Different words for the same things depending on which country you're in.

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Replies

  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:
    Or Tasmania not being a part of Australia :lol:

    You wouldn't think so half the time, the ole map of Tassie gets left off a number of Australian maps :)

    Even between Australian states there is difference in words peanut butter = peanut paste, middy = pot = schooner (beer serving size, all different sizes but interchangeable between states), potato cake = potato scallop, ice lolly = ice block.

    Ice lolly sounds very English to me...and an ice block is frozen water. We call them icy poles!

    Ice lolly is flavoured. Ice block is just frozen water in blocks from an ice tray, or bought commercially.

    Lolly (not the ice one) is Australian for sweets or candy.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    My dogs are a shaking mess during the fireworks.

    Mine is surprisingly pretty comfortable with fireworks. Which is just as well. We've had them going off since about 2000, and it's now 0030.

    I suffer from PTSD, and hate them. Had a really uncomfortable evening, although the hound helps a lot. He's a service dog to help with the symptoms.

    Anyway, Happy New Year.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:
    Or Tasmania not being a part of Australia :lol:

    You wouldn't think so half the time, the ole map of Tassie gets left off a number of Australian maps :)

    Even between Australian states there is difference in words peanut butter = peanut paste, middy = pot = schooner (beer serving size, all different sizes but interchangeable between states), potato cake = potato scallop, ice lolly = ice block.

    Ice lolly sounds very English to me...and an ice block is frozen water. We call them icy poles!

    Ice lolly is flavoured. Ice block is just frozen water in blocks from an ice tray, or bought commercially.

    Lolly (not the ice one) is Australian for sweets or candy.

    Popsicles and ice cubes in Canada
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    BTW @Christine_72 and any other Australians - Happy New Year (you're past midnight, aren't you?)

    We've got 40 minutes (and 2 bottles of champers) to go!

    Thankyou :smiley: And Happy New year to you too xx
    New years eve has been and gone. It's 10am 1st of January in my part of the world.

    Happy new year to all of my mfp friends :drinker: :drinker: You make me laugh, cry and learn everyday Cheers

    Still December 31st for me. Another 3 hours and 20 minutes to go. Its always amazing to log on to news sites in the middle of the last day and see Australian fireworks displays for the first day of the new year. Looks like it was really big this time!!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I cant use the word route in a sentence without my juvenile husband turning it into something sexual :huh:

    Hehe I get corrected by my friend for pronouncing it the English way (he's American). I asked him what where does he get his kicks and he said "Route 66"...and pronounced it the English way :-D

    oh dear, I can just imagine my silly husband if we ever went somewhere on Route 69 :o

    Well he'll get his kicks!

    It's going to take me 5 mins to get to the River Thames to watch the fireworks, so I'm off until next year!

    I'm such a party animal. I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30, bloody hopeless, i is :( Have fun, I'm sure the firworks will be spectacular. They'll show all the major cities fireworks on the news here tonight, I'll look for you in the crowd :tongue:

    Heh, I'm going to a party (in 30 minutes!), but already trying to figure out how awful it would be to leave before midnight if it's primarily a dinner party and I talk to everyone earlier. I don't want to stay up that late, at least not if I am not already home.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I just heard on the news that 2 people here died due to bad firework handling.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I cant use the word route in a sentence without my juvenile husband turning it into something sexual :huh:

    Hehe I get corrected by my friend for pronouncing it the English way (he's American). I asked him what where does he get his kicks and he said "Route 66"...and pronounced it the English way :-D

    oh dear, I can just imagine my silly husband if we ever went somewhere on Route 69 :o

    Well he'll get his kicks!

    It's going to take me 5 mins to get to the River Thames to watch the fireworks, so I'm off until next year!

    I'm such a party animal. I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30, bloody hopeless, i is :( Have fun, I'm sure the firworks will be spectacular. They'll show all the major cities fireworks on the news here tonight, I'll look for you in the crowd :tongue:

    Heh, I'm going to a party (in 30 minutes!), but already trying to figure out how awful it would be to leave before midnight if it's primarily a dinner party and I talk to everyone earlier. I don't want to stay up that late, at least not if I am not already home.

    ooh a dinner party, how fru fru :smiley: I need loud music and a party atmosphere to stay up late!
  • I've heard of all of these except:
    Cordial - Koolaid
    Sprite - lemonade
    Fizzy lemon squash - Lemonade. This is a tricky one
    That's just crazy talk.

