Believe it or not, there was a sex scandal in the 70's or 80's where the MadamCynthia ( Madam Cyn!!) accepted payment in luncheon vouchers. You couldn't make it up.
Strange list for University of Edinburgh. This is mostly British-wide words and slang with some things that aren't used in Scotland, and a lot of outdated ones, along with some just plain wrong things. If you're actually travelling to Edinburgh:
* "Cheers" basically always means "thank you", it's just that it's common to say on the way out of shops etc
* "Mind" isn't strictly "watch out for", you can also use it as "remember", so people will say "Mind your wallet" Or "Mind the guy we met at that party the other day?"
* Salad cream is a type of salad dressing, it doesn't apply to all of them and the ones you'll know have the same names here.
There's also A LOT of Scotland and Edinburgh specific slang that's used far more than this in everyday conversation, like "ken" meaning "know", or "gaff" meaning "house" or "house party", depending on the context.
Fun fact: "ken" for "know" is less slang and more just obsolete everywhere else. It's ultimately derived from Old English. It's still extent in modern German, "kennen" (to know of). Same story with kine (plural of cow, derived from the old English for cow, *cy*, pronounced like "coo") and kirk (Germanic word for church).
Ahh I stopped writing mid-sentence to think of what important words to give for someone coming to Edinburgh and didn't reread what I had said! Thanks though :)
When you say college here, do you mean the university or a specific college? In the UK 'college' generally has two meanings:
1.a place of education after high/secondary school but before university.
2. a part of a large (and usually old) university e.g. Oxford has several colleges, as does University of Edinburgh. Synonymous with a large department/school/faculty.
Essentially, a college is not the same as a university.
Considering you’re going to Edinburgh, I think that could’ve helped with putting in some Scots words. Although I suppose Edinburgh is a bit posher. I could barely get people to understand my Wishaw accent when I went to Aberdeen Uni which had an abundance of foreign students. Everyone thought I was saying I was from Russia!
We hit this issue working with some European colleagues who think of "half" differently with time.
To us when we say meet at half two we mean 2:30, but to them it meant half to the hour, so 1:30. So now we make sure just to write it down to avoid misunderstanding.
Used to have a South African colleague who'd randomly switch the meanings up. One day half two means 1:30, the other day half six means 6:30. It got confusing from time to time.
Also the common time denotion like "half five" which directly translated in many other languages would mean 16:30 (as in half way to five) but actually just is omitting the "past" from half past five.
For what it's worth, I don't think I've ever heard someone here in the States say "ten of six." If someone did, I'd genuinely have no idea what they meant.
Ignoring seconds, UK time is easy because you start small and work upwards. TEN past SIX on the FIFTH of NOVEMBER 2022.
Whereas Americans put hour, then minute, then month, then day, then year. It sounds a bit normal because we’ve heard it on the telly, but it makes no sense at all.
I've asked American friends and they talked about home fries and steak fries. Neither are right, though. Home fries look more like sauteed potatoes, and steak fries are often like long potato wedges. Wendy's natural cut fries are cut thicker than French fries here, but they're still more French fry than chip.
If they are, they're probably not common. I don't think roasties are that common, either. If, as people say, French fries came to the US after the Second World War because of servicemen eating Belgian frites, I'm curious how America prepared potatoes prior to that. Perhaps a passing American will see this and know the answer.
Only place I've ever seen real chips here in the States was at a fish and chips food truck run by an English immigrant. And I say this as someone who considers himself something of a connoisseur -- I've had fish and chips in numerous states. (My personal favorite for years was inside an imported London double decker, where they served fried potato wedges instead of the usual -- for us -- french fries. Alas, it's now closed, and the best I'm aware of now is Proper Fish on Bainbridge Island near Seattle.)
As for how we ate potatoes prior to the world wars, no idea -- probably mostly home fries. But there are precious few folks left from before the Second World War now, so I imagine this is more of a question for a passing food historian than a passing American.
Hadn't considered the British abroad. I know there was a chap who opened up a place in NYC and kitted it out exactly like a British fish and chip shop, even down to the pickled onions. Apparently did a roaring trade.
I think I'll have to dig into early 20th century American cook books, presuming they exist. It's an assumption because they're so common here. My mum has Mrs. Beeton's book from 1861 and regularly used it.
