Search
Not Logged In
0
Your Username:
Your Password:

[ sign up | recover ]

Discussion Forums » General Discussion
Slang/word use
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 08:49
~RedFraggle~
Post Count: 2651
I think most British people (not just the English) say hoover, rather than vacuum, even although Hoover were actually just a vacuum manufacturer and most people now have vacuum cleaners of other brands!
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 08:58
Estella
Post Count: 1779
YES, YO - THIS IS A BIG UK VERSUS US DIFFERENCE. WE HOOVER OUR HOMES, WHILE THEY VACUUM THEIRS!

JUST LIKE HOW AMERICANS SAY 'KLEENEX' FOR TISSUE, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY USING THE KLEENEX BRAND.
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 16:04
Makayla
Post Count: 751
I think we say "kleenex" because "tissue" to us could mean papertowels, napkins, toiletpaper, or facial tissue. So we say kleenex because that tells them what kind of tissue we want.
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 17:52
Estella
Post Count: 1779
AH - SEE, FOR US, PAPER TOWELS ARE CALLED PAPER TOWELS, NAPKINS ARE CALLED NAPKINS AND TOILET PAPER IS CALLED TOILET PAPER. SO THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT TISSUE CAN BE!
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 18:13
Acid Fairy
Post Count: 1849
Some people also call napkins serviettes, but I did read once that it is seen as 'working class' ;D
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 21:03
Estella
Post Count: 1779
HAHA - YES, YO. I READ ALL ABOUT IT YEARS AGO IN JILLY COOPER'S BOOK CLASS (SUCH A FUNNY READ, YO!). ALTHOUGH IT'S MORE 'LOWER MIDDLE CLASS' AS OPPOSED TO 'WORKING CLASS' (WHO ARE A LAW UNTO THEMSELVES, APPARENTLY, AND THUS HAVE MOST IN COMMON WITH THE ARISTOCRACY!). LOWER MIDDLE CLASS EXPRESSIONS INCLUDE SERVIETTE, SETTEE, LOUNGE, NANA, AS OPPOSED TO UPPER MIDDLE CLASS NAPKIN, SOFA, LIVING ROOM, GRANNY. OH - AND NET CURTAINS ARE THE ULTIMATE LOWER MIDDLE CLASS EYESORE (JILLY COOPER IS A BIT OF A SNOBBY UPPER MIDDLE CLASSER HERSELF, SO HER ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE LOWER MIDDLE CLASS EXPRESSIONS AND HABITS IS A BIT CONDESCENDING!). GOSH, IT'S A FUNNY BOOK - SHE GOES THROUGH ALL THE VARIOUS LIFE RITUALS AND HOW DIFFERENT CLASSES APPROACH THEM. THE CLASSES ARE ALL REPRESENTED BY CHARACTERS - LIKE MR AND MRS NOUVEAU-RICHARDS, AND HARRY STOW-CRAT AND JEN TEALE. APPARENTLY HER BOOK CAUSED AN UPROAR WHEN IT WAS FIRST WRITTEN. SHE SAYS THIS ABOUT IT: 'In 1979 I wrote a book called Class. It caused an uproar. I did lots of wireless interviews and everywhere I went, terrifying-looking young DJs with studs and nose rings would demand to know what class they were and I would nervously lie that they were upper-middle class. Lord Montagu led the miners against me on a television programme — they shouted at me that I was an evil cow for suggesting the class system still mattered.' (SEE ARTICLE HERE: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article1686847.ece)
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 21:04
Estella
Post Count: 1779
OOPS - GOSH, I FORGOT I HAD TO USE CODES TO MAKE A LINK. LIKE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ON TWITTER, YO!
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 22:25
Acid Fairy
Post Count: 1849
Yes I think that's where I read it! Well I think it was in Watching the English and the author stole her ideas.

