 | London Local Customs | Tips 21 - 30 of 696 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Miscellaneous Local Customs Tips | All Tips (696)  | |  |  | More Differences Across The Pond {Chapter 7} | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
nosey parker: someone who is always concerned about others business, particularly nosey. Known as a busy body or town gossip in the US. nought: pronounced, "nawt" The digit (numeral) zero (0), sometimes referred to as aught in the US. noughts and crosses: The game of tic-tac-toe in America. nutter: could be either insane or reckless. A person who sees pink elephants that require sacrificing a life, or someone attempting to climb Big Ben, for instance. (Not all there, not playing with a full deck, etc). Big Ben is the BELL, You nutter! pants: In the UK, pants are known as underpants, or underwear in the US. What Americans call pants, are known as trousers in the UK. (You can imagine the hilarity when Americans refer to putting their pants on, or worse, yet, the expression of being caught with your pants down!) Patience: the card game known in America as Solitaire. Solitaire is a different game, entirely in the UK, played on a board, and no cards are involved. Pelican crossing: A designated area for Pedestrian crossing with alternating signs lit signifying whether or not it is safe to cross the street. petrol: petroleum. Americans mostly refer to this fuel as gas or gasoline, and in the UK, petrol is priced by the litre, where as in the US, gasoline is priced per gallon. I found that on average, the equivalent litres nearly cost $5 per gallon! phone box: a telephone booth in the US. po-faced: long faced, appearing sad, or down and out. poxy: low-class, 3rd rate, etc, not good quality. quid: A common slang word for a British pound, similar to a buck meaning a dollar in America. Randy: A slang word meaning, um, wanting, or having a desire for someone of the opposite sex. razz: to vomit or throw up, perhaps from drinking too much alcohol. registration: a (licence) license plate in the US. return ticket: round-trip ticket reverse charges: to call collect ring: to phone or call someone on the telephone would be considered ringing them in the UK. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.english2american.com
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| | | | More Differences Across The Pond {Chapter 8} | Tip Rating: | | | | |
roundabout: a circular road with exits at different sections of the curved road. Unlike American 4 way stops, traffic only flows in one direction. You must drive around the circle until your street veers off to the left, as there is no right turn from a roundabout. row: (pronounced, as "cow" not "sew") an argument, or verbal disagreement. rubber: an eraser for erasing pencil markings, but entirely different in the US, as it is commonly referred to as a condom. rubbish: everyday waste or trash, or sometimes rubbish can be considered nonsense, as in, "There is no truth to it whatsoever, absolute rubbish!" rucksack: a backpack in America. sarnie: British slang for sandwich. school: same as in US, only you do not refer to anyone who is in college as going to school. It is proper to ask what University does one attend, not what school do you go to? scrap: junk. In the UK, they discard their scrap in scrapyards, where in America, we deposit our junk in junkyards. scrote: a person equivalent to American scum, or a scumbag. Sellotape: What Americans call Scotch tape, both being brand names for clear cellophane tape. settee: equivalent of a couch or a loveseat in the US. shandy: a mixture of beer or lager mixed with British lemonade (the carbonated Sprite or 7 UP like beverage) It is mostly beer or lager, probaby 80-90%, but it is commonly thought that someone can drink shandy without becoming overly intoxicated, in England. shop: the equivalent to a store in the US, not a garage to have your vehicle repaired. skip: A skip is a US dumpster or trash bin. sleeping policeman: speed bump.Can you imagine the look on an American's face when hearing about someone rolling over a sleeping policeman at such a speed that it nearly damaged his motor (car) ??? I can! slip road: an on/off ramp entering to or exiting from a motorway, highway, interstate, or freeway, called exits in America. It could be confusing for a Brit to hear, "You get on interstate 'Whatever" at the "Here" exit, and get off on the "Now" exit. Leave a Comment Website: http:www.english2american.com
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| | | | The Pearly Kings | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Pearly Kings originated in Victorian times, and some Pearly Kings still reign to this day (they will reign over a particular London district). The Pearly Kings were originally street sellers, who sold fruit and vegetables. Their distinctive costumes supposedly came about when their was an arrival of a large cargo of pearl-buttons from Japan in the 1860's. Apparently the original Pearly King sewed some of the buttons on to his wide-bottomed trousers and the fashion caught on. Traditionally, the street vendors elect a 'King' to look after them when a rival seller attempts to bully them off of their pitch (the area they sell from). Each separate part of London had a Pearly King and a 'donah', (as the wives of the Pearly Kings are