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Thu Dec 09, 2004 4:55 am  |
Has anybody checked out the website I recommended that discusses the differences between Brit and American English? http://www.effingpot.com/index.shtml I must say that many of the words that "Mr. Effingpot" translated into American didn't actually need to be included because we already say a lot of them over here (or maybe it's just a Texas thing??).
I have to confess that everything that Mr. Eff said about Texas drivers and driving is absolutely true. Consequently, I fear that if I were to move to the UK, it would probably take less than a week before I got my * spam * suspended or revoked!! But it sounds like I couldn't afford to put gas (I mean petrol) in my car anyway...Texans were all up in arms earlier this summer when we had to pay almost two dollars per gallon, although it wasn't as bad as the folks on the west coast -- my brother in San Francisco was paying nearly $3US per gallon. But this made me wonder exactly how much you guys pay, on average, to fill up your cars.
Mr. Eff was right about the obscene amount we're charged for auto insurance, too. It's gotten so bad that I bought a special set of checks from my bank with a design featuring a dead, bloated skunk which I use to send in my monthly payment....
As far as I can tell, the Brits appear to be obsessed with drinking and inventing new euphemisms for penis...I had already been warned by my Scottish pal to call it a "bum bag" rather than a "f***y pack" -- in America, your f***y is your butt, so I can see where that might cause some confusion! 
Odds and ends:
» No commericials on television? Sounds like heaven to me!
» Hooters, in America, are a woman's breasts. We even have a chain of "family" bars/restaurants here called "Hooters" and they only hire waitresses who are extremely well-endowed and they prance around in tight T-shirts and hot pants (at Hooters, the "uniforms" only come in two sizes: extra small and extra, extra small)...this is a popular destination for "stag nights" or to watch the Nascar race on Sunday or Monday Night Football.
» I think in America we tend to use "British" interchangably with "English," but I'm starting to think there's a distinct difference -- tell me if I've got this right: a Brit is anyone who lives in the UK (i.e.: England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, etc), but an Englishman is strictly someone from England, right? This is kind of like when y'all call all Americans "Yankees" or "Yanks." Where I come from, them's fightin words!!
» Is it true that y'all don't tip your waitperson in a restaurant if they provide good service??? Mr. Eff said that you have a hard time getting good service from a waiter -- no bloody wonder!!! Why should they be polite and prompt if the effort isn't going to be rewarded? I wouldn't bother either!
Something I didn't see addressed on Mr. Eff's website, but which always causes Americans to snicker when we read it or actually hear it used in conversation is the word "whilst." Seriously! In fact, just last year I had asked a good friend if she had ever used the word "whilst" in a sentence as I'd recently seen it used in Harlequin romance written by a Brit author. Kim replied that not only hadn't she ever used "whilst" in a normal conversation, but -- like me -- she had only ever seen it in old British literature (i.e.: Dickens, the Bronte sisters, etc.). We thought it was a quite archaic way of saying "while." So imagine my surprise (and mirth!) when I started visting this message board regularly and even made friends in the UK with whom I began corresponding regularly and found that y'all actually use "whilst" in everyday conversation -- everytime I see it, I get this silly grin on my face...it just sounds so terribly proper and British! I also noticed that y'all say "round" when we say "around." There are others, but those are the ones that sprang immediately to mind while I was typing this paragraph. 
Anyway...I quite enjoyed reading Mr. Eff's language lesson and was even laughing aloud at some words and phrases. I'm sure there are other things I wanted to ask about, but this is all I can think of now. But I reserve the right to revisit this topic at a later time as the thoughts return to me!!
Carrie
P.S. Other Americans can correct me if I'm wrong, but over here I think the word that is considered the filthiest would be the one that starts with a "C" and rhymes with "punt" or "bunt" and is analogous to your British "f***y"... |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 5:46 am |
Oh believe me, the 'c' word that you mentioned at the end of your post is considered to be a lot worse than the 'f*nny' word over here. I can't stand to hear the 'c' word at all. Really vulgar.
My boyfriend kindly (  ) gave me a present after one of his trips to the USA. A 'Hooters' top. It was so tight, I could hardly breathe in it. I can't imagine how any woman with large breasts can fit into such a ridiculously small piece of clothing.
Yep, Englishman is specifically from England. UK covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I always thought that Great Britain only referred to England, Scotland and Wales but I'm not 100% sure.
We do tip in restaurants. It's supposed to be 10%. However, if the service was no good you don't have to.
I think I may have used 'whilst' in conversation. Never really thought about it before. 
