# "Pants" is British for "panties" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 8, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576 "2004-09-08T01:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/101 "2004-09-10T22:08:21Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > … I’m probably blinded by the atrociousness of Dick Van Dyke. Well, in all fairness, his “accent” in _Mary Poppins_ is famous for being so atrocious (and certainly not supercalifrajalisticexpialidoscious)! ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/102 "2004-09-10T22:46:08Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > There have been plenty of threads about this in the past. I’m not griping, just saying that if you’re interested in this subject there’s plenty of Doper opinion for you to peruse. Sorry. Sometimes I check for these things, and then sometimes (the other 99% of the time) I don’t. Thanks to those who responded here. I’ll delve into the archive next. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/103 "2004-09-10T23:22:47Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Sorry. Sometimes I check for these things, and then sometimes (the other 99% of the time) I don’t. > > Thanks to those who responded here. I’ll delve into the archive next. No, I was just saying that there’s more stuff like this in the archive if you’re interested, that’s all. I don’t think you’re expected to do a search before you post in MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/104 "2004-09-11T01:59:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Most Brits are, I think, reasonably familiar with this particular Atlantic language discrepancy and will internally translate on the fly, particularly if the speaker is known to be American. > > There are a few occasions when ‘pants’ means trousers in Britain; ‘jogging pants’, for example (although they might more commonly be called ‘jogging bottoms’. Tipsy hijack… I had a jogging bottom for awhile, caused me no end of embarassment. Mind you, Jeffrey (from Coupling) would LOVE to be surrounded by jogging bottoms, I’m sure!! I like when Brits suggest getting ‘pissed’. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/105 "2004-09-11T05:43:16Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > No, I was just saying that there’s more stuff like this in the archive if you’re interested, that’s all. I don’t think you’re expected to do a search before you post in MPSIMS. Well, but you know I hate to resurrect tired old topics. People might think I’m a bore. (I suppose I might be one, but I certainly don’t want people to _think_ that.) And this particular topic — actors who take on accents from countries other than their own, and how well or poorly they deliver the goods — seems to be pretty well covered here, now that I’ve pored through the board’s history. Still, I have a couple leftover questions about English accents in _Spinal Tap_, if someone will indulge me: [ul] [li]In other SDMB threads, plenty of praise is heaped on Michael McKean (David) and Christopher Guest (Nigel), by name, for their knock-down persuasive accents. Harry Shearer (Derek) isn’t mentioned so much. Was his accent not so convincing then? To me he sounds like he’s going for a Beatle-ish Liverpool accent, but is that just my ear?[/li][li]Tony Hendra (Ian) is apparently from Hertfordshire, and June Chadwick (Janine) from Warwickshire. This is according to the IMDB anyway. Is that in fact how people from those places speak, or are the actors giving their characters different sorts of background?[/li][/ul] ---
**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:** [September 11, 2004, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/106 "2004-09-11T05:56:59Z")
> [@](#): > > plenty of praise is heaped on Michael McKean (David) and Christopher Guest (Nigel), by name, for their knock-down persuasive accents. Guest got his English accent the old-fashioned way, by being English. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/107 "2004-09-11T06:08:36Z")
> [@Arch Trout](#): > > And while we’re at it, why does America have an aversion to the letter **u**? > Color, honor etc. I think it’s more of a “you guys sticking in a bunch of extra 'u’s” thing. C’mon, you somehow manage to put a whole extra _syllable_ in “aluminum.” 😛 My motto: Never trust someone who cannot comprehend a biscuit. Also: WTF is up with “leftenant”? ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/108 "2004-09-11T12:58:01Z")
> [@Gunslinger](#): > > My motto: Never trust someone who cannot comprehend a biscuit. A very good motto. A biscuit is something to dunk in your tea or coffee at morning tea time. Chocolate biscuits are the best. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/109 "2004-09-11T19:07:04Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > A very good motto. A biscuit is something to dunk in your tea or coffee at morning tea time. Chocolate biscuits are the best. No, a biscuit is something to eat with sausage and gravy, or maybe country ham and redeye gravy. Buttermilk biscuits are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/110 "2004-09-11T21:42:21Z")
> [@Arch Trout](#): > > It’s all true. > Pants and underpants are the same thing here. > > **American…British** > Pants…Trousers > Pantyhose…Tights Lisa! Hello. How are you doing in England? Remember, an elevator is called a “lift”, a mile is called a “kilometer”, and botulism is called “steak and kidney pie”. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/111 "2004-09-11T22:18:23Z")
> [@Burrido](#): > > a mile is called a “kilometer” Ahem…KILOMET **RE** 😃 ---
**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:** [September 12, 2004, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/112 "2004-09-12T07:08:48Z")
> [@Burrido](#): > > Lisa! Hello. How are you doing in England? Remember, an elevator is called a “lift”, a mile is called a “kilometer”, and botulism is called “steak and kidney pie”. We do not use kilometres in the UK . Distances are still measured in miles. And ( here we go again ) I suppose you are another American who has never eaten steak and kidney pie but still slags it off just because of its name. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576/113 "2004-09-12T11:51:34Z")
Steak and kidney pud . Mmmmmmmmm. Did anyone elses mum have one of those ceramic cows that sat in the middle of the pud to hold up the pastry and let out the steam? I miss steak and kidney pud. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pants-is-british-for-panties/263576.md?page=5)