English converted to English

[wingsandsword]

I had never heard the word "fib" before, but I don't know if it's inherently British.
To fib (fibbing, be a fibber) = to lie (or, as my GF puts it, to "tell porky pies")

Fib is used in American English, but it's uncommonly used, it refers to lies, but specifically it refers to little, "harmless" or minor lies, or attempts to make lies sound minor, or ironically with major lies.

 

[Jonny Nexus]

And since WWII, increasing globalization and in particular the global mass media/entertainment (especially the worldwide popularlity of American film, and perhaps more important, TV) and now the internet are making the languages more similar again, and thus we're seeing fewer different words (outside of slang, perhaps).

And because of that, we sometimes end up with different words. i.e. In UK English you have:

Programme: A thin booklet, or a "segment" that you watch on a TV (i.e. a TV programme).

Program: A sequence of instructions on a computer.

Disc: A flat, circular object.

Disk: An item used to store computer data.

 

[amethal]

I have a theory that runs like this--British and American English are the most different in areas of vocabulary that developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when geography separated the countries a bit more than it does in the modern world. At that time a lot of new technology appeared (particularly household items and other various consumer goods) and words needed to be invented to describe them. And often different words were used on either side of the ocean. For example, much of hte common vocabulary that describes a car is diffenerent. Also, most vocabulary describing sports is rather different (most popular sports became organized around the world in the late 1800s spurred by urbanization). E.g. 'pitch' rather than 'field'; Football 'kit' rather than 'uniform', etc.

Vocabulary from before this period tends to be more similar, since most of it was created before the colonists arrived in the Americas. And since WWII, increasing globalization and in particular the global mass media/entertainment (especially the worldwide popularlity of American film, and perhaps more important, TV) and now the internet are making the languages more similar again, and thus we're seeing fewer different words (outside of slang, perhaps).

A number of Welsh words are just English ones which are spelt differently (to account for the vast difference between Welsh and English pronounciation)

For instance "Siop" for "Shop" and "Garej" for "Garage".

In the case of "garej" this also required "borrowing" the letter J, which previously didn't exist in the Welsh alphabet.

I think geographical proximity is probably very important. No point inventing a new word if your neighbours have a perfectly good word for it already. Any Canadians here to confirm if you use "trunk" and "sidewalk", or "boot" and "pavement"?

For the benefit of all Americans, all phrases ending in "____ off" mean pretty much the same thing and none of them are particularly polite.

Sodomy and buggery are genuine words (i.e. not slang) which appear in UK dictionaries, but I wonder if the same is true in America. (But if you don't know what they mean I am not going to tell you ....)

For example, Spike's language in Buffy can be pretty bad (certainly much worse than anyone else's), and at the end of "Once more with Feeling" he says something along the lines of "Bugger this!". I can only assume that if American audiences knew what buggery is then the phrase wouldn't have been allowed to appear in the script.

I seem to remember that the aliens in Ender's Game were also called "Buggers".

 

[Jonny Nexus]

Anyway, your thoughts and slang/everyday words and phrases please.

Well off the top of my head (apologies for any duplication) you have:

Note: These are in the form UK = US. Where I'm not sure of the US word I'll put it in question marks or just explain what the UK one means. Where I don't think there's a UK word, I'll put a description in question marks.

pavement = sidewalk
bonnet = hood (front of car)
boot = trunk
manual gearbox = stickshift
petrol = gas/gasoline
gas = ??? (the stuff that powers your cooker or central heating boiler)
flat = apartment
underground = subway
subway = ?pedestrian underpass?
jelly = jello
?thin jam? = jelly
trousers = pants
pants / underpants = ?underpants?
bum = fanny
fanny = pussy
pissed = drunk
pissed off = pissed
(peach) stone = (peach) pit
(apple) pips = (apple) seeds
postman = mailman
post = mail
shop = store
fizzy drink = pop
mum = mom
football = soccer
american football = football
table football = fussbal
hash (symbol) = pound (symbol)
Imperial system (of measurements) = English system
sofa = couch
cupboard = closet
maths (short for mathematics) = math
motorway = freeway
geezer = ?person?
old geezer = geezer (i.e. "geezer" doesn't imply old for us)
stag night / stag weekend = ?bucks party? (party bloke has before he gets married)
hen night = ?batchelorette party? (female version of stag night)
aeroplane = airplane
?tap? = faucet

Also, we only use the word bathroom to describe rooms that have a bath in them. If a room only has toilets then we call it "the toilet" (as opposed to bathroom, restroom or washroom).

