# 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:** 42
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/821 "2024-11-05T14:55:42Z")
As i thought… although it’d probably still be "_The Electric Company"_ in British, ie the company that runs the electricity supply, or grid, or - more unlikely - the electric mains utility (to distinguish from the gas mains utility). ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/822 "2024-11-05T14:59:42Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > “The Mains Utility” is a callback to a previous discussion in this thread, imagining what “The Electric Company” might be called if directly translated to British. Yes, very funny. Except “mains” isn’t a synonym for “electric/ity” (as it can equally apply to gas and water) and “utility” isn’t really a synonym for “company” (it’s something a company may supply, but it could also be supplied by the state) OB ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/823 "2024-11-05T15:10:08Z")
This talk of electricity got me thinking about the nicknames we use for some trades in the UK. A carpenter might colloquially be referred to as a chippie, and an electrician, a spark or sparkie. Does American English use the same? OB ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/824 "2024-11-05T15:16:11Z")
I’ve met a couple of electricians who were personally nicknamed “Sparky.” I have not heard it used as a generic term for the profession. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/825 "2024-11-05T15:17:51Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Western Pennsylvania favors “yinz” (derived from “you all”). “yinz” does not derive from “you all,” but from “you ones.” Re: owt— > [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > Yes, it’s the northern English pronunciation of “ought”. No—of “aught,” not “ought.” Different words, but frequently mixed. ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/826 "2024-11-05T15:25:13Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > No—of “aught,” not “ought.” Different words, but frequently mixed. You are right of course. Although in my retroactive defence I note that the OED has “ought” as an alternative spelling of “aught” 😁. OB ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/827 "2024-11-05T15:32:54Z")
It looks like the etymology of ought is quite interesting (to my dull mind at least). Ought appears to be the original spelling of nought (confusingly enough) with the prefix N appended from “an ought”. So that would make the original antonym pair aught/ought (which would be pronounced differently in early English but not in modern English). OB ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/828 "2024-11-05T15:50:19Z")
_Bloke_ is pretty old-fashioned. “_Blokey_” is sometimes used to describe a group of males with mildly misogynistic overtones. ---
**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 5, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/829 "2024-11-05T16:00:29Z")
I thought that was laddish? ---
**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:** [November 5, 2024, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/830 "2024-11-05T16:02:40Z")
The first example that comes to mind is “cop” for “police officer.” You might still hear certain Americans call a psychiatrist or psychologist a “shrink.” ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/831 "2024-11-05T16:03:26Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I thought that was laddish? I think that is for the younger group like footballers for example. Blokey would imply an older group. ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/832 "2024-11-05T16:12:59Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I think that is for the younger group like footballers for example. > > Blokey would imply an older group. Exactly. Blokey just implies doing and/or talking about traditional male things (sports, DIY, cars etc), it would be the equivalent of what happens when an American man was just hanging out with the guys, I guess. Top Gear in its later incarnations would be the epitome of Blokeyness. Laddishness is altogether more juvenile male behaviour - an American equivalent might be how popular culture characterises Frat house behaviour 🤷. There might be some crossover, of course. OB ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/833 "2024-11-05T16:15:08Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > And to me (Texan) “I had got my vaccines” sounds weird While ‘had gotten’ sounds a little funny, ‘had got’ is worng. I mean wrong. Now everything sounds weird. > [@bob\_2](#): > > we were told that “_got_” was an ugly word best avoided. I wonder if my discomfort with ‘gotten’ is subconsciously that same _got_ avoidance. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/834 "2024-11-05T16:41:56Z")
That “someone” is EGOT winner Rita Moreno. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/835 "2024-11-05T17:18:42Z")
‘Gotten’ remains cromulent, despite Noah Webster’s best efforts. However, what is baffling is that some people use the two participles with slightly different meanings!? This may be a made-up example, but Wiktionary has > This allows for a distinction between “I’ve gotten a ticket” (I have received or obtained a ticket) vs. “I’ve got a ticket” (I currently have a ticket). As @bob_2 points out, though, if one simply has a ticket one should probably say, ‘I have a ticket.’ ---
**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:** [November 5, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/836 "2024-11-05T17:19:37Z")
The British version of Monopoly has the Electric Company. I assume they would have changed it if it didn’t sound ‘British’ enough. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/837 "2024-11-05T17:20:27Z")
Count me pretty old fashioned; I still say things like ‘he’s a nice bloke’ etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/838 "2024-11-05T17:38:28Z")
That example is cromulent in my dialect. I have got = present I have gotten = past (perfect) So the same meaning overall, with differences arising due to the tense. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/839 "2024-11-05T17:50:45Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > ‘shew’ as in "I shew him my new car That used to be a common spelling for “show” - as in signs saying “Passes must be sewn”, &c. I recently came across a travel journal my mother kept in 1936, and she used it consistently. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/840 "2024-11-05T17:53:10Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I’ve met a couple of electricians who were personally nicknamed “Sparky I’ve heard one called the Prince of Darkness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=43)