# What Britishisms most baffle Americans? What Americanisms most baffle Brits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2024, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941 "2024-10-18T08:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/481 "2024-10-24T20:32:09Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Aside: Saw British standup Nish Kumar last night. He (unironically) used the word “Gotten”. I thought of this thread. I sort of wish we’d bring ‘gotten’ back into British English (it’s common to both versions, but was dropped on our side a long time ago). I think British English is sometimes made slightly awkward and ambiguous by not using _gotten_ to indicate the past participle of get. (For example ‘I have got it’ in BrE could mean ‘I have it with me, here, now’ or just ‘I have previously acquired it’) ---
**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:** [October 24, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/482 "2024-10-24T20:37:42Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I sort of wish we’d bring ‘gotten’ back into British English… Agreed. I don’t mind it at all. j ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/483 "2024-10-24T21:06:49Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > > [@colinfred](#): > > > > There is a split between sk-own and sconn though. > > “Scone” is originally a Scottish word. In Scotland it is always pronounced to rhyme with “gone”. When I was in Scotland I often heard it pronounced to rhyme with “soon”. > [@kferr](#): > > Note that British “twat” rhymes with “fat” whilst American “twat” rhymes with “caught”. In my experience it rhymes with “cot”, not “caught”. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > A US biscuit is utterly positively not sweet and is served only with savory stuff. Yes, some people will put sweet jam / jelly / preserves / honey on a biscuit. But those people should be killed. Sausage gravy is the only savoury I would put on biscuits. Marmalade, jam, honey, &c are the normal biscuit fillings. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Most (all?) of Latin America too. IME the USA is pretty much the sole outlier that confuses the ground floor with the first floor. Idjits 😉 . When you walk into a building, what is the _first floor_ your feet come in contact with – the one at ground level or the one that’s up a flight of stairs? > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Ice cream, and similar frozen desserts, is typically sold in the U.S., in grocery stores, using Imperial (liquid) measures (pints, quarts, gallons). I’ve never seen anything sold in a US store by imperial measure. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > A “half pint” would be 8 ounces (a size in which specialty and premium ice creams are often sold), Ben & Jerry’s and their single-serving containers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/484 "2024-10-24T21:08:18Z")
times change–when I went to school in the 60’s, it was pre-school (kindergarten), grade school 1-8 grade, then high school 9-12 ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/485 "2024-10-24T21:11:55Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > When I was in Scotland I often heard it pronounced to rhyme with “soon”. That would be the place. And the historic symbol of Scottish monarchical legitimacy, the Stone of Scone (whereas your ideal scone should be far from being a rock cake). ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/486 "2024-10-24T21:15:53Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Generally, up until 6th grade (may or may not include kindergarten, so six or seven years) = elementary school. > > 7th and 8th grade = middle school, or junior high school. In some systems, this includes the 6th grade, meaning elementary ends with the 5th grade. When I started grade school (early '60s) junior high was 7th and 8th grades. When I was in I think fifth grade, junior high became 6th-8th grades. Then we moved to a different state, where junior high was 7th and 8th. When my kids were in school (late '00s and early '10s), halfway across the country from where I grew up, middle school was 6th-8th grades. And then they both ended up changing to [middle college](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_College_Program) for 11th and 12 grades. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/487 "2024-10-24T21:17:35Z")
I’m not sure what words you’re thinking of, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are pronounced the same. For example, in my dialect “petal” and “pedal” are pronounced the same, unless you are purposefully enunicating it. The “t” and “d” both become a sound similar to a regular “d,” but slightly different in where it’s articulated in the mouth. It becomes an (intervocalic) alveolar flap. Same reason why “water” sounds like “wadder” when pronounced by many (most?) Americans. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/488 "2024-10-24T21:36:07Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > When I was in Scotland I often heard it pronounced to rhyme with “soon”. As PatrickLondon says, that’s Scone the place, which has a different pronunciation and completely different etymology from scone the snack. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/489 "2024-10-24T22:00:38Z")
