# British, American different turns of phrase **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070 "2010-12-22T13:58:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/241 "2010-12-31T15:19:23Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Again, I can only speak from my own experience: the school I went to was called “Upper Nidderdale High School,” and all of the locals referred to it as “the high school.” Maybe it was an early-80s/Yorkshire thing? “the high school” is referring to a specific school that is called Upper Nidderdale High School. A notional Upper Nidderdale Academy would be referred to as “the academy”. The generic term is “secondary school”. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/242 "2010-12-31T15:59:26Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Again, I can only speak from my own experience: the school I went to was called “Upper Nidderdale High School,” and all of the locals referred to it as “the high school.” Maybe it was an early-80s/Yorkshire thing? My school, also in Yorkshire, is still called Selby High School. However, although you might refer to it as “the high school”, we would not say we were attending “high school” as a general name for that stage of education. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/243 "2010-12-31T16:24:11Z")
Thanks, **Baron Greenback** and **amarone**! I think the distinction is between “we never say ‘high school’” (which is how I interpreted **Candyman74** ’s statement) and “we might say ‘high school’ to refer to a place/building, but not a specific part of one’s education” (which is most likely what he meant). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/244 "2010-12-31T18:54:22Z")
At the end of the day, spin, playing the field. Numptie. Over the moon, all to play for, squeaky bum time. Big ask. Stonewall penalty. Keep the ball rolling. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/245 "2010-12-31T20:27:50Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > My school, also in Yorkshire, is still called Selby High School. However, although you might refer to it as “the high school”, we would not say we were attending “high school” as a general name for that stage of education. You’re from Selby?! I grew up in Cawood! ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/246 "2011-01-01T04:40:50Z")
I just posted this in another thread in Café Society, but it seems it would fir in well here: This is more of an error or just showing differences in pronunciation between the US and UK, but in ‘Easy A’ a plot point is the protagonist getting sent to the principle for calling someone a ‘twat’ in class. Later on when she is discussing it with her parents they ask her what word. She gives them the ‘T’ and tells them to ‘Think British’, as the word is used more over there (and probably comes from there). The thing is, Brits like me got really, really confused by what she said in class. She called someone a ‘twot’. No-one in the UK would pronounce the word that way. It is always a hard ‘a’ to rhyme with ‘cat’. The best swear words use hard consonants and short vowels; shit, fuck, twat, cunt. There’s no messing with those words. I honestly after the scene with the parents had to hit the net to see exactly what she had said as I was so confused. Turns out it is quite common and “L Word” and “Rescue Me” were given examples of the same usage in American TV. For Brits that want to see it, here’s a low sound quality YouTube link: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBBp-l9CsFw) ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/247 "2011-01-01T04:53:52Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Here’s one I hear all the time – > > U.K.: “I left school in 2001.” > U.S.: “I graduated from high school in 2001.” > > To me, the word “leave” is very odd in this context. It sounds like you just left, nevermind meeting any requirements. Even “I finished school” would seem to be more specific. The only requirement is that you get old enough. It used to be (back when I was at that age in the nineties) that some would just forgo the idea of doing any exams. You then do your exams and leave. The exams are marked by an external examination authority and the results all come back on the same day a couple of months later, so there’s no real good way to organise a “graduation”. So we don’t. The most common methods, depending on how posh your school was, was to get certificates through the post or to have a speech day during the next school year, when you may no longer be at the school (I came back from University for the day) to listen to a few speeches and get your certificates. Still nothing like a US graduation ceremony with robes. They are exclusively the domain of University. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/248 "2011-01-01T04:56:01Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > My school, also in Yorkshire, is still called Selby High School. However, although you might refer to it as “the high school”, we would not say we were attending “high school” as a general name for that stage of education. Similarly I went to “Princethorpe College” from the ages of 12 to 18. I at no point declared I was going to “college”. It was my school. Now, Americans referring to University as school … ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/249 "2011-01-01T04:57:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It also means that the process of getting the kids fed, scrubbed, dressed and out the door can be finitely timed. There is no agony over what to wear, because there is no choice. As a parent, I like it. And rather famously, kids have been polled on it and they seem to like it too. If it wasn’t 5:56am and I was waiting for sleeping tablets to kick in I would dig our the results for you. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/250 "2011-01-01T10:24:47Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > We use “primary” and “secondary” school; we don’t say “high school” (at least we didn’t - who knows what they call it now.) Actually, this will depend on where you are. I spent my school years in Northumberland, which had a three-tier school system until, um… last year (happy New Year!). The schools I went to were: First School: 5–8 Middle School: 9–12 High School: 13 upwards. So in our case, we did indeed say “high school”, because that was what we had. I don’t suppose that Northumberland was unique, either. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/251 "2011-01-02T02:02:08Z")
I don’t think this has been mentioned yet: Is the item that you use to erase pencil writing still commonly called a rubber in the UK, or is that an old-fashioned word now? Is it also used in the UK to refer to condoms like in the US? I assume what you use to erase the whiteboard is also called an eraser in the UK, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/252 "2011-01-02T14:20:09Z")
> [@Waffle\_Decider](#): > > I don’t think this has been mentioned yet: Is the item that you use to erase pencil writing still commonly called a rubber in the UK, or is that an old-fashioned word now? Is it also used in the UK to refer to condoms like in the US? To be honest, I haven’t used a pencil and/or pencil-erasing-object in many, many years. I _assume_ they’re still called rubbers, but I’m not sure. I’ve never used the word “rubber” to refer to a condom. But, again, I don’t know what the kids these days call things. I’m 36, and to me a rubber still means pencil-erasing-object and “eraser” sounds very American. Perhaps some people with teenage kids could let us know what they call them? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/253 "2011-01-02T14:37:34Z")
> [@Waffle\_Decider](#): > > I don’t think this has been mentioned yet: Is the item that you use to erase pencil writing still commonly called a rubber in the UK, or is that an old-fashioned word now? Is it also used in the UK to refer to condoms like in the US? > > I assume what you use to erase the whiteboard is also called an eraser in the UK, correct? I’m ancient (36) but the thingie to wipe the whiteboard was always called a wiper for me. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/254 "2011-01-02T14:51:34Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > US: quarter of nine (for 8:45), > UK: quarter to nine (although this one is a US alternative too) Uh uh. “Quarter of” is a regionalism mostly restricted to the northeast of the US, not something widely said in this country. It’s something you’ll see in books fairly often, though, because a great many writers come from that part of the US. I guess you’ve missed the threads were people from other parts of the country have expressed confusion about if the “of” indicates 15 minutes before or after the hour. It seems obvious _to me_, but I’ve lived in the northeast my entire life and was even taught in early elementary school that “of” is the proper way of referring to the time. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/255 "2011-01-02T15:42:28Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I’m ancient (36) but the thingie to wipe the whiteboard was always called a wiper for me. When I was at school it was blackboards and they were wiped with cloths. The few white boards around were also wiped with cloths, even more so than the black boards. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/256 "2011-01-02T15:45:59Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > When I was at school it was blackboards and they were wiped with cloths. The few white boards around were also wiped with cloths, even more so than the black boards. My schooling bridged the chasm between the use of blackboards and whiteboards. For both it has always been a little block with some cloth on it or, if you couldn’t be arsed, your hand, clothing or a hankie. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/257 "2011-01-02T16:25:24Z")
Blackboards are wiped with a piece of wood with some felt on it. Whiteboards are wiped with a piece of plastic with some J-cloth type material on it. Both are called “dusters”. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/258 "2011-01-02T17:29:11Z")
One more I can think of: US: for here/to go UK: eat here/takeaway ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/259 "2011-01-02T18:37:56Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > When I was at school it was blackboards and they were wiped with cloths. The few white boards around were also wiped with cloths, even more so than the black boards. Yeah, I was pre-whiteboard, too. Blackboards, and they were wiped with “dusters”. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-american-different-turns-of-phrase/565070/260 "2011-01-02T19:56:47Z")
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