BS: American vs British slang

Subject: American vs British slang
From: DonD
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 09:50 PM

My post just now on the 'Australia see the baloon' thread about the difference berween "arse' and 'ass' prompted this thought.

As a reader of lots of British fiction (largely mysteries) I keep coming across bits of English slang that I can understand, but find I can't take seriously.

Do people really say "It's been yonks since ..." and "I know masses of songs" and can I really go into some kind of an eating establishment and order a 'buttie' or a 'sarnie'?

Are there American expressions that Brits and others find equally unlikely?

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: artbrooks
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 10:14 PM

Don, there have actually been a lot of discussions of this on Mudcat, and there are some semi-serious references available. Try searching on Yahoo for "british american dictionary".

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 10:41 PM

Haven't had a decent chip butty for yonks, and there's masses of folk round here that'd kill for a good bacon sarnie. Hmmmm.... I see what you mean, but it's probably worth bearing in mind that there is absolutely nothing silly enough that otherwise normal people will adopt for common useage........ and in some cases, the sillier the better. Check out rhyming slang or local dialects and their associated distinctive words for example. These form a kind of code designed to ensure that no-body else will have a clue what you're talking about. Having said all that though, LONG LIVE LOCAL SLANG!!

Got to go now, I'm as busy as a one armed paper-hanger and I'll be as flat out as a lizard drinking to get through today before I shoot through this arvo.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Bert
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 11:27 PM

Of course 'buttie' and 'sarnie' are more Midlands slang which is not *really* English;-)

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: DonD
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 11:38 PM

Thanks, guys. Art, I searched for 'slang' in the forum and found a gazillion threads listed. I got lost in some interesting stuff and links to links, but ...

Ozmacca was more to my point, if -- are you really talking that way when you're not being humorous. I think I know everything except 'arvo'; is that at all like 'aggro'?

I love slang and have dictionaries of it and I use 'my' local slang without a thought, but my point is that other people's slang is hard to take seriously, and certainly can't be used comfortably by an alien without looking like a fool. "Yo, homie!" I think not.

THe old American joke is that if you wake one of those Englishmen with the fancy accents up in the middle of the night, he'll talk just like a normal person. If I want to try it, will the Cockney commisaire really say, "His titfer's on the rack, so take a run up the apples, he must be home."? ReallY??? Would he say it to another Cockney?

And do Aussies really say, "G'Day, cobber", and call girls 'sheilas' and all that Paul Hogan stuff? Really???

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Bert
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 11:46 PM

Yerse DonD, the true Cockney will speak rhyming slang among friends and family all the time.

Sayings like "What's the bird" or "It's in me sky" of "It's Fransaning" are in everyday use in our family.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 11:53 PM

Do Aussies really say "G'day cobber" and call girls "shielas"? Depends on whether they're coming the raw prawn and acting like a galah deliberately. They CAN all talk like Hoges but, being natural gentlemen, choose not to.......

"G'day" is an everyday greeting - to anybody at all. Call somebody "cobber" and you'll likely get a queer look these days. Once common - especially in working men's speech, the old cobber ain't what she used to be. "Mate" is used as a general address, but your emphatic "mate" is your best pal, who'll stick by you through thick and thin... well, thick anyway. "Digger" was in common use, but usually referred to an acting soldier, or someone who'd been "up the sharp end". "Shiela" has also dropped by the wayside - fortunately... But "arvo" means afternoon, and is an example of the Oz habit of shortening long words (or lengthening short words) and ending them with a suitable(or unsuitable) vowel sound. "Tinnie" for tin (of beer) "Footy" for football. There are theories that the slang here came about from the criminal classes who were sent out from Mother England, and the vocabulary was just generally adopted, along with the manners of speech. It figures, really.

Now what excuse have the "Septics" got? (I'll let you work that one out.)

