What do YOU call it?

Lissa - posted on 09/03/2011

Scottish people also tend to say aye instead of yes, I say braw a lot which can mean good, beautiful, lovely depends on how you say it. It's a braw day, we had a braw day, you look braw. Sleekit meaning sly, sneaky and canny which depending on how you use it can mean careful and also clever/wise. Ken is also a common term for know, I personally don't say it but I hear it all the time.

Michelle - posted on 09/03/2011

Just thought of another one.

Holiday........Vacation

Stifler's - posted on 09/03/2011

Some people call a whipper snipper a brush cutter here too erin. I don't though.

Erin - posted on 09/03/2011

Sidewalk = pavement = footpath in Aus

Lady - posted on 09/03/2011

Sidewalk is a pavement in the UK - what is it in Aus?

Sounds as if Aus is more like the UK a lot of the time!

Good Day! - posted on 09/02/2011

Interesting...I never knew that it was called something different in the north.

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

We call it a weed whacker.

Jane - posted on 09/02/2011

Also known as a string trimmer. :-)

Good Day! - posted on 09/02/2011

You mean a weed eater?

Jane - posted on 09/02/2011

In the US we use both mow the lawn and cut the grass, and not all SUVs have 4 wheel drive and not all vehicles with 4 wheel drive are SUVs so we distinguish between the two. And a 4 wheel drive vehicle is sometimes also called a four by four (4 x 4).



And for us a veranda is a spacious roofed porch at the same level as and attached to the house, while a patio is a stone, tile, brick, or concrete pad that may or may not have a roof but is not necessarily directly attached to the house.

Erin - posted on 09/02/2011

Oh thought of some more..

4 Wheel Drive = SUV
Doona = Comforter/Duvet
Shop (noun) = Store
Verandah = Patio
Mow the lawn = cut the grass
Whipper Snipper = Weed Whacker (I think that's what you guys call it).

Jane - posted on 09/02/2011

In the USA, beer on tap is either beer on tap or draft beer. We don't have names for the various sizes of servings. Most places serve just one size or a pitcher, so you can pour yourself more without waiting, or share with friends. A few places have a larger single serving but usually they simply list it by number of ounces or give it a cutesy name to go with the theme of the bar.

Rebecca - posted on 09/02/2011

All I know is, almost every single British friend I've had pronounces my name, "Rahbecker". Like Rebecca with an "er" after it.

As well, I can always tell if someone's second generation from Eastern Europe, Italy and a most of the former Soviet Union if they say words like, "thinking" as "thinkink". Doesn't matter if that person only ever spoke English or lived in a mainly English speaking country - that's how most "ing" words end up coming out.

Erin - posted on 09/02/2011

What do you Americans call it when you get a glass of beer from the tap at a bar (ie, not bottled)? Do you do pints like in the UK? In my part of Aus, a large glass is called a schooner, and a small one is a midi. But in Victoria, a small glass of beer is called a pot. Not sure what they call a schooner. Anyone?

Jane - posted on 09/02/2011

I am aware of that - that's why I listed several Australian terms.

Jodi - posted on 09/02/2011

Jane, even within in Australia there are differences with some words depending on where you live.

Jane - posted on 09/02/2011

For those who wish to explore, check out http://www.travelfurther.net/dictionarie... for American-British, and British-American dictionaries.

The USA is so large that we have differences in the language we speak within our own borders. For example, depending on where you are from the ubiquitous sweet fizzy drink is known as soda, soda pop, pop, coke (even if it isn't a cola), cola (again, even if it isn't strictly a cola), soda water, soft drink, mixer, fizzy drink, tonic, cold drink, fizzy water, or carbonated beverage.

In Australia it is called fizzy drink or lolly water or soft drink, except for lemon-lime soda, which is lemonade.

In the UK you drink a soft drink, pop, or fizzy drink. In Scotland one asks for a ginger, or a juice. And in Ireland, you can get brown lemonade, red lemonade or white lemonade, a mineral or a fizzy drink.

