# What do North Americans call those things that you use to fasten your shirt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475 "2009-05-05T23:44:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/61 "2009-05-06T20:15:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Bit similar to how we number the floors of a building differently. UK way is ground, first, second; US way is first (or ground), second, third. You occasionally see this here, too, especially when a building sprawls across uneven ground. This way, you can have the entrance at one end be on the “1st floor”, while the entrance at the other end (one story down) is the “ground floor”. And US men’s shoe sizes are, at least approximately, the length of the foot in inches, so one would never see a man’s shoe that was a size 1 or 2. Likewise, men’s [del]pants[/del]trousers are sized by the circumference of the waist and the length of the leg, also in inches. Women’s shoe sizes, however, like most articles of women’s clothing, have no rhyme or reason to them whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/62 "2009-05-06T22:20:33Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > [Taking the piss](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_the_piss) I don’t know about **CurtC** , but even though I know that it means to tease, it **still** doesn’t make sense. What does “piss” mean in that context? It doesn’t seem to mean urine or drunkness, which are the only two definitions that I know of in American _or_ British English. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/63 "2009-05-06T22:53:29Z")
Possibly could originate from the term piss-proud. From [here:](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A753527) > [@](#): > > When men sleep, the build-up of urine in the bladder puts pressure on the man’s prostate gland, resulting in an erection. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, a man who was thought to be unnecessarily arrogant would be described as ‘piss-proud’. The New Canting Dictionary of 1725 contained an entry on ‘vain-glorious or ostentatious me’ which read: > > ``` > One that boasts without reason, or, as the Canters say, 'pisses more than he drinks'. > > ``` > > If you were to ridicule someone for being too ‘full of themself’, you would ‘take the piss’ out of them. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/64 "2009-05-07T12:44:03Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Usually pants only means _men’s_ underwear in British English. Women’s underwear is knickers. I’ve heard pants used to refer to women’s underwear in a few specific circumstances, but it’s rare. Don’t be so quick! My wife’s from Cumbria and will occasionally use the word ‘pants’ when referring to trousers. I had assumed it to be dialect rather than an Americanism, but I guess I should check… OB ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/65 "2009-05-07T12:49:00Z")
I thought “cheese food” was what you fed to your pet Gouda. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/66 "2009-05-07T17:14:03Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Only in the context of chain restaurants where the corporate overlords are trying give the chain a fun and whimsical feel. The wait staff is told to get a lot of funky and whimsical buttons to put on their uniforms. These restaurants also tend to have wacky crap nailed to the walls. Bennigan’s and Fridays are examples of this. Sounds like someone’s got a case of the Mondays. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/67 "2009-05-07T18:11:30Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I heard that y’all use the word ‘fanny’ differently than we do here. Zat true? > [@Kal](#): > > Yep. Lady bits, rather than backside. When I lifeguarded, we wore fanny packs to carry first aid supplies. The British girl couldn’t bring herself to use that term, so she called it her bum bag. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/68 "2009-05-07T22:29:09Z")
Yeah, note that “fanny”, in the US, is about the least offensive word for the buttocks there is. It’s the sort of thing one would say to one’s grandmother, much milder than, say, “ass”. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/69 "2009-05-07T22:50:28Z")
The obvious difference between “buttons” and “badges” is that no one has ever said, “Well, bless my badges!” What do Brits call those things that orthodontists put on teeth to straighten them? (That sounds like a joke set-up, but I’m really askin’!) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/70 "2009-05-08T02:08:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yeah, note that “fanny”, in the US, is about the least offensive word for the buttocks there is. It’s the sort of thing one would say to one’s grandmother, much milder than, say, “ass”. For a lot of people, “ass” isn’t a mild word at all, so maybe you could amend that to milder than “butt” or even “booty”. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/71 "2009-05-08T03:28:01Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I’ve heard them called stays. Is that just me? No, usually “stays” refer to the boning in corsets, or any other type of clothing to keep it upright. (collar stays or whatnot) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/72 "2009-05-08T03:32:03Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > What do Brits call those things that orthodontists put on teeth to straighten them? (That sounds like a joke set-up, but I’m really askin’!) Braces. The same word is also used to refer to a removable dental appliance (ie., a retainer). ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/73 "2009-05-08T12:08:55Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > For a lot of people, “ass” isn’t a mild word at all, so maybe you could amend that to milder than “butt” or even “booty”. Interesting that “ass” has become more and more negative over time rather than the opposite. “Ass” obviously refers to the animal, and “to be an ass” is to exhibit a lot of the negative attributes of a donkey. Spanish uses this same concept in the use of “burro,” which is also a donkey. Further consider the old, old cartoons, wherein when someone made an ass of themselves, they would be temporarily depicted as a donkey. At some point (either or before the use of “ass” in the above context), the word has come to refer to the derriere, and by extension, the outlet pipe in said ass as the “ass hole” or “asshole,” which is an impolite term compared to “ass,” but is commonly used to refer to someone where “ass” would be a perfectly suitable appellation. Now that “asshole” is impolite, cautious ears now (and IMHO incorrectly) attribute “ass” as being socially impolite, when in fact it’s a perfectly useful word. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/74 "2009-05-08T12:29:22Z")
I call it ‘possessed cheese’ . ---
**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:** [May 8, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/75 "2009-05-08T14:05:54Z")
Um, no, Balthisar, the meaning of “ass” as “buttocks” does not derive from the meaning of “ass” as “donkey.” They have always been two separate words derived from two separate roots. It’s only comparatively recently that in some accents (most American ones) that they have merged in pronunciation. In other accents (most British ones) they are still pronounced differently. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/76 "2009-05-08T16:28:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Braces. > > The same word is also used to refer to a removable dental appliance (ie., a retainer). And suspenders, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/77 "2009-05-08T16:39:49Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Um, no, Balthisar, the meaning of “ass” as “buttocks” does not derive from the meaning of “ass” as “donkey.” They have always been two separate words derived from two separate roots. It’s only comparatively recently that in some accents (most American ones) that they have merged in pronunciation. In other accents (most British ones) they are still pronounced differently. There once was a maid from Madras Who had a magnificent ass. Not rounded and pink, as you’d possibly think; It was gray, had long ears, and ate grass ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/78 "2009-05-08T18:49:55Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Um, no, Balthisar, the meaning of “ass” as “buttocks” does not derive from the meaning of “ass” as “donkey.” They have always been two separate words derived from two separate roots. It’s only comparatively recently that in some accents (most American ones) that they have merged in pronunciation. In other accents (most British ones) they are still pronounced differently. To be fair, I didn’t say that one meaning derived from the other. In fact, that would make no sense. I _did_ say very specifically that “[a]t some point (either or before the use of “ass” in the above context), the word has come to refer to the derriere,” which would plainly indicate that I’m not at all making one the derivative of other. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/79 "2009-05-08T18:57:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Further consider the old, old cartoons, wherein when someone made an ass of themselves, they would be temporarily depicted as a donkey. By “old cartoons”, you mean _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_? And I note, incidentally, that that play had a fair bit of punning between “donkey”, “ass”, and “bottom”. So there was at least some merger of the terms going on well before any American dialects. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475/80 "2009-05-09T01:28:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > By “old cartoons”, you mean _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_? I don’t know that one. I’m thinking old Warner Brothers, early Bugs Bunny and his ilk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-north-americans-call-those-things-that-you-use-to-fasten-your-shirt/495475.md?page=5)