Lost in Translation--US vs UK English words

[dfmacliam]

LOL I still chuckle about the ones who learned my mother was British and felt she spoke good English, for a foreigner...lol only in America

[O'Callaghan]

LOL I still chuckle about the ones who learned my mother was British and felt she spoke good English, for a foreigner...lol only in America

LOL! That is on a par with the Maryland MVA clerk who showed genuine surprise that my British driving licence was written in English! What language do you think they were expecting? Perhaps they think British people speak "British"?

Then there was the girl who worked for a firm I worked for over the river in Virginia who thought that New Mexico was in Mexico. She wasn't an immigrant, she had lived in Virginia all her life. Must have failed Geography, I hope.

[McFarkus]

Those of you who have enjoyed this thread would probably enjoy a book I just finished reading, "Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language."

UK = biscuit, US = cookie
UK = frying pan, US = skillet
UK = lard, US = shortening
UK = turnip, US = rutabaga

I believe skillet is used more in the South in the US. Here in Chicago, frying pan is used more often. We do use lard as well. Shortening is a broader category that includes lard, but also vegetable shortening. My local grocery store carries both turnips and rutabagas side by side. Turnips being fresh, and rutabagas being waxed to preserve them.

For example, in the British Isles a single storey house is called a bungalow (a word borrowed from India), and in various different parts of the US it is called a ranch, a rambler (in the South) or in fact a bungalow (in California), but some California bungalows have an upstairs ...

In Chicago we have a bungalow belt as well as ranch houses - both one story, but different styles.

Then there was the girl who worked for a firm I worked for over the river in Virginia who thought that New Mexico was in Mexico. She wasn't an immigrant, she had lived in Virginia all her life. Must have failed Geography, I hope.

Of course New Mexico used to be part of Mexico along with California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and other western states until the mid-19th century.

[sydnie7]

Can't recall (in the 12 pages of this thread!) seeing. . .

Anti-clockwise vs. counter-clockwise

[Cerebite]

[QUOTE=SteveB;826913]
I am dating myself with this one:
U.K. Whitworth, Imperial and standard fasteners.
U.S. Coarse thread and fine thread.
To confuse the US mechanics on the forum.
Whitworth and standard spanners (wrenches) are marked by the size of the fastener, not by the width of the opening on the spanner (wrench). Most of the machinery I worked on used these. I had no problem working with these until the metric system started being added.
QUOTE]

And then it gets really fun when you have a vehicle with Whitworth, SAE and Metric compunded by 30 years of people tinkering/ fixing it and rust/ wear-n-tear [it is a '73 Land Rover]

The automotive translation that I have not seen in this thread is
Breakfast = Grill [the section on the front of a a car between the fenders/ headlights]

[Fougasse]

I posted this in another forum:

UK: Red Deer = US: Elk
UK: Elk = US: Moose
Scottish: Moose = ROW: Mouse!

[Lachlan09]

UK = DJ; US = Tux
UK = tie; US = necktie

[cessna152towser]

One greeting which I often receive from North American friends when they sign off an e-mail is "hugs". There does not seem to be an equivalent English greeting, here the word hug means to cuddle up to someone. I do hope those from North America use the word to signify friendship and affection in the form of virtual hugs and there is not some other meaning which I am missing.

[Draelore]

UK (Take away) = US (Take Out)

[sydnie7]

One greeting which I often receive from North American friends when they sign off an e-mail is "hugs". There does not seem to be an equivalent English greeting, here the word hug means to cuddle up to someone. I do hope those from North America use the word to signify friendship and affection in the form of virtual hugs and there is not some other meaning which I am missing.

At the risk of interpreting someone else's usage I feel safe in saying "Hugs" in an electronic message would be the equivalent of a friendly greeting or goodbye. Americans (very generally speaking) do more physical greeting of friends and acquaintances, with actual hugs and "air" or facial kisses that other cultures reserve for close family/loved ones.

I know of at least one UK term for the relatively innocent activities that wholesome American teenagers do (or used to do) in the front seat of the car at the drive-in movie but this being a family-friendly forum I won't go there!