Lost in Translation--US vs UK English words

[Lallans]

Jumping in late as usual, I haven't seen the following mentioned

UK USA

grass......................fink, informer

turf........................grass, lawn

Old Bill....................cops

way it's done...........inefficent or ineffective way it was done before

not the way it's done...... new and effective procedure

loud........................dramatic in colour

dramatic..................loud to the ear

On to Canadianisms: my brother claims to have devised a sentence that no Brit or American could ever fully understand, which is as follows:

"Could you please me pass me a serviette, I've gotten some poutine on my touque."

Any US or UK takers on that?

[piperdbh]

If you got fries with curds and gravy on your chef's hat, you need more than a napkin: you need a helmet!

How's that for some speedy translating?

[Lachlan09]

USA = Detroit
UK = Glasgow

[sathor]

USA = Detroit
UK = Glasgow

You underestimate the evils of Detroit. I miss Ann Arbor. But I never want to be any closer than Ferndale to Detroit.

[NewGuise]

If you got fries with curds and gravy on your chef's hat, you need more than a napkin: you need a helmet!

How's that for some speedy translating?

"Chef's hat"? I've never seen a chef - on duty, at least - wearing a touque. On the hand, I have actually seen someone get ketchup in his hair and on his face when his kid grabbed a couple of french fries a little too enthusiastically. Had it been poutine it would have been messier still. Doubtless the dad wished his curls had been covered by a hat of some sort.

[piperdbh]

I stand corrected. A touque is a Canadian to-boggan, with emphasis on the "to".

[starbkjrus]

I once had a picnic with some American friends. The conversation turned to childhood memories. I stated that I had been a fan of "Muffin the Mule"

After the stony silence and icy stares, one of the American ladies said "You are aware that my child is sat here listening to you?"

It took some while to convince her that Muffin was a marionette type puppet in the shape of a mule and had been on television.

There weren't any picnics for a long time.

Regards

Chas

I have no clue why anyone would find this offensive and suspect I really don't want to know. If I think really hard about this one I might blush but I've never actually heard it the way apparently the person on your picnic had.

I have always heard the term rooftops in the States... Unless housetops is a Northern term, since I lived my time here, in the South.

Southern by birth and breeding - rooftops. "Up on the housetop click click click...etc etc. I always thought was 'foreign'.

snip...

On to Canadianisms: my brother claims to have devised a sentence that no Brit or American could ever fully understand, which is as follows:

"Could you please me pass me a serviette, I've gotten some poutine on my touque."

Any US or UK takers on that?

Being married to a Canadian might just give me an advantage on this one....

Just don't get that poutine off your touque on my good Chesterfield!

If you got fries with curds and gravy on your chef's hat, you need more than a napkin: you need a helmet!

How's that for some speedy translating?

Chef's hat? Only if it's really cold in the kitchen. ith:

[Lachlan09]

I’m Scottish but I would say rooftops as well, as in the old school song:-

“Cats on rooftops, cats on tiles,
Cats with something, cats with piles,
Cats with somethings wreathed in smiles,
As they revel in the joys of somethingsomething”