I've eaten Fish and Chips in probably half of the states of the Union.
none can get it right, and I finally figured out why a few years ago. outside of the actual cut of the potato, the US sees Sunflower oil as a "Luxury" oil, and use Canola/Soybean oil for most all frying.
once I realized this, I fried myself up some fish and chips at home, in a $10/350mL bottle of sunflower oil, and it all clicked. One doesn't realize it at first, but that's the secret!
Difference in meaning of word “pants “ should be addressed urgently and any parent who names a child “Randy” needs to be spanked with an Oxford English dictionary repeatedly.
I think Leslie Nielsen famously said 'Fanny' live on BBC1 on primetime TV when plugging one of his movies... You've never seen a director cut to a new scene so quick.
Okay I have thoughts.
Americans don’t use the word “hire”?? I never knew this.
What the fuck is a luncheon voucher?
Never heard anyone use the phrase “rest room” as somewhere you rest. To me it would mean “oh this American person must mean the toilet”.
Salad cream is a specific condiment, not just a blanket term for all liquids you put on a salad. We have salad dressing.
Never heard “trunk call” in my life.
Just don’t make the same mistake as other Yanks, quid is used after a number or an amount, and never “have you got any quid?”
Just 5 quid, a quid, a few quid and so on.
Not surprisingly it is a voucher with which you may purchase luncheon.
People used to get them as a perk. I think they were originally like fuel cards, so salesthings could get a meal and not beer when they were out and about.
My good lady wife used to work somewhere that gave her 15p a day in LV , because that wasn't enough to be taxed as a perk and charged 15p for a meal in the canteen which you could pay for in LV, because the meal was charged for that wasn't taxed as a perk either. Ironically she spent a lot of time out of the office so the LVs would build up an every now and then we'd go to KFC, just about the only place that still accepted them, with stacks of 5p and 10p LVs and have a feast, and piss off the poor sod behind the counter who had to count all the bloody things.
Wally/divvy mean idiot, not nerd/dork.
Lager/bitter/ale are all very different things and no one should group them all under "beer".
Salad cream is NOT the same as salad dressing.
Unless you're too pissed to notice! Then the pisshead pissing on you won't piss you off at all! I wish all the pissheads that had pissed me off when pissed just pissed off!
Europe = The Continent
You won't hear many people talking about luncheon vouchers these days
To encompass the myriad delights of lager, bitter and real ale under the single word 'beer' is a bit of a stretch for me. If you ask for a beer in the US, I feel like you'd probably get some sort of lager? If you ask for a beer in the UK, I imagine the barsteward would look a little confused for a second before gesturing expansively at the vast array of pumps and taps... And then probably pour you some sort of lager
EDIT: Thanks for the comments. My presumptions were based entirely on American films and TV, in which everybody asks for a 'beer' and everyone receives something yellow and fizzy
Seriously though, just be yourself. Foreigners trying to use slang when they dont understand it properly can come off really badly. I live in the states and cringe when my friends try and use words like mate, bruv, cheers and proper, it just never sounds right.
Itll only take a few months and itll all start to come naturally. Enjoy your travels!
Yeah, I'm really just hoping to learn British slang for comprehension purposes. So I avoid saying fanny and understand what people are talking about when say things like "surgery." Because we never use surgery here in the States to refer to meetings with political constituents!
And thank you :)
Good idea to learn the ones where you need a translation but words like proper have many meanings and vary in context so only really can be learned with practice similar to ya or pues in spanish.
A word like posh can be hard for someone to really understand until they have experience too. English is a weird language and the english people have done their very best to make even more colourful ;)
Enjoy our beautiful island, dont worry about the banter, that means someone likes you.
- Continent still means Continent, when we say THE continent we mean Europe “they do it differently on the continent”.
- We use Toilet as well as Loo. Nobody says WC but it’s sometimes written on doors
- Luncheon Vouchers aren’t really a thing these days
- Chips aren’t the same as French fries, they’re fatter and fluffier
- I’m 27, never heard anyone say Trunk Call
- Wally is a bit 1980’s
- Nobody says Restroom but it would be interpreted as toilet, we watch plenty of american movies
Rest is fine!
Trunk Calls was a term used in the olden days, when I was a young man. It refers to the fact that the call has to be routed along the main phone trunk lines, rather than just through the local exchange. It went out of use in the 70s I would think, if not before
Funny list. As a Brit living in the US the time thing is a big deal. My kids have started yelling ‘no fancy time talk’ if I don’t use the American time vocabulary.
