The bug, is a lantern bug, I should have squashed it, but I was not sure what it was.
Inspired by a recent comment a few words that vary from English to English.
In the United States we refer to motor fuel as gas. Gas is actually short for gasoline. Gasoline is a petroleum distillate, the English refer to it as Petrol, also short for petroleum distillate.
Pants in the United States are what you wear as outerwear on the lower half of your body. Pants in England are underwear, short of pantaloons. Trousers is the word for what you wear over your underwear pants in England, that word also works in the United States but it is much less commonly used.
In the United States the room that contains a toilet is referred to as the bathroom, even if it does not have a bathtub in it. In Canada it is the washroom - in many parts of the United States a washroom is where you do laundry. In England a toilet is a room with a toilet, and there may or may not be a bathtub in the room. In continental Europe, it is common in some countries for the toilet to be in a separate room, away from a bathtub or shower. American tourists often feel squeamish about asking for the toilet. You get over that in a hurry.
An aside to this. My soon to be Ex had heard that public toilets were hard to find in England (a myth.) We were in London in 1990 and she remarked "bathrooms are not hard to find, half the building have big signs saying "To Let." Buildings with space for rent. (I thought BWNT, bright one next time.)
In the United States you rent property, and you hire labor. Hence you rent a car, you hire a taxi. The English hire a car, but it does not come with a driver. I am not sure what they call paying a taxi to take you where you need to go.
In the United States a jumper is a simple dress worn mostly by older women. In England a jumper is a knit warm wooly top you wear on a cold day. In the United States we call that a sweater, but hopefully it does not make you sweat, that would be too warm and wooly.
When I first started traveling, reading works written on both sides of the pond, and watching BBC programs, the differing words would throw me off. It is fairly easy to learn the subtle differences. It is helpful to not see one as right and one as wrong, just as different. Easier than learning German.
In the summer of 1976 I met up with Chris at the Red Raider summer camp just outside Cleveland. That night we went out to Skip and Ray's bar and drank quite heavily. Chris and I shared a cabin in the woods. When climbing into bed I declared that I was "pissed". Later Chris said he had gone to sleep wondering what I was angry about! But in England "pissed" just means drunk.
ReplyDeleteA great example.
DeleteI'm sure that the Brits must have been confused by the American term "shag rugs" when those were in style too. Plus the "shag" haircut.
ReplyDeleteA rug to do that?
DeleteAustralians understand shag rugs and shaggy hair. I expect Brits do too.
DeleteThe world understands US English but the US refuses to understand the world's usage of English with its many quirks.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I travel overseas, I take some time to learn about the country to where I'm going. I'm a guest and don't want to contribute to the ugly American label. I love learning the quirks and nuances, but that's me, the word nerd!
DeleteAndrew some of us are like that, but not all
DeleteDiaday, I agree - I do to.
DeleteWhen we were in Rome, one night we went to dinner and shared a table with a British couple. We talked about lots of things, one of them being the difference between English and US English. The very kind British man explained it as our common language separated by an ocean of differences.
ReplyDeleteA nice way of putting it
DeleteI love learning about the nuances of different types and dialects of English. When I was in Scotland (and I am of Scottish heritage) I found that I had a hard time understanding people if they spoke too quickly!
ReplyDeleteEven the BBC sometimes subtitles Scottish spears
DeleteI love the difference in words and their usages, and I like using some just to see if people are listening.
ReplyDeleteThat is always fun
DeleteYour last line made me laugh. It is certainly easier than learning German. I tried learning German many years ago. I still know a few words but most of it drifted away.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I made it beyond, greetings, please, thank you, in German. Greek was even more challenging.
DeleteGood English friends are visiting right now. We are often comparing words, pronunciation, and usage. What's fascinating however is that we are all from different parts of our birth countries. So, SG and I don't always agree on pronunciation or usage, nor do our friends. Try asking one of us “How is it said in your native country?” It's very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI could do a post on words my mother forbid the use of.
Delete"Are you being served?" taught me a lot!
ReplyDeleteSassybear
https://idleeyesandadormy.com/
That was, is, so much fun. I have it on DVD
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