We don't have commercials on the BBC channels except for the odd one or two promoting the BBC services. I quite like some commercials. They can be more entertaining than the programmes. 
It costs about £17 to fill the petrol tank up on our car. It varies though around the country and also depends on the size of your tank. Petrol prices in the UK are ridiculous. 
Some of those slang words Mr Eff refers to I have never used in my life. Still, slang is often a regional thing in this country as I'm sure it is in most countries.
'Buns' is another word that strikes me as having the potential to cause an embarrassing situation. |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:10 am |
Oh good, I'm so glad someone has responded to my post...I was afraid I might have to be conversing with myself! So brace yourselves because I have a lot more to say on this particular topic!
First of all, I want to preface this by saying I apologize in advance if any of you find my questions or observations offensive. That's truly not my intent -- I just have an insatiable curiosity, especially as I haven't done much travelling abroad, unless Canada and Mexico count. As a matter of fact, these days I'm almost AFRAID to travel outside the confines of my beloved USA, unless it was to a country that was friendly with the U.S. or maybe a card-carrying member of NATO!! Seriously, I envy people in other countries who feel safe to freely travel to distant lands. But it seems that there is so much anti-American sentiment around the world in this day and age. Too many people (extremists) who would love nothing more than to rack up as many dead Americans as they possibly can.
But I don't want this topic to denigrate into a political discussion, so I'm going to (try to) confine my questions to the differences between social customs and/or pop-cultural references in countries outside my own, so although this topic is entitled "Brit vs. American," please feel free to chime in if you're from another country because I always enjoy hearing and learning about new things.
All right, now that the disclaimers are out of the way, let's get straight down to business:
I once visited England when I was very young, but I was too young to really pay attention or care about any of these things -- or maybe my well-developed sense of curiosity had yet to blossom or was lying dormant at the time!! But now I find that I have a list of questions with which to pepper my new English and/or British friends, so without further adieu:
Mr. Eff mentioned numerous times something about a pint and curry. I know what a pint is but when he talks about "curry," is he talking about spicy Indian food, or what?! I would think that the combinaton of the two, particularly in large quantities, would have you whistling beef in no time -- perhaps to the point of creating your very own "pavement pizza"....
• Is it true that you don't put ice in your drinks? Do you at least chill them in the fridge so they are cold when you drink them, or do you swallow everything at room temperature? This custom is just very strange to Americans! If I do not find an ice cold Dr. Pepper in the fridge first thing when I wake up in the mornings, you can be sure that -- in my house -- heads will roll and blood will be spilled.
• Is it just me, or are the Brits obsessed with horses? Mr. Eff mentioned some TV show that had "horses" in the title (can't recall it exactly)?! What's that all about?
• Is it true that the British aren't overly concerned with dental hygiene or having nice teeth? (Please don't be offended -- I'm asking this question in all earnestness!!) I ask, because I have read in some British novels where the English characters are poking fun at the American tourists for spending loads of money on straightening their teeth or bleaching their teeth for a "whiter, brighter smile," or wasting a lot of time brushing and flossing their teeth....Also, in the "Austin Powers" movies, not only was Mike Meyers paying homage to the campy British spy movies of the 1960s, but he also seemed to be spoofing the stereotype that English people have bad teeth. But -- correct me if I'm wrong -- it wouldn't have been funny unless there was some truth to the typecast, right?? So...do y'all brush at least twice a day and visit your dentist for a checkup and cleaning every six months?!? Do you rush out and buy the latest DIY tooth-whitening kit and spend hours sitting around with gloppy strips stuck to your teeth, vainly trying to make your smile it's whitest and brightest, or is it just an American obsession?
• A few years ago, Julia Roberts scandalized Americans when photos appeared in gossip mags and scandal rags showing her attending the premiere of one of her movies wearing a short-sleeved dress with her arm raised, waving to the crowd. We were horrified to see that she hadn't shaved her armpits!!!!! And it used to be in America that when we would see a woman with hairy legs or hairy pits, the immediate assumption was she was either a dyke or she was English/European (unfortunately, some Americans consider them to be interchangable). Do English woman still forego this kind of hair removal, or have you started to embrace the American beauty ideal that women should have sleek, smooth, hairless legs and underarms, as well as well-groomed eyebrows and a neatly manicured bush below the equator (think Brazilian bikini wax)? If the truth is told, the average American woman used to envy her English and/or European counterparts because shaving and waxing is an EVIL chore. Probably invented by a man! I swear if I had $15,000US to throw away, I would go in and have that laser "permanent hair removal" procedure done on my underarms, legs and bikini area because I absolutely hate, loathe and despise having to shave everyday or two....I'm sure you're scratching your head in bewilderment, wondering how I got off on this tangent and believe that this was more information than you ever wanted to know about me, but we already know that Carrie's mind works in mysterious ways!!
