# 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:** 14
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/261 "2018-09-22T11:29:52Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > In NZ English I’d suggest that dag or daggy means something more like quirky and amusing, with a generally positive tone. Naff on the other hand is (mildly) negative. What it really means is naff… (you do know what a dag is? It isn’t positive :D) Usage might be a bit light=hearted, but it’s not a positive descriptor. ---
**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 22, 2018, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/262 "2018-09-22T12:41:04Z")
UK: High street. US: Shopping district. US by a mile. It means what it says. Game over. A variation of the game: UK: Top-shelf. US: Top-shelf. For the US, it means top of the line, best, grade-A. In the UK it means where the porno mags are displayed in a store (and therefore material of that nature in general). US wins again because, but just by a bit, due to the meaning being a bit more obvious. This is another one of those “be careful in using it in front of people on the other side of the pond” things. E.g., “That celeb’s memoir is really top-shelf.” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/263 "2018-09-22T12:42:14Z")
What is jaggery, you ask? It’s solidified molasses. Not raw sugar, but wholefood sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/264 "2018-09-22T15:42:38Z")
UK (or at least England): “That’s the thing, innit?” US: “Exactly”. I give a slight edge to the US because it’s shorter and clearer. The few times I’ve heard someone in England say “That’s the thing, innit?” to express an agreement so strong with what I just said that nothing further needs to be added, I instinctively wait for them to keep talking because in America when we say “that’s the thing, isn’t it?” we are also expressing agreement but then usually continue to explain _why_ we agree. On the other hand the UK expression is more euphonious. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/265 "2018-09-22T22:08:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Fun fact: In Calcutta if you’re speaking English, the “first floor” is as in the U.K. But if you’re speaking Bengali, এক তলা (literally, “level one”) is as in the U.S. I’m in Aus, and building owners have given up on that stuff. Level 1 is the sub-floor services, Ground floor on the downhill side is maybe level 3, and on the uphill side maybe level 5, Plumbers go to the level as directed, and occupants just have to deal with it. Aus: High street. Well in Melbourne, High street, the main street, is going to run along the ridge. That’s why they put the shops there, out of the mud. ---
**Author:** ![Map\_Ylow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/map_ylow/32/85_2.png) [@Map\_Ylow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Map_Ylow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/266 "2018-09-22T22:19:51Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > UK (or at least England): “That’s the thing, innit?” > US: “Exactly”. > > I give a slight edge to the US because it’s shorter and clearer. The few times I’ve heard someone in England say “That’s the thing, innit?” to express an agreement so strong with what I just said that nothing further needs to be added, I instinctively wait for them to keep talking because in America when we say “that’s the thing, isn’t it?” we are also expressing agreement but then usually continue to explain _why_ we agree. > > On the other hand the UK expression is more euphonious. I’m giving the edge to the UK, simply because I like the sound of “innit”. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/267 "2018-09-23T23:02:44Z")
**Brit** Rocket **US** Arugula **Result** : Tie Reason: Who cares? **Brit** Skirting Board **US** Baseboard **Result** Brit Reason: It just sounds better, even if baseboard is more descriptive **Brit** Austin Powers **US** Wayne Campbell **Result** : Brit Reason: Throw in Dr. Evil and it’s a no-brainer **Brit** Disorientated **US** Disoriented **Result** : US Reason: Disorientated sounds like some ridiculous, American bastardization and not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/268 "2018-09-23T23:22:56Z")
> [@blob](#): > > What it really means is naff… (you do know what a dag is? It isn’t positive :D) Usage might be a bit light=hearted, but it’s not a positive descriptor. Mmmm… not convinced. 🙂 Yep, know what they are, and have even used “rattle yer dags” on occasion… but my experience (YMMV of course) is that “he’s a bit of a dag” is rather more blokey, rural, bit of a hard-case, and so on… than “naff”. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/269 "2018-09-23T23:43:34Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > “he’s a bit of a dag” is rather more blokey, rural, bit of a hard-case, and so on… than “naff”. But that’s a different phrase to “daggy” and dag can be used in varying contexts and tones, but something that is daggy is “uncool”, unfashionable, daggy, naff ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/270 "2018-09-24T17:43:04Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > … A subway in UK English is an underpass - a walkway that goes underneath a road. It’s not an underground railway. 🙂 Just to be awkward, it’s a subway in Glasgow (although you do hear some people calling it “tube”, but they are silly). “Underground” or “subway” is OK, and escapes my wrath. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/271 "2018-09-24T19:26:17Z")
