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.

@thegrassisgreenifyouusefilters that's an Americanism??

Do you mean replying with 'you're welcome'?

A prime example is "Manky". One of my favorite words of all time.

I love 'manky'. Also 'stop fannying about'.

To be 'just after doing something' is to have just done it, it implies you've finished. You can also say "only after", as in "ah, now, I'm only after washing that, and ye've both spilled milk all over it!" - ye being another example of you plural in (hiberno-)English.

‘Off of’ has been around for as long as I can remember, or, ‘offa’. (Scotland). ‘Where’d you get that from?’ ‘I got it offa Jean’

Monday to Friday def includes Friday.

The only Americanism (at least I think it is?) that irks me when used here is ‘I’m excited for Christmas/holidays/weekend etc’ When I was young, you were excited about Christmas etc. If you were ‘excited for’ it was regarding people. ‘I’m excited for Jane, she really deserves that prize’ for example.

I always say sea, even if I’m on the west side.

I live in the US. The difference between my native Liverpudlian and almost next-door Mancunian is greater than the difference between standard US and UK English

Very true. Try saying ‘outwith’ anywhere outside Scotland and you get puzzled looks!

@BartonHollow 😂
Massive “kudos” for the use of “misremembered” in correcting yourself!
Shall we call it “Deuce” or “Doooossssssse”?!

I work in the US.
In terms of pronunciations
Nitch for niche
Tar-co for taco
Cra-Santt - for croissant (i delight in saying it I my best French accent)

I also notice a couple years ago instead of a couple of years ago

Saying double 8 for example is met with confusion

I've found myself saying "I'm gonna go pee real quick" (to my husband. Not my coworkers)

At work no one knew what I meant when I said "I've clearly lost the plot", and apparently where I am they've never heard of the word "niggle" and it should be avoided at all costs!

I do love it here just FYI

When telling the time e.g. Quarter after 1 instead of quarter past 1

@overnightangel

I overcompensated, my mistake

Years ago when Gladiators was on they did a Worldwide version and the American one said that every time he lost 😂

“Welp!” used as an exclamation in exactly the same circumstances where a Brit might just say “Well!” Have no idea why they use this one

I'd never heard this so I just asked my daughter and she explained it thus.

If someone says something that's uncomfortable for the group, she'll say "Welp!" to acknowledge it but also dismiss it. Then she'll move on quickly to something else.

All new to me. I'm enjoying this thread.

BTW my (American/British) husband said "It's all gone tits up" in a meeting with his American colleagues today. He's training them in correct British parlance.

And we're all happily beverizing.

Pronouncing ‘niche’ as nitch
God damnit
Pronouncing ‘twat’ as twot (makes the hairs stick up on the back of my neck)
Sneakers instead of trainers
Differently pronounication of aluminium
Mall or store
Taking a rain check
Restroom
Entree
Check for bill
Normalcy instead of normality
Purse is a bag
Bangs for fringe
Charts in lieu of presentation slides
Zee instead of Z
Counter clock wise

I work for a US corporation and my bosses are American and have unashamedly adopted some of these words myself.

The use of bring instead of take. I will bring her the cake rather than I will take her the cake

Winningest. The person who has won the most

Awful pronunciation of french words

Saying double 8 for example is met with confusion

Yep, I’ve fallen foul of this too Sleep reading out phone numbers. My cell number has two sets of repeated numbers, I’ve finally learned not to say “double 4 double 2”

3out I’ve been trying to bring “outwith” to Texas but it’s slow going.

Also the Scottish “where do you stay?” Leads to vaguely puzzled faces...

A friend moved to the US with her DH some years ago and because she didn't have a work visa, decided to volunteer with the Girl Guides (or equivalent over there),

On one occasion one of the girls told her she had messed up something on the paper she was working on and friend said' oh don't worry, screw it up and throw it in the bin.' She was hastily taken to one side by one of the other helpers and told that she should never say the word 'screw' in front of the girls.

Pissed

Parking lot

ON the weekend

Pants

The use of bring instead of take

Yes, this. Also "switched out". However, as a Scouser, I probably piss you all right off with my use of "youse".

Not a language thing, but I'm puzzled by the American school/university system names. Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior.
I would've thought Junior was the youngest? Why do they have these names as well as Grade 1, 2 etc? Confusing.
Also "The student body"?? does that mean "the whole school"?
And GPA - Grade Point Average - is that your average marks for a subject? and how many school classes do they have during a day? 8 or 9? seems an awful lot.
Hopefully a nice American will enlighten me!

