American Slang

[Willy Dangle]

This thread is not a jab at our friends from over the pond, I infact have extended family. However some of their spin on our beautiful language makes me chuckle.

Fanny Pack and Pants always curves a childish smirk on my face.

Anyone else?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I remember staying in the home of an American family and asking them to knock me up at eight o'clock in the morning.

 

[Willy Dangle]

I remember staying in the home of an American family and asking them to knock me up at eight o'clock in the morning.

Now that's what I'm talking about.

 

[8ace]

Caboose is a great word.
Rest room - I'm just going for a quick rest
Biscuit is a scone

 

[Djmiles]

Americans are obsessed with making words SHORTER by missing out letters (Color, Donut etc), so the one word that pisses me off is ELEVATOR.

Why? Just why? LIFT is such a simple word and perfectly describes what it does, why change it?

 

[brakespear]

Americans are obsessed with making words SHORTER by missing out letters (Color, Donut etc), so the one word that pisses me off is ELEVATOR.

Why? Just why? LIFT is such a simple word and perfectly describes what it does, why change it?

I seem to recall reading, possibly in a Bill Bryson book, that at least some of these are due to how the words were spelt/used when the founding fathers left for the New World.

 

[happypig]

I once had a technical discussion with an american customer and he asked me about his "rowter". I said "that's a woodworking tool, do you mean a rooter ?" he said "oh yeah, I guess you guys pronounce stuff differently". "No" I said, "We pronounce it correctly, that's why it's called ENGLISH, because it, like me, is from ENGLAND"

 

[T soprano]

Americans are obsessed with making words SHORTER by missing out letters (Color, Donut etc), so the one word that pisses me off is ELEVATOR.

Why? Just why? LIFT is such a simple word and perfectly describes what it does, why change it?

Love in an Elevator sounds much better than love in a lift though

 

[Kumquat]

I always liked eddie izzards opening line at his san francisco gig. "Hello America. I'm from Europe. Where history comes from"

 

[Triggaaar]

I once had a technical discussion with an american customer and he asked me about his "rowter". I said "that's a woodworking tool, do you mean a rooter ?" he said "oh yeah, I guess you guys pronounce stuff differently". "No" I said, "We pronounce it correctly, that's why it's called ENGLISH, because it, like me, is from ENGLAND"

You wanker.

Not slang, but their pronunciation of Moscow is bloody weird. I think I first noticed it on a Phil Donohue show.

 

[SeagullSongs]

YouTube

 

[HovaGirl]

Americans are obsessed with making words SHORTER by missing out letters (Color, Donut etc), so the one word that pisses me off is ELEVATOR.

Why? Just why? LIFT is such a simple word and perfectly describes what it does, why change it?

It was us that changed it by adding the "u". Americans still use the old English spelling without the "u".

 

[Peever]

Soccer.....

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Soccer.....

That's British slang.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

This thread is not a jab at our friends from over the pond, I infact have extended family. However some of their spin on our beautiful language makes me chuckle.

Fanny Pack and Pants always curves a childish smirk on my face.

Anyone else?

Pants is British. Somewhere in the Midlands trousers seem to morph into 'pants'. Most unnerving!

 

[Garage_Doors]

Fags.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Car-rib-ian instead of Caribbean.

 

[Garage_Doors]

They are the only nation that drive on parkways and park of driveways.

 

[willyfantastic]

they call everybody bro - i quite like that

 

[Icy Gull]

Have you got a rubber that I can use?

Open the hood when they mean open the bonnet