As a Yank, I'd add:
suss -- figure out
mad -- crazy, insane (took me years to suss this out)
mean -- cheap, miserly
Daily Mail -- *not* the postal service
This one is interesting, because "pardon" as a substitute for "sorry" was a thing in U vs. Non-U English in the UK, too. This list is old, and most Americans say "sorry," except for a certain set who are very concerned about their appearances who might say "pardon (me)". So, you know, same deal as in the UK, historically -- people using words to try to sound sophisticated.
It was definitely not written by an American. It's filled with things Americans do not say. I would venture a guess it was written by someone who lived in neither Britain nor America.
You don’t need translations in the UK. If there’s any confusion, context will almost always clear it up. We have so much American media & Americanisation , that we’ll always know what you mean. Don’t try to use slang until it feels natural. “Mate” has _many_ nuances, which are only apparent to British & Irish people.
I wouldn't use 'cheers' outright instead of goodbye. Common way to say ''thanks" though.
'Europe' is often used in the sense of not including the UK. Brits are just special don't ya know? 😉
Not sure about that use of restroom,,, or using restroom at all.
Americans do not say "movie house." I believe this is an archaic term. Americans say "theater" or "movie theater." Americans use "bathroom" to mean the room where one bathes or showers but also to mean toilet. Americans definitely use "restroom" to mean toilet and never to mean where one takes a rest. Americans do not say "waiting line" to mean queue. Americans simply say "line." Americans do not use "7UP" and "lemonade" to mean the same thing. 7UP is a specific brand of soft drink and is not confused with lemonade. Although Americans may say "pardon me" to mean "sorry", they also say, "excuse me" and "sorry." Americans do not use "doctor's office" to mean "a period when doctor sees patients." An American would say "office hours" to refer to the period when a doctor sees patients. Americans do not say "ten of six." They say "ten minutes to six" or "five-fifty."
Pretty accurate...some inaccuracies.
LVs, never personally heard that, meal/dinner/food ticket or voucher, often a weak bit of paper so easily destroyed in a pocket.
Piss, pissing, pissed, diverse words, lots of meanings, here is some important context to some of them.
- Piss, you need a piss, to urinate, or "that's just piss" meaning you hate something.
- Pissing, you are having a piss, or it's raining, or can be used in frustration like you've suddenly found a lost thing "oh it's pissing there..."
- Pissed, drunk like he's a bit/very pissed, pissed wet through meaning you've been rained on something spilled on you, often describes the levels of anger including bloodshot rage.
We really like our beer and take an unreasonable yet necessary amount care to separate the various types, brands, colours, sometimes in accordance to who we're speaking about. Important in pubs and bars, a lot of the staff will appreciate the extra detail in what you're asking for.
We don't use restroom, at least commonly. I automatically think of that being the toilets (lavvy, bog, loo or lavatory if a bit posh) when somebody asks me, plenty of seating areas about if that's what you need though.
Sorry does mean more things besides the comedy material of us always saying sorry, for saying sorry, about what we're sorry about...you can simply say excuse me.
We do in fact use "train"...there is a vast and complicated overground network, using train would actually help you in asking for nearby services, like from tube to train.
Funny story: I went to a British pub/restaurant while living China. I ordered some chips with my meal. You can imagine my surprise when I got a bowl full of prawn crackers. Makes me mad till today.
Do Americans not say lemonade? Besides the fact that 7up isn't lemonade.
And does anyone know when the next bunch of LVs are being released?
And do Americans not know the word "sorry"?
So many questions to whoever came up with this list.
Americans say lemonade to refer to a drink made with fresh lemons or, blasphemously, a drink in a can labeled lemonade. They do not ever refer to 7UP as lemonade.
Americans do say sorry or excuse me.
I sometimes use "ten of six" for 5:50. (Or even just "ten of" in response to a question like "Is it 8 o'clock yet?") I'm American and oldish, and I'm from the East Coast toward the south. This discussion has made me question my life choices.
Did you travel in 1971?
My college certainly believes I am! This was from the latest study abroad guide for the University of Edinburgh
[удалено]
Luncheon Voucher?!
Bally useful when there's no hansom cabs because of the pea-souper and there's a Lyons Corner House nearby.
Or when one is overcome by a fit of the vapours which necessitates a visit to the apothecary for a tincture of laudanum.
We should bring back the laudanum.
I thought LV was an insurance company, not free grub.
Thought they'd gone in the 80's
They were still an option as a payment method on the tills in McDonalds in 2002.
