[DonMigs85]

Why do you Brits call trucks "lorries"?
And construction workers are simply called "builders"
And where did "old bean" come from

[Atrophis]

The one that annoys me is 'write me' instead of 'write to me'.

No, actually 'winningest' is the most annoying. It is NOT a word!

[cwmartin]

"what the fuck are you on about"

I know exactly what it means, and I love it. Can't really get away with it in America

[Hilbert]

"what the fuck are you on about" I know exactly what it means, and I love it. Can't really get away with it in America

I am not sure what you mean, I hear that in America all the time.

[Shadow Hog]

Actually, here's an American colloquialism that I, as an American, don't get: "mom". In England, it's "mum", which kinda makes sense, since it sounds like "mother". I'm not 100% sure how we got "mom", then.

I mean, our country's history was pretty closely tied to that of the French for a good part of the earliest stretches (thanks in no small part to France's involvement in the Revolutionary War), and France has "mama", which does kinda sound like "mom"; maybe it came from there? (Much like "pop" would then come from "papa".) But then, I am not an etymologist, so this is just baseless conjecture.

Just remembering back to those three years in England where I stuck to the word "mom" like the world's most stubborn jingoist, heh.

[Hilbert]

Actually, here's an American colloquialism that I, as an American, don't get: "mom". In England, it's "mum", which kinda makes sense, since it sounds like "mother". I'm not 100% sure how we got "mom", then. I mean, our country's history was pretty closely tied to that of the French for a good part of the earliest stretches (thanks in no small part to France's involvement in the Revolutionary War), and France has "mama", which does kinda sound like "mom"; maybe it came from there? (Much like "pop" would then come from "papa".) But then, I am not an etymologist, so this is just baseless conjecture. Just remembering back to those three years in England where I stuck to the word "mom" like the world's most stubborn jingoist, heh.

It looks like you are right, here is what the OED has to say:

1. As a form of address: mother. Also: a mother.
In addition to North American use, found also in English regional (West Midlands) use (cf. quot. 1996; quots. 1904 and 1911 show early use in British sources) and in South African English.

1894 Dial. Notes 1 332 Mam, mom, mæ, for mamma or mother.
1904 R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma (new ed.) xi. 48 The young lady..preferred ‘asking’ her to ‘Ask Momm [1858 Mamma]’.
1911 R. W. Chambers Common Law v. 156 City-wearied fathers of youngsters who called their parents ‘pop’ and ‘mom’.
1946 J. Stuart Tales from Plum Grove Hills 85, I know what Mom is thinking when she looks at the martin boxes.
1961 J. Heller Catch-22 (1962) i. 9 The hot dog, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mom's apple pie. That's what everyone's fighting for.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp i. 24 Call my mom. She'll tell you.
1990 J. Updike Rabbit at Rest ii. 183 There was a taste, oilclothy, or like a hot windowsill paint, or the vanilla and nutmeg when Mom baked a cake.
1996 M. Syal Anita & Me (1997) iii. 45 She sighed and said in a flat, bored voice, ‘Tell me mom. I don't care.’

[shadyspace]

"what the fuck are you on about" I know exactly what it means, and I love it. Can't really get away with it in America

This is definitely more common in the UK but you wouldn't turn any heads saying it in the US.

[Baconsammy]

America gave the world: "My bad."

You're welcome, world. You're welcome.

[shadyspace]

Is it really true you guys used to say million million or some shit before we came up with billion.

[JessicaPadkin]

My favourite American colloquialism is 'eat crow'. I think it's a fantastic phrase. Is it actually used often in the US, or is it an internet thing?

[pants]

Any non commonwealth gaffers know what I am saying below?

"Meeting was canceled because the timing was all quite doolally, so I'm off to have a cuppa with my fam. If you see that muppet Trevor, tell him I naffed off bruv."

[Hilbert]

My favourite American colloquialism is 'eat crow'. I think it's a fantastic phrase. Is it actually used often in the US, or is it an internet thing?

I am not sure about eating crow, but humble pie was actually a pie made from offal.


[1851 San Francisco Picayune 3 Dec. 1/6, I kin eat a crow, but I'll be darned if I hanker after it.]

[pants]

Is it really true you guys used to say million million or some shit before we came up with billion.

You guys say "fifteen hundred" instead of "one thousand five hundred". I find that kind of crazy.

[cajunator]

a few things we say in Louisiana are "save your things" and "making groceries"
Save your things (or save XXXXXX) means to put something away for safe keeping.
Making groceries is a New Orleans term for going to the store to buy groceries.

[Hilbert]

You guys say "fifteen hundred" instead of "one thousand five hundred". I find that kind of crazy.

We can say both.

[shadyspace]

Any non commonwealth gaffers know what I am saying below? "Meeting was canceled because the timing was all quite doolally, so I'm off to have a cuppa with my fam. If you see that muppet Trevor, tell him I naffed off bruv."

Timing for the meeting didn't line up. I'm going to have a cup of tea with my family (or maybe your friends). Tell that asshole Trevor I left bro.

