English to USA Translations

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  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
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    I was brought up in the UK with yoghurt as a pudding (dessert/sweet), a treat at the end of a meal - sugary and fatty. Cheese I have always seen as either junk (rubbish processed cheese) or indulgent ('proper' cheeses), but certainly not good for you. I was surprised to find that people I met in America considered both to be healthy foods. Milk used to be the only dairy food promoted as healthy in the UK, but now some yoghurts are marketed as healthy too, generally the 'probiotic' ones and reduced fat/extra sugar ones.

    Nah we eat yoghurt for breakfast!!. And at lunch... I would cry if my pudding was yoghurt - who from the UK has yoghurt for pudding? Hands up!!

    Which part did you grow up in?

    South coast and Yorkshire. It may just be my weird family! A Scottish ex used to put the yoghurt out of the pot and into a drinking glass and eat it from there with a spoon - I found this utterly bizarre - I would have it in a bowl.

    Greek-style yoghurt wasn't really around much when I was younger, we had it occasionally (for dessert) with honey, everyday yoghurt was always sweet and fruit flavour. I liked set yoghurt best, especially lemon - not seen that for years though.

    Heh I am from the South Coast.

    I have Greek yogurt on a plate! Sometimes in a bowl... never a glass! But yeah, Greek yog and honey for dessert wouldn't make me cry. A Muller light yoghurt would though! :laugh:
  • tansygreen
    tansygreen Posts: 85 Member
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    I'm British - but lived in New York for a couple of years. There are so many food ones!

    Us to UK
    Arugula - Rocket
    Cilantro - Coriander
    Eggplant - Aubergine
    Zuchini - Courgette

    Funniest non-food one is Fanny-Pack - he he (we say bum-bag) .
    Yes I give my kids yoghurt for desert - delicious and healthy!!
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    Not sure if this has already been posted, but it is hilarious. This is to be taken in jest, but is extremely relevant to the discussion at hand. This is from an image I saw on the interwebs:

    Americans call chips "french fries."
    Americans call crisps "chips."
    Americans call chocolate globbernaughts "candy bars."
    Americans call motorized rollinghams "cars."
    Americans call merry fizzlebombs "fireworks."
    Americans call wunderbahboxes a "PC."
    Americans call meat water "gravy."
    Americans call electro-rope "power cables."
    Americans call beef wellington ensemble with lettuce a "hamburger."
    Americans call whimsy flimsy mark and scribblers "pens."
    Americans call twisting plankhandles "doorknobs."
    Americans call a breaddystack a "sandwich."
    Americans call their hoighty toighty tippy typers "keyboards."
    Americans call nutty-gum and fruit spleggings "peanut butter and jelly."
    Americans call an upsy-stairsy the "escelator."
    Americans call a knittedy wittedy sheepity sleepity a "sweater."
    Americans call a rickity-pop a "gear shift."
    Americans call a choco chip bicky wicky a "cookie."
    Americans call a pip pop gollywock a "screwdriver."
    Americans call a rooty-tooty point-n-shooty a "gun."
    Americans call a ceiling bright a "lightbulb."
    Americans call a blimpy bounce bounce a "ball."
    Americans call a slippery dippery long mover a "snake."
    Americans call cobblestone clippity-clops "roads."

    Few things make me actually LOL. This did. I particularly like the upsy-stairsy, whimsy flimsy mark and scribblers, breaddystack and slippery dippery long mover.
  • BamaKevinT
    BamaKevinT Posts: 4
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    Not sure if this has already been posted, but it is hilarious. This is to be taken in jest, but is extremely relevant to the discussion at hand. This is from an image I saw on the interwebs:

    Americans call chips "french fries."
    Americans call crisps "chips."
    Americans call chocolate globbernaughts "candy bars."
    Americans call motorized rollinghams "cars."
    Americans call merry fizzlebombs "fireworks."
    Americans call wunderbahboxes a "PC."
    Americans call meat water "gravy."
    Americans call electro-rope "power cables."
    Americans call beef wellington ensemble with lettuce a "hamburger."
    Americans call whimsy flimsy mark and scribblers "pens."
    Americans call twisting plankhandles "doorknobs."
    Americans call a breaddystack a "sandwich."
    Americans call their hoighty toighty tippy typers "keyboards."
    Americans call nutty-gum and fruit spleggings "peanut butter and jelly."
    Americans call an upsy-stairsy the "escelator."
    Americans call a knittedy wittedy sheepity sleepity a "sweater."
    Americans call a rickity-pop a "gear shift."
    Americans call a choco chip bicky wicky a "cookie."
    Americans call a pip pop gollywock a "screwdriver."
    Americans call a rooty-tooty point-n-shooty a "gun."
    Americans call a ceiling bright a "lightbulb."
    Americans call a blimpy bounce bounce a "ball."
    Americans call a slippery dippery long mover a "snake."
    Americans call cobblestone clippity-clops "roads."

    Few things make me actually LOL. This did. I particularly like the upsy-stairsy, whimsy flimsy mark and scribblers, breaddystack and slippery dippery long mover.

