America versus UK

[staralfur]

Math vs maths and water vs waters! I thought you all were crazy people when you kept talking about your "waters" going...and then I realized that's actually more accurate than "water" singular.

 

[omfgski]

...

 

[Kristin52]

Ooh i just thought as well with whole garden and yard thing. Where I live a garden is this:
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDEzWDYyMA==/$(KGrHqZHJDYE-87eZ,SGBQGe!66GTw~~48_79.JPG
And a yard is this:
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDEzWDYyMA==/$T2eC16hHJGQE9noMcTLWBQLdtt3Qw!~~48_79.JPG

Which one is the American word for yard? The grassy one?

Lol yes!

 

[Kristin52]

I would personally call the cement one an entryway.

 

[babybrums]

Okay now I have another question. It seems like your houses are all really close. We live in a community where the smallest yard is 100 feet by 100 feet - ours is 100x140. We don't have alleys behind our houses. Our yards touch. Our garages or driveways connect to the road in front (or if you live on a corner) side of our house. Are all of your homes so close together? Or is that only in cities? We live in a town of about 4000 people. Houses in bigger cities have alleys but generally not in smaller towns.

if you've got the money you can get a nice big house in my area with land like this house which cost over a million lol

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-33551989.html

and a house like this still cost quite abit lol

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35588785.html?premiumA=true

Wow! For $1 million you could get a house on the lake where I live or on a lot of land (like 20 acres in the country). Our house is only two bedrooms but is 4 houses from the lake (none actually on the lake Shore on our side of the lake) and it was only $116k. We have a big fenced in yard and a beautifully updated home.

 

[Phantom]

Where I live a yard is either your front yard or backyard. Not to much the driveway but the grassy part. A garden is where you plant vegetables and stuff.

These are overalls here. I think they are dungarees there?
https://www.bambinogoodies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/American-Apparel-768x1024.jpg

And this is a sweater. I've seen them called jumpers around bnb. That really confused me!
https://www.glamkidz.com/images/boboli-tyler-boys-argyle-sweater-pic-BBL_A057_R_300.jpg

A jumper here might refer to this:
https://www.oldnavy.com/products/res/mainimg/button-yoke-denim-jumper-dresses-for-baby-dark-wash.jpg

 

[C_baby]

I'm glad someone mentioned pack'n'play that's been confusing me for ages!!

Pants always amuses me because here you'd be talking about your underwear! Keep imagining babies dressed in just a top and knickers!

 

[lauraclili]

I have cousins from Canada and they called the toilets washroom lol, they always laughed at me for saying "I need to go toilet" lol
For vest my cousins called it tank top and I think 'wife beater' was something not 100% sure if anyone can help out lol
Trousers and pants...
Not baby related but in school we called the subject 'Maths' but in canda and I think America they say 'Math'... It sounds weird to me without the 'S'

Wife beater (bad name) is basically a white sleeveless undershirt that's really tight.

To me a wife beater is a string vest like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-Cotton-Fishnet-Net-Mesh-String-Vest-S-M-L-XL-COL-/120705936509

Although I thought it was an Australian term rather than a British one.

 

[lauraclili]

Where I live a yard is either your front yard or backyard. Not to much the driveway but the grassy part. A garden is where you plant vegetables and stuff.

These are overalls here. I think they are dungarees there?
https://www.bambinogoodies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/American-Apparel-768x1024.jpg

And this is a sweater. I've seen them called jumpers around bnb. That really confused me!
https://www.glamkidz.com/images/boboli-tyler-boys-argyle-sweater-pic-BBL_A057_R_300.jpg

A jumper here might refer to this:
https://www.oldnavy.com/products/res/mainimg/button-yoke-denim-jumper-dresses-for-baby-dark-wash.jpg

Um, yes, that one is a jumper. Sometimes we call the sweaters too but to me, a sweater is more like a cotton sweatshirt, like you might put on after exercise?

Yes, that is a picture of dungarees.

I'd call that dress, a dress. Or maybe a pinafore.

To me, a jumper-dress would have to be knitted, like an extra long jumper.