That's all I can think of for the moment.

 

[amethal]

Oh, and the bit in "Wolf" where Michelle Pfeiffer talked about "Peanut butter and jelly" sandwiches was really disgusting. I assuemd her character must be pregnant or something.

It was not till years later that I realised that American "jelly" = "jam". I think what we call "jelly" they call "jell-o", but I'm not sure.

 

[Jonny Nexus]

For example, Spike's language in Buffy can be pretty bad (certainly much worse than anyone else's), and at the end of "Once more with Feeling" he says something along the lines of "Bugger this!". I can only assume that if American audiences knew what buggery is then the phrase wouldn't have been allowed to appear in the script.

Didn't Wesley once tell Angel to "stop being such a wanker!"

(For the benefit of non-Brits, wanker = someone who masturbates).

I always wondered whether that would have been allowed on American TV if it were a native phrase.

I seem to remember that the aliens in Ender's Game were also called "Buggers".

Did you ever hear about the continuum spanning roleplaying game where you got to play a "Spanner"?

(Again for the benefit of non-Brits, a "spanner" is a very stupid person, as in: "Oh you complete spanner!")

 

[Jonny Nexus]

Oh, and the bit in "Wolf" where Michelle Pfeiffer talked about "Peanut butter and jelly" sandwiches was really disgusting. I assuemd her character must be pregnant or something.

It was not till years later that I realised that American "jelly" = "jam". I think what we call "jelly" they call "jell-o", but I'm not sure.

Yeah, Peanuts always used to confuse the hell out of me for that very reason when I was a kid.

I could never figure out how Charlie Brown's mum was able to slice jelly (i.e. jello) into thin enough strips that you could put it in a sandwich.

(Nor could I understand why the hell you'd want to eat it).

 

[Kemrain]

Sodomy and buggery are genuine words (i.e. not slang) which appear in UK dictionaries, but I wonder if the same is true in America. (But if you don't know what they mean I am not going to tell you ....)

Sodomy is a word used in america. Buggery isn't. Bugger is a word that has lost nearly all it's meaning over here, in the areas I hear it used. Very different than it's used across the pond.

For those who don't know, sodomy and buggery are synonyms. Well, sodomy around here can mean any non-missionalry sex, so, to be more specific, buggery is anal sex.

Not the sort of thing I ever expected to say on EN World. I love this place.

- Kemrain the Amused.

 

[tensen]

shot of = rid of



Oky here's a few:

'pissed' means drunk (not angry), as does 'wankered'

That one got me the first time one of my UK staff said it. I was askin if everyhting was all right, thinking they were really upset at something.. only to find out that it was just the evening sherry

 

[Thunderfoot]

As noted earlier - Fag - That phrase brings me no end of humor.
When I was stationed in Germany with the Army, a fellow solider from the Isles said in a rather loud voice "Time, to smoke a long fag!" The ten seconds pregnant pause followed by the burst of uncontrollable laughter (it was about 0300 on a mid shift) lent to some very interesting conversations about what that phrase means in American English versus True English.

I believe it was the great statesman Winston Churchill who made the statement, "England and America are two great nations separated by the same language." I have always remembered this little tidbit when speaking not only with my counterparts from England, but also, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada - we great few who share the common misfortune of slaughtering each others phrases.
So to the Ugly Yanks, Socialist Canuks, Limeys, Skirtwearers, Kiwis, Sons of criminals and Drunken Irishmen everywhere I salute you! :\

Of course all of the above was meant in good clean fun. I've served along each of your fellow countrymen and women and have nothing but the HIGHEST regards, to my Anglo brothers everywhere - God's peace