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

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Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,799 Member
    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?

    No ... but I was told by a Canadian friend that I needed a local guide if I were going to go out into the country so that I wouldn't be eaten by cannibals or taken prisoner by rebels.

    And when I told her that I've cycled all over Tasmania, she told me that wasn't possible ... too dangerous (see above) plus the roads aren't much more than tracks.


    If you haven't guessed ... she was thinking of a country with a sort of similar name, located in Africa. :)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,799 Member
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Canadians just say tuna

    But we Canadians say it differently than Australians do. I still get funny looks when I ask for a tuna sub at Subway, here in Australia, and especially when I ask for tomatoes on the sub.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,967 Member
    Not exactly a word difference - but you should of seen look on servers face in New Zealand when I asked (just out of habit and without even thinking about it) for beetroot on my subway.

    Common subway item here in Australia, I have it all the time - but beetroot on subways (and presumably burgers, sandwiches etc) is definitely not the done thing in NZ. :o
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    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.

    I don't think that will be the problem here. I guess it's a frozen type of wet. :neutral:
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    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?

    No ... but I was told by a Canadian friend that I needed a local guide if I were going to go out into the country so that I wouldn't be eaten by cannibals or taken prisoner by rebels.

    And when I told her that I've cycled all over Tasmania, she told me that wasn't possible ... too dangerous (see above) plus the roads aren't much more than tracks.


    If you haven't guessed ... she was thinking of a country with a sort of similar name, located in Africa. :)

    :laugh: That is gold.
    Oh Tasmania, why are you so dangerous?

    I'd love to go to Tassie one day.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,956 Member
    edited January 2017
    I recall sitting there utterly bemused and slightly horrified as an American exchange student told us how embarrased she was when her dad "growled her out" in public. Apparently that means telling her off. That's NOT what it means here... :/
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I recall sitting there utterly bemused and slightly horrified as an American exchange student told us how embarrased she was when her dad "growled her out" in public. Apparently that means telling her off. That's NOT what it means here... :/

    Omg, oh no :flushed:

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    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!

    It's archaic and old fashioned.

    fwiw in the OED the z spelling is first, so military convention is that the z is the correct speeling
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    .. she was thinking of a country with a sort of similar name, located in Africa. :)

    I'm racking my brains trying to think of anything. Tanzania is pretty stable.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,799 Member
    edited January 2017
    Machka9 wrote: »
    .. she was thinking of a country with a sort of similar name, located in Africa. :)

    I'm racking my brains trying to think of anything. Tanzania is pretty stable.

    That's the one she was thinking of ... based on bits and pieces she had heard or something. I'm not sure. Given that she didn't recognise that Tasmania and Tanzania were two completely different places, who knows what she was thinking.

    And this was over a decade ago. :)
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    I recall sitting there utterly bemused and slightly horrified as an American exchange student told us how embarrased she was when her dad "growled her out" in public. Apparently that means telling her off. That's NOT what it means here... :/

    I have to suppress my inner 13 year old whenever I read "I eat out once a week" for the same reason.
  • elebel82
    elebel82 Posts: 69 Member
    Australian:
    Chips = us fries
    Chips = uk crisps

    There's rarely any confusion over them - it's usually context that will give it away, though we also do sometimes distinguish hot chips vs potato chips.
    However just about every aussie who visits the US has at least one instance of being disappointed when offered chips with something and getting potato chips. You guys do eat potato chips with weird things (hotdogs, subs, burgers, etc.)

    For that matter, all of the classic bun + meat items that are sold in mcdonalds in australia are "burgers" even the chicken offerings . A "sandwich" is generally a much healthier item, cheese/cold meat such as ham etc/egg with salad in two pieces of bread, such as what's taken to school.
    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Talking about mistaken countries I went to Austria (which is an awesome country btw) and when I got home people were asking me if I saw kangaroos and koalas lol. It must be very common as I saw the shirts in tourist shops in Vienna that made the austria-australia joke.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    elebel82 wrote: »
    Australian:
    Chips = us fries
    Chips = uk crisps

    There's rarely any confusion over them - it's usually context that will give it away, though we also do sometimes distinguish hot chips vs potato chips.
    However just about every aussie who visits the US has at least one instance of being disappointed when offered chips with something and getting potato chips. You guys do eat potato chips with weird things (hotdogs, subs, burgers, etc.)