    Baking Soda - Bicarbonate of Soda
    All Purpose Flour - Flour
    Self-Rising Flour - Raising Flour, or sometimes Self-Raising Flour
    Kosher Salt - Salt Flakes
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    My dogs are a shaking mess during the fireworks.

    Mine is surprisingly pretty comfortable with fireworks. Which is just as well. We've had them going off since about 2000, and it's now 0030.

    I suffer from PTSD, and hate them. Had a really uncomfortable evening, although the hound helps a lot. He's a service dog to help with the symptoms.

    Anyway, Happy New Year.

    I'm glad your beasty is there to support you. Fireworks and thunderstorms do mine in. The bigger one is usually pretty docile, but during these times, she will take over my lap, regardless of the other one.

    Happy New Year.
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    I haven't read every post but one that I got in trouble with when I work in Oz was:

    canadian - - grilled cheese

    Oz - toasted cheese even though it was done on the same flat grill in the cafe as in canada
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I cant use the word route in a sentence without my juvenile husband turning it into something sexual :huh:

    Hehe I get corrected by my friend for pronouncing it the English way (he's American). I asked him what where does he get his kicks and he said "Route 66"...and pronounced it the English way :-D

    oh dear, I can just imagine my silly husband if we ever went somewhere on Route 69 :o

    Well he'll get his kicks!

    It's going to take me 5 mins to get to the River Thames to watch the fireworks, so I'm off until next year!

    I'm such a party animal. I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30, bloody hopeless, i is :( Have fun, I'm sure the firworks will be spectacular. They'll show all the major cities fireworks on the news here tonight, I'll look for you in the crowd :tongue:

    Heh, I'm going to a party (in 30 minutes!), but already trying to figure out how awful it would be to leave before midnight if it's primarily a dinner party and I talk to everyone earlier. I don't want to stay up that late, at least not if I am not already home.

    I was out until 2 in the morning last year at a dinner party. It was nice, but I'm just as happy to stay in and chill tonight.

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited January 2017
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    We do also say just tuna.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Canadians just say tuna
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    We do also say just tuna.

    Oh good. I just .noticed it on the American cooking shows.
    I know so much more about the US now, I'm so glad i started this thread. Pretty much all of my questions have been answered :+1:

  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    edited January 2017
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Why do the British hate the "z" (zed)? It's a good letter but proper British spelling is unfair. Initialize called and it feels underutilized! So please let's socialize the message about restoring the zed to it's proper place in our mostly common language.

    Have a great holiday!
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    I am sorting out which "cossie" to take to Oz with me.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited January 2017
    Australia: Corn flour
    Us/Canada: Corn starch.
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:
    Or Tasmania not being a part of Australia :lol:

    Yes ...

    And I also have people assuming I live on the continent of Africa.

    Amazing. Has anyone asked you to speak Tasmanian?
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    What do you all call the thing you wear to swim in?

    In aus, we have a few names
    -bathers
    -cozzie (for costume)
    -swimmers
    -togs
    -boardies (boardshorts)
    -budgie smugglers (mens brief-style)

    (that I know of.... There might be more in different places!)

    Probably another regional thing even within the U.S. - but for guys the names I hear most often are "swim trunks" or "board shorts"....or maybe just the generic term "bathing suit". The brief-style ones are called "Speedos" (which is the most common/popular brand of those style suits) or more informally, a "banana hammock". :)

    Banana hammock = budgie smugglers :D

    I would think of bathing suit as the female swimming costume.

    Or swim suit.

    Bikini is something specific.

    They can be called "togs" in Australia.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,707 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    Not even 5pm here. So for those of you who have reached it, how is 2017? Have you been overtaken by the robots, yet? Has Skynet risen?

    It's wet. Very, very wet. So much rain.