Although many countries do speak English, there are some differences between the meaning of the same words. Here are a few:
1. Calling your butt a fanny isn't okay
"Fanny" is a colloquialism for the female genitalia, but not viewed as extreme as the c-word."Bum" is acceptable slang for the posterior, roughly equivalent to butt.
2. Don't comment on our pants!
"pants" usually referred to underwear in the UK - not trousers.
"pants" used also when referring to something that is/was not good e.g the film last night was pants.
3. Refering to a person as "so full of spirit and spunk" isn't ok.
“spunk” is a colloquialism for ejaculate (noun, not in the verb form).
Have you come across other words? Please leave a comment below.
For some other differences see:
What are the differences between British English and American English?http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/americanbritish.html
Please note: Many British people are familiar with American slang terms etc from watching US TV shows and so there is more of a chance of Americans misunderstanding a British phrase rather than causing offence.
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Ask for directions to a gas station in England and you may well end up at a clothes shop! Gas Station is brand name for a clothes shop.
ReplyDeleteGas stations in the UK are known as petrol stations.
A good friend of mine, upon taking a post in America, shocked his secretary by asking her if she had a rubber.
ReplyDeleteRubbers in America are condoms, of course, and they call rubbers, erasers.
Suspenders is the American term for braces (to hold men's trousers up!!)
ReplyDeleteDo not ask for a biscuit with your meal and expect a digestive or custard cream. Biscuits in the USA are more like our scones but savoury and often eaten with a creamy sauce or 'gravy'.
ReplyDeleteThere is a word also used in America and Canada quite freely which shocked my family when we heard a father calling his 5 yr old son, a Wanker...apparently in USA and Canada it means silly boy or just a word to call people silly....OBVIOUSLY not the same in UK! We almost choked on our food when he said it!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm originally from London but have lived in the U.S. for 44 years. When I first arrived here I asked someone to "knock me up" at about 7 the next morning.
ReplyDeleteIn America that would mean to get someone pregnant but of course in the U.K. it would mean to wake me up.
I have lived in the US for 19 years and Mum and Dad were visiting. My 15 year old was talking about giving someone a "wet willy" and my dad nearly fell over. Here in the US a "wet willy" is when you lick your index finger and stick it in some unsuspected persons ear. In the U.K "willy" is a common name for penis.
ReplyDeleteAs an American traveling in England, I remember getting on a crowded bus after our lunch on a guided tourist trip. The driver asked, "How was your lunch?" I said, "Great, but now I'm stuffed!" The driver and several other British folk on the bus laughed, and it wasn't until later that I realized "stuffed" is not used to refer to "full" in the UK. Rather, it's a term for having sex.
ReplyDeleteLol! I'm loving the comments! My fiancee lives in England. He's really clarifying the differences in American and British terminology for me! ......Did you know that a "Popsicle" is an "Ice-lolly" to the British? Pretty cool I think. Makes much more sense! :)
ReplyDeleteHaving breakfast at a English restaurant I asked the waitress for some napkins and boy her eyes became big! Later I realised that the American word for it is "diapers"!!!
ReplyDeleteShe did not know you meant table napkins rather than babies' napkins or nappies? Table napkins was how they were referred to in England 50 years ago.
ReplyDeleteNice post, but I get a bit fed up with Southerners telling the world how funny it is to say "pants"! In the North of England, pants means trousers, the same as in the states.
ReplyDeletePants = pantaloons, i.e. trousers.
Underpants = underpants.
Makes more sense to me.
Pants are great in whatever language.
ReplyDeletePants, Kecks, Trollies, Duds, Skids.
I wear them on my ass, and every now and then, I take 'em off and put-em on my head!
'Period' in America is what the British refer to as a 'full stop'. Where as in England a 'period' usually refers to a woman's monthly menstrula cycle . 'I am having a period'.
ReplyDeleteWe also refer to the menstrual cycle as a "period" not just the punctuation at the end of a sentence.
ReplyDeleteNo, "period" in America definitely means a woman's menstrual cycle as well.
ReplyDeletebeing a horse enthusiast, I love the different equestrian words...horse trailer = "box"; a paddock is a "yard"; grooming is to "rub up". A friend here is from England and she refers to the Atlantic Ocean as "the pond". A toilet is the "lieu"...and her favorite expression is when something is "brilliant". I love that one!
