Monday, September 27, 2010

British English vs. American English

After two years of dating Mark I thought I was pretty well prepared in translating British phrases, but alas the language barrier is greater than anticipated. In the following list, some of these I learned from Mark while others I have recently picked up...
What British People Say... otherwise known as English (A dictionary composed by yours truly)

Jumper: n. an article of clothing resembling a sweater (not to be confused with the American translation of a dress worn by a young girl)

Cheers: This word has so many different levels of meaning that I think I have only tapped into the surface of its usage. It can mean thank you, you're welcome, goodbye, have a nice night... I am almost afraid to use it both because of my lack of an authentic accent and because of its multitude of possible translations.

Bap (spelling to be verified...)- n. a roll/ hamburger bun

Tyres- alternative spelling for Tires... thought it was a joke at first, you know how some stores spell quick market as Kwick market or something to be clever- apparently it's legit

Trolley- n. Shopping cart

Pants vs. Trousers: Pants are underwear while trousers are what we would call pants

Also, it appears the words pound (as in money) and quid are interchangeable... will investigate further

There are many many more phrases to add to the list, but this will have to suffice for now. To be continued.

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