English to USA Translations
Replies
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"He made me mad, but I didn't tell him off." I believe telling someone off is yelling at them or getting angry with them.
From the context of Harry Potter, you get told off in England when you've misbehaved, so kind of a lecture.
In the US, being told off is pretty much that you've been insulted and reduced to about 3 feet high.0 -
I apologise for generalising on the UK to USA translations... all translations are fun!
I didn't want to have Eggplant in the USA because I literally thought it would taste of egg! Didn't realise I was missing out on Aubergine at the time!
Oh, and I'm Southern UK but I still think "*kitten*" sounds better the way it's pronounced oop north, which is how I always say it!
You just reminded me of one there. In the UK you say that something "Tastes of" In the US we say it "Tastes like"
Others that I can think of (UK/US):
Bonnet - Hood
Brilliant - Awesome
Take the Micky (Piss) out of - Ridicule/Harrass/Annoy (We don't really have a direct equivalent in the US...)0 -
And is the English equivalent to fanny to dirty or something to discuss on here? I really have no idea and am too nervous to google it here at work!!
It's what's on the opposite side of an American fanny, but only on a woman.0 -
Maybe it's b/c I live in the large cities of the south, like Atlanta and Charlotte. I've NEVER heard someone call it a buggy. Maybe in the smaller towns, perhaps?
hmm, must be a VA thing. I've lived a long time in GA and NC/SC, and we call them bags here. Shopping cart. And grocery bags.
I'm from NY, so they're carts. But some people here in VA call them buggies. Also, they put my groceries in bags, but Southerners' in sacks.Question for the British: What do you call the cart you put your groceries in while shopping? We have a few variations between northern and southern US. In the north, it is either carriage or shopping cart. In the south I have heard people call them buggies.
I've lived in Georgia and Florida and I always hear the people with the Southern accents call them buggies. It's us Yankee carpetbaggers who call them carts. :-) So I hear both. I can't remember hearing anyone call a bag a sack, though. Not saying it isn't the case, I just haven't noticed it.
We definitely call them buggies in the south!!
You probably ran into more Northerners in those places. Where I lived in GA was a TINY place. 50,000 total population for the county, so a lot of "natives."
Where I live now is bigger and we still have a lot of transplants, but there are a lot of people here who grew up in the rural South and they call them buggies.
I'm from Michigan originally, but I have lived in South Carolina for the better part of my life. Here in SC, I've heard both terms used. However, I live in the Greenville/Spartanburg area and there seems to be almost as many northerners here as native South Carolinians. The further south in this state you travel, the less likely you are to hear them referred to as shopping carts.0 -
And is the English equivalent to fanny to dirty or something to discuss on here? I really have no idea and am too nervous to google it here at work!!
vagina0 -
Just thought of another one:
Holiday=Vacation
To us a "holiday" is usually an annual event celebrating some historic event or other, like CHRISTmas. A vacation is when you take a long weekend or a week or two to go out of town on a special trip for the purpose of relaxation or visiting out of town relatives.0 -
What about the thing you sit on in a sitting room? We have sofas. WHat are they in the US?
We call this a sofa, couch....if it's a 2 seater, we sometimes call it a love seat....because two people in LOVE can sit together.
...or two people can uncomfortably sit too close to one another if at a party and all the other good spots are taken. haha.
depends on the love seat though
If you are from a really old, snooty family back east you might call it a "davenport" as well.0 -
I love these! I'm in Ireland.
*Tea for me is definitely evening time. Lunch is Midday, Dinner is 3-4, Tea is later in the evening.
*Also thought Americans were talking about being drunk when they said they were pissed.
Nearly DIED the first time the word 'fanny' was mentioned on a U.S tv show - it's DEFINITELY not the same meaning here - we used to call fanny packs bumbags!
*You say cigarettes, we say *kitten*.
*You say potato chips, we say crisps.
*You say soda, we say minerals or just call them by name - coke, 7-up, etc.
*You say jelly, we say jam.
*You say sidewalk, we say pavement.
*You say diapers, we say nappies.
*You say pacifiers, we say dummies or dodies.
*You say boogers, we say snots.
*You say cooties, we say germs, or no reference - did not have a clue what this meant, it took me years to find out!
*You call them barrettes, we say hair clips.
*You call it a pocketbook, we say handbag or purse.
And I don't get the whole 'oz(ounce)' thing at all. We're all ml and litres!0 -
I have one
Washroom (Canada) - Bathroom (US)
Washroom (US) - Laundry room (Canada)
Maybe I should be more specific. I heard this in West Virginia, I don't know if it's true across the US
I'm from West Virginia & have heard the laundry room called washroom. But I use laundry room. And it's usually pronounced Warshroom :laugh: I hate it how they add random r's into certain words...0 -
I think I saw as I was scrolling...pants. Yea, means trousers in the US from what I've seen. Pants means panties/underwear in the UK, right?0
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I love these! I'm in Ireland.
