# The Inbetweeners - Some UK to Yank translations?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inbetweeners-some-uk-to-yank-translations/531392>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 5, 2010, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inbetweeners-some-uk-to-yank-translations/531392 "2010-03-05T09:21:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inbetweeners-some-uk-to-yank-translations/531392/61 "2010-03-07T20:45:57Z")

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> [@Charley](#):
>
> It’s an exam board, as referenced by **amarone** and **Springtime for Spacers** , the Joint Matriculation Board. The boards control their curricula and exams, with the result that pupils taking nominally the same qualification in the same year would study and sit very different papers. They used to be geographically limited IIRC, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now.
> 
> Wikipedia has [more than you’ll ever need to know](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Examination_boards_in_the_United_Kingdom) if you’re curious.

One thing that that Wikipedia article doesn’t seem to mention is that some regional examination boards had reputations for tougher courses than others. I remember when I received my A-levels (most JMB, one AEB), JMB and certain other boards were considered the gold standard, while AEB definitely wasn’t.

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**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inbetweeners-some-uk-to-yank-translations/531392/62 "2010-03-08T01:34:14Z")

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> [@Kal](#):
>
> Yeah, but in British English the spelling is normally tonne and tonnes.

No, That’s for the metric tonne - the slang referred to derived from the old Imperial ton - so ton would stilll be the correct spelling.

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**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inbetweeners-some-uk-to-yank-translations/531392/63 "2010-03-08T02:09:56Z")

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> [@Baron\_Greenback](#):
>
> I’m fairly sure that “bampot” is a mostly Scottish description. Think Begbie in Trainspotting - he was a bampot. There’s definitely an element of unfocussed violence in the term.

It’s a Yorkshire thing too and it can be affectionate as much as insulting, like daft or silly. I was round a mate’s house today being made a huge fuss of by her cat John Boy and she called him a barmpot.

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**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inbetweeners-some-uk-to-yank-translations/531392/64 "2010-03-08T02:16:40Z")

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I’ve been thinking a bit more about primary schools and think it’s worth mentioning that back in the day they were also divided into infants (up to 8) and juniors (8 - 11). There’s also nursery school for the under fives, these are often part of primary schools too.

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