Language Please

135

Replies

  • tubbyelmo
    tubbyelmo Posts: 415 Member
    I worked in a Scottish hotel, and we had a regular guest from Chicago who often asked us to do laundry. He phoned down to say thanks for putting his ironed shirt back in his room but could he have his matching pants too... the hotel manager was searching through his just laundered undergarments and went to knock on his room door with a pair of boxers that were a similar shade, wondering who the lucky lady was that he was expecting to reveal his "pants" to later in the day!! :laugh:
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    jumper - sweater
    cell - mobile
    zed aka the letter Z
    pants - trousers
  • mjterp
    mjterp Posts: 650 Member
    Even within the states there are language oddities.

    In the south, "do you want a coke" means "would you like a beverage"

    In Wisconsin...a Bubbler is a drinking fountain...or "water fountain" as many people say, which I always had a hard time with because a "water fountain" to me is a shallow type of pool of water with a statue of a man peeing into the pool or a statue of woman pouring out what appears to be perfectly fine wine from an over sized vase. Grin. NOT something that I would want to drink from!

    North to south has idosyncrosies...VERY north says "yous guys" as in "hey, yous guys want to go to a movie" meaning pretty much anyone in the group...NOT gender specific to men! By southern Wisconsin it becomes "you guys". By northern Illinois it becomes "you" (singular AND plural) then by mid Missouri people start saying "you all" as two very distinct words. By mid Texas, "you all" morphs into "y'all" and in SOUTHERN Texas it becomes "all y'all" which CAN be singular! as in: my girlfriend (we had our babies within weeks of each other) called me and asked "all y'all wanna go to a movie? I'm fixin' to leave the house in half an hour" and she was asking just me for some mommy away time! (so "all y'all" can be singular or plural)

    There is an east to west language progression as well...it involves adding the "r" sound where it doesn't belong (warshington instead of washington) and dropping it from where it does belong (pahk your cah instead of park your car)

    And I had my Australian friend in stitches she was laughing so hard at the way we state side people say "diaper" instead of "nappy"

    And I experienced tremendous embarrassment when in high school...my dad had some business people to the house from Germany (fluent in English) and I asked them to please pass the napkins. (I guess that means sanitary napkins in Germany...I forget what it was that I was supposed to ask for...but I MEANT the paper product used to wipe the bbq sauce from my mouth...not the kind for feminine hygiene! I DID mention that I was in high school, right? as in...couldn't have possibly been any more embarrassing!)
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    clegg = horse fly

    I though that cleggs were only in Northern Irish! I've never heard them called it here in the North of England. They give a right nasty bite and all! :angry:
  • jeffryjirraf
    jeffryjirraf Posts: 179 Member
    clegg = horse fly

    I though that cleggs were only in Northern Irish! I've never heard them called it here in the North of England. They give a right nasty bite and all! :angry:

    they bloody hurt don't they?? Wee buggers.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    Since moving from the US to the UK 4 years ago, my language has changed a lot. I quite happily call pants "trousers", underwear "pants", fries "chips", and chips "crisps". However, I just cannot call shopping carts "trolleys" or erasers "rubbers".
  • terrappyn
    terrappyn Posts: 324 Member
    If you find yourself with some middle aged people who grew up in the Boston area, they might offer you some tonic (soda). My dad and everyone he grew up with still says it.


    My grandparents are from Boston......
    Tonic = Soda
    Dungaree = Jeans
  • JenRLo
    JenRLo Posts: 95 Member
    I didn't see anyone mention jimmies. As in "Can I please have chocolate jimmies on my ice cream?" I had a huge argument with my sister (who grew up in Maryland) when I was visiting and asked for them. She didn't know what I was talking about. I'm not sure if jimmies is a Philly thing or Southern thing. I grew up all over and have a blended vocabulary.

