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english; for 89th and MP
Topic Started: Dec 6 2006, 08:30 PM (179 Views)
bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
Words only used in British English
British American
aerial antenna
arse ass (buttocks)
barrister lawyer (distinction only in British law)
bollocks balls (testicles) (interchangeable in British English)
bloody damn (e.g., This bloody car won't start.)
bonnet (of a car) hood
boot (of a car) trunk
candy floss cotton candy
concession discount
crisps chips (e.g., potato or corn)
current account checking account
engaged tone busy signal
fairy cake cupcake
indicator turn signal
laundrette laundromat
lorry truck (interchangeable in British English)
maths math
MD (managing director) CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
mobile (phone) cell phone
nappy diaper
paraffin kerosene
petrol gasoline
pram baby carriage
pudding dessert (interchangeable in British English)
randy horny (interchangeable in British English)
ring someone call someone (interchangeable in British English)
settee couch (interchangeable in British English)
shag **** (interchangeable in British English)
(shag is a kind of carpet and a dance in American English)
snogging kissing / "making out"
spanner wrench
solicitor lawyer (distinction only in British law)
sticking plaster Band-Aid


Words only used in American English
Speakers of British English are generally aware of the American English term, but would not generally use it.

American British
ass arse
busy signal engaged tone
checking account current account
cookie biscuit
cotton candy candy floss
cupcake fairy cake
diner cafe
dumpster skip
french fries chips
gasoline petrol
math maths
stroller pram
turn signal indicator

Words which have one meaning in British English and another in American English

bum butt (buttocks) hobo, homeless person
cafe diner French cafe
chemist pharmacist, pharmacy
chips french fries crisps
biscuit cracker or cookie
bonnet hood (of a car)
boot trunk (of a car)
dummy pacifier
fag cigarette queer
fanny pussy (vagina) bum (not obscene)
flat apartment
lift elevator
lounge living room
pavement sidewalk the road surface
pissed drunk angry
rubber eraser
rubbish garbage / trash
silencer muffler
skip dumpster
tap faucet
torch flashlight
tube subway
underground subway
valve tube, or vacuum tube
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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The 89th Key
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:wave2:
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
American lady asking about the dress code: "Is it alright if I wear pants to work?"
English boss, with suitably understated tone: "I'm sure that its none of our business."

An American friend of mine in England hurt herself at work. When she mentioned she'd like to file for Workman's Comp her coworkers gave her blank stares. When she said it was an "on the job injury", her coworkers burst out in laughter.
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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Riley
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HOLY CARP!!!
Wow, I had never even heard some of those!

Not only do they call a cell phone a 'mobile', but they don't even pronounce it properly. ;)
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
ivorythumper
Dec 7 2006, 01:05 AM
When she said it was an "on the job injury", her coworkers burst out in laughter.

:o
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
I know a woman who was rather startled when one of her British friends said he would "knock you up tomorrow".
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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***musical princess***
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HOLY CARP!!!
JBryan
Dec 7 2006, 02:07 PM
I know a woman who was rather startled when one of her British friends said he would "knock you up tomorrow".

:eek: :mellow: :redface:

x
x Caroline x
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