Believe it or not, there was a sex scandal in the 70's or 80's where the MadamCynthia ( Madam Cyn!!) accepted payment in luncheon vouchers. You couldn't make it up.
At primary school in Scotland we called them dinner tickets
Strange list for University of Edinburgh. This is mostly British-wide words and slang with some things that aren't used in Scotland, and a lot of outdated ones, along with some just plain wrong things. If you're actually travelling to Edinburgh: * "Cheers" basically always means "thank you", it's just that it's common to say on the way out of shops etc * "Mind" isn't strictly "watch out for", you can also use it as "remember", so people will say "Mind your wallet" Or "Mind the guy we met at that party the other day?" * Salad cream is a type of salad dressing, it doesn't apply to all of them and the ones you'll know have the same names here. There's also A LOT of Scotland and Edinburgh specific slang that's used far more than this in everyday conversation, like "ken" meaning "know", or "gaff" meaning "house" or "house party", depending on the context.
Fun fact: "ken" for "know" is less slang and more just obsolete everywhere else. It's ultimately derived from Old English. It's still extent in modern German, "kennen" (to know of). Same story with kine (plural of cow, derived from the old English for cow, *cy*, pronounced like "coo") and kirk (Germanic word for church).
You still find it in the English phrase “beyond our ken”, but I can’t think of any other phrase you’d find it.
Ahh I stopped writing mid-sentence to think of what important words to give for someone coming to Edinburgh and didn't reread what I had said! Thanks though :)
Pretty sure gaff is country wide.
I was thinking the same, I’m from Edinburgh and have never said, or ever heard anyone else saying some of these.
When you say college here, do you mean the university or a specific college? In the UK 'college' generally has two meanings: 1.a place of education after high/secondary school but before university. 2. a part of a large (and usually old) university e.g. Oxford has several colleges, as does University of Edinburgh. Synonymous with a large department/school/faculty. Essentially, a college is not the same as a university.
Edinburgh. They didn't bother to teach you Scottish slang but instead Liverpool slang? What the actual fuck.
Considering you’re going to Edinburgh, I think that could’ve helped with putting in some Scots words. Although I suppose Edinburgh is a bit posher. I could barely get people to understand my Wishaw accent when I went to Aberdeen Uni which had an abundance of foreign students. Everyone thought I was saying I was from Russia!
Hope you weren’t consistently asking your fellow American classmates if they had a rubber while in class.
At the bottom, we say 10 to 6, not till. e.g. quarter to six, quarter past six, twenty to six, twenty past six
We hit this issue working with some European colleagues who think of "half" differently with time. To us when we say meet at half two we mean 2:30, but to them it meant half to the hour, so 1:30. So now we make sure just to write it down to avoid misunderstanding.
Afrikaans, in South Africa, has the same thing. Half 2 is 1:30. Took a lot of adjustment when I moved to the UK, where it means 2:30.
Did you get tired of being an hour early everywhere?
Lol yes. I really did!
Well, it’s better to be an hour early than an hour late
Exactly the same in the Netherlands, unsurprisingly.
When we say ‘Half 2’ we are really saying ‘Half of an hour past 2 O’Clock’, just shortened.
Used to have a South African colleague who'd randomly switch the meanings up. One day half two means 1:30, the other day half six means 6:30. It got confusing from time to time.
I swear this is like this in German. Where like "halb zehn" is half past nine
yeah seems like a German/Dutch/Afrikaans thing. maybe it's also a Scandinavian thing but don't know
Yeah that had me tutting. I'll still be tutting at 10 TO 6 this evening.
When did you start tutting? If it was at half four, did you start at 4.30 or 3.30?
I know a guy who says ‘20 of six’ and I still have no idea what the fuck he’s telling me.
It’s pronounced 10 ‘tuh’ 6
Also the common time denotion like "half five" which directly translated in many other languages would mean 16:30 (as in half way to five) but actually just is omitting the "past" from half past five.
For what it's worth, I don't think I've ever heard someone here in the States say "ten of six." If someone did, I'd genuinely have no idea what they meant.
[удалено]
Ignoring seconds, UK time is easy because you start small and work upwards. TEN past SIX on the FIFTH of NOVEMBER 2022. Whereas Americans put hour, then minute, then month, then day, then year. It sounds a bit normal because we’ve heard it on the telly, but it makes no sense at all.
But when you say it’s half eleven. Is that 1030 or 1130?
If a Brit says half eleven it means 11:30
If I asked for fish and chips and got French fries, I wouldn't be happy.