[ConfusingJazz]

My favourite American colloquialism is 'eat crow'. I think it's a fantastic phrase. Is it actually used often in the US, or is it an internet thing?

We do, but it's easier to use it on the Internet because everything is on the record.

[pants]

Timing for the meeting was off. You're going to have a cup of tea with your family. Tell that asshole Trevor I left bro.

Well done, except fam != family. It is derived from family but it actually means close friend :)

[shadyspace]

Well done, except fam != family. It is derived from family but it actually means close friend :)

yeah see my edit. Fam is also used to refer to a group of friends in the US in "urban" language.

[timetokill]

My favourite American colloquialism is 'eat crow'. I think it's a fantastic phrase. Is it actually used often in the US, or is it an internet thing?

It's fairly common in my circles.

[Gustav]

Close but no cigar? Where does it come from?

[Overdoziz]

Why do Brits pronounce the letter "Z" as "Zed", and the number "0" as "naught"?

Don't they say "nil" for "0" too?

[shadyspace]

Close but no cigar? Where does it come from?

The phrase, and its variant 'nice try, but no cigar', are of US origin and date from the mid-20th century. Fairground stalls gave out cigars as prizes, and this is the most likely source, although there's no definitive evidence to prove that. It is first recorded in print in Sayre and Twist's publishing of the script of the 1935 film version of Annie Oakley: "Close, Colonel, but no cigar!" It appears in U. S. newspapers widely from around 1949 onwards; for example, a story from The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, November 1949, where The Lima House Cigar and Sporting Goods Store narrowly avoided being burned down in a fire, was titled 'Close But No Cigar'.

.

[youngwerther]

You guys say "fifteen hundred" instead of "one thousand five hundred". I find that kind of crazy.

We say both but as far as I know the former is common even outside the United States.
For instance I know the Germans say it like that.

"Meeting was canceled because the timing was all quite doolally, so I'm off to have a cuppa with my fam. If you see that muppet Trevor, tell him I naffed off bruv."

Shouldn't it be moppet?

I didn't know muppet was a real word, I just thought the children's show derived it by from "puppet" and "moppet".

[Zeppu]

Close but no cigar? Where does it come from?

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/close,_but_no_cigar

[pants]

yeah see my edit. Fam is also used to refer to a group of friends in the US in "urban" language.

Thats interesting to note. Fam is mostly used by the youth of London.

Last one:
That blighter Trevor had a pint and picked up a bird at the bar, you saw her she was right minging innit, eh?

Shouldn't it be moppet? I didn't know muppet was a real word, I just thought the children's show derived it by from "puppet" and "moppet".

It's muppet, if football has taught me one thing it is the proper use of the words wanker, muppet and a certain banned on neogaf word.

[akira28]

why does everyone use "innit" wrong?

[Czigga]

Close but no cigar? Where does it come from?

Cigars are traditionally smoked during a celebratory event, such as winning the world series, or having a baby.

"Close, but no cigar" means you were close to victory, but fell short, hence, no cigar.

[shadyspace]

Thats interesting to note. Fam is mostly used by the youth of London. Last one: That blighter Trevor had a pint and picked up a bird at the bar, you saw her she was right minging innit, eh?

(no idea about blighter) Trevor had a beer and picked up this chick, you saw, she was all over him, right?

[pants]

(no idea about blighter) Trevor had a beer and picked up this chick, you saw, she was all over him, right?

That blighter (poor guy) Trevor had a pint and picked up a bird(woman) at the bar, you saw her she was right minging(unpleasant looking) innit, eh?(don't you think)

[weekend_warrior]

2 more for you Brits.

1. Is there a difference between saying "euro" and "quid"? Or are they interchangeable like America's "dollar" and "buck"?

2. What is the standard unit of measure over there? Because on Top Gear they almost always refer to speeds in miles/hour, and for other measuresments they often say something like "Blah blah is 3cm, or in Queens English, 2 1/2 inches". I can't figure out if they do that normally or are just doing it for the benefit of us American viewers.

[Czigga]

I am pasting an email my mom sent recently. It is not necessarily specific to America, but thought it was appropriate.

Where did "piss poor" come from? If you're young and hip, this is still interesting. NOW THIS IS A REAL EDUCATIONUs older people need to learn something new every day... Just to keep the grey matter tuned up. Where did "Piss Poor" come from? Interesting history. They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot. And then once it was full it was taken and sold to the tannery... if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot... They "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low. The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature Isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500's Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, And they still smelled pretty good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!" Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs." There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery; in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing.. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, It would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren't you?) In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests And would all sit around and chew the fat. Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Bread was divided according to status.. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust. Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom; “holding a wake." England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had ben burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, “saved by the bell" or was "considered a dead ringer." And that's the truth. Now, whoever said history was boring!!! So get out there and educate someone! Share these facts with a friend. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, "What the heck happened?" We'll be friends until we are old and senile. Then we'll be new friends. Smile, it gives your face something to do!

