Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

English to American Dictionary?


susieice

Recommended Posts

As Americans get ready to travel to London for the Olympics, they're being reminded to mind their P's and Q's. Especially their U's.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/american-guide-british-english-london-olympics-232249067.html

Edited by susieice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
  • Replies 16
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Still Waters

    3

  • susieice

    3

  • Englishgent

    3

  • hetrodoxly

    2

Top Posters In This Topic

This article is quite funny :D When I'm talking to my American friend we often find I'll say something that he hasn't heard before and vice versa. Like 'chuffed' for instance, meaning pleased/happy, he hadn't heard that word before and now he uses it himself lol. I think it's interesting to hear and see different words being used for the same things. Jumper = Sweater was another one, there's more but I can't think of them right now.

This bit in the article is wrong -

"If you are served a biscuit, it will be a scone, not a cookie"

I think everyone knows a biscuit = cookie, but a scone isn't either of those. So they've made a boo-boo with that one :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see that reporter still thinks that everyone lives in the 1940s and eats scones with tea while enjoying a bit of nooky. Although I wonder if he is getting slightly confused with Australia at times?

If someone is cooking bangers on the "barbie" it is not a sacrificial use of the doll. It's another way of saying barbecue.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cousins!

If visiting any part of the UK. Ignore the kind but stupid advice of whoever it was from Yahoo that lives in 40's Britain, and speak as you normally do. You'll be better understood than anyone speaking the Queen's English. Seriously.

Innit

Edited by Eldorado
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This article is quite funny :D When I'm talking to my American friend we often find I'll say something that he hasn't heard before and vice versa. Like 'chuffed' for instance, meaning pleased/happy, he hadn't heard that word before and now he uses it himself lol. I think it's interesting to hear and see different words being used for the same things. Jumper = Sweater was another one, there's more but I can't think of them right now.

This bit in the article is wrong -

"If you are served a biscuit, it will be a scone, not a cookie"

I think everyone knows a biscuit = cookie, but a scone isn't either of those. So they've made a boo-boo with that one :P

I also thought that a biscuit was what we would call a cookie. Shortbread if I remember right. Chuffed is a new one on me too. Love it. Here, a jumper can be a one piece overhaul type of clothing or a type of dress girls used to wear with blouses underneath. I also kind of agree with Eldorado. The Olympics will be held in London where people are probably more accustomed to their American cousins and their way of speech.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also thought that a biscuit was what we would call a cookie. Shortbread if I remember right. Chuffed is a new one on me too. Love it. Here, a jumper can be a one piece overhaul type of clothing or a type of dress girls used to wear with blouses underneath. I also kind of agree with Eldorado. The Olympics will be held in London where people are probably more accustomed to their American cousins and their way of speech.

Shortbread is a type of biscuit, and biscuits we sometimes call bikkies.

I agree with everyone else, it's silly to suggest there'll be any kind of language problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just remember though. If you are eating a biccy with a cup of tea, (or in an americans case, coffee), it is considered customary to dunk the bikky in the drink prior to eating.

This practice is best when applied to normal digestive bisuits, or if you feel like getting a tad more messy, McVities Plain Chocolate bisuits :innocent:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love British slang .I use quite a bit of it,and people do not get it.Ive never heard chuffed either.Is it common,or more regional to a specific area ?

The fact we allegedly speak the queens English,and need a dictionary seems silly,but if people from the UK,were to try to understand people in the inner cities of the USA,I'd get it,as we dont even always understand it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aside from a few differences in terms, I think I'd know the dialect enough to figure most things out on my own. And a lot of us dunk things into our coffee. I do like tea. I'll have mine with sugar and and a slice of lemon please. Cream is fine also. I would probably make sure I took public transportation to the different venues though. The hardest thing to adjust to after all my years would be driving on the left side of the road. I imagine it would be the same if the roles were reversed.

Edited by susieice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aside from a few differences in terms, I think I'd know the dialect enough to figure most things out on my own. And a lot of us dunk things into our coffee. I do like tea. I'll have mine with sugar and and a slice of lemon please. Cream is fine also. I would probably make sure I took public transportation to the different venues though. The hardest thing to adjust to after all my years would be driving on the left side of the road. I imagine it would be the same if the roles were reversed.