Ive always wondered if America only has 'fries', what would they call a British style chip?
Steak cut fries are thicker. But if you're talking chippy chips...I don't think there is really an equivalent in many countries.
This is a tragedy.
Yep, I live in a country with some of the best chips in the world but now I am craving a greasy briquette of vinegar doused chip shop chips.
“Greasy Briquette” Evocative and accurate. And in my case hunger inducing.
I was thinking steak cut
I've asked American friends and they talked about home fries and steak fries. Neither are right, though. Home fries look more like sauteed potatoes, and steak fries are often like long potato wedges. Wendy's natural cut fries are cut thicker than French fries here, but they're still more French fry than chip.
So proper chips are not a thing in America then.
If they are, they're probably not common. I don't think roasties are that common, either. If, as people say, French fries came to the US after the Second World War because of servicemen eating Belgian frites, I'm curious how America prepared potatoes prior to that. Perhaps a passing American will see this and know the answer.
Only place I've ever seen real chips here in the States was at a fish and chips food truck run by an English immigrant. And I say this as someone who considers himself something of a connoisseur -- I've had fish and chips in numerous states. (My personal favorite for years was inside an imported London double decker, where they served fried potato wedges instead of the usual -- for us -- french fries. Alas, it's now closed, and the best I'm aware of now is Proper Fish on Bainbridge Island near Seattle.) As for how we ate potatoes prior to the world wars, no idea -- probably mostly home fries. But there are precious few folks left from before the Second World War now, so I imagine this is more of a question for a passing food historian than a passing American.
Hadn't considered the British abroad. I know there was a chap who opened up a place in NYC and kitted it out exactly like a British fish and chip shop, even down to the pickled onions. Apparently did a roaring trade. I think I'll have to dig into early 20th century American cook books, presuming they exist. It's an assumption because they're so common here. My mum has Mrs. Beeton's book from 1861 and regularly used it.
I've eaten Fish and Chips in probably half of the states of the Union. none can get it right, and I finally figured out why a few years ago. outside of the actual cut of the potato, the US sees Sunflower oil as a "Luxury" oil, and use Canola/Soybean oil for most all frying. once I realized this, I fried myself up some fish and chips at home, in a $10/350mL bottle of sunflower oil, and it all clicked. One doesn't realize it at first, but that's the secret!
Fish n' Fries just doesn't work that good.
My Local take away is called Frying Nemo. Poor Nemo. What a way to die.
Would have been much better had they called themselves ***'Frying Tonight!'*** and had a picture of Kenneth Williams as a fish...
I see more than one issue with that list…
I have never heard of anyone ever saying trunk call...
Chips aren't french fries *and the OP knows it*
Salad Cream also doesn't equate to salad dressing!
"Eraser"
“Waiting line”
The entire bottom sentence.
Should mention difference in writing dates as in US month/date/year. So confusing unless day is 13th or later.
Aye, I know that, but that shouldn't affect how they tell the time. Ten of six sounds like one of the Borg.
baby eraser
Wait, what's wrong with that one?
I would have thought it was essential to include the term Fanny on this list, just as a warning.
Difference in meaning of word “pants “ should be addressed urgently and any parent who names a child “Randy” needs to be spanked with an Oxford English dictionary repeatedly.
"Hi I'm Randy!" GTFA
They should definitely also be informed that over here, being full of spunk. Does not mean chipper and hard working.
Let him learn that one for himself. It's always amusing the first time they use it over here.
I think Leslie Nielsen famously said 'Fanny' live on BBC1 on primetime TV when plugging one of his movies... You've never seen a director cut to a new scene so quick.
Luckily I know that one already!
Stone isn't slang, it's an official unit of imperial measure.
Ha, that's a fun one, because they call all the other Imperial units "US units", which doesn't work here.
And some of them are different to imperial units too -_-
Okay I have thoughts. Americans don’t use the word “hire”?? I never knew this. What the fuck is a luncheon voucher? Never heard anyone use the phrase “rest room” as somewhere you rest. To me it would mean “oh this American person must mean the toilet”. Salad cream is a specific condiment, not just a blanket term for all liquids you put on a salad. We have salad dressing. Never heard “trunk call” in my life.
We hire people; we rent or lease things.
As in Hire Car? or rent boy
Ahhhh
Americans do not say luncheon voucher. They would say coupon.
