Page 4 | Americanisms

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:31

PinkCatCushion · 06/04/2026 20:36

Wait lists - waiting lists
Reaching out - asking

I wouldn’t mind so much usually but I really can’t bear anything to do with America at the moment

Fart - trump

Edited

🤣

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Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:28

Overtheatlantic · 06/04/2026 20:33

At least Americans know the difference between “sat” and “sitting”. 😳

So do Scottish people. Also saying, “I dropped it on the FLOOR, when they actually dropped it on the ground considering they were outside when they dropped it.

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JHound · 06/04/2026 21:26

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 18:12

Is “pay check (not cheque for some reason) to pay check” a thing in the UK now. I keep seeing this on here. Surely it’s “payslip to payslip” or “wage to wage”.

Context is being skint. So you live wage to wage.

AIBU to think we’re losing our language to Americanisms?

Pay cheque to paycheque just sounds so much better than “wage to wage” or “payslip to payslip”.

I don’t see the hostility towards Americanisms. Things cross cultures, language shifts. That’s normal.

Mixerfixer · 06/04/2026 21:25

canklesmctacotits · 06/04/2026 21:21

I think it’s difficult to complain about Americanisms creeping into British English when even on the BBC we see the most shocking language. Poor grammar, poor vocabulary, liberal use of slang (not the worst crime but sometimes it’s out of sheer laziness).

Yes! The BBC now talk about "surgeries" when they mean operations (medical). Why? There's no need. It doesn't add or improve anything. It actually makes things less clear as "surgeries" means something different in BE.

Pebbles16 · 06/04/2026 21:24

phoenixrosehere · 06/04/2026 18:59

Agree with this.

Also, think it’s a bit weird to complain about Americanisms when a good amount of it are words that were originally used in the UK before they fell out of fashion here.

Not really losing it if it was yours to begin with.

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Agree.
HOWEVER: my least favourite (ex English word which now seems to be coming back into fashion "thanks" to American English) is egregious. I HATE HATE HATE this word because it seems/ed to be used for any slight.
When a US colleague said it to me about 20 years ago I had to remember to be polite. Apparently cc-ing him rather than directly putting him in the response was "egregious" (I spent 11 minutes listening to his tirade - put it on loud speaker so the entire office could enjoy the nonsense).
Okay, he was an idiot. But I have rarely met an "egregious" user who is a sane human being.

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:23

bunnyvsmonkey · 06/04/2026 20:01

My DD tries to say "I'll go get..." No you won't young lady! You will go AND get.

Definitely “and get”.

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canklesmctacotits · 06/04/2026 21:21

I think it’s difficult to complain about Americanisms creeping into British English when even on the BBC we see the most shocking language. Poor grammar, poor vocabulary, liberal use of slang (not the worst crime but sometimes it’s out of sheer laziness).

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:20

TiredShadows · 06/04/2026 19:53

I've never heard any Brit use 'living wage to wage', and am struggling to find any source for that being the British way to say it.

I have heard those 'struggling month to month' and yes, 'living paycheck to paycheck' as well as paycheck & payslip being used synonymously in the UK for many years. The British institution MoneySavingExpert seems quite happy to use both.

So no, the various versions of English used in the UK are not being lost to Americanisms, and it is unreasonable to suggest so with an expression that Brits wouldn't naturally use.

Also cheque is the more modern version of check, which has been used in Britain for centuries. That the US only uses that version doesn't make it an Ameicanism. It's just the version with the longer history, longer than the US has been around to annoy some Brits with supposed Americanisms.

Try Scotland. We get our “wages”.

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Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:18

Puzzledandpissedoff · 06/04/2026 19:10

Also, think it’s a bit weird to complain about Americanisms when a good amount of it are words that were originally used in the UK before they fell out of fashion here

Spot on, @phoenixrosehere

Gotten
Fall, as in autumn
Diaper
Trash
Faucet
Draft, as in enlistment
Loan, as a verb "I'll loan you ..."
Mad, meaning angry

All English words originally, and why do we call them autumn and house anyway, when the originals were French/German and spelled automne and haus?

Edited

Lend 😬

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SantiagoShaming · 06/04/2026 21:18

I live in the US and the “paycheck” is the deposit of the money, as opposed to the accompanying document. That’s called the earnings statement or pay statement where I live.

I’m sure it is just a lingering thing from when people were paid with actual cheques. Pay slip to pay slip does sound weird, I haven’t had a physical pay slip for about 20 years, just log into an HR system and there the statements are. Payday to payday makes more sense to me.

