English variants that cause confusion
POSTED BY: Eloisa
UPDATED: Monday, October 9, 2006 11:31
VIEWED: 8402
PAGE 2 of 3
PR, a "bun" in the UK is a generic term for a small cake (muffin in the US?) or petit four or scone. It might be used for a non-ring doughnut but this would be less likely. Incidentally, "bang" is used in the UK as a slang term for sexual activity.
FMF, "flask" in the US sense is "hip flask" here.
I found another site! http://www.effingpot.com.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Ah, ok, I knew it was some form of pastry. It's not a pastry, here. It's plain bread, like a hamburger bun and the like.
We've been known to use 'bang' in that way as well.
http://www.bigdamnthankyou.com - show Universal your gratitude!
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. - Gautama Siddharta
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Someday maybe the British will learn how to speak English the right way! 
King of the Mythical Land that is Iowa
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Note:
> In the UK, a pound sign is £, our currency symbol. I understand that in the US it can mean #.
The pound sign used for GBP is non-existent in the US. So there is unlikely to be any confusion between # and £, except that not all Americans will immediately understand that £ is a unit for British currency and a few might not immediately understand that a “pound” or “pound sterling” is a British currency.
> UK breeches are US knickers.
Neither the term breeches nor knickers is in wide use in common American English. (Except among various grampas and grammas.)
> A tramp in the UK is a bum in the US.
Both tramp and bum are used interchangeable in the US to mean some sort of destitute vagrant. And while bum is likely to be interpreted as a tramp, it has recently gained fairly wide acceptance as also meaning buttocks.
The term fanny means buttocks in the US.
I just remember that there is another meaning for fanny in British English. I had forgotten about that.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
Someday maybe the British will learn how to speak English the right way!
Bah! [Insert lecture about how we invented the language along with everything else]
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
Someday maybe the British will learn how to speak English the right way!
Pssst! Penguin.
Dunno how ta tell you, but the reason for the different spelling and pronunciation for aluminum/aluminium was a spelling error in an early American dictionary.
*****
RMMC
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Other items of clothing that have different meanings across the pond.
Skivvy/Skivvies: in the US, I belive this is reffering to underwear, whereas in australia (and possible the UK), it's a thickish garment similar to a long-sleeved tshirt.
Thong(s): what we in australia call thongs, are called shower shoes or flip-flops in the US, as the american definition of a thong is an item of underwear.
**************
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
In the cultural hole that is Essex (UK), we have a lovely dialect. For example:
Diamond - a positive remark about someone - "He's a diamond geezer"
Geezer/geez - chap, bloke, man
Fella - chap, bloke, man
Innit - don't know if you have this in the US, but in the UK (especially Essex) is a shortened Isn't it - "It's minging, innit"
Minger/Minging - ugly, foul, disgusting
Bovvered - not bothered about somehting
That's all I can think of for now.
www.myspace.com/32dan32
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Oh, another one that I've been noticing in south Essex:
A bit - very, exeptionally - "it's a bit good"
www.myspace.com/32dan32
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Okay Im from YORKSHIRE so we have a strong accent that i shall fill you all in on:
aye= yes
badly= not in a good state of health, i.e.'How's Martha?', 'She's badly.'
bairn= child
butty= sandwich
cack-handed =left-handed, clumsy
faffing= messing about
jammy= very lucky
jiggered= very tired
manky= not nice, unpleasant
ta= thanks
tarra= bye
tek= take
thee, tha= you
thissen= yourself 
www.myspace.com/didxl
sexier.younger.brother@hotmail.co.uk
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME