English to USA Translations
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Tree72 -- I'd call that hairstyle "Pig tails." I've never heard anyone call it "dog ears" before.
To me pigtails are always braided. (Parted down the middle and a braid on each side, which can be in front of or behind the ears, or even very near the center part at the nape of the neck.)
To RobynC79: here quilts and comforters are rather different types of bed coverings. Quilts are specifically made of multiple layers with a (usually cotton though sometimes poly-fiberfill) batting in the middle. The top layer is often an intricate patchwork design. Many families (in the South at least) have quilts that are family heirlooms made by a great grandmother or aunt and passed down through the generations. Comforters are just stuffed bed coverings used in colder weather. You can either get ones that match your decor or get a plain (frequently stuffed with down and/or feathers) comforter and then get duvets to put it in that match your decor.
It's so interesting to see all the regional variations as well as the English vs. American meanings. Thanks to everyone for participating in the discussion.0 -
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.
Well, Jello is a brand name that's come to be used generically for all gelatin. And what we call barbecue in the rest of the country is somewhat different than in Texas. "A barbecue" refers to an outdoor party where we grill food. In Texas, barbecue (the actual thing that the generic term comes from) is kind of a religion, so it's used a bit differently.0 -
I've always considered "cooties" to be an imaginary, invisible bad thing. Kinda like the "boogey man." I suppose it could be germs or lice or something like that too. But, I remember as a child playing a game where the girls chased the boys and tried to touch them. If that happened, the girls would "give the boys their cooties."
I still use it as an adult, but when I am referring to something imaginary. Like people that avoid gay people... They don't want to "catch the gay cooties." That, of course, would make them gay too.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.
I've always been under the impression that this particular phrase is used specifically because it indicates something very awkward. It's not meant to be taken literally, but more as a metaphor; you just messed up really badly and got caught doing it - there's no easy recovery.0 -
We call them roundabouts in Arizona too. Only thing is in Arizona, no one knows how to drive in one!
People in Florida don't know how to drive, period!0 -
In America, we have "English Muffins" which I believe are just "muffins" in England. We have something totally different we call "muffins." Anyone know what those are in England?0
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In America, we have "English Muffins" which I believe are just "muffins" in England. We have something totally different we call "muffins." Anyone know what those are in England?
cupcakes... sort of i guess.0 -
:laugh:Well, I'm from Alabama so I don't want to play. :laugh:
In the UK, we call that sulking
yeah, here in the states too. lmao0 -
In America, we have "English Muffins" which I believe are just "muffins" in England. We have something totally different we call "muffins." Anyone know what those are in England?
cupcakes... sort of i guess.
As I understand it, our English Muffins are more like their crumpets. Muffins are just muffins. Please correct me, if I'm wrong.0 -
My political science teacher is from England, and instead of saying Milky Way, he calls it a Mars Bar.
And yesterday he was making fun of us about the way we say Oregano.0 -
If you have an import store locally, buy the UK Mars Bar and a US Mars Bar and compare them. (Same with Skittles too. They look the same, but the sugar tastes are completely different.)
Crumpets are still different from English Muffins. We use Muffin for both forms of muffin, which can be kind of confusing.0 -
my boyfriend is from Ireland- he calls me chicken or bird. which is like girlfriend for the states.
sour candy- fizzy.
gummy bears- he calls them jellys- anything that falls into the gummy catergory (bears, worms, etc) he calls them jellies.
Back Garden instead of Backyard
I have tons but since being with him- I catch myself placing the "u" in certain words when I type, and saying eejit a lot lol0 -
You say lie low, we say floaty/air mattress/inflatable. That one got me confused for a second while on vacation with Brits and Aussies :happy:
hahaha lilo not lie low hahahahaha Sounds the same I'll give you that but this made me laugh!!! xx
Glad you laughed at this too Emma otherwise i may have felt guilty for bursting out laughing :laugh:0 -
This is so great. Basically everything UK based sounds a gazillion times better than our US words. I love it.
Hey I have a question. Is there a difference in what school levels are called? I heard that it was different. Sorry if this has already been addressed.
In the US it goes: preschool (starting at age 5ish), then kindergarden (age 6ish), then elementary school (grade 1 through 6, about ages 7-13), then middle school or junior high (grade 7 and 8, about ages 14 through 15), then high school (grades 9 through 12, about ages 15 through 19) then we graduate high school and either go to college/university (but you have to pay for it), or go straight to work instead.
So what are the parallels to these stages of school over in the UK? Same? Different?0 -
If you have an import store locally, buy the UK Mars Bar and a US Mars Bar and compare them. (Same with Skittles too. They look the same, but the sugar tastes are completely different.)
Crumpets are still different from English Muffins. We use Muffin for both forms of muffin, which can be kind of confusing.
Chocolate taste better over in UK & Ireland anyway. The ice cream tastes better too- especially Baileys ice cream! yum!
My favorite candy would be Milkyway bar and Galaxy bar.0 -
Basil is pronounced baz-ill in the UK not bays-ill.
US 'bangs' are called a fringe in the UK.
