Sometimes the US words Flummox me

HoneyNut said:
"Jersey" is the word that bugs me the most, to me it is like the shirt a basketball player wears.



The original pronunciation of "asked" was "ax":

  • Origins: The pronunciation "ax" comes from the Old English verb "acsian". It was a formal written form in Old English and Germanic over a millennium ago.
  • Prevalence: "Ax" was the typical pronunciation in England's south and Midlands, while "ask" was more prevalent in the north. In North America, "ax" was widely used in New England and the southern and middle states.
  • Standard pronunciation: "Ask" became the standard pronunciation.
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We use the word jumper more than any other, or sweater ( jumper if it's thick sweater i it's thin) ... like you, Jersey conjures up for me the sweatshirt footballers or rugby players wear
 

Bretrick said:
US words on left
Period… Full Stop
Teeter Totter… for See Saw
Bangs…Fringe
Erbs…Herbs
Sneakers…Trainers
Sweater…Jumper
On and On and On…
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same ...as you know aside from cetain slang words, the UK and Australia use all the same words for things...

The fringe V Bangs always has me flummoxed as well.. why would someone have not one bang on the head but 2 ?>.:ROFLMAO:
 
MaidMarian said:
We Yanks omit the h in herbs and I’ve heard Brits add letters that aren’t there…. Like adding an “r”.
I’ve heard “Linder and I are going to the store .”instead of Linda and I .
I’ve heard “th” pronounced as “f” as in : The door was locked, so I went frew the window.
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that's just one or 2 dialects.....thedialects in the Uk are very varied.. even as close as towns just 10 mies apart... those different dialects between the North and the south are HUGE
 
Another confusing one is...

Vets !... in the US this is standard usage for a person who has served in the forces, whether a day or a decade...

In the UK ''Vet'', is routinely used a shortened version of veterinary Surgeon...

An ex forces person in the Uk is called a veteran..ONLY if they've served many years in the forces... if they've served a short time.. say..3 years or less. they will always be referred to as ''ex-service men/women''

So..altho' Ive been amongst all of the lovely American people on this and other forums prior for at least 20 years.. and kno all these dierent meanings for words..

the Vet one always makes me have to read the sentence twice..because I immediately think the refrence is to veterinary Surgeons
 
hollydolly said:
Another confusing one is...

Vets !... in the US this is standard usage for a person who has served in the forces, whether a day or a decade...

In the UK ''Vet'', is routinely used a shortened version of veterinary Surgeon...

An ex forces person in the Uk is called a veteran..ONLY if they've served many years in the forces... if they've served a short time.. say..3 years or less. they will always be referred to as ''ex-service men/women''

So..altho' Ive been amongst all of the lovely American people on this and other forums prior for at least 20 years.. and kno all these dierent meanings for words..

the Vet one always makes me have to read the sentence twice..because I immediately think the refrence is to veterinary Surgeons
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And generally US veterans are being referred to as "former" as ex indicates an issue.
 
Coming from long-time ag families, "vet" always meant "veterinarian." The other usage was rare, probably used more as vernacular among themselves.
 
I have never heard license tag in the US. It's "license plate" Occasionally, I've heard license plates referred to as simply 'tags," but it's not common.
 
There are a number of words which do not easily translate or have different meanings depending on context. This tale was told to me by a colleague who was on a trip to Ireland with come friends. On the journey they met a visiting American and having found they were going to the same place, suggested that he should join them that evening, adding that there would be some good 'crack'. At this the American said that he wanted nothing to do taking drugs. The Brits fell about laughing and the poor American couldn't understand the joke.

For those who don't understand, 'Crack - or Craic' is a colloquial term for having a good time with good conversation and a pleasant atmosphere.
 
I started watching a lot of UK and other foreign TV and movies the past few years, about 75%. Every now and then a UK term will slip out without me being aware of it. Like being 'Keen' about something...,lol.
 
  • Christmas. My wife said I was herb-ing the postman.
  • Why do gardeners hand out their herbs? Because they like to spread the basil.
  • I grew a massive herb in my garden. It was sage.
  • Where does herb garden go for vacation? To the bay of basil.
  • I’ve herb about that before.
 
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