Uk Vs. USA

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  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    What is your word for ground beef/ hamburger meat?
  • laurenjennifer1987mfp
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    What is your word for ground beef/ hamburger meat?

    Mince :smile:

  • frankiesgirl21
    frankiesgirl21 Posts: 235 Member
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    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!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The U.S. has several words for sandwiches on rolls -- hoagies, grinders, subs.
    http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/hoagies-vs-grinders-vs-sub-marine-sandwiches-6436641
    What are they called in the U.K.?
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    edited March 2016
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    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! :wink:

    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! :wink:

    If you need to know anything else, I'll try to help... :smile:
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    edited March 2016
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    What is your word for ground beef/ hamburger meat?

    Mince :smile:

    Additionally, "mincemeat" is not minced meat... :wink: Mincemeat is a mixture of dried fruit, so when Brits talk about "mince pies" they don't mean some sort of meat pie.

    RodaRose wrote: »
    The U.S. has several words for sandwiches on rolls -- hoagies, grinders, subs.
    http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/hoagies-vs-grinders-vs-sub-marine-sandwiches-6436641
    What are they called in the U.K.?

    Good question! I know that Subway was starting to become popular in the UK when I left, so "sub" might be a common word there now. Personally, I call "bread rolls with a filling" just rolls. As in "we'll have rolls for lunch". (Sandwiches, to me, are made with slices of bread and not rolls, so I'd just call that a sandwich!)
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
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    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! :wink:
  • laurenjennifer1987mfp
    laurenjennifer1987mfp Posts: 55 Member
    edited March 2016
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    A sandwich is fairly generic, if it's 2 pieces of bread with a filling it's a sandwich. Sometimes called a butty.

    A round of bread usually has a regional name... roll, batch, cob, barm, breadcake, bap, stotty, bridie, etc. I call it a cob!! Then you get the different types of bread that tend to be in the bakery side of the shop... I guess they're more artisan / continental types... fresh breads that taste delicious but tend to go off faster (baguettes etc).

    The term 'sub' is only really used in the context of that particular style of sandwich, at least in this part of the UK! Subway has increased in popularity in recent years, although I'm not sure why! Eww.

    (Yeah, mincemeat and minced meat are 2 totally different things... :smile: )

    I think I also need sleep, I've been awake since 4am and this thread has helped to keep me entertained!!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Mincemeat has no meat? Rip off!!!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,135 Member
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    inb4 someone asks about fanny packs.
    giphy.gif
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    Anyone from NA looking for further education check out British comedies.

    Personally have watched a lot on PBS....Are You Being Served?, Black Adder, 'Allo 'Allo, Fawlty Towers, Yes, Minister, etc. Latest/newest one I loved was Coupling...not a lot of episodes of that.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited March 2016
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    US - awesome
    UK - no it really isn't.
    :smile:

    UK slang for cigarettes my cause offense in the US.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Explain tea. Tea is a drink and also refers to a meal right? Does it happen at a specific time of day or is it the size of meal...is drinking tea even involved?!?
  • laurenjennifer1987mfp
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    Tea is a drink, but Tea can also be referred to as the main evening meal. Tea drinking is optional with it :wink:

    "Afternoon tea" is a cup of tea / sandwich / cake / scone sort of thing at some awkward time in between lunch and dinner!!
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
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    Tea is a drink, but Tea can also be referred to as the main evening meal. Tea drinking is optional with it :wink:

    "Afternoon tea" is a cup of tea / sandwich / cake / scone sort of thing at some awkward time in between lunch and dinner!!
    And 'High tea' is the same but with something a bit more substantial. Maybe a mini sausage roll or vol-au-vent!
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
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    UK jumper = NA sweater
    NA jumper = UK pinafore dress
  • emmaprocopiou
    emmaprocopiou Posts: 246 Member
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    I'm from the uk and to confuse matters even more 'Tea' can also mean dinner/supper :)
    As in ' I need to get home and fix the Kids Tea ...'
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    Chips in the US -- often thinly sliced potatoes fried. Crunchy.
    Chips in the UK?

    Your chips are called "crisps" in the UK.

    Chips in the UK are fries, as in french fries but we use chips also as in "fish and chips" or "burger and chips".
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    inb4 someone asks about fanny packs.
    giphy.gif

    :D
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    Lounmoun wrote: »
    Explain tea. Tea is a drink and also refers to a meal right? Does it happen at a specific time of day or is it the size of meal...is drinking tea even involved?!?

    Yes the evening meal can be referred to as "tea", "dinner" or "supper" depending on the region...