100+ Differences between British and American English | British vs. American Vocabulary Words

hollydolly said:
In some pubic Bathrooms in Spain , Italy and Greece there are still women who stand at the entrance with a dish, waiting for payment.. . she's also the cleaner..

When I was very small my grandad worked as a Lavatory attendant.. in those days all public toilets had attendants.. but I had no idea that's what he did for a living. I suspect it was a job he took in retirement, but I didn't learn of it until after his death and I saw his death certificate ..stating his occupation at time of death
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he was still attending toilets at his time of death - god it must have killed him that job? now where is the tongue in cheek icon?
 
Myrtle said:
Oops! I apologize for misgendering you. I understand you can get in a lot of trouble doing that these days. :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
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No problem. Here is what I posted about my user name back a few years ago: What I carry as a middle name was the given name of my Welsh G.Grandfather. It has caused me a bit of bother over the years because of the spelling (a double L at the beginning of a name is uncommon in these parts) and many folks see it as a girls name. Hence I don't use it much although why I selected it for my SF username is a bit of a puzzle even to me.
 

MountainRa said:
Very interesting. As to the term ‘roundabout’, that is the term we also use where I live.

Something I’ve often wondered about — when I was a child (1950’s) growing up in southern USA everyone called the trunk of a car the ‘boot’. As in ‘put the luggage in the boot’. I was told it was a British term. Is that true? No one ever refers to the trunk as the boot in this day and age.
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We do in Australia. We put luggage in the boot and look under the bonnet to check the engine.

Actually, although I identified with the British version most of the time there were some US words that are now the most commonly used words in Australia.

I consider myself rather bilingual when it comes to British/US vocabulary. I often had to translate Hubby's English for the locals when we were touring in US.
 
hollydolly said:
In some pubic Bathrooms in Spain , Italy and Greece there are still women who stand at the entrance with a dish, waiting for payment.. . she's also the cleaner..

When I was very small my grandad worked as a Lavatory attendant.. in those days all public toilets had attendants.. but I had no idea that's what he did for a living. I suspect it was a job he took in retirement, but I didn't learn of it until after his death and I saw his death certificate ..stating his occupation at time of death
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Yes, the attendants kept it clean and not only clean but they often had nice soaps and lotions or maybe talc for the mens rooms and they were often older people. It was honest work and provided extra money to make their retirement better. More recently older people have been greeters in places like Walmart. Taking jobs like that has been a tradition for a long time and an honorable one.

Llynn said:
No problem. Here is what I posted about my user name back a few years ago: What I carry as a middle name was the given name of my Welsh G.Grandfather. It has caused me a bit of bother over the years because of the spelling (a double L at the beginning of a name is uncommon in these parts) and many folks see it as a girls name. Hence I don't use it much although why I selected it for my SF username is a bit of a puzzle even to me.
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The spelling of your name is interesting. Thanks for explaining it. My husband and I had a male friend named Lynn, just one l. I think because we were in this particular thread I just assumed but I will know from now on. (y) It makes more sense than me having a cat named Myrtle when I was small. :)
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hollydolly said:
always wondered why you call it a Restroom.. do people go there to rest ? :LOL:
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Actually in some of the fancier restrooms, yes sometimes they have couches, almost all have baby changing areas too. The toilets in the ladies restrooms are in stalls with doors normally. Mens restrooms have several urinals and probably one toilet with door!
 
English is a fairly "complex" language, and the various "dialects" around the world...and even parts of the U.S....can make for some interesting communication issues.
One of the best examples of this was when I joined the USAF, and went to Texas for basic training. We had people from all over the nation....and the dialects used by those from the Northeast...Massachusetts, etc., versus those used by those from the Deep South...Mississippi, etc., almost sounded like different languages.
 
Llynn said:
I can't speak for the rest of the country but until the 1970's Washington State required employers to provide female employees with a cot, chaise or bed in all female restrooms so the women could rest on their breaks, during female cycle issues, or whenever life just got too stressful. This was a holdover from the times when women first became a major constituent of factories and offices. There was no such provision for male employees.

