Comprehensive list of Americanisms

[12fromcold]

Some I love, some I hate. Let's try and get them all here! Especially interested in the ones that are only a slight variation from the British counterpart.

Macaroni AND cheese
Hide and GO seek
GotTEN

I'll remember more and come back.

I am amazed and happy that this thread has remained so civilised / civilized and interesting.

You can all have a

Some of my American colleagues cannot understand what I am saying if I say realise or specialise I have to give it my best zzzzzz realize and specialize, it changes the pronunciation

Really? The s and z are pronounced the same. There is a spelling difference, not a pronunciation difference. The dictionary has exactly the same phonetics for both words.

I'm wondering do you have a stong regional accent that perhaps they have difficulty with?

I would maybe say 'och youse' if the kids were winding me up

My youngest’s best friend is American, she now tells me she’ll “go get it real quick” (which I suppose is faster to say than go and get it really quickly)

I generally find if someone doesn’t understand me that it’s because I’ve unthinkingly or unknowingly used a bit of idiom that isn’t US (or at least Texan) usage.

Texans are terribly polite and rarely tell me I’m not making complete sense to them but you see a slight look of confusion and then have to work out where you have gone wrong.

My best friend in the US thinks my accent is adorable and regularly repeats things I’ve said highlighting all the rrrrr’s.

Worrrld/grrrreat etc

Whole evenings round the pool margaritas in hand with a group of women falling about pissing themselves every time I say “girl” .

If my memory serves correctly isn't 'youse' used in Essex a lot amongst the youngsters?

@AgathaMisty that would be coz of my sauf London accent innit

@Stupomax that's clear as mud ?

@WaxMyrtle I'm in Texas as well. Please invite me to margaritas around the pool.

@WaxMyrtle Texas is where I visit most in the US and I know what you mean about the polite look of confusion

WaxMyrtle
Not entirely true Silvery. The Scottish “youse” has almost identical usage.

Sorry but I would never say 'youse' but would happily say 'y'all' if it didn't make me sound daft with my English accent.

Years ago a man in my office had recently returned from the US and he told me how the first time he dictated a letter to his American secretary, she had typed 'for a start' at the end of every single sentence. Both were a bit puzzled until they realised that she misheard him actually saying 'full stop'. He quickly learned to say period

I live on the North Cornwall coast and call the Atlantic the sea which is technically wrong but everyone here calls it the sea.

I like using i guess instead of I suppose.

I really like visit with instead of just visit. It's sounds more friendly like time spent willingly together rather than something you do to someone.

Don't they say youse in Liverpool too?

Comfort break !!

My nearest seaside/beaches are on the Atlantic ocean rather than a sea. But having thought about it, people don't tend to say 'oh, we had a paddle in the ocean', we'd still say 'we paddled in the sea'.

Youse is alive and well in N Ireland. Although very informally, I don't think I've ever heard it used in a business setting. But I've heard it used in church, welcoming the congregation.

Instead of “we named the baby after Aunt Susan”

It becomes

“she was named for Aunt Susan”

I've never heard "youse" used in the US. I've always associated it solely with TV new york/new jersy mobsters.

*New Jersey

I suppose it's all down to region. I definitely say "Named after" and not named for.

He quickly learned to say period

Spotted/striped v spotty and stripy

Rinky-dink - I can’t find a good british word for this!

And ticked off as in ‘that’s ticked me off’ like irritated

Have we had aluminium vs aluminum (and the respective pronunciations) yet?
'Through' for 'to' (the course runs Monday through Friday)
'come over' to someone's house (that's nearby) as opposed to the British 'come round'
Oh, and there's one in my username

I like plural 'you's, whatever form they take.

Hide and go seek, macaroni and cheese, gotten etc. all used in Australia/NZ too. Not really "Americanisms".

Loving on, rather than hugging/ cuddling Quite like that!

Passed rather than died. It's becoming more popular everywhere, but no, I find euphemisms around death rather insulting, even though I know people 'mean well'.