[Rumor]

Right? Not necessarily. Americans, ever wonder why you can't understand a Brit? Brits, what are those bloody yankees saying?

As most of us know, there is difference between British English and American English.

Here are some British words.

British English:
1) Tower Block
2) Booter
3) Note
4) Fringe
5) Graughts
6) Caravan
7) Track
8) Cash Desk
9) Polka Dots
10) Candy Floss
11) Boarding
12) Motion
13) Accumulator
14) Fascia (panel)
15) Cubbyhole
16) Pantechnicon
17) Lie-by
18) Verge
19) Chucker Out
20) Push Chair
21) Wing
22) Patience
23) Sponge Bag
24) Braces
25) Spanner

Seems normal, yes? Now match them with this American versions.

[Rumor]

a) Cotton Candy
b) Checkout Counter
c) Moving Van
d) Dash (board)
e) Battery
f) Tread
g) Shaving Kit
h) Stroller
i) Fender
j) Bangs (of hair)
k) Bill (paper money)
l) Billboard
m) Bouncer
n) Shoulder (of road)
o) High-rise Apartment
p) Chocolate Chips
q) Horn, siren
r) Trailer
s) Rest Area
t) Bowel Movement
u) Glove Compartment
v) Suspenders
w) Checkers
x) Wrench (tightning tool)
z) Solitaire (card game)

[moonmonkey]

Its in the wrong order.

Is this a competition?

Some of the British ones are very colloquial, most Brits would not understand them.

[Oisín]

Tower block = high-rise apartment
Booter = horn, siren
Note = bill
Fringe = bangs
Graughts = checkers [Took me ages to realise that this strange word I’d never seen before was supposed to be the perfectly normal word draughts!]
Caravan = trailer
Track = tread
Cash desk = checkout counter
Polka dots = chocolate chips [don’t you have the word ‘polka dot’ in American English?]
Candy floss = cotton candy
Boarding = billboard
Motion = bowel movement
Accumulator = battery
Fascia = dashboard
Cubbyhole = glove compartment
Pantechnicon = moving van [nobody would say a pantechnicon, for Christ’s sake!]
Lie-by = rest area [it’s called a lay-by, not a lie-by]
Verge = shoulder (of road)
Chucker out = bouncer
Push chair = stroller
Wing = fender
Patience = Solitaire
Sponge bag = shaving kit
Braces = suspenders
Spanner = wrench




Lots of those are sort of cheating, since they’re using alternative, often less common, synonyms for things that are usually called the same thing both places. The only ones I couldn’t place off-hand were the ‘rest area’/‘shoulder (of road)’/‘lay-by’/‘verge’ ones, since they’re all sort of similar, but not quite the same things. And the ‘spanner = wrench’ one; I’ve only ever heard of them as wrenches, though spanner does make sense.

[Oisín]

Some of the British ones are very colloquial, most Brits would not understand them.

I wouldn’t call any of them colloquial to the point of Brits not understanding them—some of them, however, are hopelessly old-fashioned and never used (I mean, seriously—pantechnicon?!? It’s a moving van in the UK as well). I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone under the age of 60 use the term ‘patience’, either.

[moonmonkey]

Booter should be Hooter
Fringe is called Fringe (amazing)
Tread is called tread
Chocolate chips are called chocolate chips
A battery is called a battery
A dashboard is called a dashboard
A glove compartment is called a glove box (not a cubby hole)
Pantechnicon - please!!
A bouncer is a bouncer
A shaving kit is a shaving kit

The list is dumb, you could make another list using disused American terms and it would be just as pointless.

[Eynstyn]

I think what they've done to their language is lovely. Now let's not allow them to tweak American English, agreed everyone? We are planning on taking it in an entirely different direction.

Yo, yo, yo!

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

I wouldn’t call any of them colloquial to the point of Brits not understanding them—some of them, however, are hopelessly old-fashioned and never used (I mean, seriously—pantechnicon?!? It’s a moving van in the UK as well). I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone under the age of 60 use the term ‘patience’, either.

"Chucker out" is a northern term for bouncer, its only used in the the north of England, so I would define that as colloquial.

"Polka Dots" is a northern expression too, so definitely colloquial.

Not sure about the others.

[willed]

In other news: The Pope is Catholic

[Oisín]

"Polka Dots" is a northern expression too, so definitely colloquial.

‘Polka dots’ is a northern expression? Isn’t it more of a semi-international expression? They’re called polka dots in American, too, I’m quite sure of that. And in Danish as well.

Or do the northerners use ‘polka dots’ to refer to chocolate chips, as in ‘polka dot cookies’?!?