*Tea for me is definitely evening time. Lunch is Midday, Dinner is 3-4, Tea is later in the evening.
*Also thought Americans were talking about being drunk when they said they were pissed.
Nearly DIED the first time the word 'fanny' was mentioned on a U.S tv show - it's DEFINITELY not the same meaning here - we used to call fanny packs bumbags!
*You say cigarettes, we say *kitten*.
*You say potato chips, we say crisps.
*You say soda, we say minerals or just call them by name - coke, 7-up, etc.
*You say jelly, we say jam.
*You say sidewalk, we say pavement.
*You say diapers, we say nappies.
*You say pacifiers, we say dummies or dodies.
*You say boogers, we say snots.
*You say cooties, we say germs, or no reference - did not have a clue what this meant, it took me years to find out!
*You call them barrettes, we say hair clips.
*You call it a pocketbook, we say handbag or purse.
And I don't get the whole 'oz(ounce)' thing at all. We're all ml and litres!
Ah ... the soda thing! That totally depends on where you are in the US. Some regions say "Coke" for all of them. Some places it's "pop," and I'm pretty sure there are several others.
We also say handbag and purse here, as well as germs. Only children say cooties. We also use hair clips AND barrettes. And we say jam, but jelly is more common.0 -
I think I saw as I was scrolling...pants. Yea, means trousers in the US from what I've seen. Pants means panties/underwear in the UK, right?
Depends where you're from. Pants to me are trousers. I call panties, knickers. And I don't wear underpants. Much ;-)0 -
Female genitalsAnd is the English equivalent to fanny to dirty or something to discuss on here? I really have no idea and am too nervous to google it here at work!!0 -
For the jam and jelly thing, we use both words. Jelly might be a bit more common. They are actually different things though. Jelly is very smooth, firmly gelled, and often made with just juice. Jam is a bit less gelled, a bit rougher in texture, and is usually made with pureed fruits. Preserves are even rougher and often have whole bits of fruit in them.
The large piece of furniture in the living room can be either a couch or a sofa. It's definitely a living room to the average family though. Sitting rooms, parlors, and dens are usually only found in larger homes and in addition to the main living room.
I've always just called the thing you use at the grocery store a shopping cart or cart for short.
One I haven't seen on here yet is the English "bunches" referring to a hairstyle that (if I remember correctly) is what I grew up calling "dog ears". (Parted down the middle and made into a high tail on either side of the head generally above or slightly behind the ears.)0 -
bump
love this will read it all later0 -
Tea = Dinner in my household.
My mother would always yell upstairs 'KIDS! TEA'S REDDEH!'
In regards to car parts, as I saw someone mention hood/bonnet, the trunk is also called the boot in the UK. Hence 'Car-boot' sales, where you sell things out of the back of your car.0 -
There are some fun ones region-to-region in the US, too.
Soda=Coke=Pop
Bag=Sack
Cart=Buggy
Hex wrench=Allen wrench/key
Cut the grass=mow the lawn
The worst Southern Indiana-isms I've heard:
"To itch"="To scratch"
"Old" sounds like "ode". So does "cold"
"I'm gonna get me a (noun)." This one make my skin crawl.
"I'm fixin' to (verb)." Same deal.
No matter where you're going (north, south, east, west), you are "Going down to (place)."0 -
UK Roundabout = US Rotary
I've only heard them called roundabouts in the US. Rotary is a club (Rotary International).
Depends on the location in the US -- here in New Jersey they're called Circles.
a few more:
profiterole = cream puff
bum = bottom, rear end
on the dole = on unemployment compensation
custard = pudding
pudding = dessert (various)
tea (not the beverage) = lunch or supper
dust bin = trash can
rubbish bin = garbage can (although not too many towns have you separate the two anymore)
bin diving = dumpster diving
I am struggling to work out which side of the Atlantic you mean for which. I am English and say Profiterole, bottom, jobseekers, custard, pud, supper, bin (for bin you put rubbish in, be that dust or rubbish), and I have no idea what bin or dumpster diving are! I also say chips for the things you buy in packets that are made of slices of potato.
Oops, sorry. British Word = American Word (or at least Southern New Jersey word!)
bin diving/dumpster diving is going into the large trash dumpsters outside apartments (flats) or other buildings and "trash picking" stuff that's been thrown away and taking it home to use or sell. It's also what some street dwellers do for food, they'll go thru dumpsters and trash cans looking for discarded food.0 -
Here are few that stick out to me - I am an aussie with a very british family, living in Texas.
Pissed in the US means annoyed, as we would say 'pissed off'. Just 'Pissed' is drunk.