> [@blob](#): > > But that’s a different phrase to “daggy” and dag can be used in varying contexts and tones, but something that is daggy is “uncool”, unfashionable, daggy, naff Fair enuff. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Map\_Ylow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/map_ylow/32/85_2.png) [@Map\_Ylow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Map_Ylow)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/272 "2018-09-24T21:51:18Z")
US: speeding\* Aus: hooning Australia clearly wins. (I may or may not be muttering “_hooooooon_” under my breath and giggling now.) - yes I’m aware this isn’t the most _direct_ analog to “hooning” but I am brainfried at the moment and others can probably suggest better analogs than I. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/273 "2018-09-26T04:43:20Z")
**UK:** Wendy house **US:** playhouse **Result:** US. “Wendy house” gets points for the Peter Pan reference but loses points for being twee\*, while “playhouse” is just a more descriptive and comprehensible term. - **UK:** twee **US:** cutesy **Result:** UK. “Twee” is a great word. Unfortunately, its use is effectively restricted to Brits because it’s kind of twee for non-Brits to use it. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/274 "2018-09-26T05:14:37Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > **Result:** US. “Wendy house” gets points for the Peter Pan reference but loses points for being twee\*, while “playhouse” is just a more descriptive and comprehensible term. We call them cubby houses. Not very comprehensible if you don’t know what it is. ---
**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 26, 2018, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/275 "2018-09-26T05:41:12Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Ha, no, I was making an analogy. Both subway and fanny are words that my Italian teacher would call false friends - words you think you know the meaning of because they sounds familiar, but actually mean something else. A subway in UK English is an underpass - a walkway that goes underneath a road. It’s not an underground railway. You neglect “fanny”, for which the American terms are “trim” or “camel toe”. Neither side should get a win. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/276 "2018-09-26T06:48:29Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > You neglect “fanny”, for which the American terms are “trim” or “camel toe”. Neither side should get a win. I’m not sure that “fanny” and “camel toe” are the same thing, are they? Surely “fanny” relates to “vulva”, while “camel toe” is more about the visual appearance of the front when very tight clothing is worn. I confess I had not previously heard of “trim” in this context, but I’ll be careful not to go to a hairdresser shop and ask for a trim. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/277 "2018-09-26T06:50:28Z")
> [@blob](#): > > We call them cubby houses. Not very comprehensible if you don’t know what it is. It makes about as much sense as does “Wendy house”. I think the Americans win this one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/278 "2018-09-26T06:57:08Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > I think the Americans win this one. 😃 Only if you use it as a playhouse. My cubby house is home to my chooks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/279 "2018-09-26T07:05:23Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I can never shake myself of the subtle implication that a “flat” should be one story with no stairs. So a “walk up flat” and a “two story flat” sound like oxymorons. Well, flats _are_ usually all on one level with no internal stairs. As for this “story” business, in the UK, it means, well, a story. A tale. In terms of referring to whichever level of a building, it is “storey”. Tangentially, I seem to recall reading references to a “cold water flat” and something like a “railway carriage flat”. I might be misremebering the second one. But what are those about? 😕 ---
**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 26, 2018, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/280 "2018-09-26T07:19:26Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > I confess I had not previously heard of “trim” in this context, but I’ll be careful not to go to a hairdresser shop and ask for a trim. The usage may not be that widespread, but “a trim” is perfectly safe (most of the time), but you should avoid saying “some trim”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123.md?page=15)