# Dead giveaways in a post that a person is from country X **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 30, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534 "2007-10-30T03:49:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/21 "2007-10-30T16:27:38Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] One that immediately flags a person as an American is the construction “write me”, instead of “write to me”. To my British eyes, this is quite jarring. [/QUOTE] The opposite is the British use of "in hospital.’ ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/22 "2007-10-30T16:28:54Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] If a poster says, “When I went to university”, I can probably assume he/she is Canadian. “When I went to college” is what an American would say. [/QUOTE] that applies to Brits too. I went to university… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/23 "2007-10-30T16:32:30Z")
Oh, another one is: “One hundred and sixteen thousand, five hundred and seventy-eight” Those ands are a British thing, AFAIK ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/24 "2007-10-30T16:35:53Z")
When someone says “In Spain, we…” I know that person is from Spain. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/25 "2007-10-30T16:39:31Z")
Americans go on vacation. Brits go on holiday. Americans don’t say “arse” Americans call it “soccer”, the rest of the world calls it “football”. Americans get in a lot of trouble if they talk about going out to smoke a couple fags. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/26 "2007-10-30T16:43:47Z")
[QUOTE=erie774] Americans call it “soccer”, the rest of the world calls it “football”. [/QUOTE] Except in Australian, where what is “football” depends on which state you come from – but soccer is “soccer” everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/27 "2007-10-30T16:44:28Z")
Does the use of non-metric measurements mark somebody as an American? Or are they still in casual usage in other countries? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/28 "2007-10-30T16:53:55Z")
[QUOTE=Sitnam] I argued once with a Chilean cause I said I was American. It’s not ego, it’s grammar, what am I supposed to call myself, a ‘United Statsian’? [/QUOTE] Now that I don’t understand at all. Of course I am American, I am also a resident of the United States, but boy howdy is that clunky. This thread is showing me how much of my Indian parents’ heritage has rubbed off on me, by the way. I’ll use “holiday” and “vacation” interchangeably. I say “went to university” and “went to college”. And of course “Asian” means from India, I mean duh, I’m Asian and Indian! ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/29 "2007-10-30T16:59:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Isn’t that the actual term in Spanish: the equivalent of ‘Ünited Statesian’? [/QUOTE] Yes. Not sure of the conjugation, but the US translates to Estadios Unidos, EEUU. I argued with a Columbian and a Brazilian about the same thing. “I’m an American, too,”, they’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/30 "2007-10-30T17:02:23Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] Yes. Not sure of the conjugation, but the US translates to Estadios Unidos, EEUU. [/QUOTE] Now I sort of remember. I think it’s “estadunidense” or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/31 "2007-10-30T17:04:11Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] \*\*Sunspace, \*\* I have my mum’s recipe. If you want it, send me an e-mail. [/QUOTE] Two words for you guys: renal function. Bleah. Dad loves the stuff (he had a British father), I had to eat it too many times as a kid. The use of the “extra” u in words labels someone as non-American. Also, Canadians (and other English speakers) tend not to use words like lite when they mean light. Canadians will also write theatre and centre rather than theater and center. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/32 "2007-10-30T17:06:59Z")
Brits will say that somebody weighs X stone. I always get a weird mental image of the scale from _Holy Grail_ except instead of a duck it would have a bunch of rocks piled up there. Don’t you guys believe in just using either Imperial or metric? Make up your bleeding minds! Of course, “bleeding” anything is typically British. As is the almost cavalier use of the “c” word. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/33 "2007-10-30T17:07:45Z")
I’ll say “the States” and “the US” when I’m in another country so I can explain I’m from there. I’d say “I’m from America!” but as we know that doesn’t… really work. Usually I just say “I’m from Texas” and they get it. 😃 But yeah, what am I expected to call myself other than an American? A United Statesian? A fat lazy bitch? But THAT’s true no matter WHERE I live! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/34 "2007-10-30T17:13:58Z")
[QUOTE=erie774] Brits will say that somebody weighs X stone. I always get a weird mental image of the scale from _Holy Grail_ except instead of a duck it would have a bunch of rocks piled up there. Don’t you guys believe in just using either Imperial or metric? Make up your bleeding minds! Of course, “bleeding” anything is typically British. As is the almost cavalier use of the “c” word. [/QUOTE] Stone is used here too. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/35 "2007-10-30T17:17:52Z")
Heh. I had to have a talk with a young British friend who used “twat” the way we use “twit” over here. I explained to him that it was a _lot_ harsher insult on this side of the ocean… ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/36 "2007-10-30T17:23:55Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] Stone is used here too. [/QUOTE] Forgot about that. When we went to Ireland for our honeymoon I remember reading it in the papers. Please feel free to tell me, “Póg mo thóin.” ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/37 "2007-10-30T17:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] Except in Australian, where what is “football” depends on which state you come from – but soccer is “soccer” everywhere. [/QUOTE] Actually, much of the English-speaking world means something else by “football.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/38 "2007-10-30T17:40:55Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] Actually, much of the English-speaking world means something else by “football.” [/QUOTE] I think **Giles** was saying that “football” can mean either American football or soccer, but “soccer” always means, er, the football that isn’t American. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/39 "2007-10-30T17:47:24Z")
[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth] Canadians will also write theatre and centre rather than theater and center. [/QUOTE] I do that too. I write “theatre” when referring to a live stage performance & “theater” to mean a movie theater. I don’t know if that is common though. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534/40 "2007-10-30T17:56:32Z")
[QUOTE=Little Plastic Ninja] I think **Giles** was saying that “football” can mean either American football or soccer, but “soccer” always means, er, the football that isn’t American. [/QUOTE] No: I meant that, especially in Victoria, “football” means Australian rules football, and Tasmania and South Australia tend to follow that line as well. On the other hand, in New South Wales and Queensland, the main code of “football” is Rugby League. I haven’t been to Western Australia for more than 50 years, so I’m not sure what the default “football” is in that state. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-giveaways-in-a-post-that-a-person-is-from-country-x/424534.md?page=3)