Uk Vs. USA

pants in uk is underwear

MogMog_2 wrote: »

Cynsonya wrote: »

Biscuits = Cookies???

Cookies in uk are a specific round biscuit with choc chips in.

Ahhh, OK. Here we have tons of types of cookies. Those we call chocolate chip cookies

Unless you're from the south. Then thongs for your feet are flip flops.

MogMog_2 wrote: »

Jelly... = jam? (As in strawberry jam spread on toast. not jelly & ice cream)

In the US we have jelly, jam and preserves. The difference is in the amount of fruit solids left in the final product. Jelly has no fruit solids, so it is essentially cooked fruit juice and sugar mixed with pectin to turn it into a gel. Jam still has some pureed fruit left in it, and preserves should have chunks of fruit solids. Many kids grow up eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (Usually either grape or strawberry jelly.)

Most people in the US know about marmalade, but it isn't common in household pantries. Even fewer people could define compote.

Cynsonya wrote: »

And biscuits are baked bread with gravy over them. Or sausage/bacon on top!

Just to clarify, in the US biscuits are a quick bread that use baking soda as a leavening agent . They are often used in biscuits and (sausage) gravy or breakfast sandwiches.

In the US most people call the wiggly wobbly stuff jello even if it's not jello brand gelatin. It tends to be served either on it's own or with fruit in it or some people make different types of jello salad which can range from sensible to the just downright bizarre. Mid-Century era recipes use a lot of jello in odd combos like olives and pickles in lime jello

What is your word for ground beef/ hamburger meat?

See map. Live in east central pa. Hubs from west pa. Me: soda....hubs family. Pop... Wash worsh..... Anybody out there red up the house? We Pennsylvania Dutch have all the colloquialisms!....cute name for bad grammar attributable to ancestry!

I had a long conversation once with a co-worker about the language differences - I'm English but live in Canada. She kept throwing words at me and asking for the equivalent! I don't remember all of them, but here's a few that I don't think were already covered:

Jumpers in the UK are sweaters in NA.
Braces in the UK are suspenders in NA.
Suspenders in the UK are garter belts in NA.
Garters in NA are some kind of device for holding up men's socks, as far as I can tell, whereas garters in the UK are the lacy bits of elastic that brides wear around their thigh! I'm not sure if those are also called garters over here. (Some interesting discussion regarding suspenders, thongs and garters occurred with my colleague!)

Pavement or path in the UK is the bit the pedestrians walk on, but in NA pavement is the actual road surface. The pedestrian bit is the "sidewalk". (The road in the UK is either just "the road", tarmac or asphalt. In my part of Canada at least, asphalt generally seems to refer to the standard sort of roofing material. Clay tiles are very expensive and fairly uncommon.)
Windscreens are windshields, and a UK car has a bonnet and a boot whereas a NA car has a hood and a trunk.
A "van" over here can be both the sort of van a Brit is familiar with as well as a "caravan", which is what Brits may know as a people-carrier (a vehicle with 6 or 7 seats).
A British caravan, on the other hand, would usually be known as a trailer, a camping trailer or a fifth wheel, depending on the size. (Trailers for carrying stuff in are also called trailers, just to make it interesting.) The big-*kitten* campers (motorhomes) are usually called RVs or Winnebagos - the ones that travel under their own steam and don't need to be pulled by anything.
Oh, and a NA "truck" is a pickup in the UK, but a British "truck" or "lorry" might be a semi here (usually refers to the articulated type of truck and trailer - I think smaller ones may still be called trucks or vans. Haven't quite got my head around that whole thing!).

Biscuits was kind of covered above, but I'd say that NA "biscuits" are closer to UK savoury scones than anything else. (Still not quite the same though.) I've seen things I would think of as sweet scones also referred to as biscuits here.
Marmite is still called Marmite, if you can find it, but I have to go to the baking aisle for it. Because it's called "yeast extract", non-Brits think it should be used in breadmaking or something!
Chocolate tastes different due to the kind of sweeteners used - not really relevant to this conversation, just disappointing!

What else? We've done chips/crisps/fries, jelly/jello, pants/trousers, soda/pop/fizzy drinks...

Oh, pants (UK) were mentioned above, but not that they're also referred to as knickers. (Apparently this is the reason Snickers bars were originally called "Marathon" in the UK, so we wouldn't rhyme it with knickers!) Here they are panties or just underwear, although I do know of a Canadian lingerie store called "Knickers and Lace" so perhaps it's becoming more common! The UK phrase "don't get your knickers in a twist" is "don't get your panties in a bunch" over here.

Well, that got a bit out of hand! I just kept thinking of more stuff to add!

If you need to know anything else, I'll try to help...

Oh! (I need to stop thinking about this stuff and go to bed...! )

Another clothing related thing:

A vest in the UK is a men's undergarment, and a string vest is commonly known as a "wife beater" over here. A vest to North Americans is what Brits call a waistcoat.

Somebody stop me! I need sleep!

Mincemeat has no meat? Rip off!!!