Proper English

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SGOUD said:
speirmoor said:
0 pronounced Nought instead of zero.Some other differences I remember
Bonnet-Hood
Boot-Trunk
Wing-Fender
Eubergine-Eggplant
Corguettes-Zuccini
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FRENCH WORDS : AUBERGINE, COURGETTE
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yea but thats what we called 'em
 

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I can think of few more, we have the highway code but ride on the road, in the US they ride on the highway.
side walk - footpath
median - central reservation ( without indians )
parking lot - car park
number plate - license plate

We are English but use Imperial gallon, in the US they they use English gallon!!
 
Sometimes it's more confusing when the same expression is used.

I consider myself to be 'one of the old school' - somewhat traditional in outlook and a shade reactionary, but Americans (particularly on eBay) seem to use 'old skool' (sic) as shorthand for any sort of impractical visual abortion :? Where does that usage of the expression come from ?
 
Madnorton said:
We are English but use Imperial gallon
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Not any more we don't! When did you last buy petrol by the gallon in the UK? :wink:

Madnorton said:
in the US they they use English gallon!!
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I think they actually call it a US gallon, but it is an equivalent measure to the old pre-Imperial English wine gallon.

Madnorton said:
side walk - footpath
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"Sidewalk" is more correctly a "Pavement" in UK terminology I think, as a "footpath" wouldn't necessarily have to be either paved or be a roadside path.
 
Don't know how these would go over in a US gay bar,

"Bugger me!"

"I'll toss you for the next round."

"Can I push in your stool?"
 
Some old pumps that we still use are still rated in gallons, submarines were ( as the last imperial one paid off last week ) ballasted in gallons.
As for footpath, it has never been called a pavement by the local council who I'm convinced own the one outside my property but deny all knowledge off owning it and can neither tell me if I own it or someone else does!! It took 6 months for Hampshire county council to confirm to that the local council they were legally responsible for the road only on their behalf.
One thing I have never noticed is how tyre (tire) sizes are shown - are they the same as ours.
 
The first time I rode my bike into Canada they still used imperial gallons. Of course I was so young and ignorant I actually thought my gas mileage had improved!
 
I suspect that, around NW Washington, there has been an English person helping with advertising. In Bellingham, there's a hamburger place called "Burger Me".

A recent campaign by a purveyor of what the Brits call "turf" (Pre-grown grass in its own soil) but what is called "sod" around here, used the slogan "Putting in a lawn? Don't seed it, sod it."
 
I don't know if its in the British manuals, but the front of my shop manual has a section titled 'Glossary of Part Names and Alternatives' which gives the name for a part, then some synonyms.

For some, its the name I would normally use. For others, one of the synonyms seems more appropriate. For example, I would normally call it a 'muffler' rather than a 'silencer' or 'expansion box'

On my 2006 Speed Triple, the instrument cluster can be toggled through several screens, where information like speed, average speed, time elapsed, and fuel consumption are displayed. It can also be set to display in KPH/Liters, Miles/Gallons, and Miles/Imp. Gallons. At first, I thought I was getting fantastic mileage, only to realize the clocks had been set to Imperial. Instant 20% reduction in mileage.

Apparently, Imperial gallons are still used somewhere.

Can one still get bitter by the Imperial pint?
 
BillT said:
Can one still get bitter by the Imperial pint?
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In the UK, beer is still sold in "pint" glasses, and road distances are still measured in miles, but petrol is sold by the litre, so we have the odd situation where fuel consumption is now often measured by Miles/Litres.
 
Flo said:
Pull = Take apart
Tear down = Take apart
Riding a Triumph = Taking apart
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Hmm I think pull has other connotations as in 'going on the pull' :)
 
I remember at the time of metrication in the UK, the powers that be decided there'd be a serios risk of rioting if they did away with the boozers' pint. It was redefined as a certain proportion of a litre/liter. The expense of changing every road sign in the UK to read in Km and kph was so gigantic, they redefined the mile as a function of the kilometer and lef the signs alone.

I also remember a big fuss over the original term "metrification" rather than "metrication" on the basis there was no "if" about it!

I don't remember if folks still "fathom" things out, or has that gone metric too?
 
I remember watching a documentary on British spies once that had a guy named Austin, If my memory serves me correct he often used the code word "shag" around the ladies quite often. I was just wondering if you guys across the pond knew what that meant?
 
Hortons Norton said:
I remember watching a documentary on British spies once that had a guy named Austin, If my memory serves me correct he often used the code word "shag" around the ladies quite often. I was just wondering if you guys across the pond knew what that meant?
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I don't think that was actually a documentary!! Austin Powers!!
 
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