• Okay, I get that you only have a few TV stations, and that you pay a fee so you don't have to endure commercials (I wish that trend would catch on over here!!). But how many different radio stations do you have? What are the different genres that they play? I could have sworn that there was only one radio station in Britain, and all they played was "top 40" stuff. If this is true and I lived there, I would either become suicidal or homicidal!! I am a compulsive radio station-changer, always moving the radio (usually when I'm in my car!!) up and down the dial, desperately seeking a station that is playing a song that is even better than the one that come before it. Even if I like the song that's currently on, I still can't fight the compulsion to change the station just in case there is an even better tune further up the dial!!! In the U.S, our radio stations are also categorized by the type of music they play, i.e.: "Easy Listening (soft rock)," "Oldies from the 50s/60s/70s," my beloved "classical" rock (aka A-O-R or "album oriented rock"), "rap/dance/hiphop," "Latin," "modern" rock (don't know anything about it, couldn't tell you the names of any of the bands or songs!!), "R&B/Disco/Motown," "classical" (i.e.: Beethoven, Bach, Tchaivosky, etc). I would go absolutely INSANE if there was only one radio station to choose from and all they played was Top 40 muck!! If this is true, then although your British television sounds quite sensible and cutting edge, your British radio stations might want to think about introducing the concept of competition and see how it sounds!! (In the U.S., there is a tendency to think "Who cares!" when some new band is being hyped and promoted as "having the current #1 song in the U.K." I think maybe this attitude stems from the belief that how difficult could it possibly be to score a #1 if the listeners don't have any other choice of what to listen to on the radio???)
Again, I'm sure I've forgotten to cover a lot of things that I've always wondered about, but you can pretty much bet I'll get around to asking about them eventually....
TIA for the geography and sociology lessons and forgive me if my questions seem gauche. I truly am not trying to piss anybody off!
Carrie
P.S. Toe - is it true that "bloody c-word" is the most offensive phrase that one Brit can hurl at another? |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:49 am |
Carekate, if you called someone a 'bloody c*nt' you would probably get punched.
Although it seems that some lower members of society in the UK like to pepper their conversations with the 'c' word without really thinking about how vulgar it sounds. There is another slang word over here - 'tw*t'. People use it to infer that someone is an idiot. Unfortunately, very few people realise what the word actually means. It's the same as 'c*nt'.
'Curry' is referring to the Indian dish. Traditionally you do have a pint of lager with your curry but it's not compulsory.
You are right in thinking that large quantities of the two can result in you 'whistling beef' (never heard that expression before  ). Curry is really popular over here. What about in the USA?
We do put ice in our drinks. Especially soft drinks like Coca-Cola, 7-Up, lemonade etc. No ice in lager although you would chill it in the fridge. Bitter, ale and stout are served at room temperature.
I, however, am strange and like my soft drinks served at room temperature. I get quite annoyed when someone puts ice in my Pepsi.
Not all of us are obsessed with horses. I'm not really a big fan. I suppose they are probably more popular with people living in rural areas. The TV show is 'Only Fools and Horses'. It's a long-running sitcom. They are always showing repeats (reruns to US citizens ) on the BBC. Not sure what the actual phrase 'only fools and horses' refers to though. 
Ah, teeth. I am quite willing to come right out and say that people from the UK (generally) have terrible teeth. We do brush twice a day, floss, use mouthwash etc. Well, most of us do. However, there is a real shortage of National Health Service dentists available in this country and the prices they charge if you go 'private' are extortianate. Generally, people are supposed to have a check-up every 6 months along with a visit to the hygienist who cleans your teeth before the dentist inspects them. Teeth bleaching/whitening has never been a big thing over here. To have it done professionally is expensive. DIY kits seem to be rubbish. I tried a couple and they did nothing. My teeth are slightly yellow due to some medication I was on to treat my acne. I dream of lovely, white teeth like you have 'over the pond'.
English women DO shave, wax,etc. We tend to think hairy armpits are sported by Italian and Greek women. Although, that doesn't mean that all Italian and Greek women are like that. There is probably no hair on the body that isn't plucked, waxed, shaved, lasered, styled etc for women over here. It's expensive, painful and time-consuming. 
We have lots of radio stations. Not as many as you have in the USA but then your country is a lot bigger than ours.
