Do Americans understand British English?

[knickernicker]

I can't think that there is any American phrase, word or accent that I wouldn't understand, but I wonder if an American would understand everything I say.
I remember sitting for a meal with some people from Boston and being acutely aware of needing to edit what I said to remove any British idiom. It was an odd feeling as when watching American films I forget they're a different nationality.

[Lookingforfocus]

Trash is originally a British word. Shakespeare uses it in Othello "Whoever steals my purse steals trash".

I just like trash as a word, we lived in the US for over 12 years and some Americanisms I just prefer for some reason, as an Anglo-American family we all have transatlantic vocabularies. Sometimes I can't remember British words for things.

For example I get confused about which pronounciation of garage is British and which is American. I also have no time for Brits who are very snobby about American vocabulary and accents - especially as every time I go back to the UK people are using what were considered "unattractive Americanisms" a few years previously!

I also remember working as an executive recruiter in Seattle and a co-worker (Americanism!) showed me a CV that she thought had atrocious spelling and vocabulary. It turned out of the course the candidate was British!

[Lookingforfocus]

Opps CV should of course read resume (rez-zoo-may).

[Mignonette]

Scone

There is a lot of Scottish ancestry in the South isn't there? What a wonderful combination- Scarlett and Jean!

Bill Bryson's 'Mother Tongue' does and excellent job of debunking some of the British snobbery over what they mis-perceive as 'Americanisms'. Most people are completely ignorant of the true origins of many Stateside terms.

[Lookingforfocus]

Gotten is a great example. We're happy to say forgotten and understand forgot and forgotten. Yet some people get their knickers in a twist (AE: panties in a wad) if Americans use got and gotten.

One thing I noticed I changed is I don't say "you lot" as in "Are you lot coming, or what?" which is very BE. I say "you guys" - i.e. to my kids "are you guys done yet?".

Some British English terms just sound very unnecessarily formal to American ears and IMO American society has a strong emphasis on politeness=inclusiveness. Anything that seems linguistically to create a barrier or be hard for someone to understand is considered very bad manners. Body langauge too. Just like in many Asian societies it's very important to smile as is seen as good manners. While the Brits and Germans believe you need to have something to smile about and smiling "for no reason" is inane. Of course in the previously mentioned societies being with others is "a reason".

[partialderivative]

I remember trying to explain "The dog's bollocks" to some American colleagues, I'd never really thought it an odd phrase until that moment.

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

Mignonette Yes, Scotland is heavily represented in the South, especially in North Carolina. There are many place names in the South that show the connection, e.g. Scotland County, North Carolina; Culloden, Georgia; Dunedin, Florida; Scotia, South Carolina, and the list goes on.

I love the word "bollocks." We should definitely import that one.

[PigletJohn]

I had some Korean Meatballs the other day. They really were the dog's bollocks.

[ErrolTheDragon]

:-

[partialderivative]

But, Scone, do you understand what "The dog's bollocks" means?

It has a quite separate meaning to 'bollocks'

"The dog's bollocks" is a more coarse way of saying "The bee's knees".

I hope that is clear.

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

partiald It's clear now. So just plain "bollocks" means nonsense, etc., but "the dog's bollocks" is something altogether excellent. As a dog lover, I find this charming.

[ErrolTheDragon]

I believe a US equivalent (understood here too, though) would be 'the cat's pyjamas'.

[PigletJohn]

I might mean "outstanding"

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

Or the cat's meow.

In the thread about expressions that might be dated in 50 years' time, one poster suggested that "fortnight" might be on its way out in the UK. Can this be true?

[helzapoppin2]

I was described as " the bomb!" I think it was a compliment!

[RyvitaSesame]

ah yeh, jillian michaels says that. "this is the bomb" (= v. g)

[RyvitaSesame]

Don't think fortnight is on its way out. But, I think all young people under say 22 speak with an American accent in my neck of the woods. (socodu). Who from Socudu is gonna liiiike disagreeeeeee widd thad, id iz so like, todally troooooo

[RyvitaSesame]

my x used to abbreviate that, something or somebody "the dee beez"

[ErrolTheDragon]

Oh, Jillian Michaels... now, I love what she's doing for me, but I really wish I could dub some of her phrases ..'sickest', 'crazy psycho' and so forth. I don't think they sit very comfortably this side of the pond.

[partialderivative]

Blimey, I don't think I have heard of "the cats pyjamas"!

Is it used in an ironic way? The same way "Dog's bollocks" is?

e.g. "David Cameron thinks he is the dog's bollocks and that any fool will vote for him"

(Maybe that's not irony)

[RyvitaSesame]

I love JM

"you're strongest where you were broken....... I think Ernest Hemmingway said that".

Classic quote from JM there.

My other favourite is

"this is not your mother's workout"

[ErrolTheDragon]

Oh yes, I'm doing that one at the moment Ryvita.

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

I think someone saying, "Oh, he thinks he's the cat's pyjamas" is slightly more snide than "He thinks he's the dog's bollocks", but then I also think "dog's bollocks" is a phrase more readily applied to objects than people. The first time I encountered "db" (as it were) it was applied to a rather lovely custom motorcycle, not a human.

"Cat's pyjamas" does relate better to humans than things.

I think.

[partialderivative]

I couldn't help but google "dog's bollocks".

Apparently there is a bar in Toronto that goes by this name!

I would agree with OldLady in that 'it is a phrase more readily applied to objects than people'

So my example may have been misleading.

Now, what about 'I should coco'?

[BertieBotts]

Yes dogs bollocks is used more literally (well not literally literally) about something you think is very good. And it is usually things.

Cat's pyjamas is definitely more something somebody thinks they are, not something they/it are/is.

[OldLadyKnowsSomething]

"I should coco!" is "Absolutely no way am I going to do that!"

Eg, "Will you be going back to that pub where you got food poisoning?"

"I should coco!"