In the USA, lemonade is never carbonated and is simply a mix of lemon juice, sugar and water, served cold.

Language is a lot of fun. Similar differences can be found in the Spanish spoken in various different countries.

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

Yes we only call it gas. Even for cars that take diesel we still say the car or truck needs gas.

Jodi - posted on 09/02/2011

Oh, we call it fuel too, but when it is broken down into specifics, it is either gas, petrol or diesel. If my car is getting empty I will say *I need to get fuel*.

Good Day! - posted on 09/02/2011

Jodi, we call it fuel. Or that might just be my family.

Good Day! - posted on 09/02/2011

A buggy is a shopping cart or a stroller. My kid calls them 'boogies'. Also in Louisiana, we make groceries not grocery shop.

Jodi - posted on 09/02/2011

Why DO American's call it gas? It's not gas, it is petroleum. Gas is a different product altogether. So I never understood why you would call it gas. *shrug*. I fill up with diesel. At our petrol stations, we have the options of gas (LPG), petrol, or diesel, depending on what the car takes.



Calling it gas (or gasoline) just confuses it with LPG. But anyway :P

Good Day! - posted on 09/02/2011

Here's another one for pacifier. We call it a "noo-ni" or "noo-noo". Maybe because a boob can also be a "nini". Babies suck on noo-noos or ninis. I'm in the southern US.

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

@Laura interesting here it looks just like a duplex except that you have more than only one neighbor. You have have 5 or 6 neighbors or more. I have to say they are so nice, and way bigger than my house too.



Here is an example of a condo here.



http://www.susan-crush.com/real_estate/l...

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

Fanny, tukas, bum, hiney - All mean butt

Jakki - posted on 09/02/2011

Oh have you covered fannies and bums?

In Australia "fanny" is slang for vagina, so we totally crack up when we hear Americans talking about "fanny packs" which we call "bum bags".

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

Lol I think the essence of a condo is multi family property but individually owned. It's like in-between a apt and a house.

Lissa - posted on 09/02/2011

If you guys can't agree on what a condo is I'll never find out :)

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

Sherri that sounds like a duplex.....I guess maybe condo is different place to place but the ones I know best are downtown on the lake and it's just a huge building, 7+ stories, and four condos are on each story. They all have a porch if ground level, or a balcony for all the upper levels. Underground parking and an elevator in the center.

Lissa - posted on 09/02/2011

Of course I suppose you could say "Go ben the ben and get Ben" but it is hardly likely that you are going to ask someone to go up a mountain and get a person called Ben :)



Then of course there is a but n ben which is an old term for a two room cottage.

Lissa - posted on 09/02/2011

Funnily enough my tutor told us a story yesterday. Someone was telling her to go ben, she thought she was supposed to be getting a child called Ben. She was panicking thinking she was supposed to have a Ben with her :)
No it's not confusing you are hardly likely to say you went up/climbed Ben Cruachan and have somebody think you are talking about a child :) Thinking about it I only know two Ben's, I guess it isn't a particularly common name( I just looked it up Ben is number 34 in the top 100 boys names in Scotland 2010 :)

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

Hmmmm Condos are different here Laura. It is an attached bldg meaning attached to others but you access it just like you would a house. You have your own front and back doors and they are usually multiple levels, meaning an up and downstairs and usually include a basement as well. The only difference between a condo and a house is that you do have neighbors on either side of you and you have a shared yard that you don't have to care for.

Does this make sense??

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

Torch to me is a stick with an open flame on it, used in olden days :)

And a fag is derogatory term for homosexuals.

Trousers :) that always makes me smile to hear that. Idk why...and here Ben is pretty much only a boys name :) short for Benjamin, isn't that confusing if you use Ben for mountain and also for a name or aren't there many benjamins over there?

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

Wow Lissa that's totally and completely awesome! Lol I love this thread! Icant believe the differences........

