BS: translations from the English

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Anne Lister
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 03:08 AM

FWIW - I distinctly remember being called Four Eyes when I turned up at my primary school with glasses for the first time. Can't remember if it was by boys or girls, but I do remember not liking it much as I hadn't wanted to wear glasses anyway. Maybe we only really remember nicknames when they applied to us, rather than ones we applied to others?

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Rowan
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 04:32 PM

Windscreen? In the U. S. and Canada, the proper name is windshield.
snip
Quarterlight? A peculiar English automotive term for the small pivotal window for ventilation in the door of a car. Largely abandoned in modern vehicles.

"Windscreen" is the 'correct' term in Oz, where "Quarterlights" were called "quarter vents" and, in hot weather, often twisted so far around as to direct air into the car.

But we called the lid bit you lift to access the engine bay (usually at the front) "the bonnet", whereas North Americans call it the hood (becoming the world's first hoodies?); we also called the lid bit at the back "the boot" whereas North Americans call it the trunk.

Older cars again (A-model Fords?) had an outside seat at the rear we called the dickie seat and many (I think the last might have been the VW Beetle) had proper running boards.

And, on the nickname front, I remember a few non-pejorative ones used by boys, such as "Blue" or "Bluey" for anyone with red hair, "Shorty" for anyone who could see over the heads of his peers without stretching, "Nobby" for anyone with "Clark" as their surname and "Dusty" for anyone with "Miller" as theirs. I went to a boys-only high school (which was where they first became applied, as I recall) so have no info on girls' behaviour in such matters. I managed to score three; two pejorative and one used by friends. Four eyes (because I wore specs) and Prof (because I had read entire encyclopaedias before I hit high school) were the two pejorative ones and the other (classified, these days) was because of a quirk of geography and the naming of church and cadastral parishes.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Tangledwood
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 04:54 PM

Sidelights are the lights, red to port, green to starboard, shown by ships (and airoplanes) at night.

I've only ever heard them referred to as navigation lights.

Passenger to pilot: Isn't it difficult to find your way at night?
Pilot: no, I just have to stay between the red light and the green light.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 05:08 PM

In BBC (and other) news reports, a score may be reported as one-nil; in North America 'nil' is seldom heard; it becomes one to nothing or one-zip, etc.
Dunno why nil is uncommon, since it is a short, useful word.

I remember cars with the outside seat; 'business coupes' had them. We called them 'rumble seats'. I remember freezing in one on a cold night.
Don't remember 'dickie' used in that sense; it applied to the false starched or hard front that looked like a formal shirt, often worn under the jacket by waiters, etc.

Running boards also was the term in U. S., fenders applied to the curved parts over the wheels.

I read a lot when I was small; I also was called 'Prof' and some others I won't repeat here.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: s&r
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 06:45 PM

Mudguards went over the wheels. Running boards were the flat bits with rubber tread often that you could stand on

Stu

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 07:43 PM

I believe that Q and I are from nearly opposite ends of the country, but I concur with his comments.

"Inevitable" nicknames based on surnames are almost nonexistent in the U.S. In fact, even ancient, quasi-affectionate nicknames like "Jim" and "Pete" may be on the way out. Many young people object to being called by anything but their full first name, except by family members.

The only "inevitably" nicknamed American I can think of offhand was "Dusty" Rhodes, a prominent baseball player of the 1950s.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 08:23 PM

Mudflaps- to most North Americans motorists, mounted to the rear of the wheels, inside the fender. Automobiles no longer have mudguards since the "wheel wells" are now part of the body.
Mudguards-to American bicyclists and motorcyclists- they go over the wheels.

"Dusty" is just too obvious.

In the southwest, Francis and Francisco become "Pancho," the Mexican nickname (as Villa).

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Rowan
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 08:43 PM

Mudflaps- to most North Americans motorists, mounted to the rear of the wheels, inside the fender. Automobiles no longer have mudguards since the "wheel wells" are now part of the body.
Mudguards-to American bicyclists and motorcyclists- they go over the wheels.

Oz has the same usage of "mudflaps" but refer to "wheel arches" rather than "wheel wells" when describing modern "mudguards". But Oz bikes (motorised as well as pedalled) have mudguards.

I had always though that North American "fenders" were what we called "bumper bars"; was I mistaken?

Another difference(?) might be the use of the term "trailer". In Oz, this is usually either a box-like item attached to the rear of a car (automobile, in N.Am.) via a tow bar (on the car) and a drawbar (on the trailer), or a much larger (up to 40' long) item attached to the rear of a prime mover ("tractor" in N.Am); this latter arrangement is called a "semitrailer" in Oz. If the prime mover has more than one trailer behind it there are other names; it will be called a "B-double" if the forward one is only 20' long and the rear one is the standard 40' long, or a "road train" if both trailers are full-length. In the real outback, road trains usually have three full-length trailers. A trailer designed to carry horses behind a car, however, is called a "horse float".

I've always thought the N.Am. use of "trailer" applied to what we in Oz called a "caravan", ie a habitable trailer towable behind a car as distinct from a self-motivated habitable item referred to as a "Recreational Vehicle". Or have I got the wrong end of the stick there, too?

