Counting in American

Oh pp !

Of course American books and American films use their own expressions. As you’ve watched so many films and read lots of American books, and you’ve visited, why haven’t you found out before about, for example, their school system. Easily done via google!

I think it's what the Brits call two weeks darling" ! She was fascinated with the term!!

Jennifer; You were in luck! At least she knew that "Brits" speak English
We were on a tour in America several years ago that started from NY, consisting entirely of Americans, and a lady, on learning we were from OZ, asked what language was spoken in Australia.
I think she came from mid-West something or other.
When I said Strine" she shut up!
OoRoo

On anothwr tgread someone mentioned fanny pack which to us is much ruder than bum bag! But never tell an American to keep his pecker up

Well I've a rough idea ffinochio. . Laziness I expect!

At least I know making out means snogging!
The french call a fortnight quinze jours incidentally. Their fortnights are a day longer.

down if you google it and that you've taken your heart pills. We wouldn't like to be responsible for you having a funny turn!
Pollyperkins; Don't you worry about that! I've been having "funny turns" ever since I stumbled across GN., and I now get my heart pills cheaply and in bulk now that I'm in my naughty 90s.
Everybody must know by now I'm a computer whizz-kid, so why am I being repeatedly told to Google everything? I don't want to "Google" anything unless I really have to.
I can't argue with it, preferring to have a vigorous debate with a real live person and it annoys the hell out of me when a robot asks me to tick a box to prove I'm not a robot.
The same principle applies when I shop at our supermarket. I eschew the self-serve outlet, having to deal with an automatic weighing machine, preferring to use the "personal" line with conversation as the day's special.
Then I feel good with myself for helping to provide a job, usually for a student in need of cash.
Having got that off my chest, I've forgotten what we were talking about.
I'd better get to bed before I have another funny turn.
Cheers

Well suffice it to say thongs in britain are very scanty undergarments. I'll leave the rest to your imagination!

I once read a novel that had been imperfectly 'translated' from US English into Brit, where a sentence read, 'He patted her fanny as he went past.' !!!

Some of the novels I had published a while ago were also sold to the US, and quite a bit of 'translation' was required. Most I could manage myself, though I did have to ask sister in US what was Yank for mangetout (snow peas).

And I had my US copy editor tell me sternly that I shouldn't refer to 'dumb animals' (referring to a dog) since, 'Dogs are not stupid!'
Some things just had to be re worded completely.

I keep finding novels where the characters (apparently English in England) suddenly start 'washing up' -before- a meal, or refer to 'row houses'....... each time I look at the short bio of the author and find - oh yes, American again

What happened to my italics?

Yes washing up before a meal is confusing -I have to mentally translate to 'get washed' or 'wash hands.' Washing up is called doing the dishes I think.
Dumb means dim and smart means clever and mad means cross but it can easily cause confusion as they mean different things here. . (As you can see I am easily confused these days!)

And tramp has a quite different meaning too! It took me a while years ago to work out what 'that's why the lady is a tramp' meant as I imagined she became a vagrant!

Sorry ,but what is a row house?

Boat shed?

If it's what I think it is, I live in one - a terraced house.

Well suffice it to say thongs in britain are very scanty undergarments. I'll leave the rest to your imagination
Pollyperkins; You're too kind! Problem is, my imagination is becoming rather obsolete because of lack of stimulus.
I"m puzzled by the application of "thongs" to what you describe. What's the connection with something that goes on my feet? And how did it come about?
I think "cami-knickers" stirs my imagination better, but then, I've already been given the accolade of DOM, so I'd better back off.!
Although it does tempt me to post a sort of "naughty but nice" joke, tomorrow perhaps. You won't need any heart pills either.!
Hang on, it's tomorrow already here.
OoRoo

Really? As in houses in a row? It kind of makes sense. But they do say row boat not rowing boat I think?

We were invited to dinner with some Americans, very well to-do ones, he was the head of a US bank in Africa.

At the end of the meal, and much to our astonishment, our hostess announced that she had 'fanny fatigue' and perhaps we would like to join her in the drawing room. My Dh nearly fell off his chair!

A thong basically just means a thin strip of something, so you can see how it could refer to either flip-flops or scanty undergarments.

I admit to being unreasonably irritated if Americanisms are used in English. Smart is being used increasingly to mean clever. I keep seeing Mom for Mum. Bathroom, which has been used to mean lavatory in America for a long time, is being used more and more here. Silly euphemism - though of course lavatory is a euphemism too, but lost in the mists of time. In What Katy Did At School, published in America in, I think, the 1870s, lavatory is used to describe the washroom in a boarding school. This puzzled me when I was a child.

Other irrational irritations for me are the use of math instead of maths (fortunately not used in the U.K. yet), and the fact that Americans call the language they speak English. It’s American English, as opposed to proper British English. After all, we came first ?

A thong basically just means a thin strip of something, so you can see how it could refer to either flip-flops or scanty undergarments.
and neither look very comfortable!

How true when Oscar Wilde said “We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.

In America or the UK, throwing a thong would be a very different ball game, but here in Melbourne, the great Aussie Thong Throwing Competition is the sport of kings. The world record for throwing is 42.8m and is held by a Queenslander. Do you think you have what it takes to throw that far?

You can't deny that Australians love their sports!

OoRoo

We have wellie wanging. Different climate (normally!)

And what on earth does Ooroo mean?

And what on earth does Ooroo mean?

"An Australian term meaning "see you later" It's not to be confused with goodbye as that is too final. i.e. the friendship will continue."

Pollyperkins; Isn't that a nice sentiment? I like using it to show I'm a "fair dinkum" Aussie.

Bet you're not doing much "wellie wanging" today though!
Better for sloshing around in the rain and mud than "thongs", ( the sort that go on your feet.)

OoRoo

I've never heard that one Rufus - Ooroo

'See ya 'round, but'