Those funny Americans.....

[fire_breeze]

While Canadian English can be similar to American English (with British spelling) there are some marked differenced in everyday speak.

Bachelor: a type of apartment (also called a 1-1/2), otherwise known as a studio apartment.

Chesterfield is a type of couch.

Double-double (or single-single or triple-triple) is 2 creams/2 sugars when you order coffee.

Eaves trough: eaves gutters.

Homo (milk): no. It's not gay milk. It's short for homogenised, and it's known in the States as whole milk.

Hoser: a jackass.

Humidex: For the longest time, I thought this was an actual, official scientific term. It's when you factor in the humidity along with the real temperature, so you'll hear, it's 28C, humidex 32C. Alternatively, in the winter, we factor in the wind chill, so often you'll hear it's -25C, wind chill -32C (or stay the fuck inside).

Hydro: Electricity.

Loonie - A dollar coin. Not a nut case. Additionally, a toonie is a 2-dollar coin.

Pencil Crayon: Colouring pencil.

Serviette: napkins.

Tuque: a type of winter hat.

And yes, we pronounce it ab-out. Not a-boot .

This is definitely regionalism, but I never ever say 'corner store' or 'convenience store'. It's 'dep' (short for depanneur). Also, going out for a drink or some light food after work (cocktail, I believe) is a 5 à 7 (cinq à sept).

I'll also say autoroute instead of highway/freeway. Metro instead of subway, although I heard this in NYC as well.

And this is something that struck me when I was last in the States: marry and merry was pronounced the same way.

Vive la difference, eh?

 

[NippleMuncher]

Homo (milk): no. It's not gay milk. It's short for homogenised, and it's known in the States as whole milk.

No, the milk isn't gay, but it does come from gay cows. Just as chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

 

[fire_breeze]

No, the milk isn't gay, but it does come from gay cows. Just as chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

And ice cream comes from frozen cows?

 

[DarkBee]

And ice cream comes from frozen cows?

Yup, just as whipped cream comes from hyperactive cows.

 

[NippleMuncher]

And ice cream comes from frozen cows?

No, frigid cows.

Yup, just as whipped cream comes from hyperactive cows.

No, BDSM cows

 

[LoveSum]

I saw the other day where an American film maker was discussing how he had cracked up is British counter parts with the American term of "hauling ass".

 

[NippleMuncher]

Yup, just as whipped cream comes from hyperactive cows.

One last one ...

What kind of motorcycle do rednecks ride?

 

[fire_breeze]

No, frigid cows.



No, BDSM cows

One last one ...

What kind of motorcycle do rednecks ride?

*groans* NM, you're so fired!

Although the BDSM cows is pretty funny

 

[NippleMuncher]

*groans* NM, you're so fired!

Although the BDSM cows is pretty funny

What do you expect from a little old farm boy? I can do this 'til the cows come home.

To err is human, to forgive, bovine.

 

[IrishEyes80]

Some of these are soooo funny!!!

Things are different even in the other parts of the states.....I have a friend who moved to Georgia from Boston, we spent almost 20 minutes with her saying "car crash" over and over just so we could laugh....of course she had no idea that with her accent it sounded very much like "cock rash" she just looked at us stupidly b/c we kept asking her to say it.

Turn about is fair play....she never missed a chance to give us crap about our accents.

 

[roomfor1more]

Depending on the individual some will call it the "loo" while many in the UK, I have encountered, will call it the bathroom.

My two favorites in the UK fag is slang for cigarette while in the US it is means gay. The other favorite in the UK rubber means eraser but in the US rubber is slang for condom.

 

[Felix_Jones]

Some More

Shinny= pick-up hockey

Rye = whiskey

Rouge = touchback (worth one point up here)

 

[FrozenRose]

My ex husband who was from Southern England would use the following different terms vs me:

Crisps vs chips
Biscuits vs cookies
Lorry vs truck
Boot vs trunk
Cotton bud vs Q tip or cotton swab
Steel wool vs SOS pads or whatever else we call them
Prawns vs shrimp
Sultanas vs raisins
Etc....

