# 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:** 36
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/701 "2024-11-01T15:49:27Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > often the bricks or stones are left bare, but as a decorative finish, the walls are sometimes skimmed with a smooth or textured cement render which may be subsequently painted. Pebble-dash is a variant of this finish, where small gravel is hurled at the still-wet cement render, where it sticks and remains Thanks: I’ve never known what that style was called. (Nor have I heard the term ‘render’). I’m not an architectural purist in the sense of limiting a style to its original time and place and calling everything else fake, but I suspect the heyday of good-looking pebble dash was the 40s through the 70s, where there was still enough pollution that it could get between the pebbles and accentuate its natural highlights. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/702 "2024-11-01T16:05:50Z")
It certainly was a popular finish on council houses from about the 1930s. I’m not sure to what extent it was decorative in its own right, or whether it was just some utilitarian thing, or maybe it was good for concealing shoddy brickwork. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/703 "2024-11-01T17:26:04Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@Al128](#): > > > > … Not in Vienna > > Also not in Germany. They usually come in brine in tin cans. American-style, with glop. [![](https://i.imgur.com/PXxb8YP.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/PXxb8YP.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/704 "2024-11-01T17:34:56Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > American-style, with glop. Looks awful. It’s totally against my grain as I have been a vegetarian for almost 30 years, but I have a little local pride left. So if you ever have the opportunity to get Metten’s “Dicke Sauerländer”, taste them. It’s the best Vienna sausage you’ll ever find. It’s from my home town of Finnentrop. I don’t know if they export to the US or anywhere else, though. > **[Dicke Sauerländer & Co. - Metten Fleischwaren - Bestes aus Fleisch](https://www.metten.net/de/dicke-sauerlaender.html)** > > Dicke Sauerländer Bockwurst. Knackig, frisch, zu jeder Gelegenheit. Hasse Schmacht, brauchse'ne Wurst! ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/705 "2024-11-01T18:53:53Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Pebble-dash is a variant of this finish So help me, that looks like the exterior cladding panels (?) used on early 80s McDonald’s restaurants. I think I remember, possibly imagined, scraping against some and feeling its toothy bite. > [@Mangetout](#): > > Also, pretty much any brand of hot dog/frankfurter sausages that Americans talk about, or indeed just beef franks in general I just love the idea of sausage tourism. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/706 "2024-11-01T19:18:40Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > So help me, that looks like the exterior cladding panels (?) used on early 80s McDonald’s restaurants. I don’t remember it from McDonaldses myself, but the ones with a lot of tan that aren’t softened by years of grime remind me of the outside of some outdoor trash cans, specifically at rest stops. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/707 "2024-11-01T19:36:06Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > outside of some outdoor trash cans Yes! I think the refuse cans are cast like that but similar stuff. Jagged and pokey. The toothy bite earlier is a lasting wary memory. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/708 "2024-11-01T19:40:03Z")
Yeah, we have both sour cream and onion and sour cream and chive here; they are, as you say, somewhat ranch adjacent, but for me what makes it ranch is a strong garlic component, a good kick of black pepper, and a variety of herbs (chives, parsley, dill.) And based on buttermilk, but sour cream works similarly. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/709 "2024-11-01T20:16:03Z")
Some of us old timers can remember when you had to make ranch dressing yourself, using the little bags of herbs and spices Hidden Valley Ranch sold at selected stores. Back before Kraft bought them out and bastardized the recipe for mass production. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2024, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/710 "2024-11-02T08:08:57Z")
Oh, also, miracle whip. Not a thing here. We do have salad cream, which is an equivalently cheap-to-make mayonnaise substitute with a similar recipe to miracle whip, but whereas miracle whip is (I understand) sweeter than mayo, salad cream is significantly more sour than mayo. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/711 "2024-11-02T13:10:00Z")
“‘Backshift’ is a term coined by the linguist John McWhorter to describe a process whereby the stress in a new word or phrase falls on the last syllable at first and with time moves backwards, e.g. ‘hot DOG’ gave way to ‘HOT dog’, ‘BroadWAY’ to ‘BROADway’, and ‘x-RAY’ to ‘X-ray’.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/712 "2024-11-02T13:49:41Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > We do have salad cream, which is an equivalently cheap-to-make mayonnaise substitute with a similar recipe to miracle whip, but whereas miracle whip is (I understand) sweeter than mayo, salad cream is significantly more sour than mayo. Miracle Whip has a noticeable sour component. That sounds pretty close. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/713 "2024-11-02T15:17:14Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > a similar recipe to miracle whip Miracle Whip isn’t a thing you make, it’s a particular brand. Its like Hellman’s or Heinz. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/714 "2024-11-02T15:35:44Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Miracle Whip isn’t a thing you make, it’s a particular brand. Its like Hellman’s or Heinz. Isn’t the brand Kraft and Miracle Whip the product name? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/715 "2024-11-02T15:51:14Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Isn’t the brand Kraft and Miracle Whip the product name? Yes, but… Miracle Whip is still made by Kraft (well, Kraft Heinz these days), but it appears that they have, in recent years, been minimizing the Kraft name on the product. If you look at their website, and their current package labels, the Kraft name/logo isn’t obvious, if it’s there at all. I suspect that they are focusing the Kraft brand name on their cheese products these days, and, in this case, letting non-cheese brands like Miracle Whip stand alone as their own brands. [![](https://cdn.gardengrocer.com/attachments/photos/high_res/386.jpg?7573) ](https://cdn.gardengrocer.com/attachments/photos/high_res/386.jpg?7573) > **[Alternative Mayo Dressing | Kraft Heinz](https://www.kraftheinz.com/miracle-whip)** > > The unique taste of Miracle Whip makes it the perfect choice to liven up any food better than mayo. Give it a go in salads, sandwiches, and more! ---
**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:** [November 2, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/716 "2024-11-02T18:06:25Z")
Neither is salad cream. I mean ‘recipe’ as in ingredients and method of manufacture. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/717 "2024-11-02T20:48:15Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Neither is salad cream. Oh. Please explain what “salad cream” is. Is it the same as salad dressing? ---
**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:** [November 2, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/718 "2024-11-02T20:56:51Z")
Nvm. 🐅 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/719 "2024-11-02T21:04:18Z")
It’s somewhat similar to mayonnaise, and ubiquitous in the UK. They say it’s almost identical to Miracle Whip in the US. I’ve never [knowingly] had Miracle Whip. To my taste salad cream is less rich and more sour than mayonnaise, though both have so much variation, it’s hard to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/720 "2024-11-02T21:30:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Grumble, grumble. I _still_ had to go through Ontario Grade 13, because I went through it before Ontario got rid of it. And thanks to a failure of motivation on my part, I got to do all the grade 13 maths\* and sciences twice. > [@Cervaise](#): > > 6th grade And in Canada we generally say “grade x” instead of “xth grade”. \*unlike in the UK, in Canada (and I presume the US) we study “math” not “maths”, though I said “maths” above because in grade 13 there were three math courses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=37)