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:17

ThisSunnyBee · 06/04/2026 19:40

Never heard anyone say wage to wage or payslip to payslip tho

So what do you call your wages? Your salary?

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Zov · 06/04/2026 21:16

I say 'I'll go get' and SHOCKER, I say mom, not mum. Mom is NOT an Americanism before anyone starts!!! I never say 'payslip to payslip,' or 'wage to wage.' I do say paycheck to paycheck.

Saying 'you're sick' (if you are unwell) is perfectly fine. Most people know it means you're ill. The vast majority of people say they were off sick from work if they're off because they're unwell. People generally don't say they were 'off ill.'

People go off 'on the sick' too, not 'off on the unwell' or 'off on the ill.' 😆

.

Besafeeatcake · 06/04/2026 21:16

Newsenmum · 06/04/2026 20:39

I dont get the sick/ill thing. Sick means ill.

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Well how about when you greet someone and say ‘are you alright’ because to a North American it mean ARE YOU ALRIGHT???? as in has something happened?

And Brits will say Hoover which is a brand not what they are doing. How about ‘can’t be arsed?’ What does that have to do with you arse? Slag someone off - well slag does have a different meaning so….etc etc

My point is there are things that are said on both sides of the pond that may not make sense in the same language but it doesn’t make them wrong.

Mixerfixer · 06/04/2026 21:15

Language evolving and changing is fine. But there's absolutely no need to exchange a British English word for an American word when they mean exactly the same thing. Doing that adds to value to the English language and actually reduces the number of words.

For example: film-movie, fringe-bangs.

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:14

Jc2001 · 06/04/2026 19:00

Never heard any of those expressions particularly on here. Living hand to mouth is one I hear to describe what you're talking about.

Language evolves anyway. We're not losing anything. We dont speak now the way we did in medieval times do we?

Sometimes actually. Plus we all have different regional/ country words in the UK. If I called you “glaikit” eg, would you know what I meant?

But pay check!

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Besafeeatcake · 06/04/2026 21:10

bunnyvsmonkey · 06/04/2026 20:01

My DD tries to say "I'll go get..." No you won't young lady! You will go AND get.

Yeah Canadian here - never said I’ll go get. My British kids have said ‘I’m going park’ which is the new thing and get corrected very quickly - let’s not mistake slang speak to Americanisms.

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:10

phoenixrosehere · 06/04/2026 18:59

Agree with this.

Also, think it’s a bit weird to complain about Americanisms when a good amount of it are words that were originally used in the UK before they fell out of fashion here.

Not really losing it if it was yours to begin with.

Show quote history

Pay check!!!

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Mixerfixer · 06/04/2026 21:09

Ponoka7 · 06/04/2026 18:48

It's pay day to pay day where I am. Pay slip to pay slip would make sense to older people, but pay check, makes sense to my younger children (30 + 29) because they've only had digital pay checks. So YABU.

Cheques

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:07

dizzydizzydizzy · 06/04/2026 18:43

I just don’t think it matters whether it is an Americanism or not. Language is dynamic, so constantly taking on new influences. I can just imagine people tutting a few years after 1066 about the Normanisms in the language “why are young people all saying pork now! Just say pig, ffs!”

I have a thing about pigs. But I think we should say “pig” rather than “pork”, “ham” or “bacon”’ because it might make people stop eating them. Christmas is a challenge for me due to the amount of pigs we eat 😬

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Notmyreality · 06/04/2026 21:06

Brollo · 06/04/2026 20:52

Language becoming increasingly homogeneous is actually a relatively new phenomenon.

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For obvious reasons.

Notmyreality · 06/04/2026 21:05

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:02

It matters to me. Surely we’re all allowed things that matter to us?

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The question is why doesn’t matter to you?

squashyhat · 06/04/2026 21:05

dizzydizzydizzy · 06/04/2026 18:43

I just don’t think it matters whether it is an Americanism or not. Language is dynamic, so constantly taking on new influences. I can just imagine people tutting a few years after 1066 about the Normanisms in the language “why are young people all saying pork now! Just say pig, ffs!”

Normanisms 😂 La vache! La vache!

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:04

WonderingWanda · 06/04/2026 18:56

Not sure I've ever heard wage to wage as an alternative, I'm more familiar with 'Living fist to mouth'.

For me it would be “ hand to mouth”.

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Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:02

Notmyreality · 06/04/2026 20:48

Why does it matter? The only constant about language is that it constantly changes.

It matters to me. Surely we’re all allowed things that matter to us?

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Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 21:01

ThisSunnyBee · 06/04/2026 19:40

Never heard anyone say wage to wage or payslip to payslip tho

One month to the next?

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