Learning English

[Enn]

to continue Mcatrophy's English class

https://www.bigstockphoto.com/blog/20-british-words-that-mean-something-totally-different-in-the-us

 

[wheatonFJR]

Good one!

But I doubt Mr. atrophy will ever succeed in edumacating us in the proper King's Engrish.

Some of us are too far gone...

... Besides we like our Engrish our way anyways. ;-)

 

[Pterodactyl]

I learned the British meaning of a US Military term while coordinating an operation with the Brit Army in Iraq. In the US Army we establish a Battle Hand-Off Line when one unit passes through another while in contact with the bad guys. I guess Hand-Off means something different to the Brits and conjured an image of thousands of men standing in a line to masterbate. Kinda like Bustanut's favorite dream.

 

[mcatrophy]

Good one!But I doubt Mr. atrophy will ever succeed in edumacating us in the proper King's Engrish.

Some of us are too far gone...

... Besides we like our Engrish our way anyways. ;-)

Come on, Wheaty, keep up. We've only had a queen for 61 years. It's the Queen's Engrish now. (Engrish? - Oh, you've been drinking again .)
Curiously, I've never been concerned with differences in word spellings or meanings (except when I was in a Chicago hotel and asked directions to the lifts, and got a very strange look until I translated it into the local lingo "elevators").

What does upset me is when what is written doesn't mean what the writer intended, you've seen the (partial) list before, its it's; there, their, they're; to, too (rarely two?); your, you're . . .

Anyway, I wouldn't even try to edumacate you. There's an old English saying, "You can't educate pork!".

Ducks and runs for cover ...

 

[Pterodactyl]

"You can't educate pork!".
Ducks and runs for cover ...

Amerikan = He says you are stuck on stupid.

 

[wheatonFJR]

 

[majicmaker]

Pissed (US) = Angry

Pissed (UK) = Drunk as a skunk

Oh! And what's with the word: Loo for the Toilet, Mcatrophy? Where the hell did that come from?

 

[LKLD]

What's a boot? An article of clothing, that goes on one's foot? Or...the back of a car where one can store luggage and a spare tyre?

Vic, I agree. Where's YumYamm when we need him?

 

[mcatrophy]

Pissed (US) = Angry Pissed (UK) = Drunk as a skunk Oh! And what's with the word: Loo for the Toilet, Mcatrophy? Where the hell did that come from?

Don't know about in the US, but in the UK, to piss means to pass water. Probably onomatopoeic. Often needed after a bout of heavy drinking, hence the connection. At my age, you don't need the heavy drinking bit to need to pass water frequently

. "Pissed off" does mean "angry" in UK English, but not considered a polite term.

Loo: from the Oxford English Dictionary:

There are several theories about the origin of this informal British term for a toilet.
The first, and most popular, is that it derived from the cry of 'gardyloo' (from the French regardez l'eau 'watch out for the water'), which was shouted by medieval servants as they emptied chamber pots out of upstairs windows into the street. This is historically problematic, since by the time the term 'loo' is recorded, the expression 'gardyloo' was long obsolete.

A second theory is that the word derives from a polite use of the French term le lieu ('the place') as a euphemism. Unfortunately, documentary evidence to support this idea is lacking.

A third theory refers to the trade name 'Waterloo', which appeared prominently displayed on the iron cisterns in many British outhouses during the early 20th century. This is more credible in terms of dates, but corroborating evidence is still frustratingly hard to find. Various other colourful theories also circulate, involving references to doors numbered '00' or people called 'Looe'.

Hope you feel a little more edumicated

.

 

[mcatrophy]

What's a boot? An article of clothing, that goes on one's foot? Or...the back of a car where one can store luggage and a spare tyre?
Vic, I agree. Where's YumYamm when we need him?

Boot? Perhaps in the days of coaches it's where the footmen would stand, so would put their feet in it?

More interesting is where the engine is kept. Neither "hood" nor "bonnet" seem really appropriate, but I suppose a raised "engine lid" looks a little like a cloak's hood or a lady's bonnet. Pure guesswork on my part, so probably way off the mark.

 

[majicmaker]

Pissed (US) = AngryPissed (UK) = Drunk as a skunk

Oh! And what's with the word: Loo for the Toilet, Mcatrophy? Where the hell did that come from?

I fixed it. That's the way I typed it and when I posted it, it all went together. Does it make more sense now?

 

[El Cajone]

In England, if you knock someone up, it means you knocked on their door.

 

[Pterodactyl]

And in the US if you knock someone up it means they let you in.

 

[majicmaker]

And in the US if you knock someone up it means they let you in.

That's Funny!

 

[Uncle Hud]

Sailors pronounce the word "leeward" as "loo-ard" ... which is the downwind side of the boat. SOOOO, if one wants to pee off the side of the boat, one goes to the "loo" side. Peeing off the windward side is disastrous for all on board.

 

[Uncle Hud]

^^^ weirdness happened there.

Sailors pronounce the word "leeward" as "loo-ard" and it's the downwind side of the boat. SOOOO, if one wants to pee off the side of the boat, one goes to the "loo" side. Peeing into the wind is disastrous for ALL on board.

I speak southern y'all; and it's only somewhat related to English.