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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 25 September 2007 09:44 pm |
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In the Uk we used to have what we call "dustbins" (round black, about the size of an oil drum, usually black or grey with a lid) which were emptied once a week by "dustbin men" who rode on a "dust cart". Nowadays we mostly have "wheelie bins" (square, about 1m 30cm tall, hinged lid, colours vary- blue, green, brown, grey, black) which are seperately specified for garden waste, recyclable waste and non-recyclable rubbish. Most councils empty these on a fortnightly basis these days, which is causing consternation abmong the populace because we have become used to weekly rubbish removals. Some councils hand out small plastic boxes which are for recyclable rubbish and are collected about once a week (I think - we don't live in one of those areas).
Recycling is not popular in this country and we have had to be coerced into recycling by implementing fortnighly refuse collections with recyclable rubbish being taken one week and non-recyclable rubbish being taken the following week - hence if you don't recycle your bin will overflow and your neighbours will complain! It's no good placing extra bags of rubbish next to your wheelie bin - the men won't take it! It is a bit of a hassle sorting the rubbish into recyclabe and non-recyclable, and the houses here are so small that there is no space for two seperate bins inthe kitchen, which means thta when I open a tin (or a cardboard box or a paper packet or finish a bottle of fizzy drink or drink a can of fizzy drink) I have to keep on running out to the wheelie bin to place these recyclable items in the recyclable wheelie bin.
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gauloises
New Member
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Posted: 26 September 2007 11:58 am |
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Hey Becci here in the good ol' borough of Lambeth we don't even get recyclable wheelie bins; just one bog-standard kind and large orange plastic bags for recycling. Like you we have no room for another bin so the recycling bag just kind of sits on the kitchen floor, getting in everyone's way. I have no problem with recycling, but I hate how much it depends on your council - in the infinitely more salubrious parts where my mum lives, she has her standard wheelie bin and then a box for bottles, a box for newspapers, a box for cans, a box for cardboard ...
Don't know if anyone's mentioned these before, but "bog-standard" is something we say when we mean basic or generic. We also sometimes say "fair cop", or "fair enough": "It's your round next." "That's a fair cop."
We also say "my shout" sometimes when offering to pay for something like drinks or food, in the same way you might say "my treat". This is further complicated by the fact that "good shout" sometimes means "good idea": "Let's get another round in." "Hey, good shout."
Of course, those might just be a southern thing.
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 27 September 2007 11:43 pm |
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| Nope, thats common up here in the frozen north too (common as in a frequent occurrence - not common as in, well, common).
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 28 October 2007 07:26 pm |
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Just thought of another difference in our common language:
In the UK we use the word "purse" to describe the small bag we use to hold our coins and which we generally keep inside our handbags, wheras in the US it would seem that you refer to your handbag as a purse.
I know, it's not exactly earth shattering, is it?
Becci
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 November 2007 06:00 pm |
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Rug is also used to mean 'wig', but I think that may apply both sides of the pond.
'I have got' isn't grammatical in England either, but in is common usage.
The whole 'write me' / 'write to me' thing is pretty common in the movies (films) and TV shows that I see. Now that I'm a little harder of hearing, I oft-times confuse 'write me' with 'bite me' in the ruder sort of movie. (Which can hinder an understanding of plot development, believe me).
We have solicitors, US has lawyers. Most (in both countries) seem to form the rump of the political classes, too - which is probably why we're all in such bad shape, politically speaking.
How about a large drinking vessel? If it's bigger than a cup, we call it a 'mug'. That seems to be applied to facial characteristics (at least in Mafia movies... mug shots etc.)
My favourite bits of US double-speak seem to be 'collateral damage' which means you got in the way, and 'friendly fire' which I presume hurts just as much as the unfriendly sort.
My favourite bits of UK double-speak are: 'I'm a pretty straight sort of guy' ( a politician whom almost noone trusts any more), and 'No more spin' just before the next whopping lie they expect the public to swallow.
But perhaps my favourite bit of US wording was Donald Rumsfeld's 'known knowns, known unknowns....' etc. Thing is, I understood perfectly what he meant, and isn't that the art of effective communication?
