Language Please

I don't believe the elevator one, and a quick Google seems to back me up here.

There was the Otis family of engineers, who did make elevators, and so one can talk about an "Otis Elevator", but the name comes from the word "elevate" meaning to lift.

It is odd, I am from the east coast of Scotland and a lot of the words I used were just not understood by people down in England. Here is just a few that they had issues with. I would tend to not know why they were having such a problem understanding me.

sweetie = candy (fairly self explanitory)
messages = groceries
scaffy = person who picks up the bins
fish supper = fish and chips
clegg = horse fly
burn = stream
chuckie = pebble
workie = builder
clype = telltale

I;d have a problem deciphering this too - never mind the accent! :happy:

haha my accent isn't actually that strong. You can tell I am scottish, but I will explain things that people don't understand. Even if I don't understand why you don't understand.

I don't believe the elevator one, and a quick Google seems to back me up here.

Well, then, I guess the journalist who wrote the article for a respected newspaper wire service lied. *shrug*

Apart from in the United States, an elevator is known as a lift. The term "elevator" is actually the brand name of a lift by a company within the United States. The company was so successful and installed them in so many places, that people started to refer to lifts as elevators. This in turn caused the company to lose its "Elevator" trademark and it became the common name in the United States for a lift.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikijunior:How_Things_Work/Elevator

lol took me a good few days to realize that people meant when they asked me "do yo have a *kitten*" when I was over in london (totally unrelated I know)... still don't get why they call smokes *kitten* though? anyone know?

I use Brekky for breakfast - since I used to live in the UK

Australia has a lot of words that were new to me when I started having to read Aussie news articles. (my definitions my not be quite correct)

compo - work related employee compensation
hoon - racing around in a car in a dangerous way
yobbo - unsavoury person (UK also)
Fair dinkum - the real thing
digger - soldier
jumper - sweater (UK also)
never never - in the wilderness (outback)
tucker - food (in the UK tuck)
singlet - T-shirt
sheila - girl
bikkie - biscuit->cookie
pokie - poker gambling machine

I use Brekky for breakfast - since I used to live in the UK

Australia has a lot of words that were new to me when I started having to read Aussie news articles. (my definitions my not be quite correct)

compo - work related employee compensation
hoon - racing around in a car in a dangerous way
yobbo - unsavoury person (UK also)
Fair dinkum - the real thing
digger - soldier
jumper - sweater (UK also)
never never - in the wilderness (outback)
tucker - food (in the UK tuck)
singlet - T-shirt
sheila - girl
bikkie - biscuit->cookie
pokie - poker gambling machine

did you lot not come up with skite as well? That is a good word

Queue = Line (like in queue up to get into the film)

FYP

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

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 think the spelling differences are more interesting.

curb vs. kerb
tire vs. tyre
misspelled vs. misspelt

Curb and kerb are completely different words with different meanings, as are tire and tyre in the UK, both misspelled and misspelt are used widely here.

I think the spelling differences are more interesting.

curb vs. kerb
tire vs. tyre
misspelled vs. misspelt

Curb and kerb are completely different words with different meanings, as are tire and tyre in the UK, both misspelled and misspelt are used widely here.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kerb?s=t

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tyre?s=t

They may mean something different to you, but the dictionary backs up the OP.

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

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

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!

agreed.

most travelers are encouraged to use the word "toilet" b/c it's more universal. most of the world knows what you mean when you say it. i think the cashier was probably what we like to call "dumb as a box of rocks".

I think the spelling differences are more interesting.

curb vs. kerb
tire vs. tyre
misspelled vs. misspelt

Curb and kerb are completely different words with different meanings, as are tire and tyre in the UK, both misspelled and misspelt are used widely here.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kerb?s=t

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tyre?s=t

They may mean something different to you, but the dictionary backs up the OP.

I suppose it just depends on the dictionary you're using. I doubt many in the UK would use 'curb' to describe the edge of the pavement (sidewalk to our US friends).

That was the point about the spelling. In the US, "curb" is the edge of the sidewalk OR it means to stop doing something or do it less. "Curb your use."

So, if a "kerb" in the UK is the edge of a sidewalk, then the spelling is different there than in the US, which is what the OP said.

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

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!

agreed.

most travelers are encouraged to use the word "toilet" b/c it's more universal. most of the world knows what you mean when you say it. i think the cashier was probably what we like to call "dumb as a box of rocks".

she was very blonde!!

I think the spelling differences are more interesting.

curb vs. kerb
tire vs. tyre
misspelled vs. misspelt

Curb and kerb are completely different words with different meanings, as are tire and tyre in the UK, both misspelled and misspelt are used widely here.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kerb?s=t

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tyre?s=t

They may mean something different to you, but the dictionary backs up the OP.

I suppose it just depends on the dictionary you're using. I doubt many in the UK would use 'curb' to describe the edge of the pavement (sidewalk to our US friends).

That was the point about the spelling. In the US, "curb" is the edge of the sidewalk OR it means to stop doing something or do it less. "Curb your use."

So, if a "kerb" in the UK is the edge of a sidewalk, then the spelling is different there than in the US, which is what the OP said.

When my daughter was little her spelling homework was to write a word 5 times then use it in a sentence. Her teacher once gave her "curb". I asked her what her teacher said it meant, and she said the edge of the pavement. As we live in Britain, I made her write "My mother told me to curb my language" as her example! She was about 8 at the time!