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Bert
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 12:03 AM

"Septics" I love it :-)

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 12:11 AM

Bert, glad you like it. It's been in common useage here for sixty years or so. I've been out here a long, long, time, but not that long. Now, what in the name o' the wee man's "Fransaning"... Oh, and while I remember, "footy" is the game you call rugby league - or union - or something. It's not football, which they call soccer, none of which I have any interest in...... can't stand vegemite either. Damned if I know how I got my naturalisation papers.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,DW at work
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 01:47 AM

Jees, slang and street talk changes so quickly that it's hard enough keep up with my own, let alone the UK as well. Add the Australian - or is it "strine" - and I'm completely screwed.

No sooner does a list of slang and nicknames come out than it's out of date.

DW

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,Pean O'Graffey
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 01:50 AM

Stone the flaming crows, me china plate reckons the tin lids are making the humpy look like a Chinese brothel but I don't give a hoot in hell.
I've got a half a mongrel but me shiela's on the wallaby so I'll just go down the bottlo and fill the iron lung.
I'll get out of your way now, I've got to go give birth to a Pommie...

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:02 AM

Yes, well.... And let that be a lesson to you.......... You can see why we don't seem to have many problems with them amurricains and THEIR slang - it's probably because we don't understand some of OURS!

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: allie kiwi
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:49 AM

*blinks and disassociates self with Australasia...* LOL

Allie

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:59 AM

.. and you've got nothing to laugh about, over the other side of the Tasman. What about your "chully buns" then? Eh? Go on, answer me that then! (grins, ducks, runs for cover...)

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 03:03 AM

ARGH!! The Chully Buns!!! I thought they were a bread product to go with the picnic till my sister pulled out an insulated plastic picnic box!!

Good name for a band though?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 03:11 AM

Yeah, better than "esky", which is the Oz name for the same thing.... and that's it from me... I'm off out of it to get ready for a Medieval Fair & Tournament to watch people in tin suits bashing each other.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 03:35 AM

For shame, Bert! The Beatles used to say "sarnie"--what part of the Midlands did they come from? Antway, in the sixties, we denizens of the proper Midlands (none of this "Nottingham/Burton/Derby" nonsense!) used to say "sammoes" (short for "samwich").

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Trevor
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 04:39 AM

You beat me to it Steve! It's definitely sammoes where I come from. butties are definitely further north than the Midlands, and anyway Bert, ower English is more original than anybody's. 'ow bist?

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 05:29 AM

my experiences working in liverpool some years ago reveal that most personal names get abbreviated so that they have an 'eee' sound on the end.

as in willie,jimmy, tommy, tony,joey, lizzie,ronny[veronica], stevie,georgie,freddy,josie,johnnie,annie, etc.

if its someone's sibling, it's usually preceeded by 'are' as in 'are willie, are annie'

also terms like, sarnie,ciggy,'ossie[hospital],the saffy[this afternoon],divvy[idiot],petty[petrol],bevvie[pint of beer], the bizzies[police].

a lot of these terms are often correctly pronounced as though the speaker has severe chronic cattarh or a noseful of snot

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 05:35 AM

And there are pockets where a butty is an open sandwich. This is fine for jam butties (carved door-step-style from an unsliced loaf, tons of butter and a minimum of 1" of jam, which must include as many stawberries as you can dig out of the jar before your mother sees you), but a little unsatisfactory for chips, where you really need the top slice to prevent filling loss (from the sandwich, not your teeth!)

But then most of us have more sense than to put our sarnies in our pockets ...

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Hrothgar
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 06:12 AM

I think it's in rhyming slang that the British and Australains really diverge from the septics. As far as I remember, the only time I've come across rhyming slang in anything American was a mention of "stove lids" for kids in a Damon Runyon story.

(Of course, everybody knows that kids are really "billy lids").