That’s similar to the classic New Jersey “R”. It’s mainly South Jersey—heavily influenced by Philly-speak, no doubt. ~~We~~ They add an “R” to the ends of words that don’t need them. “Umbrella” turns to “umbrellar; “pasta” becomes “pastar”; “pizza” transforms to “pizzar”, and so on. Get the idear? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/490 "2024-10-24T22:45:29Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > And the historic symbol of Scottish monarchical legitimacy, the Stone of Scone (whereas your ideal scone should be far from being a rock cake). Tell that to a dwarf. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/491 "2024-10-24T22:56:51Z")
Actually nm ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/492 "2024-10-25T00:40:23Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > When you walk into a building, what is the _first floor_ your feet come in contact with – the one at ground level or the one that’s up a flight of stairs? In nearly every place in the US that I’ve been to, the first floor I reach when I enter the build is the ground floor. I have occasionally been to buildings where the main entry was at the top of a flight of stairs, such as the New York Public Library, but those are few and far between. Going way back to the beginning of the thread, what I confused the Brits with was asking for a restroom when I needed that room they would have called the loo. The person I asked pointed me to the lounge area. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/493 "2024-10-25T01:25:49Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > > [@SCAdian](#): > > > > When I was in Scotland I often heard it pronounced to rhyme with “soon”. > > As PatrickLondon says, that’s Scone the place, which has a different pronunciation and completely different etymology from scone the snack. They were definitely talking about food. I think I can say that during my three years there I never heard anyone talking about the place or the Stone. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/494 "2024-10-25T01:29:14Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > > [@SCAdian](#): > > > > When you walk into a building, what is the _first floor_ your feet come in contact with – the one at ground level or the one that’s up a flight of stairs? > > In nearly every place in the US that I’ve been to, the first floor I reach when I enter the build is the ground floor. And therefore the floor at ground level is the first floor, and when you go up one flight of stairs you arrive at the second floor. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/495 "2024-10-25T01:56:00Z")
That’s what I meant. The first floor I enter is at ground level and called the first floor ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/496 "2024-10-25T04:47:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m not sure what words you’re thinking of, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are pronounced the same. For example, in my dialect “petal” and “pedal” are pronounced the same, unless you are purposefully enunicating it. That’s a good example, better than the one I could think of off the top of my head to be honest! I came up with ‘I hit it’ and ‘I hid it’. I suppose a similar example to yours would be ‘metal’ and ‘medal’. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/497 "2024-10-25T06:50:11Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > They were definitely talking about food. I think I can say that during my three years there I never heard anyone talking about the place or the Stone. I don’t know what you did hear, but you didn’t hear any Scottish people pronouncing ‘scone’ to rhyme with their pronunciation of ‘soon’. The Scottish pronunciation always rhymes with the Scottish pronunciation of ‘gone’ - do you hear that as “goon” ? (I’d be surprised if you did). ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/498 "2024-10-25T06:56:32Z")
The two pronunciations I know of and have heard are: Skonn - in England and Australia, for the savoury edible item Skown - in the US the edible item, in England and Australia, their respective towns I’ve never heard Skoon anywhere ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/499 "2024-10-25T06:57:36Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > n 1984, I was bemused how the CD of _Diamond Life_ bore a sticker about the artist’s name: "Pronounced “Shar-day.” How did that r get in there? In what language is “d” pronounced rd? This stuff does really irritate me, especially when it happens on something like a children’s programme broadcasting to the whole of the UK. It just doesn’t occur to them that their accent isn’t even standard throughout the UK, let alone the English speaking world. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/500 "2024-10-25T07:44:59Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > I suppose a similar example to yours would be ‘metal’ and ‘medal’. Michael Scott: > Webster’s Dictionary defines “wedding” as the fusing of two metals with a hot torch. Well, you know something, I think you guys are two metals. _Gold_ medals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=26)