2 Separated by a Common Language Part II

I've got more "translation" for you. 

I've been collecting them recently, and it's become quite a fun game-

mostly because Paul and I use many of them and don't realize it!

I'm trying to gather them into little bunches,

so these posts can be a little more organized.

Same as Part I,

British English is on the left and the American English equivalent/meaning is on the right.

garden...................yard

yard.....................gravel/bricked courtyard

kitchen garden.......garden (as in, where you grow vegetables)

allotment..........kitchen garden plot in a community garden area, these are prized and inherited in some municipalities

strimmer..............weed whacker

ramble..............hike through fields and/or along a footpath; walking up a mountain is still called hiking

tip........dump

flytipping........leaving garbage on the roadside/non-tip locations; a larger amount than littering

skip.......dumpster

bin...........trashcan

rubbish..............trash/garbage

(many of these were included in this post)

Here are some words that do cross the Atlantic, but I've found that calling these by any of the "American" synonyms will often get me a chuckle over here:

shop.........store, generally of a single type of merchandise

department store........ store that sells different types of merchandise

supermarket.............grocery store

The British have a way of shortening things:

brolly.....umbrella

sandy......sandwich

brekkie.....breakfast

veg.....vegetable(s)

pressies.....presents

Crimbo.....Christmas

Uni......university

Finally, some words that are more commonly used in Britain vs. America, although all are acceptable:

whilst.....while

as well........too, also

orientated........oriented

Of course, I can't leave you without a picture-

on EaaSL that's nearly sacrilege!

*sigh*  The skies here make me wish I could watercolor...

3 Separated By a Common Language Part I

Normally the U.K. and the East Coast (Atlanta) are 5 hours difference
 and the U.K. and Pacific time (San Francisco) are 8 hours difference.

The U.S.'s "spring forward" for daylight savings this past weekend made me think of some of the common differences that exist between the U.S. and U.K.- 

we don't adjust our clocks to "British Summer Time" until March 25.

Here in the U.K., Mother's Day, or "Mothering Sunday"

depending on how old you are,

is this Sunday, March 18.

The U.S. celebrates this Hallmark holiday on May 13.

Anyway.

This is the reason for my blog title:

English As a Second Language.

Let's face it, we Americans have little grounds in claiming we speak "English."

Let's just call my native tongue "American."

Here are some examples,

 with the British English on the left and American English version or definition on the right:

lay in................ sleep in

whinging.............. whining

could do/can do.............. good plan

spot on............ precisely right

take the piss........ tease or make fun of, often sardonically

to be pissed....... quite drunk
shattered........... exhausted physically, often from a long day or activity

knackered.......... tired to the point of overall exhaustion, feeling like death

(per my English friend: knackered comes from "knacker's yard", where horses were taken when near death)

Food:

courgettes.....zucchini

aubergine...... eggplant

coriander......cilantro

full fat milk....... whole milk

semi-skimmed...... 1 % milk
take away............... take out

dinner......... lunch

tea...........the hot beverage/ an afternoon mid-meal of sandwiches, cakes, and the hot beverage/ and dinner

pudding...... dessert/ also Yorkshire pudding, a bread-pastry thing often served savory

And the real hackles-raiser for me, as a Georgia girl:

all Americans are called "yanks".

There will be more of these posts in the future, 

mostly because I want to remember this stuff,

but you're welcome to look over my shoulder!

Any topics or categories you're particularly interested in?

0 When Eccentric English and the Interwebz Collide

it leads to a lot of humor for us "outsiders" on the inside.

{link}

Apparently someone flytipped a 12 foot tall mechanical gorilla in Cambridgeshire.

I'll let you read that sentence a few times.

To answer your questions:

1. "Flytipping" is disposing of rubbish on the side of the road, or in any other non-skip/tip areas. 

2. "Rubbish" is garbage/trash/waste- of the (preferably) non-biological variety.

3. "Skip", "tip", "the tip" all refer to dumpsters or waste facilities/landfills.

4.  I don't know where they got a 12 foot tall mechanical gorilla either.

5. Yes, I'm quite curious to know what its mechanics make it do, too.

6. No, I can't take a personal picture of it for you, as Cambridgeshire is about 4 hours from here and the authorities have removed it anyway.

I found this article through a link posted on The Bloggess's Facebook page. 

If you don't already read The Bloggess, go there now-

but first, go pee, 'cause I don't want you to wet your pants from laughter.

0 English Overheard

Today I went into Harrogate to do a bit of shopping. 

As I was sorting through the sales racks at the Gap, I overheard two sales girls talking: 

girl A: I really like that denim top.

girl B: Yes, but what would you wear it with?

girl A: I'm not sure. I've got a light denim top that goes with my dark denim trousers. It's harder with a dark denim top, I've only got dark denim trousers.

girl B: Well I'm not sure... 

girl A: Or with chinos. It would look tops with chinos.

girl B: Oh, yes, classic American look.

Poor Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein...

apparently the epitome of American fashion hangs on dusty racks in a feed supply shop.