English to USA Translations

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  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    Jacuzzi is another in the US. And don't you also use "hoover" as a verb?

    And now I understand why they call it "spellotape" in Harry Potter!

    We do indeed. I need to do the hoovering, actually. :tongue:

    It's 'do the hoovering' and 'hoover up', in general.

    Which I think is why Dyson hasn't taken off quite as well. Quite a few people now use Dyson and hoover/vacuum cleaner interchangeably, but 'I need to do the Dyson-ing' and 'Will you Dyson up?' just don't sound right. :laugh:

    hahahaha too right.
    I have a dyson and i still call it 'hoovering' even though ive never actually owned a 'Hoover'!
  • Foxypoo61287
    Foxypoo61287 Posts: 638 Member
    Loo....gets me every time. Except sometimes we call it John here. LoL. Or snogging. I love snogging. Its just a funny word.

    *Loo- Bathroom*
    *Snogging- Kissing*
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
    I spent nearly a month in Australia here's what I remember hearing lots of modified words.

    Iggie - Shortened version of Igloo, but used to refer any type of ice chest or cooler

    Sickie - Taking a sick day at work

    Flattie - Flat tire

    Brekki - Breakfast

    Kiwi - New Zealander

    Pom - British person

    I'll hopefully think of more

    JM
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    My brother worked in America many years ago and went to all sorts of tiny towns out in the back of beyond. His favourite pastime was winding up the ladies in bars who were cooing over his accent (e.g. Her: "What do you call escalators?" Him: "Magic stairs" etc etc).

    Brilliant!
  • huntindawg1962
    huntindawg1962 Posts: 277 Member


    Oh Really, says the guy from Boston who still pronounces his Rs. :wink:

    Ya - the regional dialects in the US also make some phrases pretty interesting - Boston is the only place where people die from a "hat attack"
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    So, I was having a LOT of trouble with the idea of the word pasta as it was described earlier in this post (like Americans would say *kitten* or bank). Well, I was watching As Time Goes By Saturday night and Judi Dench said it and I thought of this thread. It didn't sound weird at all!
  • jcriscuolo
    jcriscuolo Posts: 319 Member
    shag = sex

    Does anyone really say that other than Austin Powers?
  • Llyrian
    Llyrian Posts: 100 Member
    Regarding lingerie: garters = suspenders

    That one always throws me off.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    You mean what Americans call garters, the British call suspenders? I didn't know that.

    I did know that what Americans call suspenders, the British call braces. Americans have braces: they are metallic bands to straighten the teeth. I don't know the British call those. Perhaps garters!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    You mean what Americans call garters, the British call suspenders? I didn't know that.

    I did know that what Americans call suspenders, the British call braces. Americans have braces: they are metallic bands to straighten the teeth. I don't know the British call those. Perhaps garters!

    There are also leg and back braces in America. And probably other kinds. But we usually mean the teeth-fixers when we say it, of course. :-)
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    You mean what Americans call garters, the British call suspenders? I didn't know that.

    I did know that what Americans call suspenders, the British call braces. Americans have braces: they are metallic bands to straighten the teeth. I don't know the British call those. Perhaps garters!

    Braces are the things to straighten teeth, or straps to hold up trousers.
    Suspenders are used to hold up stockings.
    Garters are worn around the leg.
  • ScientistStudy
    ScientistStudy Posts: 249 Member
    Tea and Dinner.

    What I'd call my dinner, would be lunch to Americans (I think), so my Tea is dinner to them.. and to them Tea is probably just a drink.
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    Tea and Dinner.

    What I'd call my dinner, would be lunch to Americans (I think), so my Tea is dinner to them.. and to them Tea is probably just a drink.

    I live in the UK and it's breakfast, lunch, dinner for me. :tongue:
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
    In the south, we've got Breakfast, Dinner, Supper

    JM
  • SarahBarker1987
    SarahBarker1987 Posts: 27 Member
    I have never called a cake a gateux! I think that ine's a stereotype lol
  • SarahBarker1987
    SarahBarker1987 Posts: 27 Member
    car park = parking lot
    gateaux = cake
    prawns = shrimp
    lemonade = lemon lime soda (7up, Sprite)
    chips = fries
    cossie = swimsuit

    I have never called a cake a gateaux! I think that one's a streotype and a lot more French than anything else :D
  • Llyrian
    Llyrian Posts: 100 Member
    In the south, we've got Breakfast, Dinner, Supper

    JM

    But what about second breakfast and elevensies?
  • SarahBarker1987
    SarahBarker1987 Posts: 27 Member
    shag = sex

    Does anyone really say that other than Austin Powers?

