# Uniquely Distinct Americanisms **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676 "2004-01-22T22:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/401 "2004-02-02T20:11:45Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I believe that the name “Punxatawney Phil” has been given to several different groundhogs. YOU SHUT UP WITH YOUR WHORE LIES!!!11``~ ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/402 "2004-02-02T20:39:09Z")
> [@porkchop\_d\_clown](#): > > The closest thing you have to that in America is heading to the nearest big city and looking for their version of “Chinatown”. Or [MASSIVE STEREOTYPE ALERT] the Deep South, depending on the Chinatown you’re thinking of. [/MASSIVE STEREOTYPE ALERT] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Boppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Boppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boppy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/403 "2004-02-03T02:08:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Blackeyes > Quote: > Leaving knife and fork placed horizontally across the plate when finished (in the USA how do waitresses know to clear the plates away if you’ve had enough to eat but haven’t actually finished everything?); > They ask. > How rude. Duh! Of course they have to ask, but why not just make it easier and have an easily-recognised system to make their lives easier, as we do? After all, how long have you sat looking at your left-over half-eaten meal while waiting for some passing waitress to guess that you don’t want any more and stop and interrupt your conversation to find out? And others … **Fanny packs.** (um, the fanny is another bit of the anatomy, found only on women, and we don’t usually mention it or its packaging needs in public) **Mom.** We say Mum. _Being in the hospital_. We’d just be in hospital. And we’d be at school instead of in school. **Urbal Tea.** We say herbal, with an audible h. We giggle at American pronunciation, as it sounds like an affected attempt to pronounce the word in a “French” style when we know Americans can’t pronounce other French words properly, like Maitre D’ (Maderr Dee) \*\*Mocha \*\*with a long o, when we’d pronounce it with a short o to rhyme with copper. Same with risotto, but Americans give it a long O. Do you pronounce the word lotto with a long o too? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/404 "2004-02-03T03:09:07Z")
amarone writes: \> Yep - I’d missed the reversal. The radio incident might be this one, where the \> total fine was $755,000, made up of 26 incidents each attracting the maximum \> $27,500 fine. Plus $40,000 for another offense. I looked at that post and said, “Huh, $755,000 doesn’t equal 26 times $27,500. How could that be true?” ---
**Author:** ![thegreyathena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@thegreyathena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thegreyathena)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/405 "2004-02-03T03:10:52Z")
> [@everton](#): > > Many countries refer to their state-funded schools as “public”, or some local equivalent of the word, to distinguish them form private schools, and many (most?) of them don’t wear uniforms. True. I was thinking there of the US compared to the UK tradition as I’ve heard it described and seen it casually. If I’m mistaken about the UK (referring to some types of our “private” schools as public and calling the “public” schools council schools or something similar), then, I live to learn! ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/406 "2004-02-03T03:14:36Z")
> [@Boppy](#): > > After all, how long have you sat looking at your left-over half-eaten meal while waiting for some passing waitress to guess that you don’t want any more and stop and interrupt your conversation to find out? I doubt it is unique to America, but a difference from the UK is that in the UK a server will not clear the table until everyone is finished. In the US they try take away any plate as soon as it is not being used (and often leaving you the dirty fork behind for your next course - yuk). ---
**Author:** ![porkchop\_d\_clown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@porkchop\_d\_clown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop_d_clown)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/407 "2004-02-03T14:10:42Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Or [MASSIVE STEREOTYPE ALERT] the Deep South, depending on the Chinatown you’re thinking of. [/MASSIVE STEREOTYPE ALERT] 😛 We don’t think of the South as a different culture so much as… errr… hrmmm… you have a point there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/408 "2004-02-03T19:01:06Z")
> [@thegreyathena](#): > > True. I was thinking there of the US compared to the UK tradition as I’ve heard it described and seen it casually. If I’m mistaken about the UK (referring to some types of our “private” schools as public and calling the “public” schools council schools or something similar), then, I live to learn! Oh no, you’re right about that, but it’s Britain that is peculiar rather than America. Generally, public (i.e. free) schools in the UK are called state schools and “public” schools are fee-paying. There have been a few threads explaining why. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/409 "2004-02-03T23:41:34Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > Guns - What’s the deal with that? Why on earth would anyone want to have a handgun in his home - or any other guns for that matter - unless he is a hunter or Rambo? I’m an American, and I wonder the same thing. There are a lot of us here that do. ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/410 "2004-02-04T03:10:06Z")
