The British-to-American Dictionary
 

I find it amusing how Brits and Yanks both speak English yet have so many different ways of expressing the same meaning.

Example:

What other phrases are commonly used by the two groups and interchangeable?

Mobile phone = cell phone.

Lorrie = Truck

aluminium = aluminum.

Pavement=Sidewalk

chips = fries

Ok, these are the obvious ones. Someone come in here and give us the cool ones.

Edit: Do you guys call your undies pants? I was watching coupling and they had a big pants discussion and it took me a little bit to get that they were referring to underwear.

They're knickers over there, aren't they... and pants are trousers?

Knickers = Womens underwear
Pants / Underpants = Mens underwear
Trousers = Trousers

:)

Autumn - Fall
Advert - Commecial
Jam - Jelly (right?)
Bin - Garbage can
Rubbish - Garbage
Settee - Couch.

Here, jam is more easily spreadable than jelly. Jelly is kind of...more like jello in its consistency I guess. Jam can drip everywhere...it's not really gelatinous. Then you got preserves which is jelly with **** in it.

Chipper = Carpenter and/or guy who makes french fries.

I am never completely sure which is which over there. Everytime I think I know, someone or something throws me off again.

Basically this is jam and this is jelly. So, it's the same there as it is here, right?

But I have definitely witnessed Americans referring to jam as jelly and jelly as jam, and then I hear the word jello mentioned too and I just get confused.

Jam is seeded
Jelly is unseeded

Or at least it's supposed to be anyway.

I know that in Australia, jelly is jello, and jam is the fruit spread.

Dessert = Pudding

This would always **** me up as a waiter when UK guests would ask what puddings we had and I would tell them, "uh,...none". The incredulous looks I'd get were very entertaining.

Jam and jelly are not the same thing, as far as I'm aware. Jelly is made from fruit juice and is more spreadable, while jam is made from pureed fruit (hence it has seeds in it). And, as duga mentioned, preserves has full pieces of fruit in it...

These are the kind of terms they use that piss me off. If you wanna say "mate" instead of "friend" then be my guest but as you said pudding is a specific type of dessert and therefore an extremely frustrating misuse of the term...

What we refer to as being pudding, is usually considered a custard or mousse in Englese.

But it would be just as frustrating for us when the roles were reversed.

My lad says mom instead of mam.
He watches too much American TV.
I'm trying to get him out of the habit with a swift clip round the back of the head.

Give me an example and I'll be pleased to get angry at myself... :)

Well if it would be frustrating for you to have an English person ask for a pudding then wouldn't it be the same if the roles were reversed? You still wouldn't get what you were asking for.

Same goes for lots of things using that logic like if you were to ask for chips or a biscuit.

I have no problem with "chips" or "biscuit" because they are foods that developed their own unique identities in their own cultures and have very specific meanings. But this is pudding--it's not a matter of us using it for a different dish...

Is this an English vs. American term? Because both terms are used pretty frequently here.

The english NEVER use 'Fall' to describe autumn, whereas in america its the more commonly used name, probably on account of being one less syllable.

No it's a term that really is the standard word for that situation. I moved back from Wales this time in 2007 and had heard enough people using the term "autumn" when I would have said "fall".

For the day lights savings time the clocks "spring forward and fall backwards". You can't use autumn in that saying!

What does 'fall' actually mean? I thought it came to be used due to the fact that tree's shed leaves during the autumn rather than for it to have anything to do with daylight savings.

Both terms are common in America but yeah, in England we never, ever use the word fall.

Although I believe we used to. I don't believe it originated in England but i'm sure we used to use it in the past. I've read up about this one before but it was a while ago.

That must be why everyone here pronounces the word "caramel" as "carmel". :P

I had to hear it from an English dude for like half an hour about that one.

I can sorta sympathize... I hear an embarrassing number of Americans (mostly see them on the internet, and particularly any place where there are a lot of Brits congregating... like here) speaking in British terminology and mannerisms, down to the spelling. While I really don't care to argue which version of English is the right one or not, I gotta say... I wish people would just stick to what's considered correct in their own country. It annoys me to no end when I hear some jackass who's never even been to Europe putting on some unnecessary show in order to... what, fleetingly make people thing they're not who they are? It can't be easier to speak and act in a way that isn't even native to your continent, much less your own life until you started getting enamored by people who couldn't really give less of a **** about whether you speak their jargon or not.

I guess it's all a personal choice, but I still think it's retarded.

And then there's garage rhyming with Carriage instead of Mirage.

^

I loved that one. I would make my kiwi friend say garage all the time. He got really annoyed by it.

That's what's great about being Canadian. You can speak anybody's version of English.

Favorite post of the day, you're right to criticize these people. They show their true colors.

Inflicting corporal punishment on your son for talking like a normal human being :P

Well, I've been mock-criticized for my word choices here before, and I'd like to say that it's not necessarily a matter of choosing to sound like anybody else. It's simply a matter of spending a lot of time speaking to people who use localized terminology, and it rubbing off on my every day dialogue.

Yeah, i think people should stick to whats correct in their own country and I also absolutely agree that I could not care any less to argue over whats "right" and whats "wrong."

I mean, sure I sometimes joke around ie the whole football/soccer thing but some people take this stuff really seriously. I'm going to talk the way I talk regardless because it's correct for the part of the world I reside in and because language is forever evolving and changing anyway.

@ Pedestrian:

I never had that problem.
I think the biggest thing that ever happened to my communication after having moved from my hometown and lived in other places and in Europe is that I lost my particular accent I grew up with. (thankfully)

And I've been on forums predominantly populated by Brits for years. Still never felt the need to start talking like them, outside of a few intentional jokes or what have you.

Covered that!

EDIT: But honestly, some people are more impressionable than others. I pick up on the turns of phrases my friends use, whatever nationality they may be. It's not like I'm trying to be more American by using words like "soda", or more English by calling someone a twat. I just hear them on a consistent basis and make quick associations with them be they coming or going in dialogue.

Not Jamaicans' version!