Lost in Translation--US vs UK English words

[O'Callaghan]

Here's a few that I don't think anyone's mentionned (mostly automotive)

UK.......................................US

skip (for rubbish)....................dumpster (for garbage)
bulkhead (in car)....................firewall (in car)
disc (in disc brake).................rotor (in disk brake, so why not called a disk?)
HT lead (in engine).................ignition wire
half-shaft (car)......................front axle (front wheel drive)
mudguard (bike or motorbike)....fender (bike)
wing (corner of car)................fender (car)
winsdscreen...........................windshield
two-stroke.............................two-cycle

A coaster brake (a brake that works by pedalling backwards) on a US bicycle has no UK equivalent because it's illegal, and jaywalking (an offence of a pedestrian crossing the road against the lights) has no UK equivalent because it's legal (although very dangerous)!

[skauwt]

I know. One time at a party at my cousins' house in Michigan, with people there from both sides of the Atlantic, when I told one of my cousins that one of our uncles was pissed she asked who he was pissed at. Of course, I meant he was drunk and she thought I meant he was angry. In UK English being angry is always being pissed OFF, and without the OFF it means drunk, but in the US the OFF is, well, left off, and the drunk meaning doesn't exist.

heres a 3rd one for you we use
pissed off as in "bobs pissed off home before his shift was done"

[skauwt]

UK - Casualty Ward, US - Emergency Department

we also use the phrase "A&E" for the casualty ward here in this part of scotland

[skauwt]

Back to the original theme:

US= Umbrella UK=Bumbershoot

a bumbershoot? never heard that here its either a brolly or umbrella

[Larry124]

...A coaster brake (a brake that works by pedalling backwards) on a US bicycle has no UK equivalent because it's illegal...

In my youth a bike without coaster brakes (plural I know not why) was referred to as an "English Bike".

[skauwt]

England= Where do you live?
Scotland(highlands?)=Where do you stay?

another scottish regional phrase "central" tends to be "where abouts are you from ?" but also folk use the where do you stay phrase also

[EagleJCS]

Hm, aren't those just homophones?

Perhaps so. I learned them in school as homonyms.

My American Heritage dictionary defines homonym as: "One of two or more words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning". Homophone is defined as: "One of two or more words that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling".

So it appears that - at least in American English parlance - the words homonym and homophone are synonyms (or near enough for common usage).

[sathor]

Perhaps so. I learned them in school as homonyms.

My American Heritage dictionary defines homonym as: "One of two or more words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning". Homophone is defined as: "One of two or more words that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling".

So it appears that - at least in American English parlance - the words homonym and homophone are synonyms (or near enough for common usage).

you forgot homograph. The way is breaks down is something like this

graph - same spelling, but different (lead (to guide) lead (Pb))
phone - same sound (hare, hair)
nym - words that fit in both. (bear, bare (to uncover) bear (to carry))

thats the best I understand it. I think the nym is becoming a catchall, and graph is slowing fading away.

[morrison]

The 'lift' mates is an 'elevator.'

Let's go bird watching with the Audubon Society, in US
ith:

Are there any 'Birds' here? UK Girls!


What's a 'Cougar?' Woman!


Is there a saying like "A bird in the hand is like a hand in the bush?"
Maybe it goes thus, "A bird in the hand is as good as two in a bush!"

[###KILTEDKIWI###]

U.K. - knocked up - calling on
U.S. - pregnant

Kiwi ism's (not hijacking, promise)

"Knock off time" - to finish work. (not a gang hit)(for the above quote)

"Kick her in the guts" - press the start button.

"She'll be right mate" - quite possibly, this may or may not be the single greatest disaster produced by man kind.

"What could possibly go wrong?" - certain calamity and imminent death.

"Bugger" - it appears my arm has fallen off.

"Chur" - bstardised version of "Cheers", can be positive or negative depending on the situation.

"just up the road, or just around the corner" - between 100 mtrs and 160 Km's away.

"A 2 and a 4" - 24 pack of beers

heres a 3rd one for you we use
pissed off as in "bobs pissed off home before his shift was done"

Back to the topic UK - US

We use all three also,

Pssed / pssed as - drunk
pssed off - angry
To pss off, or pss off home - to leave.

oh and the ever famous

"he got the living pss kicked out of him" (copped a hiding in a scrap)
"Are you pulling the pss?" (are you having a laugh at my expense)

and that leads to...

"He pulls pss for a living" - his chosen occupation is a bartender or publican
"lets go and get us some pss" - shall we have a quiet drink? (1 -24 beers)
"lets get on the pss" (we shall not be able to feel our faces due to the volume of alcoholic units consumed)
"that scared the pss out of me" - (gave me a fright)