You say: The dog is in back of the house. We say: The dog is out the back (of the house). or The dog is behind the house. ---
**Author:** ![porkchop\_d\_clown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@porkchop\_d\_clown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop_d_clown)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/411 "2004-02-04T03:53:41Z")
> [@boofy\_bloke](#): > > You say: The dog is in back of the house. > We say: The dog is out the back (of the house). or The dog is behind the house. ??? I don’t know about other regions of the US, but around Pennsylvania, we’d only say “the dog is in back” if he was sitting in the back seat of the car. If he was out in the yard, I’d say “the dog is out back” - the “of the house” is implied. ---
**Author:** ![conczepts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e7dd6/32.png) [@conczepts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conczepts)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/412 "2004-02-04T06:45:49Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I’m an American, and I wonder the same thing. There are a lot of us here that do. Probably because you live in a nice neighborhood where you don’t fear one day not being able to talk some thugs out of the confrontation they’re looking for. America is not homogenous, even within cities. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/413 "2004-02-04T13:38:26Z")
Finally got through the whole thread and have a lot of little replies… making up an unfortunately long post. I won’t be offended if you skip over it, don’t worry. > [@](#): > > Ack! Unsweetened tea is definately a Yankee thing. (For those outside of the US, a Yankee is someone that lives in the northern United States, if you are from the southern US and you are called a Yank, it is slightly offensive. ) If you stayed much in the south, mid-virginia or below, then you would get sweet tea. More accurately: Sweetened tea is a _southern_ thing. For non US folk: “The south” refers to the states in the southeastern part of the country, and doesn’t apply to those in the southwestern part. In the southwest, you won’t get sweetened tea, either. You have to add your own sugar to it. I usually put in 6-8 packets of sugar, by the way, which generates looks of horror from the people I dine with. I’ve actually only been to a few places, including places in the south, where you are given sweetened tea by default. I’ve always either gotten it unsweetened, or been asked which one I wanted. I always get a little excited when I’m asked because sweetened tea saves me the bother! > [@](#): > > I’m talking about when you’ve finished one course, say your main, for example. Surely you wouldn’t put your napkin on a dirty plate or on the table when you are likely to need it again for dessert?? Or you do you get fresh linen delivered with each course in the US? Maybe this says more about my social class than anything, but virtually everywhere I eat uses paper napkins, not linen, and yes they will gladly bring you more. Also, most of the time I don’t eat at places that have “courses” really… other than appetizers/entrees/dessert. I wouldn’t want to re-use my dinner fork for dessert, so I don’t usually care if they take away my silverware. I don’t usually put my napkin on the table until I’m leaving though, because I think it’s gross to look at someone’s dirty napkin and so I won’t subject people to mine. And when I’m leaving, I put my napkin on the table, not on the plate. It’s yucky to put it on the plate. I never knew the fussy rules about where to put your silverware when you’re done eating. I generally indicate that I’m done by moving my plate away. It’s worked for me so far without much trouble… I didn’t actually realize there was any sort of standard, and I doubt most waitstaff in the US know of a standard either. By the way, I was raised in Arizona, but consider myself a Yankee. My whole family is from New York & Connecticut, and I sort of “identify” that way. My whole family has always been rather happy to use the term referring to ourselves and each other (always somewhat in jest, mind you, such as “well, but I’m a Yankee” etc.) and never thought of it as derogatory. I should mention that my mom is a huge Yankees fan as well. That said, I wouldn’t use the term outside of my family, because I know it is often used disparagingly. > [@](#): > > ummm… Okay. In my 40 years of life in America, I have never, ever, heard an American spontaneously shout “God Bless America”. I’ve seen it on things, or in speeches and stuff, but never known anyone who actually says it. Don’t know anyone who would display such things, either, actually. I find it annoying and presumptuous, myself. Don’t _even_ get me started on “under god” being in the Pledge, or god crap being on the money. Grrrrr. > [@The Gaspode](#): > > Yes. In all diners and cheaper franchise restaurants you get water in one