[Dakar²]

I did the best I could. I think only 5 were flat-out guesses.


British English:
1) Tower Block o) High-rise Apartment
2) Booter c) Moving Van
3) Note k) Bill (paper money)
4) Fringe j) Bangs (of hair)
5) Graughts t) Bowel Movement
6) Caravan r) Trailer
7) Track f) Tread
8) Cash Desk b) Checkout Counter
9) Polka Dots p) Chocolate Chips
10) Candy Floss a) Cotton Candy
11) Boarding l) Billboard
12) Motion w) Checkers
13) Accumulator e) Battery
14) Fascia (panel) d) Dash (board)
15) Cubbyhole u) Glove Compartment
16) Pantechnicon q) Horn, siren
17) Lie-by s) Rest Area
18) Verge n) Shoulder (of road)
19) Chucker Out m) Bouncer
20) Push Chair h) Stroller
21) Wing i) Fender
22) Patience z) Solitaire (card game)
23) Sponge Bag g) Shaving Kit
24) Braces v) Suspenders
25) Spanner x) Wrench (tightning tool)

Edit: I switched 1 and 11 on a rereading.

[Sky Captain]

A dynamo is a generator/altenator here.
Boot - Trunk
Bonnet - engine hood
Wing/sill - Fender

A cubby hole is a glovebox with out a door.(I asked the Irish lady here)

[monkeybrain]

A strange list, some very strange. Why not list the very common ones, like:

UK: trousers, US: pants
UK: pants, US: underwear (UK says underwear too).

[Sky Captain]

Skivvies - underwear.
Bloke - fella /man/ect.

[Doofy]

2) Booter

Never heard it, except in reference to chicks. I.e. "she's booted" or "she's a booter", meaning you wouldn't hit it.

15) Cubbyhole

Any small storage space where you put your forgotten stuff. Like the cupboard under the stairs, for example.

16) Pantechnicon

What?

17) Lie-by

It's lay-by.

[davesimondotcom]

Han Solo and Chewie must have been Brits. They called a wrench a spanner after all.

But then again, we use the term "cubbyhole" around here, and we're not Brits.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom 

Han Solo and Chewie must have been Brits. They called a wrench a spanner after all.

Is it bad I was able to figure it out because of Star Trek?

[Sky Captain]

Star Wars was shot in England mostly wasn't it?

[Rumor]

I got this little quiz out a of a book. Thought it might be interesting. I figured some of the words are no longer really used. I'll post the answers I have when I get home from work in about 7 hours.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

I'll post the answers I have when I get home from work in about 7 hours.

Rumor, master of suspense.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

‘Polka dots’ is a northern expression? Isn’t it more of a semi-international expression? They’re called polka dots in American, too, I’m quite sure of that.

I've never heard an American call chocolate chips "polka dots." Polka dots are a pattern, not a substance.

[Dakar²]

"Chips Ahoy: Bet You Bite a Polka Dot!"

[andi*pandi]

There is an american candy called Dots though.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I've never heard an American call chocolate chips "polka dots." Polka dots are a pattern, not a substance.

Yes. Most favourably found on itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow bikinis.

[Dakar²]

Nice.

(Though now I'll have that song in my head for a while)

[Doofy]

[kmkkid]

Living in Canada, we get the best of both worlds

[Dakar²]

Yes, but you have Quebec.

[kmkkid]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

Yes, but you have Quebec.

Do we?

 

What is this Quebec you speak of?

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

Star Wars was shot in England mostly wasn't it?

Much of the studio stuff was.

Rest was on location in Tunisia (Tatooine) and Norway (Hoth)

[Mike Pither]

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

A dynamo is a generator/altenator here.
Boot - Trunk
Bonnet - engine hood
Wing/sill - Fender

A cubby hole is a glovebox with out a door.(I asked the Irish lady here)

A dynamo is not the same thing as an alternator, the technology is rather different. A cubby hole is as previously mentioned a small out of the way storage place.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I've never heard an American call chocolate chips "polka dots." Polka dots are a pattern, not a substance.

I’ve never heard a Brit calling chocolate chips (as in the stuff that’s in chocolate chip cookies) polka dots, either. Which is why, at first, I thought the list was saying that the pattern known worldwide as ‘polka dots’ was called ‘chocolate chip’ in America (as in, “That not-very-good-looking woman up there is wearing a chocolate chip-patterned bikini”). Which seemed ludicrous to me. Which makes sense, because it is ludicrous. I just had to ‘turn the tables’ in my head, then it sort of made sense.

Though I’ve still never heard anyone speak of ‘polka dot cookies’.