America versus UK

[omfgski]

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[staralfur]

Yes it's generally knock on wood over here.

I HATE it when people say "I could care less", you're right, it doesn't make a bit of sense.

 

[MommaAlexis]

I hate that too!! It says it in my favourite song. Also, we spell colour and flavour with a u. Also we say whine, you say winge. I found northern canadian food and southern totally different, up north they are HUGE portions, everything has meat and cheese, and its very fatty. South is vegan/light/diet world foods. I hated living in the south, I was starviiiiing!! So bland. And need I say more.... Poutine!!! can you guys tell the difference between a Canadian and American?

 

[staralfur]

I can't even tell the difference between a Canadian and American. Unless they have a strong accent.

 

[MommaAlexis]

Here an American accent sticks out like a sore thumb. It sounds like an old western movie almost LOL. Very obvious. My friend from Kentucky makes fun of my accent, but I don't know what exactly a Canadian accent IS lol.

 

[Dk1234]

That doesn't make sense to me. America has so many accents. I'm from Kentucky so I def have a southern accent and would sound like a western movie but A New York accent would be completely different.

 

[staralfur]

Yeah I'd be able to tell the difference between a southern US accent, New York, Boston, Northwest (like Minnesota). For Canada I'd say Vancouver Island actually has its own accent (go to Tofino and you'll see what I'm talking about!), Alberta has its own (apparently - I'm from Edmonton and get told all the time I have an "Alberta accent") and then the Newfies have a distinct accent as well!

 

[staralfur]

Wait, is Minnesota northwest? Am I thinking of Montana?

Edit: Yep, I thought Minnesota was where Montana is.

 

[babybrums]

Wait, is Minnesota northwest? Am I thinking of Montana?

Montana is northwest. Minnesota is Midwest (although I think it's more north central).

 

[Tasha]

I would not be able to pick out where you're from in the US (or Canada) from your accent, they all sound way too similar to me. But I guess that would be the same for you guys and the different accents in the UK.

When we were in NY I kept ordering childrens meals as everything was so big

I dont think having salad at the beginning of a meal is odd, a few places do it here (London) plus there are a couple that do a salad buffet that you go and pick what you want from (lower end places like Pizza Hut and Havester though). I really liked that there was salad with everything, made me feel less bad about the rest of the junk

 

[FarfromHome]

I speak really choppy French... But I didn't have too much trouble understanding and communicating while DH and I were in Paris. Between broken English and broken French it actually wasnt too hard to figure things out. Totally different in Ireland though! Had lots of trouble communicating even though we were all speaking English!!!


ETA: just pointing out how amazing it is that one language can have so many different accents/ meanings of words that it makes it difficult for two people to communicate who are speaking the same tongue!

 

[Insectile]

I never heard the phrase "do the hoovering" until I came here. A Hoover is just a popular vacuum cleaner brand to me, so I keep wondering if Hoover took their brand name from UK slang for vacuuming or if the slang popped up because of the popularity of the Hoover brand. In my area, we call it "running the sweeper" and tidying is "redding up."

Also, the average street/house around here is nowhere near as luxurious as on tv (or as nice as some of the pictures earlier on the thread!) Those houses seemed more middle to upper-middle class. Houses here are close together and a variety of colors and building materials. The houses are cheap ($45,000 is average probably,) but also old...both inside and out.

 

[tina3747]

Not sure if its everywhere in the US but every time I've been to Florida to a restaurant, if you have any leftover food they ask for a box to take home the leftover food!

I remember the first time we saw someone asking for one, all she had was a bit of salad that had all sauce over it, all wilted and soggy and she put it in this box to take it home!

Our waitress's always looked dumbfounded when after not being able to eat the mamouth portions wed always decline the box to take it home !!

We have a saying 'Doggy bag' to use for left over food but I've never seen anyone ask for one!!

 

[AngelofTroy]

We call flip-flops jandels, I don't think any other country calls them that.

I know Australians call them 'thongs', which is the UK word for a g-string! Cue much hilarity when our Australian deputy head told us all she didn't want to see anyone wearing 'thongs' lol

 

[Tasha]

I never heard the phrase "do the hoovering" until I came here. A Hoover is just a popular vacuum cleaner brand to me, so I keep wondering if Hoover took their brand name from UK slang for vacuuming or if the slang popped up because of the popularity of the Hoover brand. In my area, we call it "running the sweeper" and tidying is "redding up."

.

The slang popped up from the brand as it was so popular in the UK at one point that nearly vacuum owned was a Hoover

 

[AngelofTroy]

Oo that's reminded me of another one!

Headteacher (formerly headmaster or headmistress) = Principle
Deputy = Vice principle, or in politics a deputy prime minister is like your vice president.

 

[re10]

That sounds like a good system. I've got a student loan but have to start paying it back 1 year after I graduate, regardless of income or if I've even found a job!

There was a time where university was free in the UK I think it still is free in Scotland

I can't even imagine! That would be amazing.

Not that long ago you got grants in the UK to go to uni so you actually got paid by the government to go! My first year at uni was the very last year they still did this but as they'd nearly phased it out I got £200 wheras previously it was enough to live on. I didn't have to pay for uni as they means test your parents' income and mine didn't earn enough, though obviously you still had to pay for your accommodation etc. This was late nineties/early 2000's.

 

[Dragonfly]

Americans call it a shopping cart, we call it a trolly. That always amuses me.

And trousers they call pants and pants to be are underware.

 

[babybrums]

Not sure if its everywhere in the US but every time I've been to Florida to a restaurant, if you have any leftover food they ask for a box to take home the leftover food!

I remember the first time we saw someone asking for one, all she had was a bit of salad that had all sauce over it, all wilted and soggy and she put it in this box to take it home!

Our waitress's always looked dumbfounded when after not being able to eat the mamouth portions wed always decline the box to take it home !!

We have a saying 'Doggy bag' to use for left over food but I've never seen anyone ask for one!!

Yep, that's pretty common in the US. You get a Styrofoam container to take your left overs home in. And your right, our portions are huge. Most of the meals are 2-3 servings of food. Sadly, I rarely have leftovers. I guess that explains our obesity problem in this country - and why I'm overweight.

 

[Bevziibubble]

I always say I'm doing the hoovering and refer to it as a Hoover. I don't even own a Hoover brand, it's a Vax