    For that matter, all of the classic bun + meat items that are sold in mcdonalds in australia are "burgers" even the chicken offerings . A "sandwich" is generally a much healthier item, cheese/cold meat such as ham etc/egg with salad in two pieces of bread, such as what's taken to school.
    At home I take my tea white. It took a number of confused looks and wrong orders in the states to eventually come up with "hot black tea with milk." (or space for milk.)
    I still don't understand what the deal is with "cream" in america. Cream to me is thick and what I put on desserts, I put milk in my tea and coffee. Nor do I understand what half n half is.

    We use both fries and chips for French fries. In stores, restaurants they are fries but we go to chip wagons to buy them in the summer.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 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!

    It ended up being fun and I stayed 'til 1. They were going to play board games after that (yeah, not a wild party), but not sure if they did.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2017
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Tuna steak = the way one can normally buy tuna here, not in a can (also IMO delicious).

    Tuna fish = the stuff in the can or a sandwich made from it (I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I can't stand it).

    Tuna = more generic, encompassing all of the above, sashimi with tuna (also good), whatever else.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Tuna steak = the way one can normally buy tuna here, not in a can (also IMO delicious).

    Tuna fish = the stuff in the can or a sandwich made from it (I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I can't stand it).

    Tuna = more generic, encompassing all of the above, sashimi with tuna (also good), whatever else.

    Was it because when Chicken of the Sea started canning tuna, we had to make sure some people were aware that there was actually fish in the can, and not chicken?
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,964 Member
    I recall sitting there utterly bemused and slightly horrified as an American exchange student told us how embarrased she was when her dad "growled her out" in public. Apparently that means telling her off. That's NOT what it means here... :/

    That must be regional. I've never heard that expression. We do say someone got 'chewed out" which I guess could be just as bad.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    kgirlhart wrote: »
    I recall sitting there utterly bemused and slightly horrified as an American exchange student told us how embarrased she was when her dad "growled her out" in public. Apparently that means telling her off. That's NOT what it means here... :/

    That must be regional. I've never heard that expression. We do say someone got 'chewed out" which I guess could be just as bad.

    Yeah, I've never heard "growled her out." I have heard "chewed her out" and would recognize it as American, but it's not that common IME and feels more southern, maybe.
    CyberTone wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Tuna steak = the way one can normally buy tuna here, not in a can (also IMO delicious).

    Tuna fish = the stuff in the can or a sandwich made from it (I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I can't stand it).

    Tuna = more generic, encompassing all of the above, sashimi with tuna (also good), whatever else.

    Was it because when Chicken of the Sea started canning tuna, we had to make sure some people were aware that there was actually fish in the can, and not chicken?

    Heh.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    kgirlhart wrote: »
    I recall sitting there utterly bemused and slightly horrified as an American exchange student told us how embarrased she was when her dad "growled her out" in public. Apparently that means telling her off. That's NOT what it means here... :/

    That must be regional. I've never heard that expression. We do say someone got 'chewed out" which I guess could be just as bad.

    Yeah, I've never heard "growled her out." I have heard "chewed her out" and would recognize it as American, but it's not that common IME and feels more southern, maybe.
    CyberTone wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Why do Americans say "Tuna fish", why not just Tuna?

    Tuna steak = the way one can normally buy tuna here, not in a can (also IMO delicious).

    Tuna fish = the stuff in the can or a sandwich made from it (I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I can't stand it).

    Tuna = more generic, encompassing all of the above, sashimi with tuna (also good), whatever else.

    Was it because when Chicken of the Sea started canning tuna, we had to make sure some people were aware that there was actually fish in the can, and not chicken?

    Heh.

    I'm southern, never heard that phrase. chewed out i've heard and used though.