19 Confounding Discrepancies Between American English and British English | Vital Football

19 Confounding Discrepancies Between American English and British English

SiggyBrownie

SiggyBrownie

Villa Princess
As a lifelong Anglophile and a recent newcomer to London, I can understand America’s burgeoning love affair with British English. But even with the spike in usage of Britishisms, there are still a number of words and phrases that can baffle even the most pretentious BBC America fans. Next time you’re in London, keep these translations to hand—or as the Yanks would say, nearby—and you’ll be just fine.

1. Knock up: To wake up. Don’t freak out if your flatmate says he will be sure to knock you up in the morning.

2. Pants: Underwear. Be careful not to compliment your friend’s new pants, or she will be very confused. Trousers or slacks are what you wear over your pants.

3. Take the piss: To take advantage of; to ridicule. This is one of the more unattractive British phrases that show up frequently in conversation...


http://mentalfloss.com/article/12843/19-confounding-discrepancies-between-american-english-and-british-english
 
LOL, yes, divided by a common language!



<i>Poncy: An especially negative version of the word “posh.” </i>

Not really, it is more :34:

<i>Pot: Carton or container, as in, “I had a yoghurt pot for breakfast.” </i>

If it was someone who spoke English properly, it would be 'I had a pot of yoghurt' not a yoghurt pot.

<i>Rude boy: Thug or delinquent. A rude boy in England probably has no special affinity for ska music, unlike the rude boys in the U.S. and Jamaica. </i>

It comes from the Jamaican use of the word, and from Ska, but isn't very widely used.
 
You're welcome! :14:

lol

I do wish everyone spoke the same language, terribly ignorant of me in some ways I know, but would be so much easier!
 
I've never heard of knock up used to mean wake up. The only way I know to use knock up is to knock someone up, meaning to get them pregnant possibly expectedly.
 
"Knock up" dates back from when gas lighters used to light and subsequently distinguish street lights. Workers used to ask the gas man to knock their windows in the morning as in lieu of an alarm call. Hence will you knock me up!
 
Skeggy knows that because they only replaced the gas lights in Skeggness last year!
 
We'd have said "give me a knock" in Belfast.
The other one for Americans to avoid, in Ireland anyway, is to offer someone a "ride" rather than a "lift".
 
SiggyBrownie - 14/7/2014 19:01

The only thing in Skegness with two g's is Skeggy. :14:
Click to expand...

My sister is called Margaret Geraldine and she lives just outside Skegness. :14:
 
in the US they call a bum a fanny. Bumbag = fannybag. The wife overheard an American woman tell her naughty daughter she would smack her fanny for her. The wife had a quiet word and the poor American lady almost went blood red with embarrassment.
 
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