UK English vrs US English - light thread

amother

Outerspace

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 6:41 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

Is this proper English spelling, or did my friend not know how to spell? Aluminium and jewellery.

They really do say aluminium. It's not only spelled differently.

amother

NeonBlue

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 6:41 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

Is this proper English spelling, or did my friend not know how to spell? Aluminium and jewellery.

Lol australian spelling probably british spelling too- just like colour and apologise and maths...

amother

Wine

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 9:08 pm

amother [ Nemesia ] wrote:

Bloody in the US means full of blood. Is that still a curse word in England?

yes. bloody hell!

youngishbear

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 10:13 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

There is some chiluk about using the article the re hospitals. Sometimes it is used but I don't know the lomdus.

Apparently, it depends on what your purpose is.

Even in the US, we would say "She went to school" if she was a student, but "She went to the school" if she entered the building for any other reason.

I wonder if the rule is similar with hospital in the UK, though in the US we would never skip the article.

youngishbear

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 10:15 pm

amother [ Molasses ] wrote:

I remember using "spitting" and "drizzling". I think spitting was very very light rain - just tiny little drops.
Drizzling was steadier, but also light. I'm in my 40's from Northwest London.

Did anyone mention the headmistress? (Mine seriously reminded me of the queen).

We'd also say clothes rather than clothing.

I never heard of strep growing up, but I often heard of tonsillitis.

My first reaction to this back-and-forth about spitting and drizzling was that it is only sensible that the Brits have lots of nuanced words for rain lol.

youngishbear

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 10:18 pm

amother [ Wine ] wrote:

yes. bloody hell!

Is it used more generally, too? "Can't get this bloody thing to work!" or similar expressions?

Reminds me of the lyrics of 8th Day's "Moses in Me":

This bloody river is gonna split before me...

And I always wondered - what bloody river? Are they cursing in British? Was there a splitting of a river of blood that I didn't learn about? Is this poetic license?

salt

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 10:19 pm

amother [ Pansy ] wrote:

We say spitting. Manchester Smile

We also say spitting in London.
My Israeli kids think it's hilarious when I say it's spitting.

cbsp

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 5:23 am

youngishbear wrote:

Not a reference to makas dam?

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 5:48 am

Brownies wrote:

Yes, you're right. In many places in the North of England, they will call the hot evening meal "tea". I've never heard Jews refer to it as such, only non-Jews, when I used to work around those areas. I found it quite confusing at first as I had always associated tea with afternoon tea and cakes!

There are definitely also people who will refer to dessert as pudding but I'm not sure whereabouts in the UK this is common. I always grew up with dessert, not pudding. I have a feeling pudding is more posh.

Anyone else agree me with me that we called dessert "afters"?

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 5:51 am

amother [ Whitewash ] wrote:

Tea was definitely a thing in old fashioned England, but it was never an evening meal.

Tea is at abt 4pm and we invited others for tea and went out for tea. Of course it was tea and cake/buscuits.

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 5:54 am

amother [ Daylily ] wrote:

Teatime around late afternoon on the dot: a trolley was wheeled into the room where the family was seated around the table. On the trolley was small china cups and saucers, a matching china jug filled with tea n water, a smaller china jug of milk, and sugar. And serviettes.
Remember tea - an English cuppa tea is with milk. I still drink it. Delicious. Next to the tea one could eat a scone or biscuits.
Mealtime was very proper: everyone sat up straight without elbows on the tables, no slouching, no slurping, and everyone ate with a knife, fork and spoon at all meals. I'm still so happy that table manners was ingrained in me.

The evening meal was a cooked meal called supper.
I still call it supper.

This

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:00 am

amother [ Outerspace ] wrote:

They really do say aluminium. It's not only spelled differently.

in UK we called aluminum foil, silver foil

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:02 am

amother [ Nemesia ] wrote:

Bloody in the US means full of blood. Is that still a curse word in England?

Bloody is a curse word, short for "by our lady", referring to j's mother

amother

Mistyrose

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:03 am

Blimey = blind me
We were not allowed to say such words and were in big trouble for saying "shut up"

amother

Brickred

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:16 am

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

Anyone else agree me with me that we called dessert "afters"?

we do sometimes

amother

Pansy

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:31 am

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

Anyone else agree me with me that we called dessert "afters"?

Yup!

amother

Pansy

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:35 am

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

Tea is at abt 4pm and we invited others for tea and went out for tea. Of course it was tea and cake/buscuits.

I recently saw an advert for someone looking for a tea time girl to help them. So the word is still used, but it's definitely more of an old fashioned/older people thing.

amother

Pansy

Thu, Jun 24 2021, 6:37 am

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

Blimey = blind me
We were not allowed to say such words and were in big trouble for saying "shut up"

Same here. My kids sometimes say shut up 😲 they know it's not nice though. We never use the word blimey. Didn't hear it much growing up. It's like an olden day 'swear' word. I mean it's ok but reminds me of low lives a bit...