# 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:** 57
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1121 "2025-02-05T10:57:54Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Looking over the last several posts, it looks to me like British “secondment” has a lot in common with what’s often called in the U.S. “contracting” or “hiring a contractor”. Note that this differs from “hiring a contractor” to do, for example, construction work or interior renovation. “Contracting” can also refer selling white-collar services to an entity (in the U.S., both private companies and public governmental entities make extensive use of contractors). No, we have MANY white collar contractors too. Secondment is specifically about being loaned from one department or company to another with the idea that they will return to their original role. We’ve done it with clients when we’ve been working with them on a project and they don’t have anyone at their end to act as a project manager. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1122 "2025-02-05T11:24:49Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I work for a company that has 3 separate companies within ‘the family’ - different P&Ls. Yeah, that’s essentially the setup for us - when I say “our India dev team”, on paper they’re a separate company from ours, under the overall umbrella of our parent company (this might change as our parent company merges some new acquisitions in with a more sensible org structure). The other person, although actually on-site with that (UK) client, is still getting paid by our company (but by our UK office, not the South African one - I can’t imagine earning Rands but living on pounds would work very well) ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1123 "2025-02-05T16:37:18Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I can’t imagine earning Rands but living on pounds would work very well I worked in Prague for a German owned company. So I was paid in Euros, but needed Crowns for day to day expenses and pounds to pay my mortgage and other bills back in the UK. I suddenly developed an interest in currency markets! ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1124 "2025-02-05T21:52:31Z")
Here in Canada I was seconded from my Militia regiment to a Regular Force unit for a year. In my Federal Government job I was seconded internally in the department to work with Immigration for a year and a half, then later seconded to Treasury Board for 2 days a week for several months. The term is standard in the Canadian military (and presumably other British-descended militaries), and probably made its way into the Civil Service with the post-war influx of veterans. ---
**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:** [February 5, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1125 "2025-02-05T23:09:45Z")
**I’m pissed!** US: I’m angry or annoyed UK/AUS: I’m drunk (annoyed would be **I’m pissed off** ) ---
**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:** [February 5, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1126 "2025-02-05T23:16:11Z")
**I’m Rooting!** US: I’m Supporting (something or someone)! AUD: I’m Having sex (with someone)! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1127 "2025-02-06T06:36:38Z")
That support sense is only “Rooting for”, isn’t it? I don’t see the two terms as confusable. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1128 "2025-02-06T06:43:04Z")
Right - and there’s also “Rooting through” and “Rooting around”, which both mean searching for something. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1129 "2025-02-06T07:08:39Z")
Some more baffling Americanisms: - ‘Most everyone’ or ‘most everything’… Erm…? Surely it should be ‘almost everyone’ or ‘almost everything’. That’s a strange one. Also: ‘a ways’, for example ‘it’s a ways down the road’. Just…odd. Oh, and: ‘couple things’ or ‘couple people’. What happened to the missing ‘of’ in the middle?! ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1130 "2025-02-06T07:21:20Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > couple things’ or ‘couple people’. What happened to the missing ‘of’ in the middle?! Elided out. Just like y’all elide out the “rces” in Worcestershire. As for “most everything”, again, the “al” in almost is dropped ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1131 "2025-02-06T07:49:48Z")
But we still spell/write out Worcestershire the same. I see those expressions written out like that (i.e shortened). Makes this British brain pause for a second. Also, Worce = ‘wuss’, so that does work. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1132 "2025-02-06T11:09:04Z")
This is an Australism, and pronunciation-based, but… Watching this trailer, someone says “here’s a blog you might like” with a long o, similar to “bloog”. Not only have I always heard it with a short o, closer to “blag”, it never even occurred to me that someone might pronounce it the other way. (Since the word derived from “log” as in “log book”, does anyone say “loog book”?) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u2Yj_rmCzhE/maxresdefault.jpg "Apple Cider Vinegar | Official Trailer | Netflix") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Yj_rmCzhE) ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1133 "2025-02-06T11:23:26Z")
It tends to be institutions. For Americans still baffled by this, I think it exists in most American dialects too, as a distinction between: - Going to church - Going to _the_ church And (as it is above) it’s also a way of distinguishing whether one is just going to a place, or one is to be a recipient of the services of that place; Going to hospital = I am a patient; going to _the_ hospital = I might be delivering flowers or visiting a patient or something else Going to school = I am a student; going to _the_ school = I might be dropping off my child or delivering a parcel etc. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1134 "2025-02-06T11:42:35Z")
That sounds like blog to my British ear! ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1135 "2025-02-06T11:44:00Z")
I think that’s the perfect way to explain it. Using ‘In the hospital’ to describe when someone is receiving in-patient treatment just sounds… a little off to me. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1136 "2025-02-06T12:06:15Z")
Not that I would argue that it’s an especially _useful_ distinction, and it’s not a general rule for any sort of place (for example if I said “I’m going to airport”, people would look at me funny) but it exists for school, church, hospital, prison, college, university, court and probably a few other institution-type things I can’t think of right now, but not _every_ institution - for example it excludes library, museum and bank. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1137 "2025-02-06T12:09:19Z")
Also you can go _to town_, but you must go to **the** city, or just _go downtown_. Otherwise it just sounds weird. When you’re alone, and life is making you lonely You can always go _to the_ Downtown ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1138 "2025-02-06T13:39:41Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > That sounds like blog to my British ear! Mine too. I think the issue is that Aussies and Brits have an actual short “o” sound that is distinct from a broad “a”, and most Americans simply don’t. I watch a fair bit of YouTube, and I can’t tell you how many “un-baaxing” videos I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1139 "2025-02-06T13:59:10Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > or just _go downtown_. If you live in Walford you tend to ‘go up west’. It’s clearly the only other locality in their fictional universe. Why else would everybody be employed within Albert Square? ---
**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:** [February 6, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1140 "2025-02-06T14:18:24Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#): > > It’s clearly the only other locality in their fictional universe You’re forgetting Leigh on Sea, where various relatives live, between cameo appearances (cf. Queensland in the Australian soaps). And there are occasional boltholes abroad (all of which can be reached from London City Airport): was it Marbella where Peggy had the immortal line “I come all this way to bury you - you could at least have the common courtesy to be dead when I get here !” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=56) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=58)