Then there was the way he pronounced aluminum: al-you-men-yum. And a few others. Every time my daughter comes home from visiting she has an accent for a month or so.

 

[Minalick]

While Canadian English can be similar to American English (with British spelling) there are some marked differenced in everyday speak.

Bachelor: a type of apartment (also called a 1-1/2), otherwise known as a studio apartment.

Chesterfield is a type of couch.

Double-double (or single-single or triple-triple) is 2 creams/2 sugars when you order coffee.

Eaves trough: eaves gutters.

Homo (milk): no. It's not gay milk. It's short for homogenised, and it's known in the States as whole milk.

Hoser: a jackass.

Humidex: For the longest time, I thought this was an actual, official scientific term. It's when you factor in the humidity along with the real temperature, so you'll hear, it's 28C, humidex 32C. Alternatively, in the winter, we factor in the wind chill, so often you'll hear it's -25C, wind chill -32C (or stay the fuck inside).

Hydro: Electricity.

Loonie - A dollar coin. Not a nut case. Additionally, a toonie is a 2-dollar coin.

Pencil Crayon: Colouring pencil.

Serviette: napkins.

Tuque: a type of winter hat.

And yes, we pronounce it ab-out. Not a-boot .

This is definitely regionalism, but I never ever say 'corner store' or 'convenience store'. It's 'dep' (short for depanneur). Also, going out for a drink or some light food after work (cocktail, I believe) is a 5 à 7 (cinq à sept).

I'll also say autoroute instead of highway/freeway. Metro instead of subway, although I heard this in NYC as well.

And this is something that struck me when I was last in the States: marry and merry was pronounced the same way.

Vive la difference, eh?

Oui!


I remember watching the show "Who's line is it" with Drew Carey a few years ago and they were teasing Colin Mochrie so much because he pronounced "route" the Canadian way. Route - sounding like boot. As opposed to Route - sounding like sprout.

 

[NippleMuncher]

I remember watching the show "Who's line is it" with Drew Carey a few years ago and they were teasing Colin Mochrie so much because he pronounced "route" the Canadian way. Route - sounding like boot. As opposed to Route - sounding like sprout.

Those damned Canadians can't pronounce anything right!

 

[Athalia]

Every time my daughter comes home from visiting she has an accent for a month or so.

I can relate. I was born in America, educated in England, now back in America. I soak up local accents like a sponge, and usually retain them for a week or two.

 

[Athalia]

I remember watching the show "Who's line is it" with Drew Carey a few years ago and they were teasing Colin Mochrie so much because he pronounced "route" the Canadian way. Route - sounding like boot. As opposed to Route - sounding like sprout.

I thought "root" was the way most Americans pronounce it, as in the song "Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six." Perhaps "rout" is a regionalism.

 

[NippleMuncher]

I thought "root" was the way most Americans pronounce it, as in the song "Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six." Perhaps "rout" is a regionalism.

I use both, Route 66 is indeed 'root' 66, while following a path on a map would be a rOUTe. It depends on the usage which pronunciation would be used.

 

[FoxtrotUnder]

Bourbon(bor-bons) in UK is a type of cookie
Bourbon in US is a nice drink

Bubbler in UK is a drinking fountain
Bubbler is US (where I am anyway) is a type of paraphernalia.

Yards in UK are where livestock is kept
Cuppa is a sup of coffee

Oh I have plenty more great things from my lovely british skype pals but it is late and my mind is hating me

 

[Holly1990]

Bourbon(bor-bons) in UK is a type of cookie
Bourbon in US is a nice drink

Bubbler in UK is a drinking fountain
Bubbler is US (where I am anyway) is a type of paraphernalia.