Finally, schools - in the UK a public school is one where you go if your parents pay a large annual fee (i.e. it's private). The alternative is a state school where the education is arbitrary. Within the state school system, we have comprehensive schools (which are supposed to accept everybody) and grammar schools (which require some sort of selection process - and teach just about anything but grammar). (Oops - just noticed someone else had already covered this bit in part).
Whereas, I never got to grips with the whole 5th grade, 6th grade thing in the US. I wouldn't know whether that meant primary education or secondary. Please explain, someone!
UK derogatory terms for other people include 'prat', 'wally' and 'plonker' in UK. Also 'divot', 'cretin' not pronounced 'cree-tin'. There are other, ruder terms, but I think they apply in the US, too, so we'll draw a veil over those.
In some parts of England's Midlands, 'duck' is a term of affection, and in the north I've heard 'hinny' which is a female #%@&!, I think. They also use 'man' to include a woman (think this happens in parts of Germany too - so you can hear something like: 'Oh, come on man, woman!' when a much put-upon male finally protests to his partner.
That '#%@&!' reminds me of another transatlantic difference. We say 'arse' but mean anus, not just the general bottom area. As for 'fanny', well, there's another anatomical disagreement.
Funny old world, isn't it? And, don't get me started on the vagaries of Portuguese (which I'm currently learning)!
Last edited on 3 November 2007 06:17 pm by nevd
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 3 November 2007 06:09 pm |
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Are there any state run grammar schools left? I thought most of them had gone private. Certainly all the grammar schools I know of are now fee paying schools.
I also think it's a bit arbitrary to call a state education arbitrary. After all, a state school at least is required to follow a set national curriculum to the letter (required to, but usually manage to wriggle out of the more difficult stuff like PE lessons) while a fee paying or public school is not obliged to follow the national curriculum, and therefore has much more freedom to teach what the parents ask for (which may be utter rubbish - but it must be "good" because they pay for it). Incidentally, I was a public school girl (sorry)!
B
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 November 2007 06:26 pm |
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I used the word 'arbitrary' because it's the luck of the draw.
In a private school the teachers are sacked if they don't perform. I know several teachers in the UK private and state sector. The 'private' ones like their jobs, the state ones can't wait to retire or switch careers.
I was lucky - I went to a state grammar school and enjoyed very good teachers. On the downside, it was an all-male school, which didn't do much for the development of my social skills!
Luck of the draw, indeed.
Back on the subject of UK / US English, why do some in the US say 'noo-kyoo-lar' for nuclear? I do believe Mr Bush has been guilty of that one, and he has his finger on the nookyoolar button!
Drat! Now I won't sleep tonight...
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 4 November 2007 05:02 pm |
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Okay, school here. I don't see where this has been covered but it probably has, but oh well.
Public eduacation, public schools, mandatory for everyone...starts with kindergarten for five year olds.
Then you have first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, all the way up through twelvth grade.
The problem with calling a selection of grades "primary school" secondary school" or whatever is that it is different in different places.
Where I lived when I was kindergarten we had an "elementary school" that was kindergarten through eight, and then high school that was nine through twelve.
When we moved, the elementary school were all kindergarten through fourth grade, then there was a middle school of fifth and sixth grade, then a junior high school of seventh and eighth grade, THEN high school of nine through twelvth.
When we moved AGAIN to where we live now, the elementry schools go through fifth grade, middle school is sixth seventh and eighth, and the high school is nine through twelve.
But I know some high schools are only ten through twelve...and so forth...so that's where it gets confusing.
Also note that ninth grade=freshman, tenth grade=sophomore, eleventh grade=junior, twelveth grade=senior.
There are also private schools, usually run by a religious organization...My friend goes to a private school, and it is K-12...
After twelveth grade you apply for college/university, synonomous with your unis, best I can figure.
(The first four years at college you are also referred to as a freshemn, then sophomore, then junior, then senior, just like high school).
What else?
CG
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 4 November 2007 05:12 pm |
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nevd wrote: I never got to grips with the whole 5th grade, 6th grade thing in the US.