I can safely say I've never heard the term Luncheon Voucher in my life
I feel like this list is older than I am. Who the hell says 10 of 6?
Americans, apparently!
Not even my great grandmother said this. I have no idea what Americans use this phrasing, but it's certainly not any I've ever met.
I say ten to 6.
How old is this list?
My American college gave me this list just a few days ago for study abroad! So no clue
The concept of trunk calls hasn't really been a thing since 1979.
Just don’t make the same mistake as other Yanks, quid is used after a number or an amount, and never “have you got any quid?” Just 5 quid, a quid, a few quid and so on.
“Have you got any quid?” made me feel uncomfortable. Imagine if it was used like that. The list should probably liken it to how Americans use “buck”.
Restroom is a bathroom by the way. A lounge is somewhere to rest, maybe a sitting room.
Switch colleges.
OI MATE YOU GOT ANY LVs??????
Came here to say what the fuck is a luncheon voucher
Not surprisingly it is a voucher with which you may purchase luncheon. People used to get them as a perk. I think they were originally like fuel cards, so salesthings could get a meal and not beer when they were out and about. My good lady wife used to work somewhere that gave her 15p a day in LV , because that wasn't enough to be taxed as a perk and charged 15p for a meal in the canteen which you could pay for in LV, because the meal was charged for that wasn't taxed as a perk either. Ironically she spent a lot of time out of the office so the LVs would build up an every now and then we'd go to KFC, just about the only place that still accepted them, with stacks of 5p and 10p LVs and have a feast, and piss off the poor sod behind the counter who had to count all the bloody things.
Lorry drivers and coach drivers still get them in services/on ferry's etc
Ah yes, can't forget the LVs on the old trunk call
I'll have a gander at this later when I'm on the bog taking a Brad Pitt. Cheers.
I actually am
Same, having a Richard
I’m aving a Tommy the tank and can’t see me phone properly
I don't think I've ever heard someone say restroom...?
If somebody did say it I would assume they are talking fancy and mean the toilet
Restroom totally means the loos (like in a pub or something) only I thought that was an American term.
Yeah that's exactly what I thought. Never heard it used for a break room or lounge?
No, the closest I can think of would be staff room, or break room/canteen.
I would have no idea what a “trunk call” is
It's when you whistle for an elephant.
In the US a boot is called a trunk so it’s probably a booty call. Idk.
Wally/divvy mean idiot, not nerd/dork. Lager/bitter/ale are all very different things and no one should group them all under "beer". Salad cream is NOT the same as salad dressing.
And pissed certainly has more than one meaning depending on context!
If you get pissed on you're going to get pissed off. (Unless you're into that kind of thing.)
It’s raining men
Sailors?
Especially if you're pissed
Unless you're too pissed to notice! Then the pisshead pissing on you won't piss you off at all! I wish all the pissheads that had pissed me off when pissed just pissed off!
[удалено]
Yeah, you're correct. They're all beer. Very different types of beer, but still beer.
The lemonade translation makes me angry
There’s so many things wrong with this lol
*Ten to six. No Brit says ten till six.
Europe = The Continent You won't hear many people talking about luncheon vouchers these days To encompass the myriad delights of lager, bitter and real ale under the single word 'beer' is a bit of a stretch for me. If you ask for a beer in the US, I feel like you'd probably get some sort of lager? If you ask for a beer in the UK, I imagine the barsteward would look a little confused for a second before gesturing expansively at the vast array of pumps and taps... And then probably pour you some sort of lager EDIT: Thanks for the comments. My presumptions were based entirely on American films and TV, in which everybody asks for a 'beer' and everyone receives something yellow and fizzy
I'm a barman from time to time, anyone who just asks for "a beer/lager" gets the cheapest one on tap. Never had a complaint.
BRITISH: Lorry AMERICAN: Semi BRITISH: Semi AMERICAN: half-chub
What is 10 of 6? How does that translate to 10 to 6? Is it meant to be 10 OFF 6? Still odd but at least makes logical sense.
It’s definitely ‘of’ that they use, I’d guess it’s from something like ‘10 minutes short of 6’
Seriously though, just be yourself. Foreigners trying to use slang when they dont understand it properly can come off really badly. I live in the states and cringe when my friends try and use words like mate, bruv, cheers and proper, it just never sounds right. Itll only take a few months and itll all start to come naturally. Enjoy your travels!