ReplyDeleteIf you want directions to the toilet in a British restaurant or pub, ask for the toilets or for the Ladies/Gents (as appropriate). You can even ask "Where's the loo?" Don't ask for the bathroom or the restroom - restaurants don't have rooms with baths or beds.
ReplyDeleteI remember we had a British transfer student came to our school in Califronia. We almost died from laughter when we heard him ask the teacher for 'rubber' in the UK its rubber, in the U.S rubber is a condom, the correct word would be eraser.
ReplyDeleteAlso my new favoite phase is "don't get your knickers in a bunch." and we found it quite amusing when he would say something like 'bloody hell' 'Briliant' when we'd laugh (not at him, just found it amusing) he'd call us all gits, wankers, prats, ext.
He rolled over in laughter when someone in our class said they needed a nappie. they were saying it like a baby, meaning nap, or in the UK kip i think, to sleep for a short period of time.
Love the different accents, althought they all deny that they have accents, they saw we do, however, when scotish, irish, british people sing, it sound american, i.e. Celtic Thunder.
Loving the posts.
ReplyDeleteI hear that the word Spaz in the US is not deemed offensive. Derived from Spastic.
In the UK, to call someone a Spaz or a Spastic (Spazzer) is quite offensive.
Spastic refers to those with MS. Years ago there was a charity called the Spastic Society and it became the butt of many school yard jokes. Then there was the point where everyone deemed a "Spaz" was called Joey, after a severely disabled person appeared on childrens TV in the UK to try and educate the younger generation to his plight. Joey became the favoured insult in many schools in the 80s. Kids are gits aint they!
Aside from that, am I right in thinking that a) there arent many roundabouts in the US, and b) they are known as traffic circles?
I am a 12 year boy from the US and i have always wanted to go to England for the fasinating history and culture.
ReplyDeleteI have lived in the US all my life and a) you're right, you rarely see stoplights in the US (at least where I'm from). Last summer I went to Australia and there were a lot more roundabouts than in the US. Also, b) I call them roundabouts, not "traffic cirles" but there may be different parts of the US that say that. Kind of like how in some of the southern states they say "y'all" and northern states they say "you guys". How do they say you (plural) in the UK? Also what do people in the UK think of American accents?
ReplyDeleteNormally I wouldnt pluralise the word "you", I would add both, as in "what are you both doing?"
ReplyDeleteYour North American version is also creeping in. "What are you guys up to?"
I think we are all fairly adapted to american accents in Europe in general. I would estimate 90% of our television that isnt produced at home is from american sources, as are the films we watch (although I know you yanks think we all sit around drinking darjeeling and watching reruns of 4 weddings and a funeral all day). The other 10% of our non uk produced TV comes from Australia BTW... Neighbours & Home&Away.
There are obviously some accents I prefer to others, the softer southern accents are my preference, but dont go too far. Big Dubya makes my skin crawl!
That is really cool, i didn't knew about these words, so i am thankful for such great help
ReplyDeleteFollowing on from asking a teacher in the US for a rubber, is Sellotape (Am. Scotch tape) still called Durex in Australia? Is there still a brand of fizzy soft drink (pop/soda) in northern France called 'Pschitt'? And a brand of potato crisps (chips) in Thailand called 'Bum'?
ReplyDeleteKeith (Cornwall)
Just a few points
ReplyDeletethe correct saying is "dont get your knickers in a twist" as in dont get so excited
Suspenders in the uk is an item of women lingerie that hold up a women stockings - Garter belt?
Pantyhoes are know as tights
A Breast is known as a Tit or Boob but to call somebody a tit is derogatory
Sneakers are know as trainers
A Dick / cock / knob is a name for the penis - again derogatory if you call somebody any of these
To Jack off is to wank in the UK
Been living in the US for 12 years and I still get some blank looks at some of the words I use,Bog Roll (toilet Paper), Cling film (clear wrap), Indicator (turning signal), Spanner (wrench), spade (shovel??) tele(tv).
ReplyDeleteI used to have an American pen pal, years ago. And, one particular occasion remember confusing them with something I said in our correspondence. I made a comment about something I wasn't able to help them with and added at the end of the sentence, 'I'm afraid.' To which, they replied somewhat confused asking, 'What are you afraid of?'
ReplyDeleteI had to explain that British people say, 'I'm afraid', as an expression of regret. when we aren't able to help or provide a satisfactory answer or solution, as the reason is, usually, outside of our control. It means something like "I would do this for you, if it were possible, but I can't."