 

[Dezireey]

Lived in the US when I was in my twenties, got to share a few conversations i had:-

US friend : Are you putting that in your fanny pack?
Me: WTF? dont be rude
US friend: I wasnt being rude, you putting your money in that? ( points to my 'bum-bag')

Fanny in UK means vagina LOL

ME: Im getting pissed tonight woohoo!
US friend: Why would you plan on getting angry?
ME: WTF? Im getting drunk
US friend: Well why didnt you say so?

Pissed in UK means angry and also drunk

ME: I'm stepping outside to have a fag
US Friend: Pardon me??!

Fag in UK means cigarette

I had fun when I lived in California!!

 

[Feff]

I got taught at GCSE history that the Americans started calling 'sweaters' jumpers because the day Wall Street crash happened lots of people jumped off buildings wearing sweaters so they started calling them jumpers instead lol! The schooling system REALLY confuses me! In the UK there's playgroup, nursery, reception, infants, primary, comprehensive, college then university but America is different?

 

[babybrums]

I got taught at GCSE history that the Americans started calling 'sweaters' jumpers because the day Wall Street crash happened lots of people jumped off buildings wearing sweaters so they started calling them jumpers instead lol! The schooling system REALLY confuses me! In the UK there's playgroup, nursery, reception, infants, primary, comprehensive, college then university but America is different?

Preschool - age 4
Elementary school - kindergarten - 5th grade (age 5 - 10)
Middle school / junior high - 6th - 8th grade (11 - 13)
High school - 9th - 12th (14 - 18)
College and University are essentially the same. We also have trade or technical schools. Colleges tend to offer 4 year + degrees and tech schools offer 2 year degrees.

Some elementary schools go up to 8th grade, skipping the middle school. Some go to 9th. There's a lot of variables.

 

[lauraclili]

Or sixth form instead of college

I've always been confused by the different names the different year groups have in the us. What, for instance is a sophomore?

Also, what is the point of a sorority/fraternity? I've seen them in films but I don't understand what they're all about?

 

[lauraclili]

Ok so in the uk, we'd have:

Nursery: birth - 3(ish) - childcare
Reception: 4-5
Primary school: 5-11
Secondary school: 11-16 or 18
College or sixth form: 16 to 18

Reception is the name given to the first year at primary school. Sixth forms are attached to schools, colleges aren't.

 

[babybrums]

Freshman = first year
Sophomore = second
Junior = third
Senior = fourth
Used for high school and college.

Don't know about the point of fraternities and sororities. I go to a tech school. They're more of a college/University thing.

 

[staralfur]

I've seen ladies in the UK talk about getting "A levels" - what is that?

 

[Leids]

Sororities/fraternities are basically just organizations that students can join (or be 'accepted' into). There are a lot of different types with varying degrees of exclusivity. For my school there were things like engineering frats, med school frats, law frats, there are different sororities (female)/fraternities (male) for religious groups - so you can get into an entirely Christian/Jewish/Muslim frat or sorority. And they tend to have parties, study together, live together, etc. A lot of members tend to stay friends for a long time, they just create a family/community outside of home.

Kind of difficult to explain. There were also sororities and frats that were exclusive to those who had higher GPA's (higher grades).

 

[Leids]

Lived in the US when I was in my twenties, got to share a few conversations i had:-

US friend : Are you putting that in your fanny pack?
Me: WTF? dont be rude
US friend: I wasnt being rude, you putting your money in that? ( points to my 'bum-bag')

Fanny in UK means vagina LOL

ME: Im getting pissed tonight woohoo!
US friend: Why would you plan on getting angry?
ME: WTF? Im getting drunk
US friend: Well why didnt you say so?

Pissed in UK means angry and also drunk

ME: I'm stepping outside to have a fag
US Friend: Pardon me??!

Fag in UK means cigarette

I had fun when I lived in California!!

I dated a British guy from Birmingham for 3 years. We had some interesting conversations. I could barely understand him half of the time!

 

[Tasha]

A levels are qualifications that you get at 18, you spend the two years after your GCSE's (which you get at 16 at the end of high school) working towards your Alevels. You need them (or equivilant) to go on to University x

 

[MommaAlexis]

I can jump in from Canada here too