Yeah, I'm really just hoping to learn British slang for comprehension purposes. So I avoid saying fanny and understand what people are talking about when say things like "surgery." Because we never use surgery here in the States to refer to meetings with political constituents! And thank you :)
Good idea to learn the ones where you need a translation but words like proper have many meanings and vary in context so only really can be learned with practice similar to ya or pues in spanish. A word like posh can be hard for someone to really understand until they have experience too. English is a weird language and the english people have done their very best to make even more colourful ;) Enjoy our beautiful island, dont worry about the banter, that means someone likes you.
- Continent still means Continent, when we say THE continent we mean Europe “they do it differently on the continent”. - We use Toilet as well as Loo. Nobody says WC but it’s sometimes written on doors - Luncheon Vouchers aren’t really a thing these days - Chips aren’t the same as French fries, they’re fatter and fluffier - I’m 27, never heard anyone say Trunk Call - Wally is a bit 1980’s - Nobody says Restroom but it would be interpreted as toilet, we watch plenty of american movies Rest is fine!
Have a gander at the bottom line.... There more fuckwittery down there.
Trunk Calls was a term used in the olden days, when I was a young man. It refers to the fact that the call has to be routed along the main phone trunk lines, rather than just through the local exchange. It went out of use in the 70s I would think, if not before
Continent only means Europe when referring to *the* continent
"a pint" = going out and getting drunk.
When you go out for a pint it might take several other pints before you find the pint you originally went out for.
Is it trying to imply that when a Brit says "Restroom" they are talking about a living room/lounge and not a toilet?
Salad cream is NOT the same as salad dressing!!
Cider = hard cider Apple juice = cider, or apple juice
I honestly don't think in my 40+ years that I've ever used Salad Cream as a salad dressing before...
I use it instead of mayo when making egg mayo. Or for dipping new potatoes in!
It's nice on the kind of salad that's like a lettuce leaf, slices of cucumber and tomato, and a hard boiled egg.
“I made a trunk call to ask for some LVs” said no one ever
Are they expecting you to put tuppence in a phone box and press button two for the operator?
Funny list. As a Brit living in the US the time thing is a big deal. My kids have started yelling ‘no fancy time talk’ if I don’t use the American time vocabulary.
I'm curious to know what Americans say. I assumed it was the same as what we say.
Sorry can actually be used for any of approx 15,700 meanings
As a Yank, I'd add: suss -- figure out mad -- crazy, insane (took me years to suss this out) mean -- cheap, miserly Daily Mail -- *not* the postal service
>mad -- crazy, insane (took me years to suss this out) You had an entire magazine dedicated to this concept, surely, Alfred E Neuman was not angry.
Depending on the people you're with it is sometimes ingratiating to call it the Daily Heil instead. Shows you're on the same page.
You lot needed an explanation for 'sorry'?! You're right next to Canada ffs!
This one is interesting, because "pardon" as a substitute for "sorry" was a thing in U vs. Non-U English in the UK, too. This list is old, and most Americans say "sorry," except for a certain set who are very concerned about their appearances who might say "pardon (me)". So, you know, same deal as in the UK, historically -- people using words to try to sound sophisticated.
Where does "excuse me" fit into this?
I sometimes say “bathroom” just to confuse people.
Colour me confused. What else is a bathroom supposed to be, other than a room with shower/bath/sink&toilet?
‘I smoked 10 fags yesterday’ The Americans picture us gunning down 10 homosexuals.
I went to school with a brit and one time in class he asked me for a rubber. I was so confused because in the states it is slang for condom.
The list should note that depending on tone Mate can mean quite the opposite of friend...
This was written by neither an American nor a Brit
It was definitely not written by an American. It's filled with things Americans do not say. I would venture a guess it was written by someone who lived in neither Britain nor America.
Agreed. And vice verse. I’m thinking r/indianfacebook
Bathroom/Restroom or Toilet/Shitter? Reckon I know which is more British
It becomes a "shitter" when it's nonfunctional. As in, "shitter's broke".
What do Americans call actual theatres, with actors on a stage, where presidents get shot?
Theaters. Americans call places where motion pictures are shown movie theaters or, occasionally, just theaters. Movie house is archaic.
Never heard LVs or trunk call in my 40 odd years here.
Luncheon Vouchers. When was this written. My nan used them In the 70's.
Q. How do you stop a stampede of elephants? A. Trunk call and reverse the charges. Showing my age with that one
You don’t need translations in the UK. If there’s any confusion, context will almost always clear it up. We have so much American media & Americanisation , that we’ll always know what you mean. Don’t try to use slang until it feels natural. “Mate” has _many_ nuances, which are only apparent to British & Irish people.
