UK/US Divided by a Common Tongue
AtticusFinch
Posts: 1,262 Member
I've been on a few message boards in my time and I can always be surprised by the simple event of either a British poster confusing the US audience with a phrase or a single word sometimes, and Americans peppering their sentences with equally baffling nonsense.
Off the top of my head here are a few I can think of, what contra-definition English words are you aware of between those two camps?
*kitten*
US: Male homosexual
UK: Large oniony meatball
PISSED
US: Angry
UK: Drunk (but 'Pissed Off' is the same for all of us)
PASTY
US: Nipple cover
UK: A regional meat pastry
*kitten*
US: See *kitten* above
UK: Cigarette
PANTS
US: Trousers
UK: Underwear
SHORTS
US: Underwear
UK: Short trousers
FANNY
US: Backside / buttocks
UK: Vagina
VEST
US: Waistcoat
UK: Underwear worn underneath a shirt
SPUNK
US: Spirit, get up and go
UK: Semen
BUM
US: Vagrant
UK: Backside / buttocks
TRAMP
US: Loose woman
UK: Vagrant
SUSPENDERS
US: Braces for holding up pants/trousers
UK: Garters / Straps for holding up stockings (Garter belt = Suspender belt)
COMIC IRONY
UK: A figure of speech in which the humorous intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used
US: ~ an unknown concept ~
(Ok - I made the last one up)
Get off your fanny, show me some spunk, and fill me in on any I've missed
Off the top of my head here are a few I can think of, what contra-definition English words are you aware of between those two camps?
*kitten*
US: Male homosexual
UK: Large oniony meatball
PISSED
US: Angry
UK: Drunk (but 'Pissed Off' is the same for all of us)
PASTY
US: Nipple cover
UK: A regional meat pastry
*kitten*
US: See *kitten* above
UK: Cigarette
PANTS
US: Trousers
UK: Underwear
SHORTS
US: Underwear
UK: Short trousers
FANNY
US: Backside / buttocks
UK: Vagina
VEST
US: Waistcoat
UK: Underwear worn underneath a shirt
SPUNK
US: Spirit, get up and go
UK: Semen
BUM
US: Vagrant
UK: Backside / buttocks
TRAMP
US: Loose woman
UK: Vagrant
SUSPENDERS
US: Braces for holding up pants/trousers
UK: Garters / Straps for holding up stockings (Garter belt = Suspender belt)
COMIC IRONY
UK: A figure of speech in which the humorous intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used
US: ~ an unknown concept ~
(Ok - I made the last one up)
Get off your fanny, show me some spunk, and fill me in on any I've missed
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Replies
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very educational post, I was aware of most of these, but I learned a bit!0
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I don't actually know any, but I think this is awesome . Thanks for posting.0
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You forgot about
NAPPY...
US:Tightly coiled / curled unaltered hair
UK: Baby Diaper0 -
Hee Hee..when I was visiting Durham, UK a couple of years ago over the New Year's holiday, we took a side trip to the isle of Lindesfarne. It was such a cold, damp day near the sea and I was so happy to get to a cozy pub with a roaring fire. I was with a group of female friends, and I turned my back to the fire and annouced, "Oh, happy fanny!" Meaning, of course, that I was finally getting my backside warm. I couldn't understand why I got all kinds of looks from the nearby patrons.0
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Ive referred to semen as spunk before and Ive never left the US.0
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You forgot about
NAPPY...
US:Tightly coiled / curled unaltered hair
UK: Baby Diaper
Didn't know that one actually, so thanks0 -
:0 Where I come from, shorts = short trousers (knee length or shorter), and I'm in the US!?0
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I've been on a few message boards in my time and I can always be surprised by the simple event of either a British poster confusing the US audience with a phrase or a single word sometimes, and Americans peppering their sentences with equally baffling nonsense.
Off the top of my head here are a few I can think of, what contra-definition English words are you aware of between those two camps?