School (at least where I live) goes:
0-4/5 - nursery or pre-school
4/5-7 - infant school
or 4/5-9 - middle school (old - don't know if there are many around now)
7-11 - junior school - do SATS (not the same as the US version) at some point, I'm not sure what age
11-16 - secondary school or high school (many go up to 18, some private schools go from 3-18) - do GCSEs at the end
16-18 - college or sixth form - do AS levels in the first year and A levels in the second year
18-21 (generally) - university - 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year - get a degree
We don't use freshman, junior, senior
We don't have 'grad school', people just do masters and PhDs at universities
Public school in the UK means private school. We also call them private schools and fee-paying schools. Non-private schools are called state schools and also comprehensives, academies etc.0 -
Also love the difference in pronunciation of some things over here. Yoghurt sounds like boggart. You say *kitten* the way we say pasta and we say *kitten* the way you say pasta.
This would depend on the region you're in. I'm from "up North" and here we'd say *kitten* and pasta the same...not sure how you Americans say them so not sure if its the same or different :-D
*kitten* has a short a sound and pasta like the o in lobster.
Depends where in the UK your accent is from, in the South, it tends to pick up an additional R, said "barstud". In the North, it's said more like "basstud"
*raises hand* im guilty of pronouncing it with the extra 'r' :ohwell:0 -
They are called rotaries in some places. This is the problem with "US" meanings since we are a rather large country and the regional differences can be very marked.UK Roundabout = US Rotary
I've only heard them called roundabouts in the US. Rotary is a club (Rotary International).
I'm from the western US (Oregon) and have always heard it called/call them roundabouts.0 -
I was staying with an American friend and couldn't work the tap in the bathroom.
"Hey your tap's stuck!"
"My what?"
"Your tap, you know the thing over the sink the water comes out of."
"Oh, faucet!"
So I forced it and the damn thing came off in my hand.
In my region of Texas, we wouldn't call this part of the sink either.... we typically refer to it as a spigot.. though we pronounce it incorrectly and call it a 'spick-it'. More often than not, we would just say "Hey, your sink is broken" or something along those lines. When referring to things, we talk about it as a whole versus the parts. That could mean that the spigot is broken, the handles/knobs are broken, the basin is broken or the pedestal if it's that sort of sink.... I hear a lot of people speak in these generalized terms.
I haven't made it through all the pages yet, but what about things like
Tin Foil? and Washrags? Gosh we talk funny!0 -
bump so I can read later 0
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Ha, we say "spick-it" for spigot in SC, too. But I would only call something a spigot if it was outside... weird. For instance, I connect my garden hose to a spigot to water my vegetable and herb garden.0
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One thing the english say that I like is smashing and brilliant.....I know brilliant means the same and smashing seems to only apply to english, but still....brings a smile \m/0
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You're about a year off. If you graduate high school at 19, you were probably held back somewhere. Pre-k starts at 4, not 5.This is so great. Basically everything UK based sounds a gazillion times better than our US words. I love it.
Hey I have a question. Is there a difference in what school levels are called? I heard that it was different. Sorry if this has already been addressed.
In the US it goes: preschool (starting at age 5ish), then kindergarden (age 6ish), then elementary school (grade 1 through 6, about ages 7-13), then middle school or junior high (grade 7 and 8, about ages 14 through 15), then high school (grades 9 through 12, about ages 15 through 19) then we graduate high school and either go to college/university (but you have to pay for it), or go straight to work instead.
So what are the parallels to these stages of school over in the UK? Same? Different?0 -
This is so great. Basically everything UK based sounds a gazillion times better than our US words. I love it.
Hey I have a question. Is there a difference in what school levels are called? I heard that it was different. Sorry if this has already been addressed.
In the US it goes: preschool (starting at age 5ish), then kindergarden (age 6ish), then elementary school (grade 1 through 6, about ages 7-13), then middle school or junior high (grade 7 and 8, about ages 14 through 15), then high school (grades 9 through 12, about ages 15 through 19) then we graduate high school and either go to college/university (but you have to pay for it), or go straight to work instead.
So what are the parallels to these stages of school over in the UK? Same? Different?
Different in Ireland anyway. We have playschool for kids under 4 (they start as young as 2), primary school from 4/5 for 8 years, then secondary school for 5 years or 6 years if you choose to do the optional 'tranistion' year. So a lot of Irish kids finish school and go to college at 17. I was finished at 16 as I have a late June birthday.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".
I am English living in America too (Originally from Cheltenham)! Been here for ten years. They do the SAME thing to me!!! My husband/friends are always translating for me!!! At work I'm always having a problem because I take care of the elderly and they have absolutely no idea what this foreigner is saying to them - worse than younger generations around here (Pittsburgh).0 -
Wellies=rubber boots
carriage=shopping cart
slippy=slippery (I find it hilarious to say 'slippy' so now I say it.)
I have lots of friends from across the pond, and they gave me this website: http://septicscompanion.com/0 -
An American friend of mine was going to Ireland for the first time. He's a smoker so I said to him on the phone:
"oh, there's a new law there now so you can't stamp out *kitten* on the street or it's a £200 fine"
His reply was "WHAT!?!....."
This is so funny it makes my stomach hurt. hahahaha0 -
"loo" and "loo paper" !0
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Hahaha this thread is funny! Ok my favourites are the differences in insults.
For example.... wanker & douche!
I was working with a couple of Americans and they had gone out & somebody called one of them a wanker, they asked me what it means.. Wank = *kitten*.... so a wanker is somebody who masturbates. They laughed and told me it was a stupid insult!! This coming from a nation who uses douche for an insult!! Err hellooo... douche means shower! Lol!0 -
English people eat a lot of "puddings" that are not actually pudding.
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