Being Misunderstood in the USA

[Chocolot 0]

I noticed in the thread "You know you are in the USA not the UK when" someone mentioned "jumper" and I know there are many more,

Words like serviette useful in Australia, but unheard of here?

What words do you find are pronounced differently or have different meanings in the USA?

[melusine 5]

lol serviette is french !

[✿Ice Rain✿ 0]

The word "cool-off", my husband look at it at different meaning to what i understand.

[william_wallace 8]

I noticed in the thread "You know you are in the USA not the UK when" someone mentioned "jumper" and I know there are many more,

Words like serviette useful in Australia, but unheard of here?

What words do you find are pronounced differently or have different meanings in the USA?

Fanny Pad. My US fiance told me its some sort of money belt. I told her what it means in the UK haha.

[SnowyTater 0]

Oh yeh, well we call them fanny packs here. UKers it's bum bags. So weird because on either case it is worn on the british meaning "fanny" side of the body but in both cases it's called essentially butt bag. Fanny here means bum

Brits in general, in my experience, are much more err...either generous or exaggerating with their praise. Packs of cookies and stuff have BRILLIANT and SPLENDID and MARVELLOUS and stuff like that written all over them. Absolutely everything is brilliant and lovely and wonderful etc. Whereas here, at least in the south, it's a very big compliment actually if someone says (especially a man says) "That's alright" or "that's not bad."

Was watching the news the other day when this british journalist got rescued in the middle east somewhere by troops. The news was raving happy because the Brit had called the troops' rescue "brilliant" or something, they were really playing it up. Whereas really the guy's saying 'brilliant' was just kind of standard for ya'l and if someone had given him a digestive he'd be like oh fantastic!

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

Tin and cradle seem to be useless in USA

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Didn't know what my husband was talking about at first when he said he had to go to the 'tag' office - 'tags' are what we call 'license plates' back home.

As well - don't ask where the bathroom is here - people look at you strange; you need to ask for the restroom:-).

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

Here they use the word bathroom too. Though I find both restroom and bathroom words pretty strange cuz there is no shower or a couch to sleep on in the public restrooms I think it´s nicer when it´s just ladies or mens room or toilets

[Chocolot 0]

I know what a digestive is but they are hard to find here, and dont get me start

ed on 'chicken and a biscuit'

 

Oh yeh, well we call them fanny packs here. UKers it's bum bags. So weird because on either case it is worn on the british meaning "fanny" side of the body but in both cases it's called essentially butt bag. Fanny here means bum

Brits in general, in my experience, are much more err...either generous or exaggerating with their praise. Packs of cookies and stuff have BRILLIANT and SPLENDID and MARVELLOUS and stuff like that written all over them. Absolutely everything is brilliant and lovely and wonderful etc. Whereas here, at least in the south, it's a very big compliment actually if someone says (especially a man says) "That's alright" or "that's not bad."

Was watching the news the other day when this british journalist got rescued in the middle east somewhere by troops. The news was raving happy because the Brit had called the troops' rescue "brilliant" or something, they were really playing it up. Whereas really the guy's saying 'brilliant' was just kind of standard for ya'l and if someone had given him a digestive he'd be like oh fantastic!

[Chocolot 0]

If I asked for a napkin there I would get some very strange looks

lol serviette is french !

[Krikit 1,165]

Didn't know what my husband was talking about at first when he said he had to go to the 'tag' office - 'tags' are what we call 'license plates' back home.

As well - don't ask where the bathroom is here - people look at you strange; you need to ask for the restroom:-).

Yeah. lol. When I was at the DMV office I tried to register my vehicle. They told me I needed to go to the tag office. I had to ask them what a tag office was. They told me it was in the tax collector's office. I left there going.....

Apparently down here they call the laundry room the washroom. I got some pretty strange looks, at first, whenever I asked for one at a restaurant. Probably the same look I give my husband when I ask him where something is and he tells me it's in the washroom.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

The UK forum is full of examples! Here are several:

Not being understood when saying 'water' or 'herb'.

People assuming that if we pronounce 'tomato' with an 'ah' sound that that is also how we pronounce 'potato'.

Using 'rubber' for eraser.

Certain phrases I use mean nothing to Alex; for example: 'It's all gone pear-shaped' or 'my boss gave me a lift'.

Most people already know of the obvious word differences (i.e. sidewalk/pavement, tap/faucet or lift/escalator) but there are quite a few others that aren't so obvious at first - pram, buggy, nappies when relating to children, or courgette and aubergine, for example, or asking for silicon sealant at a hardware store (that's from the UK forum).

Remembering to say 'bathroom' or 'restroom' instead of 'toilet/loo' is going to be difficult.

Edited April 26, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[Krikit 1,165]

Remembering to say 'bathroom' or 'restroom' instead of 'toilet/loo' is going to be difficult.

I got so confused with all of that that I finally found a solution. I just ask for "the Ladies" now.

[Illinois 0]

Biscuits for breakfast would be bad where I come from.

What about hood vs bonnet and glove box vs cubby hole of a car? Granted, although the Brits left colonial English where I grew up, we may have created our own English My spouse gets a kick out of what I call the "trunk" of a car!

[caybee 21]

Didn't know what my husband was talking about at first when he said he had to go to the 'tag' office - 'tags' are what we call 'license plates' back home.

As well - don't ask where the bathroom is here - people look at you strange; you need to ask for the restroom:-).

Yeah. lol. When I was at the DMV office I tried to register my vehicle. They told me I needed to go to the tag office. I had to ask them what a tag office was. They told me it was in the tax collector's office. I left there going.....

Apparently down here they call the laundry room the washroom. I got some pretty strange looks, at first, whenever I asked for one at a restaurant. Probably the same look I give my husband when I ask him where something is and he tells me it's in the washroom.

Some things are very regional. It's the laundry room down here.

In South Carolina, you can shag barefoot on the beach with a beer in one hand and not get arrested.