    I will always say ya'll but have let you's guys slip once or twice. Going to college in a small Southern town brought up all sorts of misunderstandings. My favorite was "what you like?" meaning "what do you need to do to get the assignment done?" My husband (Philly boy) likes to use "jawn" a lot. From what I understand, it pretty much means anything.

    My favorite British words are "loo" and "trainers." They are so much nicer than bathroom and sneakers!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Since moving from the US to the UK 4 years ago, my language has changed a lot. I quite happily call pants "trousers", underwear "pants", fries "chips", and chips "crisps". However, I just cannot call shopping carts "trolleys" or erasers "rubbers".

    I watch a lot of British television and find a lot of the language seeping into my head. Some of it would just sound so weird with an American accent, so I don't say it. But i always think it.
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
    clegg = horse fly

    I though that cleggs were only in Northern Irish! I've never heard them called it here in the North of England. They give a right nasty bite and all! :angry:

    they bloody hurt don't they?? Wee buggers.
    [/quote

    I thought clegg was the real name!!!
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
    Yep! And....

    Dinner is eaten mid-day

    Supper is eaten in the evening

    And it's "pupcorn" and "hut dogs" not popcorn and hot dogs
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
    So, can one of our American friends tell me what a "biscuit" is? I keep hearing Americans talking about having biscuits with gravy. To us, a biscuit is something you eat with a cup of tea. Like a cookie, but we only call certain biscuits cookies. All cookies are biscuits but not all biscuits are cookies!
  • justajiffy
    justajiffy Posts: 19
    I was born in Essex, lived in the East Midlands in England for a long time and now live in Scottish Highlands !!

    From the Midlands;-
    Frit - frightend
    Cob - bread roll
    Jitty - alleyway
    Mardy - grumpy
    Skank - mean
    Wassock - idiot
    Snap - packed lunch

    Scotland;-
    Bairn - child
    Tattie - potato
    Trews - trousers (pants USA)
    Neep - turnip
    Ben - mountain

    and now with TOWIE (The Only Way is Essex) on the screens there are words that I no longer understand !!!!
    Reem - nice
    well jel - jealous
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
    Since moving from the US to the UK 4 years ago, my language has changed a lot. I quite happily call pants "trousers", underwear "pants", fries "chips", and chips "crisps". However, I just cannot call shopping carts "trolleys" or erasers "rubbers".

    Depending where you are in Britain, "trolleys" means underpants!
  • justajiffy
    justajiffy Posts: 19
    ........ and to 'get trollied' means your well drunk !!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    So, can one of our American friends tell me what a "biscuit" is? I keep hearing Americans talking about having biscuits with gravy. To us, a biscuit is something you eat with a cup of tea. Like a cookie, but we only call certain biscuits cookies. All cookies are biscuits but not all biscuits are cookies!

    A biscuit is similar to a bread roll, but different consistency. Flakier.
  • jennibee70
    jennibee70 Posts: 1,067 Member
    ........ and to 'get trollied' means your well drunk !!

    Ah, we'd need an entire new thread for the all words for being drunk! Especially in Scotland. My favourites are blootered and miroculous!
  • mjterp
    mjterp Posts: 650 Member
    So, can one of our American friends tell me what a "biscuit" is? I keep hearing Americans talking about having biscuits with gravy. To us, a biscuit is something you eat with a cup of tea. Like a cookie, but we only call certain biscuits cookies. All cookies are biscuits but not all biscuits are cookies!

    Biscuits and gravy is a savory dish... I forget what the brittish name is...but something to do with soda because they are made with baking soda. It is a flour, baking soda, salt, butter (lard or shortening...I like shortening best) cut together and then rolled out and cut into circles. They rise when baked into a flaky thick textured bread. I don't know if you have the same Mc Donald's breakfast menu, but the "sausage egg and cheese breakfast biscuit" is made on the same type of biscuit that we would use for biscuits and gravy. (the gravy part is a sausage gravy...delicious and totally bad for you (high sodium, high fat...high calorie...not so high nutrition.)