I guess you might have difficulty recognising the current UK classification: We no longer have anomalies such as people moving directly from the "1st year" to the "3rd year" (as was the case in my secondary school in Milton Keynes).
Instead, we have "Year 1" through to "Year 12" (or is it Year 11?) very much along the same principles CG describes.
I'm not sure what the post-16 education terminology is. Maybe it is still "lower sixth form" and "upper sixth form"? Really not sure...
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 08:15 pm |
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Year 12 is the AS year, or the first year of A levels. Year 13 is the final year available in any "school" - in which students do the second or A2 of the A level syllabus (as was). many students leave school after year 10 and do their As and A2 years in an FE college, where restricions are generally.................less restricting because there are many adult students in FE college who would not tolerate the restrictions on food and catering/behavious/dress/hair style/etc that are imposed in schools.
For example, although we are a mixed race family, my daughter is not permitted to have her hair braided except for family gatherings, and then it must be taken out before she returns to school. Personally, I feel that restrictions like this (which impinge upon our cultural identity) are merely thinly disguised racism - but it's not possible to prove. How can the way you wear your hair influence how you learn/whether you learn? I thik the schools should concern themselves a little less with how the students look and a little more with helping them to learn to think about what really matters - life.
Whoops,I'm just off to put this soap box away.
B
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 5 November 2007 02:15 am |
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She can't have her hair braided? Give me a break, I'm like you, where does that impede her or anyone else's ability to learn?
Our rules are things like, no hair dye that is not natural colors (Ie I can die my hair from brown to blonde, just not from brown to purple..) no wild nail polish, and then the stuff like no baggy pants, short skirts, sleeveless shirts, holey clothes, suggestive slogans, etc etc.
Hair braiding...thats' pretty ridiculous.
CG
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zenobia
Moderator
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Posted: 5 November 2007 05:10 am |
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on the subject of schools:
CG stated that public school is madatory for everyone... i just wanted to clarify that one can either go to public shool- funded by the state, private school- usually religious in nature and is paid for by the parents, typically... there is also the option of home school.
it does seem that what defines elementary, middle, and high school differs everywhere. private schools tend to go either from K-12, as CG statred, or K-8, which is very common. there would be a seperate private school for those who wish to continue 9-12 in the private arena.
also, if you ever hear a person from the U.S. refer to Junior High, that is what middle school used to be called, and that is when it would almmost always be grades 7-9.
interesting about the braided hair. i guess i didn't see that coming from england. rules here differ from school to school. i had blue hair in high school at one point. it's gotten more colorful and.... interesting as the years go on. i remember a guy with contacts- one eye would be red and the other would be a flame or something. deffiniately through you for a loop when you saw him, as his eyes changed almost every day.
on the purse thing- we do refer to the entire bag as a purse, but we also have coin purses, which is exactly what Ohm refered to.
"ashy" is also used for/ by white people in the north.. one must avoid "ashy" knees...
"spin" is used the same way as you all use it.
am mug is usually what one drinks coffee out of. a larger one is called a "stein"- typically a beer stein.
The "i have got" thing- usualy it's said as "i've got"- yes, essentially the same thing, but you don't really hear people saying it all out like that. maybe iit has to do with "i've gotten" or "i have gotten". if you say gotten, you have to say have with it. hhmmm... trying to remember back to linguistic classes....
we too use "man" to refer to both men and women.
yeah, i never understood the "zed" thing. how did that even happen? speeking of zee/zed, do Brits say "catching some Zs" in referance to getting some sleep?
on the sneezing thing, to be different, hubs and i like to say the most random things if someone sneezes. e.g.- "dirty socks" or "dead fish" or "birthday cake"... anything totally random that first pops in the head. but we are just wierd like that.
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 5 November 2007 08:30 pm |
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Oh yeah, I completely forgot about home school. Pardon me 
CG
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Theresa
Senior Member
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Posted: 6 November 2007 09:24 am |
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| And from a South African point of view. We use American and British ways of speaking. I have found that our black community in SA and other African countries prefer to use the American way of speaking. If you are black and speak with an American accent it seems to be a "cool" in thing. I think the white South African community prefer to use the British way of speaking as it sounds far more educated and proper. (I prefer the British way personally) Sorry Peter, but I still think you are brilliant.
