My thread about the fanny packs worn like bandoleers and hearing people mention how “fanny” is vagina in British Commonwealth countries got me to thinking it would be fun to see if anyone else ever ran into that situation with word meanings?

I always got a chuckle while stationed over in Germany seeing all the signs for Exit; Ausfahrt, I guess I’m still a 10 year old boy still laughing at fart jokes.

When I was in culinary school, I was on an internship in Vermont at this big hotel, and there were lots of Irish hotel school kids doing summer internships there too. This one girl came up to me in the kitchen and asked for something in her thick Irish accent and I had no clue what she wanted. Finally told her “ I’m sorry, I can’t understand what you are trying to say, can you just point at it?”

She points at the large roll of Saran/plastic wrap in the kitchen and says “See? Clenng-Falm!”

She was saying “Cling-Film” which is what they call it but she may as well have been speaking a foreign language.

What are your stories?

Some of the British slang comes to mind:

fag = cigarette (British) and homosexual (USA)

cheerio = goodbye (British) and breakfast cereal (USA)

rinsed = defeat someone in an argument, fight or other competition (British) and wash off something (USA)

taking the piss out of someone = mock, parody, or be sarcastic towards someone (British) and inserting a catheter to remove urine (USA)

bloody = curse word (British) and covered in blood (USA)

slag = slut (British) and by-product of welding (USA)

Best I can do was back in 2008 wife and I were on a tour in Northern Italy and had to ride on the "FART" busses..... that was the name on the side of the bus.... got a picture somewhere....

Guess who and where a movie character says "Achtung, Silber--Fahrt!

in the 1950s one of my Arkansas cousins came to stay with my family for a few weeks in Detroit, Michigan.. We went to the local drugstore one day and when the proprietor asked what he could for her she said (I'm approximating it here) "Ah'd lak to buy some styshunree". He replied, "I'm sorry miss, but I didn't get that". She said "You know, sum rotten papper". It took me a moment but I interpreted it for him and said whe wanted some stationery. Of all my Arkansas relative, only 2 families had that extreme an accent--the rest were typical Arky.

flashguy

" Freedom "

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Some of the British slang comes to mind:

fag = cigarette (British) and homosexual (USA)

cheerio = goodbye (British) and breakfast cereal (USA)

rinsed = defeat someone in an argument, fight or other competition (British) and wash off something (USA)

taking the piss out of someone = mock, parody, or be sarcastic towards someone (British) and inserting a catheter to remove urine (USA)

bloody = curse word (British) and covered in blood (USA)

slag = slut (British) and by-product of welding (USA)

Those words (with the exception of the saying 'taking the piss') all have the same meaning in correct English in the UK. The examples you quote are as you say, 'slang' terms.

Actual different words for the same thing would be: 'Pavement' (UK) = 'Sidewalk' (US). 'Lift' (UK) = 'Elevator'(US). 'Torch (UK) = 'Flashlight' (US)

As a follow on, 'Torch' means a flashlight in the UK, and 'to set on fire' in the US, 'Lift' is an elevator in the UK and a 'garage ramp' or 'to raise' in the US. 'Car Park' (UK = 'Parking lot' (US), & Parking Ramp (US) = A sloping entry way to a car park (UK). A 'garage is where you take your car to be fixed, as well as a storage area for vehicles (UK) = 'The shop' (US). Supermarket' (UK) = 'Grocery Store' or 'Big Box store (US). There are many, many others.

Interestingly, there is no UK equivalent for 'Downtown' or 'Uptown'.

quote:

She was saying “Cling-Film” which is what they call it but she may as well have been speaking a foreign language.

I sometimes have problems like that with people speaking perfect f'in American English!

quote:

Originally posted by Pyker:


Interestingly, there is no UK equivalent for 'Downtown' or 'Uptown'.

Another good one I just thought about is:

UK: Garden; means yard or lawn
US: Garden means the place you planted your tomatoes or tulips

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by Pyker:


Interestingly, there is no UK equivalent for 'Downtown' or 'Uptown'.

Another good one I just thought about is:

UK: Garden; means yard or lawn
US: Garden means the place you planted your tomatoes or tulips

Almost.

'Garden' (UK) refers to the whole of your front or back 'Yard' (US), including flower beds, lawn, and any area used for growing vegetables.

A 'vegetable garden' (US) would be a 'vegetable patch' if it's in your 'garden' or 'Allotment' (if situated away from the house) in the UK.

Biscuit (UK) = cookie (US)
Scone (UK) = biscuit (US) [kinda-sorta]
Chips (UK) = French fries (US)
Crisps (UK) = chips (US)
Swede (UK) = rutabaga (US) [maybe someone from Sweden too]
Lorry (UK) = large truck (US)
Candyfloss (UK) = cotton candy (US)
Chinwag (UK) = shooting the breeze (US)

I watch a lot of “Inside the Factory” on Smithsonian Channel along with Brit TV shows on BBC-America and BritBox (streaming TV).

Had a boss who was a self centered jack wagon. (smartest guy in the room, just ask him). Would routinely hijack meetings to tell his personal humble brag stories. Considered himself a real estate expert. So one story he's going on and on about the latest potential acquisition. He kept saying that it had this really cool fox wall in the basement.
A couple hours later it dawned on me that he had read the listing and it described a "faux wall" in the basement.
I dubbed him Captain Fox Wall with the rest of the group after that.

Boot
Bonnet
Spanner

“Ride”. US: transport; U.K.:have sex.

An Aussie buddy at work mentioned buying a jumper, which they is what they call a sweater. We did have a funny case of mispronunciation concerning said Aussie when a coworker kiddingly asked "Wasn't Australia originally a penile colony?".

Corn in the UK is a general term for cereal grains (oats, wheat, barley, etc.) Maize is their term for what we in the US call corn.

Better to FART than to play with your Trenitalia.

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
Best I can do was back in 2008 wife and I were on a tour in Northern Italy and had to ride on the "FART" busses..... that was the name on the side of the bus.... got a picture somewhere....

Torch
Pitch
Windscreen
Al-U-Min-Yum

British Shag - See Austin Powers
US Shag - a form of carpeting

Add to the UK

Scrubber- prostitute

Lift (UK) - Elevator (US)
Fire Appliance (UK) - Fire Apparatus (US)
- meaning fire engines/trucks