    Hope this makes sense and helps...
  • EmmaM2211
    EmmaM2211 Posts: 536 Member

    I've lived in the US my whole life and I wouldn't find it rude for someone to ask for the toilet. We usually use "bathroom" or "restroom," but I don't know anyone who finds "toilet" rude.

    And most of us know what "loo" means. That clerk must have been very sheltered!

    ^^I was thinking the exact same thing.

    I have a British friend who points out to me that pants and trousers are not the same thing. (The way Americans use "pants" is wrong, apparently. lol)

    Friends in London call pitchers jugs. It was fun watching the bartender give them funny looks when they asked for a jug of beer.

    And they called their sweatpants joggybottoms. That was my favourite. LOL

    *jogging bottoms!!

    as in what you would wear to go jogging in haha

    We also call them trackies (short for tracksuit bottoms) They tend to be the more shiny material ones whereas joggers (short ofr jogging bottoms) are more cotton or softer material.
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
    So is telling someone to "bugger off" as bad as FU here in the states? Just wondered if that was really just to get people to go away or something else
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    So, can one of our American friends tell me what a "biscuit" is? I keep hearing Americans talking about having biscuits with gravy. To us, a biscuit is something you eat with a cup of tea. Like a cookie, but we only call certain biscuits cookies. All cookies are biscuits but not all biscuits are cookies!

    it's more like a scone.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    I didn't see anyone mention jimmies. As in "Can I please have chocolate jimmies on my ice cream?" I had a huge argument with my sister (who grew up in Maryland) when I was visiting and asked for them. She didn't know what I was talking about. I'm not sure if jimmies is a Philly thing or Southern thing. I grew up all over and have a blended vocabulary.

    I will always say ya'll but have let you's guys slip once or twice. Going to college in a small Southern town brought up all sorts of misunderstandings. My favorite was "what you like?" meaning "what do you need to do to get the assignment done?" My husband (Philly boy) likes to use "jawn" a lot. From what I understand, it pretty much means anything.

    My favorite British words are "loo" and "trainers." They are so much nicer than bathroom and sneakers!

    funny - when I moved to the US [Boston] and was offered jimmies on my ice cream - I was wordless - where I lived jimmy was a slang word for male parts
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    funny - when I moved to the US [Boston] and was offered jimmies on my ice cream - I was wordless - where I lived jimmy was a slang word for male parts

    And they call us prudes. ;-)
  • zeala
    zeala Posts: 119 Member
    I live in England and last year me and my friend went to America. We were in a shopping centre and my friend asked a sales helper 'were the loos where'. she was met with a blank look so she then translated that 'wheres the loo' meant 'wheres the toilet'. later we found out it was rude to you the word toilet and that you should ask for the 'bathroom' even if your just going for a pee and not a bath! seems very strange to me! I hope we didnt deeply offend the poor girl!! haha

    Most people here in the US call it a rest room. I thought that sounds odd too.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I live in England and last year me and my friend went to America. We were in a shopping centre and my friend asked a sales helper 'were the loos where'. she was met with a blank look so she then translated that 'wheres the loo' meant 'wheres the toilet'. later we found out it was rude to you the word toilet and that you should ask for the 'bathroom' even if your just going for a pee and not a bath! seems very strange to me! I hope we didnt deeply offend the poor girl!! haha

    Most people here in the US call it a rest room. I thought that sounds odd too.
    I think it depends on where you live. I grew up hearing and saying bathroom.

    Except all my teachers called it a lavatory.
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
    So, can one of our American friends tell me what a "biscuit" is? I keep hearing Americans talking about having biscuits with gravy. To us, a biscuit is something you eat with a cup of tea. Like a cookie, but we only call certain biscuits cookies. All cookies are biscuits but not all biscuits are cookies!

