What words and phrases do Brits and others see as 'American'?

by sonnyboy 114 Replies latest jw friends

  • Mulan
    Mulan
    Its quite funny though when Welsh or Cornish people, pronounce an "r" where there is none there in spelling. eg. "Old Ma Evans" becomes "Old Mar Revans". (Flash-back to the song "Oy've go' a brand new combine 'arvister").

    There are regional accents everywhere I think. In my part of the U.S., Washington State, "r's" are pronounced where there are none. Many here say Warshington, and warsh, like "warsh the car". Just an accent, no biggie. We know what they mean. If I do it, I'm not aware of it.

    Lots of people (especially older ones) say mirra, when they mean mirror, dropping the third "r".

    In Malaysia, where they also speak English (and Mandarin and Bhasa Malaysian), primarily, they often abbreviate words. It took me several days when I was there to get used to "air con" (air conditioning), "car park" isn't abbreviated, but I hadn't heard it before and thought it sounded funny, like a park for cars, "biz ad" (business administration), "gen man" (general manager). "Going out for tea" meant having a meal, whereas I thought they were going for a coffee/tea break, and couldn't understand why they ordered so much food...............literally a full meal about 3 PM. I asked about dinner and they said "Supper is much later............8 or 9 PM............this is tea".

    I was asked to proof read (for spelling errors) a brochure for a product we marketed there in Malaysia, and I was correcting words that had "s" instead of "z" until I realized it was just their version of English, more British.

    Just differences in culture.

  • Low-Key Lysmith
    Low-Key Lysmith

    The Brits pronounce aluminum al-loo-MIN-e-um.

    baby carriage=Pram

    Mailbox=letterbox

  • Maverick
    Maverick


    We park our cars on a driveway and y-all drive your cars on a parkway.

    Asking an American for squirt with get you a real interesting response, and you won't like it.

    With hip-hop invading the mainstream culture y-all will hear terms like, "That's tight or clean!' meaning it is very nice. "Downing someone" is not a football term but refers to denigrating them. "Off the chain" translates to very special or unqiue. "Being scurd" is to be afraid. If you are asked for two bones the person wants a few dollars. Booty is either ones behind or getting busy, meaning sex as in a "booty call". Bling is jewelry, and 20's or 24's are big rims on the ride, (car).

    Does your head hurt yet?

  • Englishman
    Englishman


    Its quite funny though when Welsh or Cornish people, pronounce an "r" where there is none there in spelling. eg. "Old Ma Evans" becomes "Old Mar Revans". (Flash-back to the song "Oy've go' a brand new combine 'arvister").

    If you click on the link below, you can listen to Brand new combine harvester and judge for yourself. All the songs are from the West of England. The full anthem versions seem to sound better.

    Englishman.

  • DanTheMan
    DanTheMan

    I think Americans use a lot of soft interjections that Brits don't use such as shoot, dang, darn, golly, goodness, geesh, sheesh, man, holy cow, etc.

  • Frannie Banannie
    Frannie Banannie
    And in UK, it is "Euthanised" or "Pulverised" or "Standardised", over here it is "Euthanized", "Pulverized" and "Standardized".

    I think that's for the same reason that a "flutterby" in the UK is called a butterfly in the US. When the US achieved its independence from the England, the Americans went through a lot of changes in vocabulary, etc., to display their differences in opposition to royal rulership.

    I'm personally ambivalent to the hostilities that emerged during that period of time and under those circumstances, because that was between ppl that lived a long time ago.

    Frannie

  • Jourles
    Jourles

    What's with the use of the word "proper?" As in, "The hare get's f**ked, Tommy." Then Tommy says, "You mean proper F**ked?"(borrowing from the movie Snatch)

    I've heard "proper" being used elsewhere as well. Is it just for emphasis?

  • mrsjones5
    mrsjones5

    Loo = Bathroom

    Lorry or Lorrie = Truck

    Am I right?

    Josie

  • talesin
    talesin

    More american expressions:

    drive-by

    car-jacking

    ho

    sugar daddy

    movie star

    wagonburner

    who's your momma?

    bootylicious

    drag queen

    baby got back

  • mrsjones5
    mrsjones5

    who's yer daddy?

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