We have different radio stations for different music genres. There is classical, jazz, pop, rock, etc. We also have stations that don't play any music at all, just talk shows. Also, there are some comedy shows on the radio. There are a handful of national radio stations but loads of regional radio stations. If you live in the London area there are hundreds. |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 7:35 am |
| Toe wrote: |
| I get quite annoyed when someone puts ice in my Pepsi. |
That's okay -- I get quite annoyed when someone puts Pepsi in my glass!!! Why do some people insist that there is no difference between Coke and Pepsi?! Like here, certain fast food joints only serve Pepsi and Pepsi products (i.e.: "Slice," "Mountain Dew," etc) so when you place an order and say "...and I'll have a large Coke..." the cashier says "Is Pepsi okay?" NO!! If I wanted a Pepsi I'd have ordered a Pepsi! Grrrr. Whoops, sorry for the off-topic rant....  (Can you tell I'm strictly a Coke or Dr. Pepper person? I take my soft drinks very seriously!) |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 7:38 am |
The c**t is the most vile word in the world and I will not allow anyone to say it within my earshot. I am not a prude I can swear with the best of them.
English women do shave. We like smooth armpits etc.
When we were on holiday in Lanzarote it was the German ladies that were oh naturell and my daughter thought it was disgusting and could not look at a certain lady who was extremely hairy. 
I think thanks to Tv most of us know what words mean different things from USA and England. Only one I did not know was mate was same as gay. I do now. |
_________________
50, happy reluma user started 16.6.12 original formula. PMD user. started LouLou's ageless regime. |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 7:52 am |
| carekate wrote: |
| That's okay -- I get quite annoyed when someone puts Pepsi in my glass!!! |
I  Pepsi. The only variety of Coca-Cola I like is the cherry stuff. That vanilla flavour they introduced makes me feel like 'whistling beef'.
I can pretty much tell the difference between a glass of Coke and Pepsi 100% of the time. Pepsi is much sweeter and is not as fizzy. That's why I like it. I like my fizzy drinks without much fizz. I'll sometimes leave them sitting around waiting for them to go flat. |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:33 am |
| loopylori wrote: |
| I think thanks to Tv most of us know what words mean different things from USA and England. Only one I did not know was mate was same as gay. I do now. |
Wait, wait, wait!! I think I was misunderstood on the other (vacumn cleaner) thread. "Mate" does not mean "gay" in America. It only means that in certain contexts. For example, we (Americans) know that Aussies (male or female) call almost everyone "mate," meaning "friend." And we have heard that sometimes Brit men call their friends "mate." "Mate" also means one's spouse, life partner or significant other (especially when referring to the animal kingdom).
Sometimes (in America) the word "mate" can also be used (or mistaken) for referring to one's homosexual partner, such as in LoopyLori's post when she mentioned her friend who loved to come over and use her fancy vacumn cleaner. And -- remember -- in my post in the vacumn cleaner thread where I originally brought this up, I prefaced my statement by saying "do any other Americans find it disconcerting..." so I guess I was really asking if I was the only one who had sometimes heard "mate" refer to someone's gay partner so it might have just been me and my evil, twisted little mind that has this connotation for the word, and I think it might only have been because I don't normally hear a woman refer to her friends as "mate" (I thought it was used more in the masculine sense), but -- as I confessed earlier in this post, I'm relatively sheltered and haven't traveled abroad extensively so maybe my vocabulary is just limited....either that, or I'm a pervert who's mind resides in the gutter most of the time!!
God, I have a feeling I'm really making a hash of this explanation and I'm making things worse instead of better! Loopylori -- I sincerely didn't mean to offend you with the whole "mate" = "gay partner" thing and I didn't, for one second, think that you were actually a lesbian (not that I believe there is anthing wrong or bad about homosexuality!!!! Geez, this is going downhill fast!  ) so please accept my sincerest apologies if I upset you in any way with that crack. I was just trying to be clever and funny, like you and Guapagirl. I guess from now on I'll just sit here and keep my big mouth closed.... 
Carrie |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:46 am |
I'm not much of an Anglophile . . . however, I too recognized many of the words on that site!
I spent a few days in London a few years back and a few things struck me as odd. First of all, I would like to mention that your hot cocoa is FAR superior to anything I've been served in the US. But stepping into a phone booth is an. . um....intersting experience to say the least. The booths are littered with ------------ and women inviting you to call phone sex lines! I mean in EVERY booth I stepped into! I also noticed far more ads promoting plastic surgery in the British fashion magazines than I've ever seen in my life.