    A biscuit is similar to a bread roll, but different consistency. Flakier.
    Warning. Once you have biscuits and gravy you might really like it and it has lots of calories. Biscuits are great right out of the oven with some butter and honey. ***drool**
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    So, can one of our American friends tell me what a "biscuit" is? I keep hearing Americans talking about having biscuits with gravy. To us, a biscuit is something you eat with a cup of tea. Like a cookie, but we only call certain biscuits cookies. All cookies are biscuits but not all biscuits are cookies!

    A biscuit is similar to a bread roll, but different consistency. Flakier.
    Warning. Once you have biscuits and gravy you might really like it and it has lots of calories. Biscuits are great right out of the oven with some butter and honey. ***drool**

    Oh yum!

    I hate gravy, but I like biscuits for strawberry shortcake instead of those sweet cake things. Something about the sweet and savory and the strawberry juice and sugar soaking into the biscuit ...
  • gkwatra
    gkwatra Posts: 431 Member
    Since moving from the US to the UK 4 years ago, my language has changed a lot. I quite happily call pants "trousers", underwear "pants", fries "chips", and chips "crisps". However, I just cannot call shopping carts "trolleys" or erasers "rubbers".

    The "rubber" was always funny to me. Just hope you're not a guy sitting in the class in the US and asking the girl next to you if you can borrow her "rubber" ... O_o

    Also, in India, any kind of toothpaste is "Colgate."
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I still question the Elevator thing - that wikibooks link is the only one I can find, and it is full of spelling and other errors, so it's not convincing me as a reliable source. (Isn't all Wiki user generated, ie subject to the same caveats as our own database?)
  • c4ssandra
    c4ssandra Posts: 11
    I grew up in the Texas panhandle (that term is probably lost on most of you too). Some of these might be local and some might just be weird quirks.

    "Icebox" -- Most of my family calls the regrigerator an "icebox". Not the freezer--we actually call freezer the freezer. The term icebox was passed down from the old days when refrigerators actually were boxes with ice blocks cooling them. I never thought calling it an icebox was weird until I worked at a sandwich shop when I was a teen and I called the walk-in cooler/regrigerator an ice box and my coworker literally had no idea what I was talking about. That was in my hometown, so I don't think "icebox" is really a local thing. I think it's just a quirk some people/families have.

    "Chewin' the fat" -- This means chit-chatting or gossiping. I guess it's a southern US thing.

    "Man alive!" -- I said this one time after I got married and my husband (from OK) had to idea what I meant. He thought I made it up (I didn't). It is an exclamation of surprise or shock.

    "pancake" -- It's a chocolate cake made from scratch at my mom's house, not the breakfast food. Sounds the same when you say it, though I realize that it's two seperate words, whereas pancake (for breakfast) is one word. It confused people when I would ask them if they wanted a piece of pancake. Any other cake was never called pancake.

    "car" -- Any vehicle is a car. That includes trucks, SUVs, jeeps, semi-trucks...whatever. They're all cars.

    "coke" -- Any soda. One time when I was a teen and we travelled through Kentucky we stopped at a KFC. The guy asked if I wanted a "pop" and I didn't know what he was talking about. "Pop came the weasel" was the only thing I could think of. Eventually he asked if I wanted a soda. That I understood. As an adult living in the midwest I try to say soda but sometimes I still say coke referring to any type of carbonated soft-drink.

    "cream rinse" -- This is actually just an outdated term for hair conditioner, I think. My parents never say conditioner, they always say cream rinse.

    "Hold on! I'm fixin'ta!" -- Wait just a moment please. I am preparing to do something.

    "Clicker" -- any remote control. My dad drives me crazy with this. Sometimes I visit him and I forget that he calls remotes that, and he asks where the clicker is and I actually start looking for a clicker that you'd use to train a dog with.

    (And this isn't really technically in this category, but it's similar and it's funny. I went through a vegetarian phase as a teen. Ever since then, whenever my dad plans on cooking chicken, he'll tell us that we're going to "eat a dead chicken". For 10 years now. Every time. It kind of freaks out any guests, friends, or new significant others.)

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