    Yep, infact a lot of my male friends call each other Shag as a term of endearment! But other than my odd friends, Brits do tend to use it to mean sex.
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
    shag = sex

    Does anyone really say that other than Austin Powers?

    Yep, infact a lot of my male friends call each other Shag as a term of endearment! But other than my odd friends, Brits do tend to use it to mean sex.

    Most people I know would probably say "shag" than "sex". Or any other word, including "rumpy-pumpy", than use the actual word "sex".
  • ECA67
    ECA67 Posts: 802 Member
    We should keep this post handy !
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Bump to keep it alive. My favorite thread ever!
  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
    Leer is a verb. Leery is an adjective. They are not the same word or meaning.

    Describing someone who is leering as being leery is just making up a word (thus why it's classified as slang).

    Yes, I do agree that it is slang - but i'm saying that is how I would understand the word 'leery' in the UK. I have never in my life heard anyone use it to mean 'wary', except on this site! When I have heard it being used it over here it has always been in the context as I described above :smile:

    rml is correct - stereotypical workmen et al may 'leer' at women, but to describe this activity as 'being leery' is made-up/slang, possibly a a feature of a regional dialect. The correct British usage is 'to be leery of something', usually meaning to be wary, or cautious, about an action, or sometimes a person. I've never heard the phrase used in standard UK English as you describe. Which part of the country are you based in? I'd love to add it to my mental list of 'phrases that mean something else in xyz...' :smile:
  • MammaKess
    MammaKess Posts: 6
    I always liked

    Happy Christmas = Merry Christmas or

    on holiday = on vacation
  • Fatbuster205
    Fatbuster205 Posts: 333 Member
    Rubber = eraser!
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    I don't think anyone has mentioned wee (UK) vs pee (US)! And toilet/rest room.
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    And:
    Autumn / fall
    Dinner jacket / tux
    Motorway / highway
    Ladybird / ladybug
    CV / Resume

    :smile:
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    And of course, football / soccer!
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,186 Member
    And then you have Aussie Slang... Even better than USA's versions of words :wink:
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
    Leer is a verb. Leery is an adjective. They are not the same word or meaning.

    Describing someone who is leering as being leery is just making up a word (thus why it's classified as slang).

    Yes, I do agree that it is slang - but i'm saying that is how I would understand the word 'leery' in the UK. I have never in my life heard anyone use it to mean 'wary', except on this site! When I have heard it being used it over here it has always been in the context as I described above :smile:

    rml is correct - stereotypical workmen et al may 'leer' at women, but to describe this activity as 'being leery' is made-up/slang, possibly a a feature of a regional dialect. The correct British usage is 'to be leery of something', usually meaning to be wary, or cautious, about an action, or sometimes a person. I've never heard the phrase used in standard UK English as you describe. Which part of the country are you based in? I'd love to add it to my mental list of 'phrases that mean something else in xyz...' :smile:

    I have lived in both East Anglia and S. Yorkshire - 18 yrs in E.Anglia and 7 yrs in S.Yorks - neither of these places have I ever heard anyone say 'leery' to mean wary! If someone said it to me i'd assume they were describing someone who was leering! It's very strange too, as even at Uni when people congregated from all round the country, again i've never heard 'leery' used to mean 'wary'. I guess it's just one of those words that has gone out of favour?

    Which might also be why I assumed it meant the same as leering - because i've just never heard it used in everyday conversation before! I actually couldn't believe when I looked it up in a dictionary that it meant what it did :embarassed:
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,186 Member
    I don't think anyone has mentioned wee (UK) vs pee (US)! And toilet/rest room.

    Us aussies call it wee, pee, piss, drain the dragon and so on... plenty of variations ;)
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