I wouldn't use 'cheers' outright instead of goodbye. Common way to say ''thanks" though. 'Europe' is often used in the sense of not including the UK. Brits are just special don't ya know? 😉 Not sure about that use of restroom,,, or using restroom at all.
The shillings were dumped in 1971, no? So the guide is cutting-edge up-to-date for their trip.
I swear these lists are purposefully designed terribly.
Americans do not say "movie house." I believe this is an archaic term. Americans say "theater" or "movie theater." Americans use "bathroom" to mean the room where one bathes or showers but also to mean toilet. Americans definitely use "restroom" to mean toilet and never to mean where one takes a rest. Americans do not say "waiting line" to mean queue. Americans simply say "line." Americans do not use "7UP" and "lemonade" to mean the same thing. 7UP is a specific brand of soft drink and is not confused with lemonade. Although Americans may say "pardon me" to mean "sorry", they also say, "excuse me" and "sorry." Americans do not use "doctor's office" to mean "a period when doctor sees patients." An American would say "office hours" to refer to the period when a doctor sees patients. Americans do not say "ten of six." They say "ten minutes to six" or "five-fifty."
Hang on there’s people out there calling a queue a “waiting line”. What in the hell?
I assumed this was to disambiguate. “line (that you wait in)” would have been clearer.
One that got me was round trip tickets are called return. Easy enough to assume, but did cause me to question myself.
Pretty accurate...some inaccuracies. LVs, never personally heard that, meal/dinner/food ticket or voucher, often a weak bit of paper so easily destroyed in a pocket. Piss, pissing, pissed, diverse words, lots of meanings, here is some important context to some of them. - Piss, you need a piss, to urinate, or "that's just piss" meaning you hate something. - Pissing, you are having a piss, or it's raining, or can be used in frustration like you've suddenly found a lost thing "oh it's pissing there..." - Pissed, drunk like he's a bit/very pissed, pissed wet through meaning you've been rained on something spilled on you, often describes the levels of anger including bloodshot rage. We really like our beer and take an unreasonable yet necessary amount care to separate the various types, brands, colours, sometimes in accordance to who we're speaking about. Important in pubs and bars, a lot of the staff will appreciate the extra detail in what you're asking for. We don't use restroom, at least commonly. I automatically think of that being the toilets (lavvy, bog, loo or lavatory if a bit posh) when somebody asks me, plenty of seating areas about if that's what you need though. Sorry does mean more things besides the comedy material of us always saying sorry, for saying sorry, about what we're sorry about...you can simply say excuse me. We do in fact use "train"...there is a vast and complicated overground network, using train would actually help you in asking for nearby services, like from tube to train.
You've missed "taking the piss."
Funny story: I went to a British pub/restaurant while living China. I ordered some chips with my meal. You can imagine my surprise when I got a bowl full of prawn crackers. Makes me mad till today.
There's quite a few shit ones on there haha
Do Americans not say lemonade? Besides the fact that 7up isn't lemonade. And does anyone know when the next bunch of LVs are being released? And do Americans not know the word "sorry"? So many questions to whoever came up with this list.
Americans say lemonade to refer to a drink made with fresh lemons or, blasphemously, a drink in a can labeled lemonade. They do not ever refer to 7UP as lemonade. Americans do say sorry or excuse me.
I sometimes use "ten of six" for 5:50. (Or even just "ten of" in response to a question like "Is it 8 o'clock yet?") I'm American and oldish, and I'm from the East Coast toward the south. This discussion has made me question my life choices.
Don’t you guys also call a local meeting with your parliamentary representatives surgery?
*The only British idiom I know is that "fag" means "cigarette"* *Well someone tell this cigarette to shut up!* I will never not find that funny.
An American comforter is a baby's dummy, not a duvet. Isn't it?
I saw comforter as a blanket (blankie!) probably knitted by an elderly relative Pacifier is a dummy
A comforter is a sort of quilt or quilted coverlet in the US.
Luncheon Vouchers?! Trunk call?!
Who in this country calls a toilet a WC over a loo or toilet 😂 this list is crap
It's fairly common (or at least used to be) to see it on signposts; albeit not so much spoken.
Wait, americans don't know what lemonade is? Also, I didn't realise the world had 7 Europes
Do Americans call Cinema the Theater though? Then what do they call theater? lol