# Under 'two countries divided by a common language' **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840 "2010-04-21T09:55:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![moodswinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bcef8e/32.png) [@moodswinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodswinger)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/1 "2010-04-21T09:55:07Z")
- I’d like to share with you the uk meaning of a straight dope — nowadays the word straight comes to mean ‘not gay’ and a dope is an ‘airhead’ --so does that make us on here ‘not gay airheads’ :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/2 "2010-04-21T10:30:49Z")
> [@moodswinger](#): > > - I’d like to share with you the uk meaning of a straight dope — nowadays the word straight comes to mean ‘not gay’ and a dope is an ‘airhead’ Those words can mean the same things here. Excuse me a sec, the fat bird in my boot is shouting again. ---
**Author:** ![trawnist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@trawnist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trawnist)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/3 "2010-04-21T11:34:00Z")
I thought dope was an illegal drug and straight meant it was a without another drug added.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![moodswinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bcef8e/32.png) [@moodswinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodswinger)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/4 "2010-04-21T12:45:23Z")
then we have ‘yards’ as against gardens -and bumpers against -‘fenders’—there must be a host of others…? ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/5 "2010-04-21T14:59:13Z")
When my dad saw me looking on here years ago he thought I was on a drugs website… ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/6 "2010-04-21T19:51:12Z")
Heh. I saw an Americans’ guide to English vernacular a few years back. It took me quite a while to stop laughing at the mistakes. Note to any aspiring imitators: at least have a native-born Anglo look over the proofs for you. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/7 "2010-04-21T19:54:18Z")
Lemonade = 7-up ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/8 "2010-04-21T19:59:46Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > Lemonade = 7-up In the UK 7-up is a brand of lemonade, not a generic term. Or is it that what US people call lemonade is not a 7-up like substance? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/9 "2010-04-21T20:03:14Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > In the UK 7-up is a brand of lemonade, not a generic term. Or is it that what US people call lemonade is not a 7-up like substance? “Lemonade” does indeed refer to different things in the U.S. and U.K. As usual, [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemonade) gives a good explanation of the different meanings of the term. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/10 "2010-04-21T20:38:52Z")
> [@moodswinger](#): > > then we have ‘yards’ as against gardens -and bumpers against -‘fenders’—there must be a host of others…? All four of those terms are in common usage in the US as well. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/11 "2010-04-21T21:13:48Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Note to any aspiring imitators: at least have a native-born Anglo look over the proofs for you. :smack: Similar advice could be proffered to anyone preparing to start a thread about the differences between British and American language. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/12 "2010-04-21T21:54:35Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > In the UK 7-up is a brand of lemonade, not a generic term. Or is it that what US people call lemonade is not a 7-up like substance? 7-Up, Sprite, Slice, and similar carbonated beverages are usually referred to by brand name, but can be referred to generically with terms such as “lemon-lime soda” or “lemon-lime carbonated drinks.” “Lemonade,” to us, is not carbonated. No fizz. It’s traditionally made by squeezing a lemon into plain ice water and mixing with sugar. It also comes in pre-sweetened powdered form, which is just stirred into plain water. Similarly, “orangeade,” and other, less common terms, such as “grape-ade.” ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/13 "2010-04-21T23:34:58Z")
Straight means “not criminal” as in “he went straight.” Dope means drug. So the “Straight Dope,” is a non-criminalized drug 🙂 (From the _George Burns and Gracie Allen Show_) Gracie) The papers said I was a hero George) The word is heroine Gracie Gracie) Really? I thought heroin was a dope …And now back to your regularly scheduled threat ---
**Author:** ![trawnist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@trawnist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trawnist)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/14 "2010-04-22T10:44:35Z")
Dope could mean stupid so the forum might mean Really (Straight) Stupid?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-two-countries-divided-by-a-common-language/536840/15 "2010-04-22T11:10:53Z")
> [@trawnist](#): > > I thought dope was an illegal drug and straight meant it was a without another drug added.:smack: That’s actually where we get the metaphor, more or less. Just make the drug “truth” and you got it. Cecil gives the unadulterated truth about the questions he’s asked. WAGers in GQ, on the other hand… 😛