# British Weddings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972 "2005-02-02T13:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/101 "2005-02-07T13:32:17Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > I’m not British. > > And, like **confessorknight** , I don’t know what \*fetch \* means either. [the film _Mean Girls_](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0377092/quotes) According to my weekend newspaper - I haven’t seen the film. Truly-ruly. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/102 "2005-02-07T14:06:55Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > For those of you who are British speakers of English, what do you call the structure with the large letters on it in [this](http://www.photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200102-e10-london/palace-theater.half.jpg) photograph? It is a picture of the front of The Palace Theater in London. That might not be the best example. Anything like [this](http://www.witchgirls.com/content/map/bijou.jpg) over there (the bit under “Bijou”)? What do you call it? Also, what about something like [this](http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/images/signage_lex.mid.school.lg.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/103 "2005-02-07T14:12:23Z")
The thing on the cinema hasn’t really got a name. We’d probably call it the “name board” or the “cinema thingummy” The thing by the roadside we’d call a signboard or possibly a billboard. In any case we don’t have them here. By the way a “marquee” is a big tent. ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/104 "2005-02-07T14:14:42Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > By the way a “marquee” is a big tent. Finally someone replies to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/105 "2005-02-07T14:14:37Z")
> [@chique](#): > > That might not be the best example. Anything like [this](http://www.witchgirls.com/content/map/bijou.jpg) over there (the bit under “Bijou”)? What do you call it? > > Also, what about something like [this](http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/images/signage_lex.mid.school.lg.jpg)? Oh, I see what you mean. As **Cunctator** said, it’s just a sign - there’s no special word. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/106 "2005-02-07T14:33:57Z")
Going back to my canopy ( if anyone is still awake ) , I was told that a canopy is a free standing unit. Well this structure is described by the manufacturer as a canopy. So make your own mind up. [![](http://static.hugedomains.com/images/logo_huge_domains.gif) ](http://static.hugedomains.com/images/logo_huge_domains.gif) ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/107 "2005-02-07T14:37:36Z")
a size progression would seem to go: Wendy House Fishing shelter pup tent camping type tent marquee beer tent big top Millenium Dome (that’s without including awnings) ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/108 "2005-02-07T14:42:18Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > a size progression would seem to go: > > Wendy House… > (that’s without including awnings) Wendy House - now there’s a name for a thing we ain’t got in the US! ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/109 "2005-02-07T14:46:15Z")
You probably do - you probably call it something else. God alone knows what. You don’t really have “Wendys” in the USA - you think it’s a sort of beef-burger. My daughter had a wendy house. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/110 "2005-02-07T14:49:28Z")
BTW a “Wendy House” is a small small tent or shed for a small girl to play in. They have doll’s tea parties in them. Boys would never be seen dead in a Wendy House. They would never live it down. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/111 "2005-02-07T14:50:19Z")
[QUOTE=owlstretchingtime] You don’t really have “Wendys” in the USA - you think it’s a sort of beef-burger. [QUOTE] Surely they’ve all heard of Peter Pan? ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/112 "2005-02-07T15:01:56Z")
. > [@](#): > > Surely they’ve all heard of Peter Pan? He’s on trial in California for kiddy-fiddling. Anyway - now they’ve got the hang of tents shall we try to explain what “camp” means? And then we can tell them about Camp coffe (which I am inexplicably fond of - I blame my father) ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/113 "2005-02-07T15:05:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Boys would never be seen dead in a Wendy House. They would never live it down. Demountable Wendy House poles do, for boys, make fantastic blow-pipes that fit miniture darts (like from a keyring set you might get in a posh cracker at Chrissie) perfectly. And very accurate over short distances too. As a complete aside, I’m a best man next week. But in a mill, not a marquee. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/114 "2005-02-07T15:11:09Z")
> [@Aro](#): > > Demountable Wendy House poles do, for boys, make fantastic blow-pipes that fit miniture darts (like from a keyring set you might get in a posh cracker at Chrissie) perfectly. And very accurate over short distances too. > > . Has your sister spoken to you since you discovered this? ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/115 "2005-02-07T15:12:41Z")
Also Yanks: Do you have crackers\*? I love cracker jokes! - The Christmas kind - not the “Deliverence” kind. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/116 "2005-02-07T15:33:35Z")
Sure we got crackers:[here](http://drewhoward.com/saltines/) or [this](http://69.20.75.129//index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2169) . ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/117 "2005-02-07T15:44:36Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Sure we got crackers:[here](http://drewhoward.com/saltines/) or [this](http://69.20.75.129//index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2169) . Unless I am mistaken, those thingummys don’t look like the contain a funny paper hat, novelty, thing that goes BANG and dreadful joke. You have no idea what you are missing. The ONLY thing that tiddly Grannies like better than the Birdie Song is drinking sherry whilst wearing a paper hat. ---
**Author:** ![Glassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Glassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glassy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/118 "2005-02-07T17:06:22Z")
Unfortunately, the closest thing we have to English crackers are fortune cookies. Or [this](http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/uncle_kracker/artist.jhtml). We regret it. We really do. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/119 "2005-02-07T17:12:49Z")
And you don’t even have pantos. You poor deprived tea-dodgers. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/120 "2005-02-07T17:56:15Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > Unless I am mistaken, those thingummys don’t look like the contain a funny paper hat, novelty, thing that goes BANG and dreadful joke. Oh, we have those exploding things. What the hell are those called? I forget. We play with them at Halloween. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972.md?page=7)