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 10:37 PM

>> Another difference(?) might be the use of the term "trailer". In Oz, this is usually either a box-like item attached to the rear of a car (automobile, in N.Am.) via a tow bar (on the car) and a drawbar (on the trailer), or a much larger (up to 40' long) item attached to the rear of a prime mover ("tractor" in N.Am); this latter arrangement is called a "semitrailer" in Oz. <<

All true for U.S., except that here too an automobile is ordinarily called a "car." "Semi-trailer" is ordinarily reduced to "semi" (pronounced sem-eye), but "tractor-trailer" is also common. I rarely hear of the double-trailer arrangements you mention and don't know what the recognized shorthand would be.

As a child, I too thought that auto "fenders" included what are normally called "bumpers," as in "bumper sticker." But that may have been an obsolete usage of my grandparents'. The general definition of "fender" certainly seems to fit, however.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Gurney
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 11:17 PM

The English vernacular for what Americans call a Semi is, or was when I lived there, Artic. Short for articulated lorry. Lorry = truck

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Jan 10 - 11:58 PM

My sisters were called "four-eyes" and I was mercilessly teased because of my last name, Hudson, as in "Henry" which I was taunted with by boys. I don't remember any girls doing that, but I do remember them calling other girls "scags." There was also one older boy who called me "scab." I have no idea why or what it meant to him except that I carried my violin back and forth to school on the bus everyday and that brought on a lot of teasing about having a machine/tommy gun in the case, so maybe that was his idea of a mafia name for me.

What you folks have referred to as quarterlights, we called "wing windows" if memory serves. They were perfect for directing a cooling breeze when there was no air conditioning. I remember our old dog loved to stick his nose out one, too.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Bert
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 01:12 AM

Seeing as Accuracy matters, shouldn't "speed bumps" be called "slow bumps"?

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: mousethief
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 01:57 AM

Anyone want to translate CHAV? I don't feel qualified.

One piece of chav-speak is "innit" which is used pretty much the same way the French use "n'est-ce pas?" -- stick it on the end of any declarative sentence to make it a question. EG:

Your favourite pudding is mince pie, innit?
You're going to leave here very quickly and quietly, innit?
You never saw any of this, innit?

"Pudding" by the way refers to any dessert. What the Americans call pudding, Brits would call custard. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Tangledwood
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 02:46 AM

Oz has the same usage of "mudflaps" but refer to "wheel arches" rather than "wheel wells" when describing modern "mudguards".

Wheel wells are the cavities in an aircraft where the undercarriage folds away during flight . . . as long as the aircraft was designed with retractable undercarriage. If it wasn't they're classified as an unservicability.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Les from Hull
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 11:38 AM

'Inevitable nicknames' are commonest in the Armed Forces and in Public (meaning private or fee-paying) Schools in the UK. I attended a pretentious independent school and had such classmates as 'Spike' Naylor and 'Tug' Wilson. Presumably they didn't have the full list - the name that goes with my surname (Ward) is Sharkey: I was never called that. There's a list here

These names never respect gender, I know a Dolly and a Molly, both male. As for their non-use in the USA, how about Muddy Waters?

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Lighter
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 05:08 PM

Muddy Waters seems to work, too, like Dusty Rhodes, but for a nickname to be "inevitable," thousands of people must have it. I've never known anyone with such a nickname personally. My guess is that Muddy and Dusty and any others that might be mentioned were just lucky.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 05:56 PM

"Semi-trailer" is ordinarily reduced to "semi" (pronounced sem-eye)

In Oz it's similarly shortened, when the prime mover has only one trailer, but the "semi" is pronounced as sem-ee, with the ee shortened.

I gather such articulated vehicles are commonly referred to in N.Am. as "18 wheelers"; in Oz, they'd be "22 wheelers" (although we don't use that term), as most of the 40' trailers have a triaxle arrangement rather than just the dual axle.

And I just remembered I scored another nickname in primary school because of my surname; according to Les' list it'd be an "inevitable" if I were in the Royal Navy. I never heard it when I was in the army, though.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Lighter
Date: 19 Jan 10 - 07:39 PM

"Eighteen-wheeler," yes.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Jan 10 - 11:48 AM

Does anybody understand this quotation - see the first post of this thread.
====
4. [said of a journalist] "The others call him NINE TEN. Knows more about tomorrow than he does about today."

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jan 10 - 05:22 PM

Seven eight- stay up late.
Nine ten- never sleep again.

Is it said of a journalist who never sleeps? Seems possible, but I have never heard it.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jan 10 - 05:47 PM

My wife (from southern US) uses the expression "eats high on the hog" about someone who lives well.
An expression, but I wondered if there were similar ones in UK, Australia, New Zealand.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Rowan
Date: 20 Jan 10 - 07:04 PM

"Lives high on the hog" I have heard in Oz, usually among those older than most baby boomers.

"Living the life of Riley" has similar connotations.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Micca
Date: 21 Jan 10 - 07:16 AM

leenia, I would read that as "Being a bit light in his trainers" (the brain), as in only 9/10ths of completely compos mentos, or "a sandwich short of a picnic", "the lift doesnt go to the top floor" sort of thing

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Jan 10 - 11:45 AM

Thanks, micca. That's a good possibility.

Subject: RE: BS: translations from the English
From: Les from Hull
Date: 21 Jan 10 - 12:26 PM

'flak meant a swift & incessant barrage from any sort of gun — a nearer synonym, tho not exact, would be "crossfire"'. I don't agree. In English flak is anti-aircraft fire, crossfire is crossfire, bombardment is bombardment. Flak has come to mean criticism metaphorically "I'll get some flak for that!".

Nine-ten might it be from 'nine-ten and out' - the way that boxing referees count out boxers. Still don't know what it actually means though.