Page 6 | Americanisms

Differentforgirls · 2026-04-06T17:12:21+00:00

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?

ThisSunnyBee · 06/04/2026 19:40

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

InterIgnis · 06/04/2026 19:12

Many Americanisms are archaic British English, which prevailed in the New World whilst falling out of use in the UK. Arguably in those instances it’s a case of lost language being reintroduced.

American English is the most used form of English that is used worldwide. As Mumsnet users, we aren’t all native British English speakers, or native English speakers at all.

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?

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?

phoenixrosehere · 06/04/2026 18:59

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!”

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.

mindutopia · 06/04/2026 18:59

Well, I am American, so I might say that. I wouldn’t say payslip to payslip, because the payslip is just the thing I get emailed to me after being paid. It’s not the money. Monthly deposit to monthly deposit? Beyond that, my perfectly British phone doesn’t like cheque or tyre or similar and frequently autocorrects them to the American spelling. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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'.

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 18:55

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.

They have digital pay SLIPs. Like me.

OP posts:

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.

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!”

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 18:21

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 06/04/2026 18:18

Maybe those posters are American?

No, that’s the thing, they aren’t.

OP posts:

Original poster

Differentforgirls · 06/04/2026 18:21

AgnesMcDoo · 06/04/2026 18:17

People have been fretting about Americanisms since Columbus set sail.

we will prevail.

🤣

OP posts:

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 06/04/2026 18:18

Maybe those posters are American?

AgnesMcDoo · 06/04/2026 18:17

People have been fretting about Americanisms since Columbus set sail.

we will prevail.