"I wish Americans would learn to speak the language properly!" Irony? Which language? You will of course answer "the English language" well in many ways they do. American English usually has more in common with older English than British English does, especially certain spellings. I think the main one is "or" instead of "our" eg favourite v favorite

"The other one I find quite amusing is that they think that American Independence is a really sensitive subject for British people and a sore point long remembered of that time we were bested." Did y'all [see what I did there?] see the meme that did the rounds on face books about Harry marrying Meghan is a sneaky ploy by the royal family to regain America? Idea being she runs for presidency - and this gets rid of trump. Several of my American friends and family shared it 😂

Yes as a Scot I recognise a lot of these as perfectly normal phrases to me.

Frazzlesareheroes (yes they are!) yea that's the one Americanism that I think is "wrong" and irritates me WHY would you do month;day;year? It makes no sense! I play a set of games on my phone that are created/supported by an American company, going on the forums it's really difficult adjusting to the American date system to figure out when posts were made.

"I want to know what collard greens are." I know what they are I want to try them - and a whole load of other American food (never been). One of my American friends & I we love our food & cookery shows etc, recently both did a quiz on British food names on Facebook CLEARLY written by an American with some glaring mistakes - the comments!

"The other one I really hate is their use of "season" for a TV series." U actually like there being a distinction between a season of a tv show and the series referring to the whole entity of that show of however many seasons.

"Not sure if mentioned, 1,600 would be "16 hundred" in US instead of 1 thousand 6 hundred." Yes that's a bit odd.

Also isn't there a discrepancy between the 2 about the correct mathematical figure meant by...I'm thinking billion? Perhaps a larger one? As in I think in uk billion = million X million but in America is 100 X million ?

"Not entirely true Silvery. The Scottish “youse” has almost identical usage." Was just gonna say I like using youse.

"but central belt definitely (or defin-Itly as they would say)." Sounds more like "defin-ett-ley" to me.

There's great fun to be had with colloquialisms, not uk v American but on last nights death in paradise ardal's character used the phrase "budgie smugglers" and then had to explain it 😂

I've lived all over uk & Europe colloquialisms cause the most confusion/hilarity.

The main one that supposedly there's no true American equivalent of or supposedly even understanding of - taking the piss/taking the Mickey - not as in cheeky fuckery but in a much more lighthearted almost practical joke sense. Bill bryson mentions his confusion in "notes from a small island" when buying a train ticket he was told "the tickets free but the chat costs you £X" sonething like that. BUT chandler does it loads in friends so clearly at least some Americans "get it".

"I've never heard "youse" used in the US. I've always associated it solely with TV new york/new jersy mobsters." I'm guessing due to the Irish population there?

And definitely yes to exactly the same words meaning COMPLETELY different things

Pants
Muffin
Vest
Jumper
Trainer
Braces
Rubber
Chips
Biscuit
Dummy
Football (now that WILL start a fight - why on earth is American football called football when they barely touch the ball with feet?!)

"Also the Scottish “where do you stay?” Leads to vaguely puzzled faces..." In England as well as USA. I'm a scot but not broad as dad was army and we moved around a lot and I adjusted my accent & vocabulary to fit in (and not get battered!) but when friends came for tea or sleepovers I was basically a bloody translator!

Mum "wid ye like a ginger?"

Friend looks blankly

Me "would you like a fizzy drink/pop?" (Depending where we were at the time.

If mum bellowed "haud yer wheesht!" It had the desired effect despite the friend having NO CLUE what she'd just said. One once immediately sat down & held her handbag 😂😂

rowt for route
fillay for fillet (steak)
A rubber is a condom. You use an eraser to rub out mistakes.
'Good job', where we'd say 'well done'.

It's the idioms I like. Rain on your parade. Helicopter parent. The lights are on but no one's there. Her elevator doesn't go to the top.

Bill Bryson has written a scholarly book about C17 English that the original settlers took to the US and went on using after it fell into disuse over here. Might be called 'Made in England'.

My daughter has been Americanised by YouTube and ends the alphabet with zee instead of zed.

I’m sure this must out my slack parenting when she’s in preschool... Oh the shame!

I am confused about American words for telling the time. For instance they say 'a quarter OF eight' does this mean 7.45 -( quarter TO eight to us), or 8.15 - (quarter PAST eight) ?

Also confused about words for different styles of house, we use detached for a house on it's own, a semi for two house joined side by side, terraced (or maybe townhouse) for a house that is one of a row. But the American words seem completely different. What is a duplex for example?

I am aware that 'semi' means something to do with cars or vans/trucks in the US, not a house. But what is it exactly?

I find reading Stephen King the worst for this, his books are great, but are full of terms for everyday American stuff that I just don't get. His publishers should attach footnotes for non-American readers!