# The Great British English vs US English Playoff **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123 "2018-09-10T20:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/181 "2018-09-13T22:15:32Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I know of no such distinction in American English between freeway and highway. Both terms imply controlled access. > > Generally it seems to be regional. Some places prefer highway, some prefer freeway. Consider, for example, US 50, which is part of the US **Highway** System (a designation that pertains to how its maintenance is funded). It has one foot in Ocean City New Jersey and the other foot in Sacramento California, traversing the country as one continuous road. Along sections of its run, it shares the roadbed with various Interstates; on other stretches, it is two lanes wide and has intersections (notably in Nevada it earned the name “the loneliest road”). It goes through towns as a regular arterial, indistinguishable from a city street. It is a “highway” because it is a major connector between cities that supports traffic moving in excess of 50 miles per hour in lesser-populated areas, but many of its segments bear no resemblance to a “freeway”. Contrast this with Interstate 80, which runs from San Francisco to Teaneck: at no place along its length (barring ubiquitous road construction) is it less than 4 lanes wide, nor can you get on or off it except by ramp or cross the grade itself against the flow. It is, yes, a highway, as well as a freeway, from end to end. There might not be a distinction between “highway” and “freeway” where you live, but where I live there is. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/182 "2018-09-13T22:20:46Z")
The Interstate system is also officially the Interstate Highway System. Highway, not freeway. So the government recognized no such distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/183 "2018-09-13T22:26:14Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > UK: thingamajig / oojamaflip > > US: doodad / doodah As a USAian, in this list I’ve only heard doodad and thingamajig in my country as a placeholder object referrer. (This is the first time for me to even see “oojamaflip”.) I’ve heard thingama_bob_ more often than thingamajig however. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/184 "2018-09-13T22:29:03Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > The Interstate system is also officially the Interstate Highway System. Highway, not freeway. So the government recognized no such distinction. The way I read it, eschereal didn’t claim that “Interstate” is synonymous with freeway, nor that an Interstate is not a highway. He said that this particular example of an Interstate highway is a freeway throughout. His definition conforms to my own experience, and Wikipedia agrees fwiw: > **[Highway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway)** > > A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or a translation for Autobahn, autostrada, autoroute, etc. > According to Merriam Webster, the use of the term predates the 12th century. According to Etymonline, "high" is in the sense of "main". > In North American and Australian English, major roads such as co... > [@](#): > > A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks: It is not an equivalent term to controlled-access highway… > **[Controlled-access highway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-access_highway)** > > A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway,\[a\] motorway,\[b\] and expressway.\[c\] Other similar terms include throughway or thruway\[d\] and parkway. Some of these may be limited-access highways, although this term can also refer to a class of highways with somewhat less isolation from other traffic. > In countries following the Vienna convention, the mot... > [@](#): > > A controlled-access highway is a type of highway which has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress- and egress-regulated. Common English terms are **freeway** (in Australia, South Africa and parts of the United States and Canada), **motorway** (in the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand and parts of Australia) and **expressway** (in some parts of Canada, parts of the United States, and many Asian countries). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/185 "2018-09-14T02:08:16Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I know of no such distinction in American English between freeway and highway. Both terms imply controlled access. “Highway” always controlled access? Maybe, but not necessarily interstate-style ramps — THAT’S a freeway. So, all freeways are highways, but not all highways are freeways. Woody Guthrie wrote that song not just about freeways — of which there were very few when he wrote it (Pennsylvania Turnpike, Bronx River Parkway, Pasadena Freeway, and a few more). ---
**Author:** ![Sloe\_Moe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sloe\_Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sloe_Moe)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/186 "2018-09-14T02:29:37Z")
US: blade UK: steel US wins on precision. US: heat/heater UK: barker UK wins. I frankly don’t get the US term. US: prey UK: quarry US wins. In the heat of the chase, one scrimps on syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/187 "2018-09-14T02:54:56Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I get the odd feeling that nobody debating redundancy has ever been made redundant. Really? I have. Company got taken over, site got closed down, I was offered another job I didn’t want in a site far away, turned it down, and I was out. Erm, okay, we should check our privilege on discussing what words mean I guess. But I don’t see your point, what did we get wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/188 "2018-09-14T02:58:33Z")
> [@Sloe\_Moe](#): > > US: blade > UK: steel > > US wins on precision. > > US: heat/heater > UK: barker > > UK wins. I frankly don’t get the US term. > > US: prey > UK: quarry > > US wins. In the heat of the chase, one scrimps on syllables. Two of these I don’t get. What do you mean with the blade/steel? A steel is used for honing a blade. (See images if you search for sharpening steel) And UK: barker would be a US: barker wouldn’t it? Known as a spruiker or tout in Australian english. Definitely go for AUS to win here. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/189 "2018-09-14T03:50:11Z")
> [@chaika](#): > > Actually, the UK equivalent for stroller is pushchair (though the word buggy seems to have overtaken pushchair in recent years). A pram is what Americans would call a baby carriage. > > So I would say the following: > > Brit: pushchair > US: stroller > > Result: US by a hair. > Reason: Pushchair is wonderfully literal, but stroller is a cooler word. As stroller has overtaken buggy… When I was an American child, I never saw a pram. we only had pushchairs. Which were called buggies, and had rubber bumpers. Which is to say, “rubber baby buggy bumpers”. ---