When I returned from the service, all that had gone away.
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The history of toilets in Old Parliament House (Canberra) has inspired more scrutiny and newspaper ink than you might think., especially for the women in the building. The first women elected to Parliament in was in 1943. The first ladies' toilets were not established until 1974, 31 years later. In 1943 Dame Enid Lyons was elected to the House of Representatives and Dorothy Tangovey was elected to the Senate. They were the first women to enter Aust. Parliament. Toilets were for Men only. The only Toilets for Women were for junior staff and visitors. Can you believe the builders of the day didn't see it necessary that a Woman could be elected to Parliament?
 
Repondering said:
I grew up in the British colony of Hong Kong and 'Plimsolls' was the only new word for me.......I've heard the term before but never knew what they were until now.
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lived and worked there ;77-80 - had a ball and wanted to sign on for another 3 but localization policy had reared its head and I was out local was in !!
 
MountainRa said:
Very interesting. As to the term ‘roundabout’, that is the term we also use where I live.

Something I’ve often wondered about — when I was a child (1950’s) growing up in southern USA everyone called the trunk of a car the ‘boot’. As in ‘put the luggage in the boot’. I was told it was a British term. Is that true? No one ever refers to the trunk as the boot in this day and age.
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They do if you live in Britain.
 
Repondering said:
I grew up in the British colony of Hong Kong and 'Plimsolls' was the only new word for me.......I've heard the term before but never knew what they were until now.
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rarely hear that word these days. ''Plimsolls'' were interchangeable with Gym shoes and Sand shoes when we were kids at school..think it originally came from the naval..plimsoll line because where the uppers join the thick rubber sole.. it resembled the Plimsoll line on a boat ..however today... it's a kind of archaic name for Trainers..
 
When I lived in the northeast they were called traffic circles, in New England, they were known as a rotary, now they seem to be roundabouts. In theory, they're a great idea, however, in America, most drivers are not nearly competent enough to know how they work nor interested enough to learn. They're the source of many accidents as a result.
 
Feelslikefar said:
Couple of my favorites are 'Trolley', 'Pram' and 'High Street'.
That round thing on your car is a 'Tyre'.

My all-time favorite would be a 'Proper Pint'!

(Almost forgot 'Narrow Boat'.)
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I was gonna give a shout to you FLF... having known both sides of the Pond.. I wondered what your perspective was on it ..:D
 
Rich said:
When I lived in the northeast they were called traffic circles, in New England, they were known as a rotary, now they seem to be roundabouts. In theory, they're a great idea, however, in America, most drivers are not nearly competent enough to know how they work nor interested enough to learn. They're the source of many accidents as a result.
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They've always been known as Roundabouts.. and it's a very , very simple method.. you stop at the junction, and give way to the right...
 
Feelslikefar said:
Couple of my favorites are 'Trolley', 'Pram' and 'High Street'.
That round thing on your car is a 'Tyre'.

My all-time favorite would be a 'Proper Pint'!

(Almost forgot 'Narrow Boat'.)
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Narrow Boat because it's self describing... as you already know we have one..
Shropshire-Union-canal-near-Norbury-Junction.jpg


High street ( aside from streets named High st) is a generic name for the streets where most shops are.. I was told the other day that in the US that would be celled Down town >.

proper pint means 20 oz rather than US 16 oz.. of Beer.. and pulled by a hand pump...

pram is what we call a Pushchair/stroller... comes from peramabulator...
 
hollydolly said:
They've always been known as Roundabouts.. and it's a very , very simple method.. you stop at the junction, and give way to the right...
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Here you give way to the left 😬. I certainly agree that it's a very simple method, it's just that so many Americans are less than simple when behind the wheel of their car. Here it's as easy to get a driver's license as it is to get a gun. Anyone can do it with an embarrassingly inadequate skill set.
 
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