonnaise conglomeration.

These days, I either eat my fries plain, or I use Worcestershire sauce, or if not available, A1 steak sauce as a condiment.

Spicy fries dipped in ketchup and mayo is one of my favorite things.

Alluminati

Northeast and Midwest are TOTALLY different places, culturally speaking! I grew up in the Northeast (upstate NY).

That's gotta be it then! His grandpa's family is out of Buffalo, and it was kinda home base for a lot of years... Thank goodness I didn't pick that up the year I lived there!

Here's one. Does anybody call that red stuff you put on pasta or the other stuff you put on french fries (or chips, if you prefer) "gravy"? I can't remember if that one came from WNY or Rhode Island...

LOL. I had two Italian friends who had an argument over this. The one from NJ called it gravy, the other from Virginia said calling it gravy was lame and not really Italian. It's supposed to be called sauce or marinara. I called it delicious.

Who puts marinara sauce on French fries???

I have dipped fries in marinara. *guilty*

Same. Especially at a diner at 3am, drunk.

tiggerhammon

They are called shoes

This. Shoes.

Fullsterkur_woman

What Fullsterkur meant was some eastcoast people call marinara sauce "gravy". But it gets confusing because "gravy" is known by most of the world as the brown stuff :laugh:

I knew about the gravy/sauce thing. But he asked about what we call the stuff we put on French fries.

I was trying to elicit "gravy" for both "sauce" (as in pasta sauce) and "ketchup", because I had people ask me for gravy for their fries. And they weren't eating poutine either.

P.S. This fullsterkur is a "she". :laugh: Fullsterkur_woman, to be precise.
Edited to fix quote

rml_16

I have dipped fries in marinara. *guilty*

Same. Especially at a diner at 3am, drunk.

Disowned, the both of you!

tiggerhammon

Northeast and Midwest are TOTALLY different places, culturally speaking! I grew up in the Northeast (upstate NY).

That's gotta be it then! His grandpa's family is out of Buffalo, and it was kinda home base for a lot of years... Thank goodness I didn't pick that up the year I lived there!

Here's one. Does anybody call that red stuff you put on pasta or the other stuff you put on french fries (or chips, if you prefer) "gravy"? I can't remember if that one came from WNY or Rhode Island...

I am in Utah and most everyone here uses Fry Sauce, its sold in every grocery store here.
But, I believe the answer to that one is ketchup.
Also, to what goes on Pasta I believe the proper term is Mariana. I call it "Spaghetti Sauce" regardless of the use for it, even if put on pizza, its still spaghetti sauce.

k8blujay2

Who puts marinara sauce on French fries???

Nobody! That's why I said, or that other red stuff you put on fries. I wouldn't want people thinking we go around putting ketchup on spaghetti here! No... that joy is to be experienced only in Russia (I hope!).

What Fullsterkur meant was some eastcoast people call marinara sauce "gravy". But it gets confusing because "gravy" is known by most of the world as the brown stuff :laugh:

I knew about the gravy/sauce thing. But he asked about what we call the stuff we put on French fries.

The only fry sauce I know of (beside ketchup) is either a mayonnaise-like one (more like salad dressing than mayo in my opinion) or a peanut sauce... but both of those are Western Continental European things.

Gravy here is pretty much flour and juices from the meat. Every thing else is sauce.

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

It's an off ramp =]

Access road... and the off ramp is only part if it as there is a road that parallels the highway.

It's all the same to me... off ramp.

Another incosistency for me. Some days it's an exit, some days it's an offramp, or on ramp if you are getting on.

rml_16

What Fullsterkur meant was some eastcoast people call marinara sauce "gravy". But it gets confusing because "gravy" is known by most of the world as the brown stuff :laugh:

I knew about the gravy/sauce thing. But he asked about what we call the stuff we put on French fries.

I was trying to elicit "gravy" for both "sauce" (as in pasta sauce) and "ketchup", because I had people ask me for gravy for their fries. And they weren't eating poutine either.

P.S. This fullsterkur is a "she". :laugh: Fullsterkur_woman, to be precise.
Edited to fix quote

Sorry. I knew you were a she from you saying your husband, but then I forgot because if the bee suit!