**Author:** ![Sloe\_Moe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sloe\_Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sloe_Moe)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/190 "2018-09-14T04:10:37Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > Two of these I don’t get. What do you mean with the blade/steel? A steel is used for honing a blade. (See images if you search for sharpening steel) > > And UK: barker would be a US: barker wouldn’t it? Known as a spruiker or tout in Australian english. Definitely go for AUS to win here. A bladed weapon (not limited to knives) is sometimes referred to as steel (sometimes Her Majesty’s steel). A barker is a handgun. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/191 "2018-09-14T05:13:40Z")
> [@Sloe\_Moe](#): > > US: heat/heater > UK: barker > . > [@Sloe\_Moe](#): > > A barker is a handgun. Heat/heater for handgun is way out of use. It was used by mobsters in the first half of the 20th century, maybe as late as the 50s or 60s. Even when it was in use, it wasn’t anywhere close to the most common term for a handgun. It’s only used now in fiction about that culture/era. I suspect barker is roughly the same, if not even older. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/192 "2018-09-14T05:48:42Z")
Brit: barking US: nuts The Brits win this by a league and a half. There is no American expression that comes close to “barking”. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/193 "2018-09-14T08:23:25Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Brit: barking > US: nuts > > The Brits win this by a league and a half. There is no American expression that comes close to “barking”. I don’t know – how about “batshit [crazy]”? This Brit considers that one, at least as good as “barking”. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/194 "2018-09-14T08:29:33Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Heat/heater for handgun is way out of use. It was used by mobsters in the first half of the 20th century, maybe as late as the 50s or 60s. Even when it was in use, it wasn’t anywhere close to the most common term for a handgun. It’s only used now in fiction about that culture/era. I suspect barker is roughly the same, if not even older. I associate British “barker” for pistol with the 18th / early 19th century, not later – though I maybe have that wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sloe\_Moe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sloe\_Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sloe_Moe)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/195 "2018-09-14T08:41:29Z")
“Packing heat” is still used among gun scribes, who occupy a certain demography that’s outside the present mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/196 "2018-09-14T08:44:49Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Erm, okay, we should check our privilege on discussing what words mean I guess. But I don’t see your point, what did we get wrong? I had the sense that people were talking about 2 different things, so I thought a concrete example of what redundancy (in the UK) actually is like might help. Also the concept of redundancy money as a form of compensation: in an odd way, there is often something almost apologetic about a UK redundancy. (Not to say that it isn’t sometimes used as a vindictive no-comeback way of firing someone. But that’s an abuse). j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/197 "2018-09-14T09:00:43Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > I associate British “barker” for pistol with the 18th / early 19th century, not later – though I maybe have that wrong. I’m with Kiwi on this one - I had never heard of Barker as handgun and was thinking exclusively of Fairground Barker. So… Partridge gives both senses (in A Dictionary of the Underworld), tracing handgun back to Scott (1815) and Dickens (1838) - both UK cites if I have the right Scott and Dickens. For the fairground usage he goes back to Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (and beyond, actually) - another UK source. Grose’s definitiion is cracking: _The shopman of a a Bow-Wow shop, or dealer in second hand clothes, particularly about Monmouth -Street, who walks before his master’s door, and deafens every passenger with his cries of — Clothes, coats or gowns — what d’ye want, gemmen? What d’ye buy?_ j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/198 "2018-09-14T09:10:21Z")
…and while I remember: UK: Brilliant! US: Awesome! Hell, you pays your money and you takes your choice. j ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/199 "2018-09-14T13:09:10Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > As a USAian, in this list I’ve only heard doodad and thingamajig in my country as a placeholder object referrer. (This is the first time for me to even see “oojamaflip”.) I’ve heard thingama_bob_ more often than thingamajig however. I gather that the invention of “thingamajig” is widely attributed to Lewis Carroll, in his long poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. One of the crew members in the seaborne quest for said creature was extremely absent-minded, and had indeed forgotten his own name – his shipmates addressed him by whatever thing came into their heads: “He would answer to ‘Hi’, or to any loud cry, Such as ‘Fry me !’ or ‘Fritter my wig !’ To ‘What-you-may-call-um’ or ‘What-was-his-name !’ But especially ‘Thing-um-a-jig’.” Those who ascribe coining of this expression to Carroll, opine that “thingamabob” was thought of later, as a variant, by persons unknown. Another UK expression for a vague something, “whatchamacallit”, is likewise sometimes suggested as an adaptation of the germ of an idea from Carroll, as above. One would reckon that there is the possibility that either or both of these terms were not from original inspiration on Carroll’s part; but that they’d already existed, coined by “Anon” – old Lewis, having heard them, just gave them wider currency. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/200 "2018-09-14T13:09:32Z")
On classic haircuts for guys of a Certain Class: UK: The [Quiff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiff). US: The [Mullet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullet_(haircut)). The UK wins for better haircut but loses for haircut name. Quiff? Come … on. How can you _not_ come up with a better name for a cut that would beat one named after a fish??? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123.md?page=11)