    Haha, glad it made you laugh! I think my favorite one is "rooty tooty point-n-shooty."
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    Arugula - Rocket

    An English friend on MFP logged a "Pawn and Rocket Sandwich." It sounded out of this world!
  • _Kitten_Kate
    _Kitten_Kate Posts: 520 Member
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    I was skyping with a British friend the other day.. He changed seats while we were chatting. I asked what he was doing... He said "sitting on the poof". I of course laughed and asked what a poof was... he explained...
    I said oh! An ottoman!! ... He said no, an ottoman you store blankets in.. this is a poof. It's comfy... you sit on it.
    LOL.
    IT's an Ottoman!! I said why am I wrong and you are right? ... he said "Because I am British" LOL Silly Bugger!! (in my best British accent-LOL)
    We have had several conversations where I question whether or not I am being insulted. LOL...
    Love 'em.... just absolutely love 'em!
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
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    I was skyping with a British friend the other day.. He changed seats while we were chatting. I asked what he was doing... He said "sitting on the poof". I of course laughed and asked what a poof was... he explained...
    I said oh! An ottoman!! ... He said no, an ottoman you store blankets in.. this is a poof. It's comfy... you sit on it.
    LOL.
    IT's an Ottoman!! I said why am I wrong and you are right? ... he said "Because I am British" LOL Silly Bugger!! (in my best British accent-LOL)
    We have had several conversations where I question whether or not I am being insulted. LOL...
    Love 'em.... just absolutely love 'em!


    Ah, that would be a pouffe!
    A poof is something else entirely :bigsmile:
  • gazerofthestars
    gazerofthestars Posts: 255 Member
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    I was skyping with a British friend the other day.. He changed seats while we were chatting. I asked what he was doing... He said "sitting on the poof". I of course laughed and asked what a poof was... he explained...
    I said oh! An ottoman!! ... He said no, an ottoman you store blankets in.. this is a poof. It's comfy... you sit on it.
    LOL.
    IT's an Ottoman!! I said why am I wrong and you are right? ... he said "Because I am British" LOL Silly Bugger!! (in my best British accent-LOL)
    We have had several conversations where I question whether or not I am being insulted. LOL...
    Love 'em.... just absolutely love 'em!


    Ah, that would be a pouffe!
    A poof is something else entirely :bigsmile:

    Hah! (thank YOU politically incorrect Brit sitcoms of the 70's :laugh: )
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    A poof is something else entirely :bigsmile:

    Hee hee. Still causes childish silly giggling in our house when anyone says this on telly. As kids (growing up in North West England) we pronounced it the proper way with a French accent at the end - so poof-eh (the same as in "cafe').

    My brother worked in America many years ago and went to all sorts of tiny towns out in the back of beyond. His favourite pastime was winding up the ladies in bars who were cooing over his accent (e.g. Her: "What do you call escalators?" Him: "Magic stairs" etc etc).
  • delikium
    delikium Posts: 196 Member
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    anyone like taking the piss out of someone??
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Jacuzzi is another in the US. And don't you also use "hoover" as a verb?

    And now I understand why they call it "spellotape" in Harry Potter!

    We do indeed. I need to do the hoovering, actually. :tongue:

    It's 'do the hoovering' and 'hoover up', in general.

    Which I think is why Dyson hasn't taken off quite as well. Quite a few people now use Dyson and hoover/vacuum cleaner interchangeably, but 'I need to do the Dyson-ing' and 'Will you Dyson up?' just don't sound right. :laugh:

    hahahaha too right.
    I have a dyson and i still call it 'hoovering' even though ive never actually owned a 'Hoover'!
  • Foxypoo61287
    Foxypoo61287 Posts: 638 Member
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    Loo....gets me every time. Except sometimes we call it John here. LoL. Or snogging. I love snogging. Its just a funny word.

    *Loo- Bathroom*
    *Snogging- Kissing*
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
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    I spent nearly a month in Australia here's what I remember hearing lots of modified words.

    Iggie - Shortened version of Igloo, but used to refer any type of ice chest or cooler

    Sickie - Taking a sick day at work

    Flattie - Flat tire

    Brekki - Breakfast

    Kiwi - New Zealander

    Pom - British person

    I'll hopefully think of more

    JM
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    My brother worked in America many years ago and went to all sorts of tiny towns out in the back of beyond. His favourite pastime was winding up the ladies in bars who were cooing over his accent (e.g. Her: "What do you call escalators?" Him: "Magic stairs" etc etc).

    Brilliant!
  • huntindawg1962
    huntindawg1962 Posts: 277 Member
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    Oh Really, says the guy from Boston who still pronounces his Rs. :wink:

    Ya - the regional dialects in the US also make some phrases pretty interesting - Boston is the only place where people die from a "hat attack"
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    So, I was having a LOT of trouble with the idea of the word pasta as it was described earlier in this post (like Americans would say *kitten* or bank). Well, I was watching As Time Goes By Saturday night and Judi Dench said it and I thought of this thread. It didn't sound weird at all!
  • jcriscuolo
    jcriscuolo Posts: 319 Member
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    shag = sex

    Does anyone really say that other than Austin Powers?
  • Llyrian
    Llyrian Posts: 99 Member
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    Regarding lingerie: garters = suspenders

    That one always throws me off.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    You mean what Americans call garters, the British call suspenders? I didn't know that.

    I did know that what Americans call suspenders, the British call braces. Americans have braces: they are metallic bands to straighten the teeth. I don't know the British call those. Perhaps garters!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    You mean what Americans call garters, the British call suspenders? I didn't know that.

    I did know that what Americans call suspenders, the British call braces. Americans have braces: they are metallic bands to straighten the teeth. I don't know the British call those. Perhaps garters!

    There are also leg and back braces in America. And probably other kinds. But we usually mean the teeth-fixers when we say it, of course. :-)

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