Yards in UK are where livestock is kept
Cuppa is a sup of coffee

Oh I have plenty more great things from my lovely british skype pals but it is late and my mind is hating me

I think some of those are slightly off, unless your pals are from the north or somewhere I haven't spent much time! I've never heard the word bubbler used at all and I've never heard cuppa referring to a cup of coffee rather than a cup of tea. Someone else on the thread said that raisins/sultanas were an example of slang too when in fact they're two different things; a sultana is a dried green grape and a raisin is a dried red grape

I spend a lot of holidays in the US and they usually understand me fine. The last time I caused confusion was referring to a jumper I was wearing instead of using the word sweater. Also, I tend to say 'ta' instead of thank you most of the time and some people look a bit perplexed when I do that.

 

[littlemissy05]

Im Irish but lived in the States for many years, there are many differences in the slang we both use but one I remember an it always makes me smile. I had only just arrived in the States an some people I met asked me to a pub...so off I went an this lovely fella chatted me up all night, we had a great time an he asked for my number so I gave it to him an said we could meet up again when he gave me a ring. In Ireland ringing someone is calling them on the phone...never heard from him again.
Also
Jelly is jam across the pond
Jello is jelly
Snogging is kissing
Craic is fun not drugs
Bollicks is manly bits
shagging or throwing the leg over is sex.
and there is a load more but these are the ones that got me a few weird looks.

 

[brunette1989]

I'm in Australia but we share alot of our words and sayings with the UK.

I can think of a few things:

When people in the US 'root' for a team, root means sex here!

Chips here instead of fries.

Quite a few different words for sex in AUS, fanning is one that I've heard, rooting.

Oh and franger for a condom lol I live in the country near farms so I hear alot of werid terms!

 

[IrishEyes80]

When people in the US 'root' for a team, root means sex here!

This one is awesome! Here in the states we have a song that goes along with Baseball that says "root" A LOT!!!!! hahaha i can just imagine an Aussie cracking up listening to a stadium of 20000 people singing about sex! I love it!

 

[EdwardMidweston]

I have a Swedish friend who was thoroughly confused when she heard someone order an "egg cream" in NYC--and then learned that it contains neither eggs nor cream.

Similarly, I've known numerous British people who were surprised to learn that "squash" is a vegetable, not a citrus beverage.

 

[dSpiral]

Here in Australia:

Entrée is the first course of a meal, not the main course as in the US.

Crisps/Chips/Fries
As far as I can tell, in the UK they have:
Crisps (such as Pringles) and chips (The hot ones you put sauce and vinegar on).

The US has:
Chips (such as Pringles) and Fries (The hot ones you put sauce and vinegar on)

Australia has:
Chips (such as Pringles) and Chips (The hot ones you put sauce and vinegar on) - sometimes we can be really really stupid.
These days, McDonalds of course sells fries in Australia, so some people call fries the thin hot ones and hot chips the fatter hot ones.

Of course traditionally we had Fish and Chips and New Zealanders had Fush and Chups

Australia and UK have a fortnight, US seems to have two weeks.

Australians put the shopping in the boot of the car here, not the trunk.

Australians walk on the footpath, not sidewalk and put rubbish in the bin, not trash in the trashcan.

Though this varies from state to state, we have Bogans instead of White Trash, though the term “White Trash” is used here.

Our Trailer Trash live in long stay caravan parks.

Hoons are the idiots who speed, do burnouts and donuts with their cars.

Ordering coffee here can be an adventure for American with in addition to the common Cappuccino and Latte we have Long Black, Short Black and Flat White. While these are of course not unique to here, the terminology can be confusing to visitors.


Buoys are pronounced here as “Boys” and when ever an American says “booeees” it makes us laugh.

We pronounce the “L” in solder instead of dropping the “L” and add a double ”D”. So this makes no sense in Australia:

What did the Tin Man say when he walked into a gay bar?
Well solder me!


We pronounce herb (the growing thing) the same way as the man’s name, not “erb” for the growing thing and “Herb” for the name.