When America gets it right.

[popcornwizard]

Most of their spelling and grammar differences are just wrong, but occasionally something it works, and works even better than our version! Dear reader I give you the 'cell' or 'cellphone'. It is much easier and more pleasant than the 'mobile phone' that we linguistically haul around. Is it the only one?

I love in the North East and don't call pasta noodles, never heard of that. Noodles are noodles

I can't bring myself to ask for a toilet now we are back in UK

I'm exactly the same; I find myself asking for the restroom/bathroom now, depending on if it's public or in a home. Mind you, one of my "partner" swappers visited my late parents years ago, and of course asked for "the bathroom" before dinner ... confused the heck out of my mum, who couldn't understand why they needed a bath

On a lesser note, she also remarked that Americans don't use "the Queen's English" She honestly didn't mean it badly and was just struggling to explain the same differences we're posting about, but no mum ... you don't say that to an American, and particularly not a lovely southern gentleman!!

I the Pacific Northwest you hear both kitty-corner and catty-corner. (And y'all.)

I've heard the word spigot used to mean a tap as well, as in the kind you tap into a barrel to get the contents out.

According to most maps that track this sort of thing, people around my area should say pop but almost everybody says soda. It appears to be a localized anomaly within a region that more commonly says pop. It confuses those online "we can tell where you're from by the words you use" quizzes though, so that's kind of fun if you're very sad and have no life.

"asked for "the bathroom" before dinner ... confused the heck out of my mum, who couldn't understand why they needed a bath"
Don't most people keep the toilet in the bathroom though? So it does make sense to ask where the bathroom is if you need to use the toilet.
My (American) mother-in-law both ex and late had some visitors from Canada once and couldn't understand why they kept asking for the washroom. Until I explained to her after the fact that that's Canadian for bathroom/toilet - like your mum, she just thought they were oddly clean.

Mind you, one of my "partner" swappers visited my late parents years ago, and of course asked for "the bathroom" before dinner ... confused the heck out of my mum, who couldn't understand why they needed a bath

Similarly, there are some stories of British visitors in the US asking "where's your toilet?" and slightly perplexed Americans responding, " uh, it's in the bathroom. "

But historically in the UK, in many houses, the room with the bath was separate from the WC where the toilet was. When I was at university in the UK, you would still see that set-up now and then, including in some of the halls.

I love the term podunk. I use it way too often.

Also the the term 'butt fuck nowhere' (is where people say we live).

Also love 'right?!' for an exclamation agreement.

'Well damn' I'm probably using too often.

I've brought some Londonisms to the area though. 'Melt', 'allow that' (meaning don't do it), 'you're avin' a bubble', 'drop me out' and 'jog on'. There's a weird little area of Maine sounded like 00's London.

"But historically in the UK, in many houses, the room with the bath was separate from the WC where the toilet was."
I suppose that makes sense. I've never seen a bathroom without a toilet in it, certainly not in any of the houses I lived in, in England - including the house that was old enough to have been built without, the bathroom was huge because it was a converted bedroom but it definitely had a toilet. But if I'd been directed to a toilet without a bath, while visiting somebody else's house, I probably would have assumed that it was a second 'half bath/WC' type thing.

"Also the the term 'butt fuck nowhere' (is where people say we live)."
For some reason, around here it's 'butt fuck Egypt', frequently abreviated to BFE. I have no idea why maybe Egypt is the most remote, far away, place people could think of.

Don't most people keep the toilet in the bathroom though?

You're right, they do. But my parents' place was was of those Seneca mentioned, where the loo was separate - hence the confusion!

We would call "butt fuck nowhere" the arsehole of nowhere.
Kitty corner - there is cow corner in cricket, it might be the same?
Also a dummy is a dummy, not a pacifier!!

“Arse end of nowhere” here

Must be a regional variation

I saw an old episode of an 80s tv series where someone referred to a 'portable phone' which I thought was great.

Said 80s portable phone was in a unit about the size of a small suitcase!

Like a nail down a blackboard to me is when American cooks call caramel, carmel. Why?

We had an outside lavvy growing up. *sudders

I asked Santa for a heated toilet seat (like I thought the queen had) for 3 years on the trot.

Like a nail down a blackboard to me is when American cooks call caramel, carmel. Why

It's just a variation of pronunciation. I don't pronounce it that way because I'm a Southerner. But there are a lot of accents of spoken English that skip or merge vowel sounds in certain words.

I think the very first word I swapped out was minivan for people carrier. It made loads more sense to me.

On a complete aside, I find it really interesting how many British tourists suddenly develop very Queens English accents the moment they get to JFK. The plane is filled with regional accents and then you get to immigration and it’s full of people toodle-pipping (well, not literally but you know what I mean...) It always makes me laugh!

"Very, very arrogant to suggest their spelling and grammar is "wrong". It's right for them." And actually often old British English usage that hasn't changed, we've been influenced by European spelling and grammar, plus influences from ex colonies. You'd be hard pressed to find a truly, originally English word actually.