Oh and a condo is essentially an apartment or flat :) but instead of renting it you buy it. It's your own property but its in a building like an apartment. So it's common for small families, single people or older people. Perks are you don't have to maintain a yard, but the downside is you still have 'neighbors' through the walls ceiling and floor although I think most good condos have great insulation soits not so noisy :)

Lissa - posted on 09/02/2011

Lol JuLeah we don't add those letters in to words,they are supposed to be there, Americans took them out!
I would say pram and buggy, the pram being what you put small babies in with the bed part you can unclip (when it is unclipped that part alone would then be called a carry cot) a buggy is the lightweight (stroller?) that you put an older child in.
Pants/knickers are your underwear, trousers are your pants. Stockings refer to the things held up by suspender belts and tights are the all in one version (pantyhose I think). We live in flats and houses not apartments (I still have no idea what a condo is!). A garden is a yard, trainers not sneakers,lifts not elevators. Main roads and motorways not highways and freeways. Pub not bar, petrol/deisel not gas, sweets not candy,torch not flashlight,spanner not wrench, a fag is a cigarette, I could go on but I'll finish with randy (as someone mentioned before) HORNY.
Of course we also have the differences between Scotland and England. Ginger here is a common term for any fizzy drink, we have Lochs not Lakes and Mountain is called a Ben but ben can also be used to mean go there (kind of) if someone said "go on ben" and gestured to the living room they mean you to go in there. If there is a street on a steep incline we would call it a brae. A wee mindin would refer to a little gift bought for a person, not expensive but a little I was thinking of you. Three of my favourites though are bourach which means a mess, dreich which means dark,overcast,drizzly and rammy which means a fight.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

I love culvers fries!!! Or just any typical family restaurant style fries. Big chunky ones are awsome. Or waffle fries.....ok I'm hungry now :)

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

OMGosh the only french fries I will even eat are McDonalds fries. The rest are all horrible but McDonald's are like a twice a year huge treat.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

Ahh we have 'fish and chips' which is fish and huge fries. Confuses the kids :)
I hate mc donalds fries, they're sooooo oily and over salted.

Cathy - posted on 09/02/2011

Very important one

Chips (UK) = Fries (US)
Only our chips are chunky pieces of potato. Those skinny pieces of crap you get in McDonalds we still call fries.

Crisps (UK) = Potato Chips (US)

Cathy - posted on 09/02/2011

An american biscuit is the same thing as a scone in Britain.

An Pom is the Aussie slang name for British people.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

We call it soda :) we called my dad 'pop' and some grandpas are called pop or poppa around here in WI

Kate CP - posted on 09/02/2011

Here's one that gets folks even across the states:

In the south US a can of cola is called a Coke. Doesn't matter if it's Coke brand or not, it's still a Coke. In the north it's called a pop.

Figure that one out. ;)

Lacye - posted on 09/02/2011

Uuuummmm........... What is a Pom? I saw it on the first page and I'm kinda confused. LOL.

JuLeah - posted on 09/02/2011

English folks add a lot of 'U's and 'O's in words for reasons I can't understand.

Common name for a child here in the states is Randy - that used to crack us up as kids ... when we learned what the English use that word for

Pants .... underwear
Trousers .... pants

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/02/2011

A cooler is portable, a freezer is something below freezing point, and a fridge, or refrigerator is something kept cool but not freezing. There's mini fridges and mini freezers too that are small and used in apartments and dorms.

Sherri - posted on 09/02/2011

Ah yeah we call that a cooler and call summer footwear flip flops. Thongs are a form of underwear but we still call them underwear.

Michelle - posted on 09/02/2011

GN Ladies. I'm off to bed. I've got to work tomorrow.

Michelle - posted on 09/02/2011

Yep Sarah. All the same thing.

Sarah - posted on 09/02/2011

I'd call that a "cool box"

Michelle - posted on 09/02/2011

Sherri: an esky or chilly bin or cooler is a portable box that you put ice in to keep your drinks/food cold when away from a fridge or power source. Like when you go on a picnic.