[Nevasleep]

Is it an MA thing, where they say wicked bad and wicked smart...and so on.
Also the word klutzy.

Love them both.

[ConfusingJazz]

2 more for you Brits. 1. Is there a difference between saying "euro" and "quid"? Or are they interchangeable like America's "dollar" and "buck"?

Er, The UK doesn't use the Euro.

[Hilbert]

2 more for you Brits. 1. Is there a difference between saying "euro" and "quid"? Or are they interchangeable like America's "dollar" and "buck"? 2. What is the standard unit of measure over there? Because on Top Gear they almost always refer to speeds in miles/hour, and for other measuresments they often say something like "Blah blah is 3cm, or in Queens English, 2 1/2 inches". I can't figure out if they do that normally or are just doing it for the benefit of us American viewers.

I might be able to answer some of these:

A Euro is the European currency, which they do not use in England. A quid is the same as a pound which is the currency used.

They use the metric system in England except for distances(only driving?) where they still use miles, feet, inches.

Please correct me UK gaffers if I am in error.

[Machine]

I always thought "salty" was a British colloquialism but the OED tells me it has US origins. I never heard anyone use it IRL but it's quite common on GAF.

[Cheech]

My favourite American colloquialism is 'eat crow'. I think it's a fantastic phrase. Is it actually used often in the US, or is it an internet thing?

I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but in the American Midwest, I hear it at least every other day.

[Hilbert]

I always thought "salty" was a British colloquialism but the OED tells me it has US origins. I never heard anyone use it IRL but it's quite common on GAF.

In chinese if someone is "salty and wet" it means something completely different!

[Shadow Hog]

Is it really true you guys used to say million million or some shit before we came up with billion.

That's a trillion in the US, and no, we never use "million million" in common vernacular.

Is there a difference between saying "euro" and "quid"? Or are they interchangeable like America's "dollar" and "buck"?

One is slang for their currency. The other is the Euro.

[ConfusingJazz]

I always thought "salty" was a British colloquialism but the OED tells me it has US origins. I never heard anyone use it IRL but it's quite common on GAF.

Really?

Hell, even reading that, I am hearing a southern accent in my head.

[Curtisaur]

The best -isms are Rickyisms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfq3c4Cf1Fs

[pants]

2 more for you Brits. 1. Is there a difference between saying "euro" and "quid"? Or are they interchangeable like America's "dollar" and "buck"?

Euro specifically refers to the currency of the EU, the euro. Quid is a slang word for money in general, but it will almost always refer to pound sterling because of where it is used.

2. What is the standard unit of measure over there? Because on Top Gear they almost always refer to speeds in miles/hour, and for other measuresments they often say something like "Blah blah is 3cm, or in Queens English, 2 1/2 inches". I can't figure out if they do that normally or are just doing it for the benefit of us American viewers.

Inches, feet, acres, yards, nautical miles, gallons, stone, pounds, Fahrenheit and such is from previous years, it's called Imperial measurements. The metric system was only adopted in the 90's but is the standard.

[godelsmetric]

Is it really true you guys used to say million million or some shit before we came up with billion.

No. It's just that the UK billion used to be a million million, not a thousand million.

[JessicaPadkin]

2. What is the standard unit of measure over there? Because on Top Gear they almost always refer to speeds in miles/hour, and for other measuresments they often say something like "Blah blah is 3cm, or in Queens English, 2 1/2 inches". I can't figure out if they do that normally or are just doing it for the benefit of us American viewers.

That's quite an interesting one really... the metric units are the official standard, but inches, miles, feet, etc. are still widely used too in specific cases. Most people will give their height in feet, and distances in miles, for example.

The unit 'Stone' is still used as an (informal) measurement of body weight a lot in the UK. I really hate that, for some reason...

[spunodi]

It's short for mathematics. If 'pantaloons' shortens into 'pants', surely 'mathematics' shortens into 'maths'? EDIT: While we're on the topic of pants, I can't get used to the fact that 'pants' means 'trousers' in America. Whenever someone says 'put on a pair of/some pants', I imagine Superman-esque exterior underwear. EDIT2: Speak of the devil.

This is also true of UK North / South divide. Pants = trousers. Underpants = pants.

[Machine]

This is also true of UK North / South divide. Pants = trousers. Underpants = pants.

[spunodi]

Don't they say "nil" for "0" too?

Generally for football scores. 1-0 is said one-nil.

Usually 0 is said, simply 'oh' - especially phone numbers. Zero tends to be used more often now than nought.

[Hilbert]

Generally for football scores. 1-0 is said one-nil. Usually 0 is said, simply 'oh' - especially phone numbers. Zero tends to be used more often now than nought.

I don't think any of those would sound out of place in the US.

[CrudeDiatribe]

The best -isms are Rickyisms. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfq3c4Cf1Fs

Ricky isn't American, though.

[demon]

I like "taking the piss" and "having a laugh". I wish people used those here in murica.