On another occasion when going to a cafe, I orderd a sandwich and was asked if I'd like to have some chips with it. The idea appealed to me and I said, 'yes', expecting to get some fried, sliced potato to accompany my sandwiches. To say I was a little disappointed when the dish arrived and ther was only a handful of crisps next to the sandwich, is an understatement. I should have realised that, 'chips', to Americans is what, 'crisps', are the the British.
I think the collective term for a group of friends/people in parts of the UK, (referring to the, 'you guys', comment above), is, 'you lot.' 'What are you lot up to?', is a common way of asking what a group of people are doing, presently.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the, 'knickers in a twist/bunch/knot.' It depends largely on what part of the UK you're from, which of these is used and accepted. They're all correct.
When on earth was there a 'sellotape' brand called 'durex' in Australia? That's hilarious. Normally we call clear tape 'sticky tape' or just 'tape'. Brown plasticky tape is 'packaging tape' or 'boxing tape' and the papery white tape is 'masking tape'. Other kinds (duct tape, electrical tape, blah de blah de blah) are just called by what they are :P
ReplyDeleteI am a 13 year old girl and I've been born and raised near America's east coast all my life. Do you Europeans and Australians use duck tape and band aids as a cure for all too? On/near the east coast and south we have a saying :"If duck tape, Tylenol or band aids can't fix it, you've gotta serious problem on your hands" lol. By the way, if you ever spend time down in the south, if anyone offers you "hot garbage", turn them down. Hot Garbage is a melting pot of left over stews and vegetables. Also turn down mayonnaise cake...
ReplyDeleteIt also wouldn't hurt to pronounce vitamins *Vyte - a - mens -" If you go into a drug store asking for *Vit - a mins*, they won't know what your talking about. Plus tele here, might refer to a TELEphone. Not a TELEvision ;)
Most of you aren't making too much sense. Haha, no offense but i think most of these comments are a little mixed up. I'll just say this : There are a ton of things about us Americans and America that most of these comments aren't getting straight. For instance, we do have street lights, napkin means a cloth to have at the dinner table, and periods do not mean a full stop here in America, they definitely mean a menstrual cycle. I suggest some of you do some research (no offense intended because there's probably a lot us Americans don't understand about the British culture). See y'all later alligators!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is from Texas and he says "period" instead of full stop, he also says "parentheses" instead of "bracket" lol, he was dictating and I was writing it out in words not knowing what it meant.
ReplyDeleteNapkin sometimes means sanitary towel, though you would usually say "sanitary napkin" - and it would be difficult to misinterpret it in context. If you were in a restaurant you would be unlikely to ask the waiter for some sanitary wear.
My two problem words when I moved to the States to be with him before bringing him home with me, were at the cash register, the girl asked me "Paper or plastic?" and I was lost for a second and then said "cash", I thought she was askign me how I'd like to pay - but of course she meant what type of bags would I like my shopping packed in. The other was "dish soap" - my husband must have repeated this half a dozen times to me and I hadn't a clue what it meant, just stood there shaking my head. I must have done a mental Google a dozen times trying to find something that sounded like it could be it, and what he actually was asking me was did we need any Washing-up Liquid.
Duck tape? Crikey blimey, that sounds spiffing, and entirely ticketty-boo for mending a broken duck. Duct tape is used for sealing pipes (ducts) in air-conditioning and also many other things, for example covering people's mouths. Great site, I'll email it to Russia and China. They love our colloquialisms. Eee by eck, I've tried to teach southern English how to differentiate between grass, ass, donkey, grarse, and arse. Southerners just don't know how to speak reyt :)
ReplyDeleteOnce I went to America. When I got there, I asked the shop assistant where is the petrol station. She looked confsued and then I realised that the American word is a gas station. Luickly there was someone who knew what I meant.
ReplyDeleteI've lived my entire life in the New England region of the United States, and I plan to be studying in London this coming semester. I'm a little worried about the language differences, and that I'll end up making a fool of myself. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteI'd also be happy to answer and questions : )
Another important one to note (if it hasn't been said already) is "Fag", in England this refers to a Cigarette but in America it is a negative term for a homosexual. This is also the same for "Faggot" as in the U.S. "Fag" is just the shortened form but in England it is a type of food.
ReplyDelete