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Pied Piper
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 06:24 AM

Butty is definitely the word of choice here in the North (Manchester). While we're on the subject of bread, we up here have Barmcakes Whilst others have Baps and Ovenbottoms. Anyone got any more names for this ubiquitous staple. All the best PP.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Trevor
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 07:56 AM

Just an aside Steve - don't forget that the bread has to be buttered before it's sliced from the loaf. D'you remember Ryan and Ronnie who used to do a sketch based on a Welsh family where the mother always carried the bread under her arm, buttered it, sliced it and then put the jam on?

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 09:09 AM

don't call will on ye dah!

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Trevor
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 09:19 AM

That's the one!!! Brilliant!!

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Snuffy
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 09:38 AM

If your looking for words for bread try this thread - BS: What do you call your bread?

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 09:58 AM

I'm originally from Yorkshire and I say; Sarnie and buttie, as well as spuds/ tatties, spiders are spids, a pint of beer is a jar, etc

cat

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:00 AM

"If there's one thig I 'ate, I'm fed up, that's what I wish!"

Remember it well! My grandad used to slice bread that way, turning the loaf round and gradually working his way to the middle. He could cut it paper-thin and very accurately: 3/16" +/- .015". When he took hois watch out of his waistcoat pocket, there was always a shower of crumbs!

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Bagpuss
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:03 AM

I once got told off by the woman in a chip shop in manchester for asking for a chip buttie when I wanted a chip "barm" apparently.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:08 AM

balmy!

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:12 AM

You folks seem to have 90% of the slang. Maybe this thread should just be titled British Slang. Or British and Aussie Slang. Every once in awhile when I write to my British and Aussie friends, I'll use a phrase that they haven't heard. But, nothing as colorful as all this stuff. DonD asked whether there are American expressions that Brits and others would find equally unlikely. I grew up in a small Midwestern town, but I'll be danged if I can come up with many colorful slang terms. There are phrases like "parked in," in which seem self-explanatory, or "a couple-few," but those are pretty limp.

When my oldest son was in High School my youngest son and I used to ride him mercilessly because he was always coming home with the latest slang terms. For awhile it was "crush." Man, that's Crush! Slang terms like that seemed to have a shelf life of a few weeks before they were replaced by another equally short-lived slang term. Over here, you can tell how old someone is, just by listening to the slang terms they use. "neat," "cool", "boss," "Dude," ... and in England, whatever became of "fab" and "gear?"

Now, when you get into sandwiches, that's another story. You can order a submarine sandwich(now, a "sub") a Grinder, a Hoagie, or a Hero and you'll get the same thing. When I came to New York City in 1960, I ordered a milk shake, and the guy squirted some flavoring in a tall glass of milk and shook it. I thought he was just being a wise guy, and I said... "Hey, I didn't mean to literally shake milk... where's the ice cream?" He said, "Ice cream? Milk shakes don't have ice cream.. you should have ordered a Frappe!" then I was SURE he was a wise guy. Turns out, Frappe is an old New York term for a milk shake. Only goes to show.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:29 AM

Very entertaining material, folks! I think I'll start one on gestures...

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: DonD
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:51 AM

And so Canadians really do say "eh?" at the end of every sentence? And what about the folks in Dixie? I thought that you'all all would have something to add.

Thanks all for maintaing my sense of wonder.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Bert
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 12:19 PM

Fransaning is a shortened form of the rhyming slang "France and Spain" for rain.

Oops, Sorry Steve and Trevor. As you may have guessed I come from London where The Midlands start at or maybe just beyond Bedford *GRIN* and no civilized person has ever travelled further North than Birmingham so all points north tend to blur into one vast unknown.

Mr. Happy, I was always taught that it was Barmy, derived from the lunatic asylum at Barming in Kent. Although it's not PC to call them lunatic asylums nowadays.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:47 PM

Americans and Canadians seem to have lost a lot of colorful language. Probably because now they watch television rather than talk to one another. The extremely disadvantaged (ghetto kids) are still inventive. Middle class school lingo (cool, rad, etc.) is pretty dull.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:51 PM

When I was doing my teacher training last year the teenagers would say "Mint" or "Minta" for something that was good or nice. I just say "Grand!" When something was unpleasant or nasty they would say "Minging"

I must be getting old LOL!!!!