Taking the piss/having a go - teasing/provoking. Not sure what the US direct equivalent is, I can only confirm that Americans do not instinctively understand either of those.
Comforter for doona or quilt. I find using the term 'comforter' for a bed cover to be very strange, almost juvenile.
Jelly/Jam/Jello, etc... When I was young and we would watch Sesame St, my sister and I were equally horrified and utterly puzzled at the logistics of putting jelly (which to us is what americans call jello) on a sandwich. And then that it went with peanut butter took it entirely out of the realm of comprehension. Mysterious.
Barbeque vs. grilling vs.broiling. Aussie's BBQ in the way americans 'grill'. We grill in the way americans broil. And American BBQ is closer to smoking, but we really don't have an equivalent.
There are various very odd sounding American phrases that I can't bring myself to use. Being 'chewed out' sounds deeply vulgar to me (It means getting told off). And what does 'screw the pooch' mean? Because the literal translation doesn't give me a lot to go on...0 -
Breakfast = Breakfast
Lunch = Diner
Diner = Tea
n/a = Supper
I'm English (near Manchester, actually Accrington to the English folks here.) and have lived in the US for 12 yrs.
If your English in America and what a little fun, go the the market and ask for basil the English way, they won't have a clue what you mean.
Me and my ex-wife (American) were once was at the supermarket, at the butchers counter and asked for 1lb of honey roast ham, the guy looked at me funny, so again I asked for 1lb of honey roast ham, he still did not understand what I was asking for. After repeating myself quite a number of time I looked at wife, she then says exactly the same thing with her American accent and the guy gets it instantly.
I turned to my wife and said "You just translated English into English".0 -
Here are few that stick out to me - I am an aussie with a very british family, living in Texas.
Pissed in the US means annoyed, as we would say 'pissed off'. Just 'Pissed' is drunk.
Taking the piss/having a go - teasing/provoking. Not sure what the US direct equivalent is, I can only confirm that Americans do not instinctively understand either of those.
Comforter for doona or quilt. I find using the term 'comforter' for a bed cover to be very strange, almost juvenile.
Jelly/Jam/Jello, etc... When I was young and we would watch Sesame St, my sister and I were equally horrified and utterly puzzled at the logistics of putting jelly (which to us is what americans call jello) on a sandwich. And then that it went with peanut butter took it entirely out of the realm of comprehension. Mysterious.
Barbeque vs. grilling vs.broiling. Aussie's BBQ in the way americans 'grill'. We grill in the way americans broil. And American BBQ is closer to smoking, but we really don't have an equivalent.
There are various very odd sounding American phrases that I can't bring myself to use. Being 'chewed out' sounds deeply vulgar to me (It means getting told off). And what does 'screw the pooch' mean? Because the literal translation doesn't give me a lot to go on...
This whole thing had me laughing. Screw the pooch, which is vulgar, means you really messed up or made a game ending mistake.0 -
OMG, I say 'screw the pooch' all the time, and someone the other day told me they had no idea what it means!!
I've also heard that for Brits, 'fanny' has a VERY different meaning...for us in the US, it generally means buns...you know...*kitten*, butt, caboose, rear end.0 -
I'm in the southeastern US (South Carolina).
Rotary? We call 'em roundabouts here (I agree wtih skinnybearlyn - good luck to you if you are approaching a roundabout in the SE US because they're so few and far between here that people have absolutely no idea what to do. It's a mess.).
I agree that the terms "faucet" and "tap" are used interchangeably.
Also to be noted -- "*kitten*" can be a very derogatory word in the US.
We call plastic wrap plastic wrap. Saran and Glad are brands, so I guess people could call them, that, too (like people say "Kleenex" for tissue).
I say bum for butt quite often, so I'm not sure that's a British thing.
I call a shopping cart a shopping cart. In my experience, most native South Carolinians (I've lived in the upstate and in the midlands) say "buggy."
I admit I pronounce "niche" "nitch."
I've never heard anyone call it a grocery "sack" -- we say "bags" in South Carolina.
I use "sofa" and "couch" interchangeably. It's in my "living room" which my mom (very southern US) would refer to as a "den" (which I pronounce "den" and she pronounces "dee-in," by the way).
It's not "caddy" corner, it's "catty" corner. I imagine "kitty corner" came from "catty corner" which actually came from the word "catercorner." I still say "catty corner."
I call the room where I do my laundry a laundry room and I call the room with a bath tub in it a bathroom. Some people call a bathroom without a bath tub (with a toilet & sink only) a "powder room" but I'm not one of those people. I have a coworker who always says he's going to the "powder room" and I usually tell him to "have fun powdering."
"Jam" and "jelly" are 2 different things.