of those, and they weigh like plastic, but are from glass. This is in the US? Because I still have no idea what you’re talking about and I eat at cheap places all the time. UPDATE: someone later in the thread posted a link. I know the glasses you mean, but have more often seen the exact same glasses in clear or in red. Rarely brown. > [@curly chick](#): > > When you buy something in a shop, the price is on it, then you go to the till and then they add tax. > I’ve never seen that anywhere before. Is the same thing done all over America? Yes that is how it is nearly always done. Except no one in the US calls it a “till” they call it a register 😉 If any given store were to mark their post-tax price on their goods, people would think they were overpriced because they wouldn’t be thinking that the tax was already figured in. The shop would have to have signs everywhere saying “tax included” and people still wouldn’t get it, probably. [quote=TheLoadedDog] When the American anthem started, Clinton placed his hand on his heart. If the Australian had done that, he would have been labelled an insincere blowhard. This is no criticism of what is obviously standard US practice (I generally admire your pride in your country), just that it’s odd to Australian eyes. I found it just a bit ‘too much’. [/quote If a president were to make such a faux-pas as to _not_ put his hand on his heart during the national anthem, he’d never hear the end of it. > [@Walloon](#): > > Not a good example: actual use of a generational number beyond “3rd” or “III” is extremely rare (I’m a genealogist, and I’ve never seen it happen). I’m married to a Rob IV and before him, I dated a Rob V. I used to joke that I was working my way up to the original Rob, and that is who I would stay with. 🙂 (Neither are from wealthy families, might I add.) > [@amanset](#): > > Occasionally? > > Where on Earth doesn’t put ice in drinks? In my experience, loads of places in England. We were at the airport and I went from vendor to vendor in the food court looking for ice, but no one had any. It was kinda gross. We learned quickly that we had to ask for ice in our sodas. Regarding fork-handedness, I eat with my fork in the right hand, but I should mention that I rarely use a knife for anything–I can cut virtually anything that needs it with the side of my fork. Benefit of vegetarianism, I suppose. I generally use my right hand for eating. I don’t actually think I’ve ever taken note of what hand any given person was eating with. > [@Hunter Hawk](#): > > I can’t, but Henry Petroski can; see the book _The Evolution of Useful Things_. Apparently the reason for the American style is that there were very few forks in early America, and the American usage is, well, what you’d be forced to do if you only had a spoon and a knife–and this usage just kinda became a national habit that stuck around after we got forks. In England, everyone only has one spoon. And that’s your spoon for your entire life, right? And if you lose it, you starve to death unless someone in your family wills you their spoon. And they have spoon millionaires in England, right? > [@antechinus](#): > > **Eating chineese take away out of cardboard boxes** - cool. I, too, like the little white boxes. Never eaten out of them, though… always transferred the food to a plate before eating it (usually there is more than what I’m going to eat in one sitting, or the food is being shared by two or more people.) > [@chappachula](#): > > – but its a pretty good candidate for the Most Purely American Americanism(i.e. it is done nowhere else in the Universe, except for USA): > WRITING THE DATE ASS-BACKWARDS > > Basic logic says you do things by size,starting from small to medium to large–so why not write the date in that order–day,month,year. ? What Darwinian evolutionary advantage is bequeathed to your offspring by writing the month first? I see it as going from most specific to least specific, in a way. If I start with “10” well that could be anywhere in the whole year! If I start with “March” you are limited now to a very small part of the year. Then you go to the day, which is technically more specific, but only in the context of knowing the month. Then you go the year which is the least specific. That’s the logic I see in it, anyway. I see either one as being logical. > [@Rayne Man](#): > > Another Americanism I have noticed is the way that numbers are dealt with. Two examples are :- we would say \*a quarter \* in the UK and Americans would say _a fourth_.Also for larger numbers ,for example something such as 2,500, we would say \*two thousand , five hundred \* ; Americans would say _twenty five hundred_. Again not a criticism, just an observation. Hrm. I think I’d say “a quarter” and “a fourth” about equally. Same with “twenty five hundred” versus “two thousand five hundred”. I use them both. > [@Boppy](#): > > And we’d be at school instead of in school. > **Urbal Tea.** We say herbal, with an audible h. We giggle at American pronunciation, as it sounds like an affected attempt to pronounce the word in a “French” style when we know Americans can’t pronounce other French words properly, like Maitre D’ (Maderr Dee) > \*\*Mocha \*\*with a long o, when we’d pronounce it with a short o to rhyme with copper. Same with risotto, but Americans give it a long O. Do you pronounce the word lotto with a long o too? We’d say either in or at school, interchangeably. I’ve never heard anyone say “Maderr Dee”. I’ve always heard “May-tra dee”. Mocha with a “copper” o is one I hadn’t heard. I always pronounced “risotto” with a “copper” o, though. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/414 "2004-02-04T13:43:48Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > In my experience, loads of places in England. We were at the airport and I went from vendor to vendor in the food court looking for ice, but no one had any. It was kinda gross. We learned quickly that we had to ask for ice in our sodas. Weird. I’m from the UK and I can’t say I’ve ever noticed that. Everywhere has always given me ice in my drinks. Nowhere near the sheer amount of ice that you get in the US, but still ice. ---
**Author:** ![porkchop\_d\_clown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@porkchop\_d\_clown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop_d_clown)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/415 "2004-02-04T13:48:53Z")
> [@opalcat](#): > > I’ve seen it on things, or in speeches and stuff, but never known anyone who actually says it. Don’t know anyone who would display such things, either, actually. Thanks, Opalcat. That was the point I was trying to make although, as you saw in the thread, I apparently didn’t make it very well. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/416 "2004-02-04T13:59:00Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > In my experience, loads of places in England. We were at the airport and I went from vendor to vendor in the food court looking for ice, but no one had any. It was kinda gross. We learned quickly that we had to ask for ice in our sodas. Judging anywhere by the quality of airport catering is hardly fair…particularly as it was probably Heathrow? _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/417 "2004-02-04T14:33:04Z")
> [@](#): > > On the subject of Chinese food - one thing I’m curious about is what kind of dishes they actually serve up over in your neck of the woods - an oft repeated tale around here is that “Chinese” food in America is more American than Chinese. You can find pretty authentic (and very7, very tasty) cuisine in almost any city. Common take out isn’t very authentic, though. > [@](#): > > First of all, I’ve gotta ask…am I the only person in the USA (Midwestern all the way, baby, if it matters) who really doesn’t give a damn one way or another if someone calls me a yank? I’m Hoosier. It wouldn’t bother me but the speaker would have no idea what he’s talking about. > [@](#): > > Urbal Tea. We say herbal, with an audible h. We giggle at American pronunciation, as it sounds like an affected attempt to pronounce the word in a “French” style when we know Americans can’t pronounce other French words properly, like Maitre D’ (Maderr Dee) If you said “H-erbal” in the US, it would sound like you were putting too much effort into it. > [@](#): > > More accurately: Sweetened tea is a southern thing. For non US folk: “The south” refers to the states in the southeastern part of the country Even more accurately, it includes from Tennessee to GA, at least (Florida is suspect) and probably from there west to Texas. I dunno about the coastal states. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/418 "2004-02-04T14:34:52Z")
> [@](#): > > More accurately: Sweetened tea is a southern thing. For non US folk: “The south” refers to the states in the southeastern part of the country :smack: I was talking about places you’d find sweet tea, not the south. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/419 "2004-02-04T14:47:02Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Weird. I’m from the UK and I can’t say I’ve ever noticed that. Everywhere has always given me ice in my drinks. Nowhere near the sheer amount of ice that you get in the US, but still ice. In the 80s an American friend of mine was visiting. We were in my local caff, and he ordered a coke. Not only did he get a tiny little glass, not a 20 oz super slurp or whatever, but it didn’t have ice. He sent it back for ice, and was outraged when it came back from the kitchen 5 minutes later… with one cube in it. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676/420 "2004-02-04T15:03:22Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > Even more accurately, it includes from Tennessee to GA, at least (Florida is suspect) and probably from there west to Texas. I dunno about the coastal states. Culturally speaking, Northern Florida is definitely southern–more in common with Georgia and Alabama than it is with south Florida (the area around my hometown in the Panhandle was sometimes referred to as L.A., “Lower Alabama”). Once you get south of Gainsville, however, you’re out of the South. As for the ice issue, I’ve noticed very little ice, if any, in drinks in Continental Europe. I found the UK to be less consistent–sometimes getting ice, other times not–but never as much ice as in the U.S., where they shovel the ice in almost up to the lip of the glass, leaving a little trickle of soda running around the ice cubes (said trickle becoming watered down by the melted ice very quickly). Bleeah. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uniquely-distinct-americanisms/225676.md?page=22)