UK/US Divided by a Common Tongue

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AtticusFinch
AtticusFinch Posts: 1,263 Member
in Chit-Chat
I've been on a few message boards in my time and I can always be surprised by the simple event of either a British poster confusing the US audience with a phrase or a single word sometimes, and Americans peppering their sentences with equally baffling nonsense.

Off the top of my head here are a few I can think of, what contra-definition English words are you aware of between those two camps?

*kitten*
US: Male homosexual
UK: Large oniony meatball

PISSED
US: Angry
UK: Drunk (but 'Pissed Off' is the same for all of us)

PASTY
US: Nipple cover
UK: A regional meat pastry

*kitten*
US: See *kitten* above
UK: Cigarette

PANTS
US: Trousers
UK: Underwear

SHORTS
US: Underwear
UK: Short trousers

FANNY
US: Backside / buttocks
UK: Vagina

VEST
US: Waistcoat
UK: Underwear worn underneath a shirt

SPUNK
US: Spirit, get up and go
UK: Semen

BUM
US: Vagrant
UK: Backside / buttocks

TRAMP
US: Loose woman
UK: Vagrant

SUSPENDERS
US: Braces for holding up pants/trousers
UK: Garters / Straps for holding up stockings (Garter belt = Suspender belt)

COMIC IRONY
UK: A figure of speech in which the humorous intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used
US: ~ an unknown concept ~


(Ok - I made the last one up)

Get off your fanny, show me some spunk, and fill me in on any I've missed
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Replies

  • FaithandFitness
    FaithandFitness Posts: 653 Member
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    very educational post, I was aware of most of these, but I learned a bit!
  • smashleymcgee
    smashleymcgee Posts: 135 Member
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    I don't actually know any, but I think this is awesome :). Thanks for posting.
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    You forgot about

    NAPPY...

    US:Tightly coiled / curled unaltered hair
    UK: Baby Diaper
  • DawnyB1210
    DawnyB1210 Posts: 55
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    Hee Hee..when I was visiting Durham, UK a couple of years ago over the New Year's holiday, we took a side trip to the isle of Lindesfarne. It was such a cold, damp day near the sea and I was so happy to get to a cozy pub with a roaring fire. I was with a group of female friends, and I turned my back to the fire and annouced, "Oh, happy fanny!" Meaning, of course, that I was finally getting my backside warm. I couldn't understand why I got all kinds of looks from the nearby patrons.
  • NA_Willie
    NA_Willie Posts: 340 Member
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    Ive referred to semen as spunk before and Ive never left the US.
  • AtticusFinch
    AtticusFinch Posts: 1,263 Member
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    You forgot about

    NAPPY...
    US:Tightly coiled / curled unaltered hair
    UK: Baby Diaper

    Didn't know that one actually, so thanks
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    :0 Where I come from, shorts = short trousers (knee length or shorter), and I'm in the US!?
  • JeninBelgium
    JeninBelgium Posts: 804 Member
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    I've been on a few message boards in my time and I can always be surprised by the simple event of either a British poster confusing the US audience with a phrase or a single word sometimes, and Americans peppering their sentences with equally baffling nonsense.

    Off the top of my head here are a few I can think of, what contra-definition English words are you aware of between those two camps?

    *kitten*
    US: Male homosexual
    UK: Large oniony meatball

    PISSED
    US: Angry
    UK: Drunk (but 'Pissed Off' is the same for all of us)

    PASTY
    US: Nipple cover
    UK: A regional meat pastry

    *kitten*
    US: See *kitten* above
    UK: Cigarette

    PANTS
    US: Trousers
    UK: Underwear

    SHORTS
    US: Underwear
    UK: Short trousers

    FANNY
    US: Backside / buttocks
    UK: Vagina

    VEST
    US: Waistcoat
    UK: Underwear worn underneath a shirt

    SPUNK
    US: Spirit, get up and go
    UK: Semen

    BUM
    US: Vagrant
    UK: Backside / buttocks

    TRAMP
    US: Loose woman
    UK: Vagrant

    SUSPENDERS
    US: Braces for holding up pants/trousers
    UK: Garters / Straps for holding up stockings (Garter belt = Suspender belt)

    COMIC IRONY
    UK: A figure of speech in which the humorous intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used
    US: ~ an unknown concept ~


    (Ok - I made the last one up)

    Get off your fanny, show me some spunk, and fill me in on any I've missed

    Comment: In Michigan (and I suspect Northern wisconsin) Pasty = both a nipple cover and a tasty meat filled pie one could fit in their pocket (more or less)

    *kitten*- also a bundle of kindling (probably source of flaming reference and also *kitten* for cigs I should think)

