Differences in UK/US/Canadian/Australian English

Discussion in 'Research' started by Tenderiser, Feb 20, 2017.

  1. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    Yep, the two-wheeled device is a trolley. The street car is a 'tram' over here. Have you heard of air hostesses being called 'trolley dollies'? I wonder where that term was coined. :D

    I'll update the spreadsheet soon - busy week at work. If anybody wants to help maintain it, please PM me your email address :)
     
  2. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    A two-wheeled device I'd have referred to as a sack truck...(ETA: I think this displays a regional difference between me and @Tenderiser
    [​IMG]
    Although a similar device was called a trolley on an Indian site!

    We also have shopping trolleys...
    [​IMG]

    and the devices that are referred to as trolleys are usually 4-wheeled...
    [​IMG]

    As @Tenderiser says, we have trams on city streets...

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2017
  3. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    In @Shadowfax 's most recent post:

    I'd call the red two-wheeled thing a dolly or a hand truck.

    The four-wheeled shopping thing a shopping cart.

    The four-wheeled blue thing a dolly or a cart.

    And the vehicle with the pink nose a streetcar, though the word tram doesn't seem odd.
     
  4. ChaseTheSun

    ChaseTheSun Senior Member

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    Australian Translation for Rows 8 through 47:

    8 - depends on the building. If it is single-story, physically connected to several other identical dwellings, it's a flat. If it's part of a double- or- multi-storey complex, it's apartment.
    9 - apartment building / block of apartments. If higher than a certain number of floors (maybe ten or so) it's 'highrise'
    10 - ass, butt
    11 - eggplant
    12 - rubbish
    13 - rubbish bin
    14 - boot
    15 - bonnet
    16 - homeless person
    17 - fanny pack
    18 - 'front' is fanny/vag/vagina; 'back' is butt/bum/ass/backside
    19 - glove box
    20 - small, single-stick: chocolate bar; large block that is broken into small pieces: block of chocolate / chocolate block
    21 - car park
    22 - cleaner (in places like schools, hospitals) / caretaker (in places like historical homes, display gardens, etc)
    23 - Op-shop (short for Opportunity Shop)
    24 - coriander, no matter whether it's seed or leaf form.
    25 - the entire building is the cinema. Each individual viewing room is called the theatre. (I.e. "Meet you in theatre #4 at Village Cinema.")
    26 - zucchini
    27 - nappy
    28 - dummy
    29 - soft drink / fizzy drink / fizzy
    30 - torch
    31 - depends which liquid your vehicle takes. We have diesel, petrol and gas. They are all different compounds. My car takes petrol; my mum's car takes gas, and my dad's ute takes diesel.
    32 - service station / servo / petrol station (service station or servo most commonly used)
    33 - large complex of stores is called a shopping centre; stores like Woolworths, Coles, IGA, etc are called supermarkets; small boutique stores that sell fresh fruit and veg are grocery stores; small, independent stores (clothes, homewares) are called stores; stores that sell food or cheap homewares (fish 'n' chips, pizza, Reject Shop, etc) are called shops
    34 -
    milk bar, corner shop
    35 - paper towel
    36 - manual
    37 - mum
    38 - porridge
    39 - depends on the ingredients, flavour, savoury/sweet and density. Cookies are soft, sweet and crumbly. Biscuits are harder/stiffer and sweet. Crackers are light, thin, savoury and eaten with cheese, dip, etc.
    40 - are we talking about the dense, white, melt-in-your-mouth balls of British deliciousness, eaten with jam and cream? Scones.
    41 - depends on the material. Denim = jeans. Soft, cotton/fleece pants designed for exercise or comfort = tracksuit pants / trackies / tracky dacks. Pants worn to the office = pants, suit pants, dress pants. Aussies don't use the word 'trousers', nor, despite what Google will tell you, do we use the term 'jogging bottoms' or 'tracksuit bottoms'. Thin, close fitting pants designed for exercise = yoga pants, leggings, exercise pants
    43 - footpath / path
    44 - aerosol cream. My husband says he's always called it 'Mr Whippy'. I've never heard that term but apparently it's a brand of whipped cream in a can, and a colloquial moniker.
    45 - washing machine
    46 - washing the dishes / doing the dishes
    47 - paper towel for disposable mopping-up towel; tea towel for fabric dish-drying towel.
     
