English to English translations

jaffacake

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Oh, this is so funny! Here`s a few more,

US - UK

Sidewalk = Pavement
Leash = Lead
Mom = Mum
Pop = Coke or fizzy drink
Eggplant = Aubergine

This next one I don`t know quite how to put it but I always feel shocked when someone describes their cat as 'spunky' or says it is 'full of spunk'.
Here that is really rude as spunk means, umm,
a mans , you know, semen
 

lookingglass

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Originally Posted by Leli

US = I'll stop by your house in the morning
UK = I'll knock you up

That one rivals fannypack for me.
(in case any of you UKers don't know, "knock you up" in the US is slang for getting someone pregnant, usually without intending that to happen and often out of wedlock, though not always).
That is good to know. If I ever go to the UK and someone offers to "Knock me Up" I won't look at them like they've lost their minds.
Originally Posted by Siggav

UK - US

being pissed off = upset
being pissed = drunk
taking the piss = making fun of something
whinge = whine
It's all gone pear shaped = it's gone wrong
gobsmacked = really surprised, stunned

Oh am I right in that US english doesn't have "Dodgy" in it.
US English doesn't have Dodgy in it, but I use it any way.
 

hopehacker

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Actually even in the US we say different things or have different forms of English.

Here is California we never say "pop" we say "Soda".
West Coast Vs East Coast (New York)

We stand "in" line They stand "on" line.

My mother always called the "front" bottom as "fanny"
I always thought it was strange when they called the "back" bottom as "fanny". I remember when someone told me to set my little fanny down, and I thought they were talking dirty to me.

I've never understood why Americans changed the English Language. However, I actually think most things a regional even in America. We don't have 1 form of English here, we have several depending on where you're from in the US.

My mother said she lived in Texas for about 6 months when she was young, and that they said a lot of different things there. For example: Here we say, "Can I give you a ride, somewhere", and there they would say, "Can I "carry" you, somewhere?".
 

snickers80

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When Noah Webster was making the first American dictionary, he looked at some English words and said "that's silly, we don't need that letter; or- we don't pronounce that lie that".....hence the de-"u"ing etc of a lot of English words.


"American" is very regional. In different parts of the country, different languages shape the language, and there are many dialects and accents.
 

jenny1124

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Oh! I just remembered a couple more. When talking to an "online friend" of mine once he said "I'm going to hire a car", which means to rent I realized.

UK --- US
Quiz Show -- Game Show
"Taking the Mickey" --- teasing (Heard this one in Harry Potter - GoF)


Oh and yes, in the States we can talk very differently as well. For instance, when I moved here from Texas, my DH said he was going to visit the Tyme Machine which I called an ATM machine. I asked him what year he wanted to visit
 

hopehacker

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Another thing that is different between different states and areas in the US. It was something I saw right here on TCS. A couple of the members here said something was very "spendy". As far as I know there is no such word as "spendy" However, apparently in the upper midwest they say something is "spendy", when it's "expensive".
 

katl8e

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UK - news presenter US - TV anchorperson or reporter

UK - roundabout US - traffic circle
 

mooficat

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Originally Posted by HopeHacker

I've never heard of a traffic circle, or a roundabout for that matter. What exactly do they mean?
its where three or more roads meet with a raised circle-shaped lump of concrete or maybe grassed area in the middle- heres a link of a photo this only has three roads meeting it but some have 6 or 8 !

The Spanish have recently discovered roundabouts so they are slapping them everywhere, trouble is the Spanish drivers dont know how to use them
they dont know anything about lane discipline


US carry-out
UK take-away
 

hopehacker

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Originally Posted by mooficat

its where three or more roads meet with a raised circle-shaped lump of concrete or maybe grassed area in the middle- heres a link of a photo this only has three roads meeting it but some have 6 or 8 !

The Spanish have recently discovered roundabouts so they are slapping them everywhere, trouble is the Spanish drivers dont know how to use them
they dont know anything about lane discipline


US carry-out
UK take-away
Oh I've seen those. We have one of those right by my job, but I didn't have a word for them. So I just thought of it as a place where the streets meet. I guess both the UK and US version would work.

Oh.. and I just call food you pick up at a restaurant and take home, as "to go".
 

kiwideus

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Originally Posted by HopeHacker

Another thing that is different between different states and areas in the US. It was something I saw right here on TCS. A couple of the members here said something was very "spendy". As far as I know there is no such word as "spendy" However, apparently in the upper midwest they say something is "spendy", when it's "expensive".
In New Zealand, we say "dear" for something that is expensive, for example, "wow that car is dear!"

Originally Posted by mooficat

its where three or more roads meet with a raised circle-shaped lump of concrete or maybe grassed area in the middle- heres a link of a photo this only has three roads meeting it but some have 6 or 8 !

The Spanish have recently discovered roundabouts so they are slapping them everywhere, trouble is the Spanish drivers dont know how to use them
they dont know anything about lane discipline


US carry-out
UK take-away
I hate roundabouts! I always feel so vulnerable on them, especially on my scooter.

I call take aways "take-outs"

Originally Posted by mooficat

US - candy
UK - sweets or chocolate
In NZ we call them lollies.
 

ashleigh

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Loving this thread!

Back to butties, I think butties is more used in the North of England, we in London and south generally call them 'sarnies' short for sandwich.

As for regional we're like that here too, each has their own slang

US - UK

mall - shopping centre

subway - tube
 

kerry'n'ben

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erm .... in the area (Derby, England) i live i'll knock you up means to get someone pregnant!!!

To clear up confusion - a 'buttie' is buttered bread with chips on it, the rest of the time we say sandwich or sarnie.
 

kerry'n'ben

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we say braces - which hold up men's trousers, and suspenders are sexy underwear for women.

this thread is fab!
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by kerry'n'ben

we say braces - which hold up men's trousers, and suspenders are sexy underwear for women.

this thread is fab!
We'd say garter belt for the sexy underwear.
 
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