I usually call a pacifier/dummy a "sucky" and I so often wish my daughter would use one.
I don't think most adults say "cooties." :laugh: I would say germs.
I think "pocketbook" is more of a southern thing. I say purse or bag.
Tree72 -- I'd call that hairstyle "Pig tails." I've never heard anyone call it "dog ears" before.
RobynC79 - "Taking the piss" to me would be too similar to "taking a piss" which means to urinate. :laugh: I would understand if someone said they were "just having a go at me" though. "Comforter" and "quilt" are different things to me. I'm not familiar with the word "doona."
To "screw the pooch" is essentially to make a big mistake. "You really screwed the pooch." = "You really messed up." I don't say it but now that I think about it, I may start. :laugh: It's a fabulously colorful phrase, IMO.
What about umbrella/bumbershoot? I think "bumbershoot" is a fantastic word but most people here would have absolutely no idea what I was talking about if I started using it.0 -
I LOVE these. :laugh:
I can't think of any off hand but I notice that some Americans and Canadians refer to a 'bunch' for many terms - food, friends, calories, anything that is more than one. In the UK, I think we'd only really refer to a bunch of bananas, flowers or fives (smack in the mouth). :bigsmile:
Is there much variation in terms across the USA? We have regional dialects and accents and different words here too - a lot really considering that we are such a small country.0 -
Is there much variation in terms across the USA? We have regional dialects and accents and different words here too - a lot really considering that we are such a small country.
HUGE variations. Some are regional. Some are local. Some are just strange people. :laugh:
I picked up washroom (i.e. bathroom) from trips up to Canada. It just makes more sense to me; when I'm going to a public washroom, I'm not going to take a bath, but I will wash up.0 -
OMG, I say 'screw the pooch' all the time, and someone the other day told me they had no idea what it means!!
I have never heard this term before! It's conjuring up some quite disturbing images, let me tell you!
In the UK, 'pooch' is another word for 'dog'. And i'm sure everyone is familiar with the verb 'to screw'...0 -
UK Roundabout = US Rotary
I've only heard them called roundabouts in the US. Rotary is a club (Rotary International).
I know they are Rotaries in the Northeast. My wife is from Boston and I grew up in the UK so we argue all the time about it.
I grew up in the Northeast and spent a lot of time in Boston and only heard them called roundabouts. Interesting. Must be they use both there and I only heard the one term.
I live in the Deep South now, and they're roundabouts here, too.
We call them roundabouts in Arizona too. Only thing is in Arizona, no one knows how to drive in one!0 -
OMG, I say 'screw the pooch' all the time, and someone the other day told me they had no idea what it means!!
I have never heard this term before! It's conjuring up some quite disturbing images, let me tell you!
In the UK, 'pooch' is another word for 'dog'. And i'm sure everyone is familiar with the verb 'to screw'...
Pooch means dog here in the US, too. It's um... not a literal phrase.0 -
I love these! I'm in Ireland.
*Tea for me is definitely evening time. Lunch is Midday, Dinner is 3-4, Tea is later in the evening.
*Also thought Americans were talking about being drunk when they said they were pissed.
Nearly DIED the first time the word 'fanny' was mentioned on a U.S tv show - it's DEFINITELY not the same meaning here - we used to call fanny packs bumbags!
*You say cigarettes, we say *kitten*.
*You say potato chips, we say crisps.
*You say soda, we say minerals or just call them by name - coke, 7-up, etc.
*You say jelly, we say jam.
*You say sidewalk, we say pavement.
*You say diapers, we say nappies.
*You say pacifiers, we say dummies or dodies.
*You say boogers, we say snots.
*You say cooties, we say germs, or no reference - did not have a clue what this meant, it took me years to find out!
*You call them barrettes, we say hair clips.
*You call it a pocketbook, we say handbag or purse.
And I don't get the whole 'oz(ounce)' thing at all. We're all ml and litres!
Ah ... the soda thing! That totally depends on where you are in the US. Some regions say "Coke" for all of them. Some places it's "pop," and I'm pretty sure there are several others.
We also say handbag and purse here, as well as germs. Only children say cooties. We also use hair clips AND barrettes. And we say jam, but jelly is more common.
Coke or soft drink
Waiter - Would you like a coke or tea?
customer -Coke please.
Waiter -What kind?
customer -Diet Dr. Pepper
I say purse, germs and cooties is a child's term.
A hair clip to me is an alligator style clip and a barrette is something that snaps.
Jelly and jam differ in their consistency as do preserves.
@ littlespy...
I use pigtails & dog ears interchangeably.
And plastic grocery sacks are normally referred to as Walamrt Bags. LOL0 -
i dunno if its been said, before
there is a definate difference between Fanny in Australia, and Fanny in America.
*cough* awkward...0
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