Following on from the scallions thread . . . . .

[SrSteveOskowski]

Isn't the 'language' difference between Ireland and the UK amazing all the same? And I don't mean the literal language, ie: speaking Irish instead of Welsh, English etc.
More that although we're all speaking English, it can be so different.

For example (I'm Irish) would I confuse people in the UK if I started talking about buggies, minerals, rashers, taytos, the messages and the hot press to name but a few?

How many of you would know what all these things are, or would you just think "What on earth is she on about?"

Lots of people use 'ginger' specifically for irn bru.

'a can of ginger and a roll and sausage, pal'

Never heard of that. Where?

Here's the OED entry:

Scottish colloquial. A fizzy soft drink of any flavour.

1973 ‘J. Patrick’ Glasgow Gang Observed v. 54 Some with milk and 'ginger' (lemonade) bottles in their hands.

1984 J. Kelman Busconductor Hines 31 Transistor radios playing, drinking bottles of ginger, the place stowed out with folk chatting about football.

1999 Herald (Glasgow) 30 Sept. 9 In Glasgow, before the war, all the shops used to brew their own ginger beer. That's why you still get wee boys going in for a bottle of lemonade and asking for a bottle of ginger.

2013 Observer (Nexis) 4 Aug. (Mag. section) 14 The journalist Audrey Gillan, who grew up in a Glasgow housing scheme, remembers the visits of the ‘gingers’ van, delivering bottles of limeade on credit.

2015 Daily Rec. (Glasgow) (Nexis) 14 Feb. 6 Bishopbriggs Sports Centre. 1979... There was gossip around the estate that a new form of ‘ginger’ was available... It was like no fizzy drink we had ever experienced before.

Never heard of that. Where?

In
Glasgow

But bless you getting all your sources.

Surely anyone who’s lived in Glasgow will have heard someone referring to a can of ginger.

Have you ever lived in Glasgow?

Just because you haven't heard of something doesn't mean it doesn't exist ronatheseal. No need for the Spanish Inquisition

Actually, another thing I miss about Irish speech is the very dry wit a lot of people have. You come across it a bit in Scotland but not to the same extent in the rest of the UK, in my experience. Irish people are very, very witty.

@Kaboodler''Surely anyone who’s lived in Glasgow will have heard someone referring to a can of ginger.'
'
I've heard the term in Glasgow, I have never heard the claim that it refers only to Irn Bru rather than being a generic word for a soft drink. Make sense? The OED researchers appear to agree with my experience. Hence why I am asking where and why you think it can be used as a synonym for Irn Bru? Sorry, I was trying to be polite, but you've taken offence for some reason.

@Kaboodler 'But bless you getting all your sources.'

I pasted OED entry for your benefit. Are you suggesting that being informed is a bad thing now? Apologies if I've got you wrong here, it seems like a very silly comment you made but maybe I've misunderstood.

rona which country are you from?

Hence why I am asking where and why you think it can be used as a synonym for Irn Bru?

Because I lived in Glasgow for years. And I heard it used as a synonym for Irn Bru all the time.

Hope this helps.

Have you ever lived in Glasgow?

Are you suggesting that being informed is a bad thing now?

The thing is you don't seem particularly informed. Hence why I've been explaining things to you.

@Kaboodler When you first posted about the Irn Bru & ginger you didn't say how you arrived at your conclusion, and since your conclusion contradicted my own (quite extensive) experience of usage AND the OED entry, researched by professionals, I wondered if you were just speculating and/or rationalizing a 'folk etymology'. TBH I'm at best agnostic about whether you know what you are talking about, and the OED entry suggests it is derived from Ginger Beer rather than Irn Bru, which still suggests to me that you are rationalizing. The fact you say you hear it as 'a synonym for Irn Bru all the time' suggests also to me that you have misunderstood the speaker (perhaps are not a native), because I am CERTAIN it is not the COMMON usage of the term.

So have you ever lived in Glasgow?

But it's quite the entertaining tizzy you're getting yourself into over Scotland's favourite soft drink. Please do continue until your gaskets are fully blown!

A tizzy about the fizzy

@Kaboodler 'The thing is you don't seem particularly informed. Hence why I've been explaining things to you.'

So, you are telling me you made (false) assumptions about how informed I am. Thanks for the explanation. I still don't get why you think bringing professional research to shed light on this topic is a bad thing. Surely that would make it even more important, in light of my ignorance?

So have you ever lived in Glasgow? Or do you just rely on google for your, ummm, 'expertise'?

'A tizzy about the fizzy'

A whinge about the ginge(r)

Some of you could have a fight in an empty room.

Are you starting Reggie?

The room I'm in is empty at the moment to be fair!