As for Indian food -- it isn't nearly as popular here as it is in England. Personally, I can't stand it, even though it seems a new one is popping up on every block in my neighborhood (this is probably unusual for the rest of the USA, though.)
And, yes, Pepsi is disgusting. I can't touch the stuff -- Coca Cola is much better! |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:57 am |
| chimera wrote: |
| But stepping into a phone booth is an. . um....intersting experience to say the least. The booths are littered with ------------ and women inviting you to call phone sex lines! I mean in EVERY booth I stepped into! |
London is really bad for that sort of thing in telephone boxes (what they're called over here). You'd probably find it a problem in other large cities in the UK. It's not a problem everywhere though. Although there is another problem with telephone boxes over here and that's drunk men using it as a place to empty their bladders when they can't find a public toilet. |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:52 am |
Oh Carekate,
I was not offended honestly. Sorry if I came across that way. I am not homophobic either.I just wanted to explain. Did not mean to get to serious. I promise to lighten up ok. |
_________________
50, happy reluma user started 16.6.12 original formula. PMD user. started LouLou's ageless regime. |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:42 pm |
I go with all of the above, only thing is i thought it was french women who never shaved I know spanish ones do cos it was only when i lived in spain that I started shaving due to sour looks off people. Personally I prefer my pits natural (they aint actually that hairy!) but zap the rest of it off...in fact i had my first 'hollywood wax last week
I have to take issue with the teeth thing too...it's true that there is a problem gettring nhs dentistry here, but to be honest, as long as teeth are clean and not too wonkey or discoloured, I think they are ok. I actually find those huge, even, glowing white teeth lots of american celebs have really creepy! Lets face it, Kate moss looks so distinctive and recognisable thanks to her individual teeth and David Bowie lost all his sex appeal when he got those huge tombstones!
Curry and Larger ...preferably Budwieser (that's the REAL stuff BTW, from Czech repub!) are a match made in heaven ...huge tasty high calorie meal that, thanks to the chat with god on the big white phone, doesn't get you fat
Right...enough yap...I havew essays to write!
PS Loops, I still love ya, but I am not going on msn cause I have too much work....from yer ever lovin' mate, Liz xxx |
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my new jewellery website:www.gentle-medusa.com |
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Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:54 pm |
carekate,
I noticed a weird thing when I was in the dallas airport a few months ago. They had stores that were selling Pepsi, but not coke...and they ALSO had Dr. Pepper.
It was weird, here they always have only one, or both, never a mix like that.
guapagirl, WHAT are you doing drinking BUD when in Europe you have REAL beer!!!?? Here Bud = Monkey Piss! |
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Fri Dec 10, 2004 2:44 am |
That is hilarious!!!!
I have to print it off...
My car is £34 to fill up!!!!!!!!!!! |
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[img]http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL470/2390945/6177231/92912749.jpg[/img] |
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Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:52 am |
| Gucci wrote: |
| My car is £34 to fill up!!!!!!!!!!! |
Holy cow, that's almost $65US!!!! How do you people afford to commute anywhere???? I'll never complain about having to spend $20US to fill my tank again. |
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Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:22 am |
haha Its madness what we pay. I drive to and from work in the city centre of Manchester but have to park on the outskirts and walk in ( about 15 mins) as the car parks are about £8 per day. I pay £1.50 per day. We then pay road tax of about £65 every 6 months and car insurance every year, mine is £350 per year, but my partner who has a bmw coupe, has been driving 21 years has no accidents pays £990 a year insurance!!!!! Now thats not to mention a yearly car service and MOT!!!!!
Maybe I'll move my bed, toilet and kitchen into the car and just live in it!!!!
I think England robs us blind...My bills for my house in Spain are nothing like England's bills. |
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[img]http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL470/2390945/6177231/92912749.jpg[/img] |
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Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:26 am |
| carekate wrote: |
| Gucci wrote: |
| My car is £34 to fill up!!!!!!!!!!! |
Holy cow, that's almost $65US!!!! How do you people afford to commute anywhere???? I'll never complain about having to spend $20US to fill my tank again. |
Now you know why I order everything I buy from either the US or Canada...its half the price of what you pay in England!! |
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[img]http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL470/2390945/6177231/92912749.jpg[/img] |
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Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:25 am |
| lianne wrote: |
guapagirl, WHAT are you doing drinking BUD when in Europe you have REAL beer!!!?? Here Bud = Monkey Piss! |
read my lips! I said that I drank the REAL budwieser, which defo aint monkey piss! |
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