known). Both the Pearly King and his wife are dressed in the buttoned outfits. These buttoned outfits (comprising of suit, hat and dress) are handed down along with the hereditary title (e.g. Pearly King of Stepney). These are sewn into the suit along with mystic symbols such as stars, moons, suns, flowers, eyes of God and fertility designs. Each suit can have up to as many as 30,000 buttons on it. This makes them very heavy, and a suit can weigh in at up to 30 kgs or more. These days the pearly Kings wear their suits at charity events, christenings, weddings and funerals and some other general celebratory type of events. I took the picture of this Pearly King and his Donah outside St Martin in the Fields during the CHinese New Year Celebrations on the 13th Feb 2005. It sems it is not unusual for the peary Kings to be around St Martin in the Fields as they always attend the annual autumn Harvest Festival service there. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.pearlysociety.co.uk/welcome.htm
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| | | | More Differences Across The Pond {Chapter 4} | Tip Rating: | | | | |
butty: most commonly referred to as a "chip butty" which consists of "chips" (fries) on a "butty" (similar to a hoagie roll) dripping with butter, malt vinegar, ketchup, and added salt, perhaps. A popular food item at a "chippie" shop in England, not America. Added note: It is acceptable to eat these with your hands, but to avoid strange looks, do use a fork when eating "chips" with a meal. In America, it is not uncommon to eat "fries" without using any utensils, but considered rather "Barbaric" in England. They even give you cute little forks with bags of take away (to go) chips! It could be because they drown their chips in malt vinegar and ketchup and would not want their fingers smelling of vinegar. I prefer to dip my fries in ketchup, one by one. I did though, manage to use a fork. Further note: In England, you will be asked, "Is that for dine in, or take away?" In America, you will be asked, "Is that for here, or to go?" (or carry-out) For amusement purposes, you could ask at a posh Chinese restaurant, for a doggie bag, although you would probably be the only one laughing. candy floss: cotton candy sold at festivals in the park. central reservation: median. Nothing to do with reserving anything particular, simply the area in the middle of the motorway. chemist: a pharmacy or drug store. (also a person experimenting with chemicals on both sides of the pond). cheeky: the act of being bold, nearly rude, but in a humorous (humourous) sort of way. A sort of tongue in cheek, or perhaps a joke that is "almost" not funny. Being cheeky is not considered a bad thing. It could be considered a compliment, even, in England. chippie: a place that sells English chips, usually a Fish and Chips shop. chocolate drops: chocolate chips in the US. You can see where this would sound particularly undesirable in England, as the thought of chocolate fries would not appeal to anyone. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.english2american.com
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| | | | American English PART 3 (The End) | Tip Rating: | | | | |
queue: an orderly line of people patiently waiting their turn. In America, as well as the UK, it is only polite to respect the order of the queue (line). Please don't be rude! rubbish: garbage or trash to be thrown away. (preferrably in a bin or trash receptacle) shattered: either very tired, (similar to knackered) or emotionally drained, in a hopeless or helpless, depressed state of mind. tea: UK- the evening meal or a cup of hot tea. tea: USA- a cup of hot tea or a glass of iced tea. underlay: the carpet padding underneath the carpet. vest: UK- What Americans call an undershirt, T-shirt. vest: USA- What Brits call a waistcoat. wally: A friendly, joking way of calling someone silly, or daft. yonks: a long time, either minutes, hours, or years, depending on use. (waiting for yonks) zed: UK- the last letter of the alphabet, pronounced, "zed". (Z): USA- same as above, only pronounced, "zee". I once said, "Nice Z car!" but in the UK, it is a "Zed." A bonus for some, an effort for others: willie: UK- (Well, if you live in the UK, Surely, you know this one!) willie: USA- A nickname for William or the dolphin in the film, "Free Willie." If you are an American, and don't know, you will need to look it up in the dictionary provided below. (A treasury of little known differences in our "English" language(s), and humourous / humorous definitions throughout). I highly recommend this site for American English translations and a good laugh. Another funny story, Someone from the UK told me once they had to go cook their tea. As an American, I asked,"Don't you just add water?" In America, it is thought that tea is the kind you drink, not eat. I was then told I needed to learn how to cook properly! Tea, as you now know is the evening meal,and preferably not instant. (just add water) I hope you have enjoyed this bit of information, Perhaps you've heard or will hear some of these sayings in the future. More "TransAtlantic translations" listed alphabetically after the American Observations and Pubs tips. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.english2american.com
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