Cat

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Emma B
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 03:17 PM

Oh those connie-onnie butties of childhood Or would I prefer that on a 'batch'? Translation provided on request for southerners (or Americans)

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 03:27 PM

Well, I guess the one that springs to mind is Fag. Certainly takes on a different meaning depending which side of the pond you're on.

When in England a young lady said "Knock me up in the morning". It seems that over there it means to wake them while here to knock up is slang for impregnating someone.

Of course, the Irish "Feck" is a great all purpose word.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 03:40 PM

Some cutsy faux redneck bars here (States and Canada) serve beer in Mason jars. "Jar" for a beer or a drink came over in the 19th century, largely disappeared, but has come back, I think, because of these places.
A digression from slang, but when I first came to Canada, my favorite pigging concoction was a chocolate malted milk (an ice cream based milkshake with malt added). The use of malt in a milk shake was unknown here at the time, but milkshakes with ice cream were available. A favorite drink here is is the Caesar, which Canadians can't find in the States. It is a Bloody Mary made with Clamato juice rather than plain tomato juice.

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: C-flat
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 04:00 PM

In the North East U.K.
Fadges (pronounced fadjeez)=Small buns
Marra = mate
Gadge (like fadge)= man(bloke)
Minging = Unpleasant,rotten
Gan Canny = Take it easy
Judas (I'm going for a Judas)Iscariot = Take-away food (carry-out)
As light as a kite/ Away with the mixer = Not very bright
To call someone "Harpic" (a brand-name toilet cleaner) would be to suggest that they're "clean round the bend" or Nuts!

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Gypsy
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:47 PM

The redwood empire........you have riggin' rats (small children) and when working in the woods, watch out for a headache (what used to be a "widow maker" bad tree or limb about to fall)Oh yeah, and when hammmered, we see pink whales rather than pink elephants

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Emma B
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 03:51 AM

Love the pink whales - could go another round here on British/American/Australian expressions for being frightfully drunk or rat arsed as we say 'round here'

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 06:38 AM

We use rat arsed in England, or a favourite when I was at uni was steaming (Pissed)

On me todd= by myself

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 09:27 AM

In Canada to be be pissed it to be really drunk, in the U.S. it's to be really upset (our pissed off).

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 09:49 AM

Seems to me that anyone having a "jam buttie" would be in need of an enema....or possibly a suppository.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 02:46 PM

catsPHiddle, "on your tod" (sic) is rhyming slang derived from the name of legendary American jockey Tod Sloan who revolutionized the art of race-riding when he came over to England in the earlt twentieth century. (On your own =on your Tod Sloan)

I always thought it would have been amusing if actress Honor Blackman had ever married actor Richard Todd....

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 06:15 PM

Grand I didnt know that Murray...well you learn something new everyday cheers for the insight!!!

cat

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Bert
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 06:46 PM

But true Cockneys will also tell you that 'Arry Stottle (bottle) was also a jockey, as was Rory O'Moore (door) and Jimmy Riddle (piddle).

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Snuffy
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 07:00 PM

Harry Wragge really was a jockey, though. (The Kinks)

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: BS: American vs British slang
From: Jim Krause
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 09:52 PM

I was doing a sing around on Pal Talk the other Sunday. It was me and five or six folks from England. I received a message at the bottom of the screen asking about my nicname "Sod Shanty" and was that a song about cursing sailors? I replied that no, a sod shanty was an earthen house built on the American Great Plains by the pioneers because there were no trees to use for lumber. Sod=earth Shanty=a hovel, or hut. Actually, some sod houses were quite nice with real glass windows, and wood floors.
Jim