I like her, as according to her I am totally upper middle class, yo! ;D
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 17:49
Giggle
Post Count: 279
Oh we say 'Fine' for tissues even though not all tissues are the Fine brand. XD
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 18:13
Acid Fairy
Post Count: 1849
I cannot STAND it when people say the word hoover for vacuum. Drives me mad!
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 20:49
Estella
Post Count: 1779
HAHA - BUT IT'S THE BRITISH WAY, YO! IT'S PROBABLY IN THE OED AND ALL! VACUUM IS OH-SO-AMERICAN!
0 likes [|reply]
30 Aug 2009, 22:23
Acid Fairy
Post Count: 1849
Lol, but we have never had a Hoover. Really we should all be calling it the Dyson now anyway! ;D
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 09:09
Estella
Post Count: 1779
WELL, THE BRITS GET RAT-ARSED A LOT, YO, SO WE NEED TO VARY THE EXPERIENCE WITH FIFTY DIFFERENT TERMS!
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 08:58
Transit
Post Count: 1096
Fanny=vagina in the UK, not bottom!
So we say bum bag instead of fanny pack.

cab=taxi
lift=elevator
chips=french fries (only be fat chunky ones, not what you get in mcdonalds)
crisps=chips
pop=soda
sweets=candy
pancake=crepes
biscuits=cookie
pants=underwear
trousers=pants
pantyhose=tights
panites=knickers
shopping centre=mall
hob=stove
garden=yard

These are regional I think
nesh=cold
harking=listening
an all= as well
cob= bap, bun, batch, burger bun, bread roll
tea=dinner
dinner=lunch
rittles=dinner
if we are going north to say newcastle we say, going down to newcastle
if we are going south say to london, we say going up to london (these two are meant to be country wide though, to do with the queen and how she travels)
black over bills=dark clouds in the distance


0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 09:07
Estella
Post Count: 1779
GOSH, I JUST SAW THE BOTTOM HALF OF THIS AND I KNEW IT WOULD BE TRANSIT, YO! IF ANYONE SAYS 'NESH' FOR 'COLD', IT WOULD BE TRANSIT! ;D

OH DAMN - I SEE YOU BEAT ME TO IT WITH THE FANNY WORD, YO! THAT IS MY FAVE DIFFERENCE.

'AN' ALL' IS EVERYWHERE, YO, WHAT WITH 'UNCLE TOM COBBLY AN' ALL'!
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 09:09
Transit
Post Count: 1096
I see, i've never heard someone say an all outside of lincolnshire!

also
dummy=pacifier
pushchair=stroller

I forgot about those
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 09:19
Estella
Post Count: 1779
AND, WHILE WE'RE IN BABY MODE:

NAPPY = DIAPER
PRAM = BABY CARRIAGE

(PUCK IS ALWAYS SAYING 'AND ALL', YO! YOU CLEARLY DO NOT READ MY DIARY WITH THE DEDICATION AND ATTENTION IT REQUIRES! ;D)
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 16:06
Makayla
Post Count: 751
I'm confused on the first ones. Which side is the British?
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 17:40
Transit
Post Count: 1096
er the left one
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 18:18
~RedFraggle~
Post Count: 2651
The dinner thing is regional. My parents are English and they say "tea" for their evening meal (and they say "dinner" for lunch). So do my Welsh family. But in Scotland 'tea' is like a tea break, and we say "lunch" for lunch and "dinner" for our evening meal. And here "supper" is an evening snack, but I believe in parts of America "supper" is the evening meal (what we'd call dinner).
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 21:20
Hayley McBayley
Post Count: 76
Yeah, I say breakfast, lunch and then dinner...and supper is an evening snack. My friends from up north call lunch dinner and dinner tea...it gets confusing! lol
0 likes [|reply]
24 Aug 2009, 21:43
*Forever Changing*
Post Count: 847
In Wisconsin here in the US Supper is Dinner, but here in Denver when I say supper they laugh at me lol.
0 likes [|reply]
25 Aug 2009, 09:05
~RedFraggle~
Post Count: 2651
Weird, my mum is from Kent, and she says tea. But so does my dad, who is from Lancashire. It must just vary around the country!
0 likes [|reply]
25 Aug 2009, 21:28
Hayley McBayley
Post Count: 76
Yeah, it's weird isn't it! My friends from up north call trousers "pants" - pants to me is mens underwear! lol
0 likes [|reply]
27 Aug 2009, 21:33
wiggles
Post Count: 19
When I come to your house Hayley, we will have breakfast, dinner and tea thanks.
Post Reply
This thread is locked, unable to reply
Online Friends
Offline Friends