Right. There are not many countries where they drive on the correct side of the road. By the way, the correct side is the left side. It goes way back in history to when people fought on horseback. Most people are right handed, therefore the horses would be steered towards the left of the other horse in order that the right hand, with the sword, is in the best position for fighting. :)

It would appear that some countries disagree lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right. There are not many countries where they drive on the correct side of the road.

Most of the Commonwealth countries (except Canada, which for treasonous reasons presumably decided to standardise with their big neighbour): India (well, some of the time), South Africa, Australia, and Japan; that seems a fair percentage of the World's population that does (at least, in theory) ...

Edited by 747400
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Right. There are not many countries where they drive on the correct side of the road. By the way, the correct side is the left side. It goes way back in history to when people fought on horseback. Most people are right handed, therefore the horses would be steered towards the left of the other horse in order that the right hand, with the sword, is in the best position for fighting. :)

It would appear that some countries disagree lol

I thought the USA was the only place that had it wrong.

Europe,Asia,Ausralia,all drive left side.

Only us yanks are facacked .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the USA was the only place that had it wrong.

Europe,Asia,Ausralia,all drive left side.

Only us yanks are facacked .

Most of Europe drive on the right, as Englishgent said we drive on the left to defend ourselves ie right arm facing the middle of the road so the question that has to be asked is, were cowboys left handed? i've seen bare back mountain

and there must be a reason for the way John Wayne walks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just remember though. If you are eating a biccy with a cup of tea, (or in an americans case, coffee), it is considered customary to dunk the bikky in the drink prior to eating.

This practice is best when applied to normal digestive bisuits, or if you feel like getting a tad more messy, McVities Plain Chocolate bisuits :innocent:

I always dunk mine but only the plain biscuits like rich tea and digestives, and I always drink tea. I'm not a lover of coffee. I usually have a teaspoon handy too for when the biscuit snaps off and I have to fish it out of the mug!

I love British slang .I use quite a bit of it,and people do not get it.Ive never heard chuffed either.Is it common,or more regional to a specific area ?

As far as I know chuffed isn't specific to any area but I could be wrong.

The hardest thing to adjust to after all my years would be driving on the left side of the road. I imagine it would be the same if the roles were reversed.

I think the hardest part would be some of our roundabouts, even the locals get confused with them at times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of the Commonwealth countries (except Canada, which for treasonous reasons presumably decided to standardise with their big neighbour): India (well, some of the time), South Africa, Australia, and Japan; that seems a fair percentage of the World's population that does (at least, in theory) ...

And Thailand :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with the majority who suggest the Yahoo article is not all that accurate, but we are here to help!

And further to that, I would like to discuss the most important item of language mentioned in that article - beer.

American beer is not English 'bitter', and if Americans order a bitter thinking that it is 'beer' they will be somewhat suprised.

English bitter, also referred to as beer (but not the American beer), is a fairly flat (not gassy) beverage served at room temperature - which in the UK is usually about 5oC. :P (I kid!) It is malty or 'hoppy' (as in, tastes of hops) in flavour although there are many beers flavoured by various fruits or flowers. It is real beer, delicious and satisfying - unlike the cold fizzy-drink we call lager.

Which brings us on to American beer - or lager, as we call it over here. It is served chilled, and contains a lot of gas - both of which serve to remove any taste from the beverage so it resembles slightly-flavoured carbonated water to the palate. It's only real purpose for being drunk, is for it's alcoholic content and for it's propensity to cause the drinker to regurgitate the gas in noxious eructions. Lager is usually drunk by young people just learning to drink, who therefore do not know any better, or by people who have no taste in general.

I would encourage all my American cousins visiting these shore during the Olympic's (and at any other time) to celebrate being in a nation with class, style and rich history by drinking real beer. Hopefully you will acquire the taste and return to your foreign shores motivated to rid the world of the evil lager!

/end Tongue-in-Cheek]

Edited by Leonardo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.