# Fun with American vs. British English **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205 "2006-08-10T20:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/61 "2006-08-12T01:51:10Z")
All this talk of “fags” reminds me… About twenty years ago, I was in England. One of the things I wanted to do was to sample some of the English beers, so I went to a pub. I ordered a beer (a nice bitter, as I recall), and stood at the bar. Sme others were standing at the bar, and soon one other gentleman and I had begun a conversation. Nothing serious–the weather, and other small talk. He could tell by my accent that I was not British, and so was somewhat handicapped by my non-knowledge of local football (soccer, of course), and which he seemed to be an expert on. But he seized on another topic of conversation when I lit a cigarette: “So, you like fags, do you?” Once I had got over my shock, and all had been explained to me, we had a good laugh. But for a few minutes there, I was wondering what kind of place I’d walked into. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/62 "2006-08-12T04:12:09Z")
[QUOTE=Misscegnist] Then of course we can talk about things like \ 9) off license [/QUOTE] I though that was English-English. I’ve got a friend who talks about working in off-licences in Edinburgh, whereas I would talk about ‘bottle-shops’. And I use ‘chippie’ to mean roadworker. I worked as a chains(wo)man for a summer, and I was refered to as ‘the chippie’, so I think it can also mean ‘the person who does the most menial, least skilled bits of a manual labouring job’ ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/63 "2006-08-12T13:46:35Z")
[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu] Aah, I’m reminded of the story of a teacher of mine who went to England to visit a friend. Upon arriving to their home asked her friend’s hubby if he would hang her jacket in the _closet_. He gave her a funny look, shrugged, then carted her jacket off to the _bathroom_ and hung it on a towel hook. Took her a second to figure out why. :smack: [/QUOTE] So what word do the Brits use for what we call a closet? ---
**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:** [August 12, 2006, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/64 "2006-08-12T13:55:01Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] So what word do the Brits use for what we call a closet? [/QUOTE] Wardrobe, cupboard or even cloakroom. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/65 "2006-08-12T14:04:34Z")
We’ve taught our daughter to use the British application of “fanny”. One day, my mother-in-law was changing her diaper when my daughter asked “Grandma, do you have a fanny, too?”, to which my MIL replied “Yes, honey, but mine is a _lot bigger than yours._” :eek One of these days we’ll get around to explaining how we use that word. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/66 "2006-08-13T10:25:51Z")
[QUOTE=ColonelDax] Another fun place name to test people on is Bicester. [/QUOTE] Ah, now Spelling and pronounciation - a good way to _really_ PO furriners. Try: - Trottiscliffe (Pro: Trosley) Cholmondley (Chumley) Featherstonehaugh (Fanshaw) Death (Dee-ath) (The first is a village in Kent, the others are posh surnames). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/67 "2006-08-13T10:59:02Z")
> **[List of irregularly spelled English names](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_names_in_English_with_non-intuitive_pronunciations)** > > This is a set of lists of English personal and place names having spellings that are counterintuitive to their pronunciation because the spelling does not accord with conventional pronunciation associations, or because a better known namesake with the same spelling has a markedly different pronunciation. The latter types are known as heterophonic names or heterophones (unlike heterographs, which are written differently but pronounced the same). > Excluded are the numerous spellings which fail to... ---
**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:** [August 13, 2006, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/68 "2006-08-13T11:06:58Z")
Also [This](http://www.effingpot.com/index.shtml) and [this](http://freespace.virgin.net/john.cletheroe/uk/places.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/69 "2006-08-13T11:13:49Z")
[While](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=366936) [we’re](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=292033) [at it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=306757) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/70 "2006-08-13T11:37:04Z")
[QUOTE=Misscegnist] not quite - to me bogan is a young, male “petrolhead”, normally driving a cheaply imported rice rocket (recklessly). They like to gather and race, and also commonly garishly modify the car, many with stupidly loud and impractical stereos… [/QUOTE] Hoons? (That word, being used seriously on the ABC, threw my American brain into the giggles.) Cheers, G ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/71 "2006-08-13T11:42:57Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Possibly it is universal. I don’t know. I’d certainly never heard it until I went to live in New Zealand. [/QUOTE] Chilly Bin = NZ (Or, as I hear it, “chullybun” 😃 ) Esky= Australia Cooler =America Uk=? Cheers, G ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/72 "2006-08-13T11:45:57Z")
Cool box ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/73 "2006-08-13T11:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=Boulter’s Canary] Ah, now Spelling and pronounciation - a good way to _really_ PO furriners. Try: - Trottiscliffe (Pro: Trosley) Cholmondley (Chumley) Featherstonehaugh (Fanshaw) Death (Dee-ath) (The first is a village in Kent, the others are posh surnames). [/QUOTE] Cholmondeley is also a village (and castle, home of the Marquis of Chomondeley) in Cheshire. ---
**Author:** ![Dottygumdrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Dottygumdrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dottygumdrop)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/74 "2006-08-13T11:54:40Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] We have something called a corn dog – a frankfurter (not a saveloy) on a stick, dipped in cornbread batter and fried. A popular snack at carnivals, state fairs and street fairs. [/QUOTE] Where I grew up in Australia, we call it a dagwood dog! And a saveloy is pretty much a frankfurter in Australia and NZ ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/75 "2006-08-13T22:11:52Z")
[QUOTE=amarone] Cholmondeley is also a village (and castle, home of the Marquis of Chomondeley) in Cheshire. [/QUOTE] I didn’t know that! Something else I’ve just found out: - There are two Mildenhalls. One in Suffolk (WWII airbase) which is pronounced as it is spelt and one in Wiltshire which is pronounced ‘mine-all’. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/76 "2006-08-14T00:47:31Z")
[QUOTE=ColonelDax] And just to confuse things a bit further, let’s not forget the use of “pants” as an adjective meaning “lousy.” (“Did you see that new TV show last night everyone’s been talking about?” “Yeah, I thought it was pants.”) IME it’s more often used that way in Ireland, but I’ve heard it in Britain as well. Another fun place name to test people on is Bicester. [/QUOTE] 6 miles away from my place of birth! We called it Bister! ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/77 "2006-08-14T00:49:12Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] Wardrobe, cupboard or even cloakroom. [/QUOTE] It’s a press! ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/78 "2006-08-14T00:52:48Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] So what word do the Brits use for what we call a closet? [/QUOTE] Hold on - you mean a _water_ closet - that’s a bathroom or toilet - what gets rested in in the States! ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/79 "2006-08-14T01:06:40Z")
Don’t people ask for the WC - the water closet anymore? When I lived in England - 20 years ago now you were able to get sorted out, now you just get sorted. “Mausel” is Mousehole in Cornwall, also a pied a terre. I frequented a chinese chippy in a west indian district of Bristol (Brissle) where you were asked: "sore vinegar? hau saus? (salt & vinegar, hot sauce) Bad can mean bad or the opposite. I love the American “My bad” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205/80 "2006-08-14T06:12:26Z")
[QUOTE=Boulter’s Canary] There are two Mildenhalls. One in Suffolk (WWII airbase) which is pronounced as it is spelt [/QUOTE] Except for the silent H! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-american-vs-british-english/368205.md?page=5)