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divingintolife1226
New Member
| Joined: | 10 November 2007 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 63 |
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Posted: 15 November 2007 07:55 pm |
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I was reading over this thread and found it really amusing. I spent the summer living with a lot of people from a variety of countries. Two of them were from the UK. We ran into all of these differences over the summer. It was really funny at times. Deja-vue all over again...
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
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| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 15 November 2007 08:38 pm |
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Great thread! I'm just a reader here, but whaddabout steel wool?
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Theresa
Senior Member
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Posted: 16 November 2007 06:07 am |
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| In SA it can be steel wool or pot scourer? If it is the one to scrub grills, pots etc.
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 16 November 2007 08:59 am |
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Sorry, Theresa, but I just had to poke a bit of fun at the traditional SA greeting - "Howzit?".
A lot of English speakers (unfamiliar with the expression) have replied "hows what?" or even worse "how's yours?".
Yes, I know it's naughty to poke fun - but it does make me smile! Ek se, jong!
B
Last edited on 16 November 2007 09:07 am by Ohm
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Theresa
Senior Member
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Posted: 16 November 2007 09:06 am |
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| Don't worry, it is typically SA. Actually when someone greets me like that I usually pretent to look in my pants and say it was fine the last time I looked.
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Theresa
Senior Member
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Posted: 16 November 2007 09:26 am |
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What about Lekker! If somethings ok or cool it's "Lekka ma china"
And a new brilliant one for SA is "eish" pronounced "ay-sh". This is commonly used by our dark South African brothers when they are amazed, stunned, pleased or not too sure what is meant or going on. In the afrikaans language "ys" is ice, pronounced ay-s
Now in SA there is a advert regarding Brandy with "eish" as it's main theme. A black SA guy breaks down in the heart of the karoo and a white SA afrikaans guy who has front teeth missing tows his car and puts him up for the night, just too happy to have someone to talk to which he does nonstop as he stays out in the bush with no one around for miles. They are relaxing at sundown and the white afrikaner asks if the black guy wants a a brandy. Now after all the trauma of the day the black guy lets out a sigh and exclaims EISH!(showing amazement at the guy who won't shut up) The white afrikaner then turns to him thinking he is asking for ice and without his two front teeth in his mouth states "met aysh ja"(with ice yes)
I don't know if it is as funny reading about it as it is to South Africans who are familiar with the expression.
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 17 November 2007 12:13 am |
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Hey!
How about numbers? In the US a thousand million is a billion while in the UK it's a millard.
US......................................................UK
10 to the sixth million.................................................million
10 to the ninth billion.................................................millard
10 to the twelfth trillion.................................................billion
10 to the fifteenth quadrillion..........................................billard
10 to the eighteenth quintillion...........................................trillion
Unless you guys specify that you are using the System Internationale (SI), in which case you count like we do.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 November 2007 11:41 am |
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| I don't know what your source for the information is, but common usage in the UK, million - billion - trillion is just what you have on the left (the US column). I guess the info you have for the UK is out of date.
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newstart
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 359 |
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Posted: 17 November 2007 03:46 pm |
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My son "The Mathematician" aka"The Prankster" may have led me astray, but he's not home now, so I can't berate him.
I guess my best move is to continue to read this fun thread with zipped lips or sit on my hands, so I'm not tempted to join in.
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 18 November 2007 05:51 pm |
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Oh, do join in, newstart!
And, thanks a milliard for your input thus far...
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ribble
Senior Member
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Posted: 5 January 2008 01:15 pm |
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How about Autumn and Fall as another difference.
Apologies if its already been posted. I had a quick look through and didn't see it anywhere.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 2 April 2008 05:29 am |
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I have enjoyed the American version of Antiques Road Show for years, and just started watching the UK version as well.
I'm just amazed at the reserved, lack of response that comes from the British when they are told that their old pot is worth 50,000 pounds or whatever. "Oh, I see."
Americans go nuts!
Peter
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