    Spunk- can also mean semen in the US- for the get up and go, saying thta someone is spunky would be more common- either way spunk/spunky a wee bit old fashioned

    *kitten*- a bad word in the US, in the UK not nice but very commonly used
    Tramp- US a vagrant (a bit old fashioned but still applicable) and definitely a loose woman (somewhat outdated, not quite old fashioned- been replaced by slut/ ho'/ skank)

    Nappy - ooh very good one


    an aside, growing up in Michigan we had two "fanny" chocolate shops one called Fanny Mae and the other Fanny Farmer- my brother (london based) used to shock the older women at his former office by bringing back boxes of fanny farmer chocolates to London from his trips home
  • rosebslim
    rosebslim Posts: 27
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    Chips

    US - crisps
    UK - French fries or fried chunky chipped potatoes

    I also knew most of the others, but there were a couple of newish ones.

    LOL - I wonder what other English speaking countries have as alternatives?!!!
  • pixieofdoom
    pixieofdoom Posts: 356 Member
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    Not sure if this applies to all of the US but one that caused trouble when an American friend came to dinner at my mum's house
    'Quite good'

    US = very good
    UK = just ok, not that good really
  • _Aimée_
    _Aimée_ Posts: 190
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    *kitten* in an american tongue makes me laugh so much, its like 'twooort'' where as here is just *kitten* as in hat. Much more aggressive sounding.
  • Sonofabiscuit2
    Sonofabiscuit2 Posts: 323 Member
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    Biscuit
    US- doughy lump of breakfast bread
    UK- I believe it's a damn cookie
  • michelleion
    michelleion Posts: 122 Member
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    I saw a post the other day where a UK person was asking about flapjacks, and US people were replying with recipes for pancakes - ??!
  • ravenclawseekergirl
    ravenclawseekergirl Posts: 342 Member
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    As a northern lass i'd like to say that you can get more than meat flavoured pasties e.g. cheese and onion.

    Here's some that i have

    Waffle
    US: Sweet breakfasty thing served with syrup
    UK: Potato food that served with gravy or tomato sauce

    Caned
    US: ?
    UK: Very drunk (also cabbaged, trolleyed etc)

    Bait/bate
    US: Stuff used to attract fish to a line
    (North East UK maybe just Hartepool) Food taken to work usually in heavy industry or manual labour.

    Here's some British phrases that i thought you might enjoy

    Canny: nice good or pleasant used mostly in Scotland and north eastern England e.g. She's a canny lass her.
    Mafting: Really hot
    Clarty mess: Dirty, muddy, sticky
    I'm gonna start climbing the walls: Severely agitated by stress or worry
    Mad as a box of frogs: Hopping mad, completly crazy.
    Mahusive: gigantic
  • AtticusFinch
    AtticusFinch Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Dawny:
    Hee Hee..when I was visiting Durham, UK a couple of years ago over the New Year's holiday, we took a side trip to the isle of Lindesfarne. It was such a cold, damp day near the sea and I was so happy to get to a cozy pub with a roaring fire. I was with a group of female friends, and I turned my back to the fire and annouced, "Oh, happy fanny!" Meaning, of course, that I was finally getting my backside warm. I couldn't understand why I got all kinds of looks from the nearby patrons.

    That'll teach you to visit the North-East in winter, but I hope your fanny defrosted (whichever interpretation).

    I once overheard an elderly American tourist in a British pub tremulously asking what '*kitten*' were doing on the menu. Perhaps he was concerned he might've strayed into a gay bar
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    My husband is from London and I'm from Chicago. We had many discussions on these language differences.
    :blushing: The funniest was when he asked my boss where the rubbers were. She suggested in the men's room. Confused, my husband pointed to the end of his pencil..the eraser.
  • ravenclawseekergirl
    ravenclawseekergirl Posts: 342 Member
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    My husband is from London and I'm from Chicago. We had many discussions on these language differences.
    :blushing: The funniest was when he asked my boss where the rubbers were. She suggested in the men's room. Confused, my husband pointed to the end of his pencil..the eraser.

    This is hilarious. Yeah we call erasers rubbers and condoms Johnnies.
    I might be back with a few more later.
  • _Aimée_
    _Aimée_ Posts: 190
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    Caned! I haven't heard that in years, not since I left school!!
  • wsheaf82
    wsheaf82 Posts: 248 Member
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    I never really thought of "shorts" as underwear. (South Central PA)
  • SarahLovesCheesecake
    SarahLovesCheesecake Posts: 520
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    Atts a fanny farmer aincha mate MWAH:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    :blushing:

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