I'm generally unfussed by American differences in the English language but I do find erbs (herbs) annoying.

I spent FAR too long being confused by the American obsession with coffee and disdain of tea, even though I knew - intellectually of the Boston tea party etc I hadn't linked it with the preference for coffee. Reading other threads on here made me notice the lack of electric kettles in American tv & film, because they don't like instant coffee really either they use coffee machines (do most American houses really use these almost always on the go machines? I can't even think what they're called I want to say filter machines but I'm not sure that's correct). Even when characters do have tea it's herb tea not pg tips!

Re purse/handbag, if a purse is a handbag what do Americans call what we call a purse which is definitely not a wallet? I mean like the ones with a twist clasp? Which a man would never use. (See pic)

"Zucchini is so much better than courgette. However, aubergine is way better than eggplant" agree.

I also only recently learned that the much maligned by American teens on tv Lima beans are butter beans - which I love! Why the hatred?

Yard instead of garden I find odd, a yard to me is utilitarian and paved or cobblestones or similar.

"I find Y'all pretty good, but in in New York area it'd be You's which my Dh uses to annoy me." You's is also scots usage, "how you's doing?" "Are you's all going to X tonight?" Hear dd using it all the time.

"If DH says Lie-Chester for Leicester one more time I'll throat punch him though."

"Hah, “Leicestershire” is the first thing I thought of when someone mentioned a “waste of letters.” It makes no sense! It might as well be written “Lestersure.”"

Haha! Could be worse, how would he pronounce Worcestershire? Milngavie? Tighnabruich?

"OTOH, I can't get over calling all pasta noodles. Penne is in no way noodle shaped." Where do you think pasta came from?

I'd probably confuse a lot of you as I say ginger for fizzy drinks.

"The word bangs for a fringe always strands out for me. It makes no sense at all." Agreed, where does bangs come from?

"Bang was originally a description for cutting a horses tail straight across. (Bang tail)" ahhh still don't like it.

I also don't like pigtails to me they're bunches.

"If you can't bring yourself to say toilet, just say bog or khaki" aww that's not nice! 😂

I'm also still thrown when Americans say college, they mean university whereas college in uk generally means further but not higher education - what would Americans call that? Is there actually an equivalent? A place where you go when you're too old for school but not as academic as university. For getting qualifications equivalent to those taken in last few years of high school or certain vocational qualifications/training eg hairdressing, plumbing, joinery.

"I saw an old episode of an 80s tv series where someone referred to a 'portable phone' which I thought was great.

Said 80s portable phone was in a unit about the size of a small suitcase!"

Haha! Yes my first mobile phone was honestly the size of a medium handbag and weighed probably (no kidding) at least 2 kilos! Nothing mobile about the damn thing! It also needed charging every 5 mins and had a shite signal.

"Like a nail down a blackboard to me is when American cooks call caramel, carmel. Why?" Agreed but even Americans can't agree on this one. Have you seen it referenced in "what to expect..." Film?

There's another - film v movie. Movie sounds to me like a toddler word for it. But then my mum says fillum which also irritates me.

"On a complete aside, I find it really interesting how many British tourists suddenly develop very Queens English accents the moment they get to JFK." That's probably akin to the way the scots & Irish suddenly become expert folk singers as soon as they're away from home. I think there's a saying

"Nothing more scots than a Scotsman living abroad"

An affliction that seemed to become particularly virulent among certain scots celebs during indyref, people who'd not actually lived in Scotland for decades!

Always forget to add the pic!

A place where you go when you're too old for school but not as academic as university. For getting qualifications equivalent to those taken in last few years of high school or certain vocational qualifications/training eg hairdressing, plumbing, joinery.
That would probably be Junior college. Lots of adults go there, Dh went to our local one and did Computer classes, I did a few classes to get my state nursing license as I had a couple of subjects with not enough hours in from my UK school of nursing (old style before UK degree nurses) Friends son is doing Police training at the junior college and another did a lot of classes then transfered on to Uni to complete his degree.
Universities there have multiple colleges or school within them, Ds went to a University, but was part of the xx school of business while there, so all his classes/lectures were within that school IYKWIM.

That pic is still a wallet, or a pocket book. Those are the only names my US friends called it. (California)

I'm also still thrown when Americans say college, they mean university whereas college in uk generally means further but not higher education - what would Americans call that? Is there actually an equivalent?

That would be a technical or vocational school. My son just started university, but it has College in the name.

I think we'd call that a change purse in Maine.

I still call my handbag my handbag. People think it's a little odd.

Thanks for replies.

U.K. Universities also have schools that make up the main body of the university.

The other distinction is that colleges award four year Bachelors degrees and universities also award masters and doctoral degrees.

That said, some colleges have added post graduate programs but not changed their names. So it's possible to have a masters degrees from XYZ College.