*kitten*
US: Male homosexual
UK: Large oniony meatball
PISSED
US: Angry
UK: Drunk (but 'Pissed Off' is the same for all of us)
PASTY
US: Nipple cover
UK: A regional meat pastry
*kitten*
US: See *kitten* above
UK: Cigarette
PANTS
US: Trousers
UK: Underwear
SHORTS
US: Underwear
UK: Short trousers
FANNY
US: Backside / buttocks
UK: Vagina
VEST
US: Waistcoat
UK: Underwear worn underneath a shirt
SPUNK
US: Spirit, get up and go
UK: Semen
BUM
US: Vagrant
UK: Backside / buttocks
TRAMP
US: Loose woman
UK: Vagrant
SUSPENDERS
US: Braces for holding up pants/trousers
UK: Garters / Straps for holding up stockings (Garter belt = Suspender belt)
COMIC IRONY
UK: A figure of speech in which the humorous intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used
US: ~ an unknown concept ~
(Ok - I made the last one up)
Get off your fanny, show me some spunk, and fill me in on any I've missed
Comment: In Michigan (and I suspect Northern wisconsin) Pasty = both a nipple cover and a tasty meat filled pie one could fit in their pocket (more or less)
*kitten*- also a bundle of kindling (probably source of flaming reference and also *kitten* for cigs I should think)
Spunk- can also mean semen in the US- for the get up and go, saying thta someone is spunky would be more common- either way spunk/spunky a wee bit old fashioned
*kitten*- a bad word in the US, in the UK not nice but very commonly used
Tramp- US a vagrant (a bit old fashioned but still applicable) and definitely a loose woman (somewhat outdated, not quite old fashioned- been replaced by slut/ ho'/ skank)
Nappy - ooh very good one
an aside, growing up in Michigan we had two "fanny" chocolate shops one called Fanny Mae and the other Fanny Farmer- my brother (london based) used to shock the older women at his former office by bringing back boxes of fanny farmer chocolates to London from his trips home0 -
Chips
US - crisps
UK - French fries or fried chunky chipped potatoes
I also knew most of the others, but there were a couple of newish ones.
LOL - I wonder what other English speaking countries have as alternatives?!!!0 -
Not sure if this applies to all of the US but one that caused trouble when an American friend came to dinner at my mum's house
'Quite good'
US = very good
UK = just ok, not that good really0 -
*kitten* in an american tongue makes me laugh so much, its like 'twooort'' where as here is just *kitten* as in hat. Much more aggressive sounding.0
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Biscuit
US- doughy lump of breakfast bread
UK- I believe it's a damn cookie0 -
I saw a post the other day where a UK person was asking about flapjacks, and US people were replying with recipes for pancakes - ??!0
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As a northern lass i'd like to say that you can get more than meat flavoured pasties e.g. cheese and onion.
Here's some that i have
Waffle
US: Sweet breakfasty thing served with syrup
UK: Potato food that served with gravy or tomato sauce
Caned
US: ?
UK: Very drunk (also cabbaged, trolleyed etc)
Bait/bate
US: Stuff used to attract fish to a line
(North East UK maybe just Hartepool) Food taken to work usually in heavy industry or manual labour.
Here's some British phrases that i thought you might enjoy
Canny: nice good or pleasant used mostly in Scotland and north eastern England e.g. She's a canny lass her.
Mafting: Really hot
Clarty mess: Dirty, muddy, sticky
I'm gonna start climbing the walls: Severely agitated by stress or worry
Mad as a box of frogs: Hopping mad, completly crazy.
Mahusive: gigantic0 -
Dawny:
Hee Hee..when I was visiting Durham, UK a couple of years ago over the New Year's holiday, we took a side trip to the isle of Lindesfarne. It was such a cold, damp day near the sea and I was so happy to get to a cozy pub with a roaring fire. I was with a group of female friends, and I turned my back to the fire and annouced, "Oh, happy fanny!" Meaning, of course, that I was finally getting my backside warm. I couldn't understand why I got all kinds of looks from the nearby patrons.
That'll teach you to visit the North-East in winter, but I hope your fanny defrosted (whichever interpretation).
I once overheard an elderly American tourist in a British pub tremulously asking what '*kitten*' were doing on the menu. Perhaps he was concerned he might've strayed into a gay bar0 -
My husband is from London and I'm from Chicago. We had many discussions on these language differences.
:blushing: The funniest was when he asked my boss where the rubbers were. She suggested in the men's room. Confused, my husband pointed to the end of his pencil..the eraser.0 -
My husband is from London and I'm from Chicago. We had many discussions on these language differences.
:blushing: The funniest was when he asked my boss where the rubbers were. She suggested in the men's room. Confused, my husband pointed to the end of his pencil..the eraser.
This is hilarious. Yeah we call erasers rubbers and condoms Johnnies.
I might be back with a few more later.0 -
Caned! I haven't heard that in years, not since I left school!!0
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I never really thought of "shorts" as underwear. (South Central PA)0
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Atts a fanny farmer aincha mate MWAH:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
:blushing:0
This discussion has been closed.
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