  5. Bill Chester

    Bill Chester Active Member

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    Removed
     
  6. terobi

    terobi Senior Member

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    I found out literally a minute ago. The order of operations from maths class at school (the order you tackle the bits of a maths problem in), in the UK it's BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction), whereas in the US it's PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction).

    This hurts me a bit.
     
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  7. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    Oof... that's a tough one.
     
  8. JLT

    JLT Contributor Contributor

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    And, of course the railroad and automobile industries developed almost entirely different jargon on both sides of the pond. (Railroad: sleepers=ties, points=switches, etc. and as for automobiles, some have been pointed out already (bonnet=hood, wing=fender, etc.)

    It's fascinating to me how these industries, isolated from each other developed their own terms. I doubt if any industries have sufiicent global separation to allow this to happen anymore.
     
  9. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    One for the @Shadowfax archive of great trollies.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    UK trolleybus
    upload_2017-2-26_11-30-58.jpeg
    In Britain we stand at trolley or tram stops. If it is a 'request stop' you must raise your arm for the driver's attention. Same rules apply at Paddington/King's Cross, and always check in the driver's cab before boarding, 'yo, fellas, is your train northbound?'
     
  11. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    Or, 'Off his trolley,' is the expression

    [​IMG]
     
  12. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    Trolley dolly [offensive potential]

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    In the UK we travel around inside a travel bag, steered by a butler, whereas, in the US, apparently they are used for luggage.
     
  14. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    upload_2017-2-26_11-45-13.jpeg Tea trolley
     
  15. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    With Matwoolf patiently waiting to serve tea.
     
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  16. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    upload_2017-2-26_11-52-8.jpeg @Pinky faces challenge of 'work experience.' [@MatW in background with 'the gals']
     
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  17. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    In UK known as 'a wanker.'
    [​IMG]
     
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  18. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    The first kick goes for the silly bag, but if you can't hit that, the ankles are fine.
     
  19. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    I've seen that jacket somewhere before Matwoolf....
     
  20. Necronox

    Necronox Contributor Contributor

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    just a couple slangs:
    Tomato Sauce (i.e Ketchup) is also known as Dead Horse (slang) in australia.
    Dim Sims have a slang: "Dead Cat(s)"

    Agree with all above, just gonna comment on these numbers:
    10) It is normally, or officially, written as "arse" not "ass" in australia. Though so many people write it either way that it has become interchangeable.
    11) I've seen both eggplant and obergine used. sometimes at the same time.
    12) I've seen both Garbage and Rubbish be said. I.e 'A rubbish bin' and 'a garbage truck'. there is also 'trash' i.e: 'taking out the trash' is sometimes said as oppose to 'taking out the garbage/rubbish'
    15) Hood is also quite common as to be interchangeable
    16)I've seen all of them used. Hobo, tramp (less so), bum and homeless person or just "the homeless"
    25)More commonly referred to simply as "the movies." though that is more colloquial/slang
    26)Same as eggplant/obergine. i've seen both used (Zucchini-Courgette)
    31) For all none aussies out there (or people who may simple not know): a ute is the australian version of a pick-up truck. Though if looking for a term to describe everything it can be called "fuel" in general.
    32)Definitly service station/servo. Never seen anyone refer to it as a petrol station.
    39) Seconded. Though Cookies is fairly new and a lot of old-timers do not use the term.
     
  21. Pinkymcfiddle

    Pinkymcfiddle Banned

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    Oh good, I visited Australia, here is a few I noticed: -

    "Whoops slipped up the dingo" If you are caught in a compromising situation.
    "Where's your fake hair, slappy?" when you meet Shane Warne.
    "I just want a bloody pint!" the cry of a Brit abroad getting handed schooners.

    But my favourite phrase of all was genuinely this: "Dr Carl Kennedy is playing tonight"... I dunno if Yanks will know who Dr Carl Kennedy is, but dam he puts on a fun show... "why why why delilah".
     
  22. terobi

    terobi Senior Member

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    I think we've missed out another few genericised trademarks too; Sellotape/Scotch Tape, for example (leading to Americans just plain not getting the "spellotape" gag in Harry Potter).
     
  23. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    They got fucking sub-titles
     
  24. S A Lee

    S A Lee Contributor Contributor

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    A question I want to put to our American residents:

    I was under the impression that 'cilantro' denoted the coriander leaf and an American uses the term 'coriander' to denote the seed. Came across it looking up recipes for fajita marinades.
     
  25. Spencer1990

    Spencer1990 Contributor Contributor

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    You are correct.
     

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