Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related Geographical Language

Given how much fun everyone seems to be having over in the bathroom/washroom thread, I thought it might be interesting to start a thread where we discuss different words/phrases that jump out at us in a story because they are not ones that we would normally use due to our geographical location.

For example, one that always jumps out at me when I'm reading a story is when Lois and Clark get ‘take away’ food instead of ‘take out’ food. Whenever I see that, I jump to the immediate conclusion that the author comes from the other side of the big pond (although I may be wrong on that).

I was also told once that the word ‘pants’ for some means underwear - and have always tried to use terms like slacks or trousers or jeans ever since (although sometimes I let one slip through).

So what words or expressions have jumped out at you over the years?

ML

In NZ...

Gas is petrol, therefore a gas station is what we call a petrol station. We also call them service stations.

Cheers
Elizabeth

Kerb instead of curb and flat instead of apartment are the two biggest that I can think of. Oh, also lift instead of elevator.

There are so many - I do actually have a file on my computer called 'English to American Conversion' and I still keep finding new differences to add to it, so much so that I swear I'm writing in a foreign language when I write Lois & Clark fic. Anyway, looking through the file, some of the more common ones and ones I know I've had to change are (English = American):
Autumn = Fall
Biscuit = Cookie
(Car) Boot = Trunk
Chips = Fries
Cinema = Movie Theatre (unfortunately, while I'm happy to change the word, not so the spelling! )
Cot = Crib
Crisps = Chips
CV = Resume
Flat = Apartment
Holiday = Vacation
Jam = Jelly
Jelly = Jello
Knickers = Panties (although I have a note on this one that it's my assumption as I'd never heard of 'panties' before I came across nfic!)
Lift = Elevator
Mobile = Cell Phone
Nappy = Diaper
Pavement = Sidewalk
Petrol = Gas
Porridge = Oatmeal
Rubber = Eraser
Rubbish = Garbage or Trash
Shop = Store
Sweets = Candy
Torch = Flashlight (still confuses me - why would you use a flashing light to see in the dark?)
Trainer = Sneaker
Trousers = Pants
Althought, I've just noticed that I've missed out the English meaning of 'pants', so I'll add that in.
Pants = Underwear.
And, believe me, that's just a snapshot of the table. It goes onto page 3 at the moment, and is ever-growing. Please let me know if I've got any wrong, it'll make my beta reader's job easier.

Oooh, nice list, Alisha!

A couple thoughts I had while reading it:

- While Fall is much more common, some people do use "Autumn," too. I have no idea if it's a regional/age/random other preference thing as to who does and who doesn't.

- I forgot that in the UK cribs were called cots. We do use the word, but to refer to temporary/portable/often somewhat flimsy beds.

- I don't know what the common context is for knickers. I do know that it refers to the things one wears under clothing, in the area around hips/butt/etc. Is it strictly a female undergarment? Because "panties" is strictly female, afaik. Also, "panties" is also a word that...I don't know how to describe it, but a lot of people don't like to use it. For example, I almost never say it, preferring to use the term "underwear." Does "knickers" carry the same...squick factor?

(Other Americans - thoughts on "panties" as a term? Am I overestimating the number of people who don't use it/why they don't?)

- A flashlight doesn't actually flash. I have no idea where the term came from, but just random googling re: etymology... One example of "flash" is to "briefly illuminate" - perhaps because they don't fully illuminate things?

Also, for Americans, torch tends to carry a strong connotation of actual fire. (As in "holding up a stick with flames on top to illuminate things" or as in the verb "to burn something".) Did this come before or after the use of "flashlight"? I haven't a clue!

Slightly related, slightly tangential...

I love learning about the differences in vocabulary use between various English speakers. In fiction, I think characters should sound like characters from that place actually would sound - hence, UK-isms pulling me out of an L&C fic. Similarly, I dislike when British characters (in Doctor Who fic, for example) use clear Americanisms. I will admit that I notice them less often, because I am an American, so I don't always know that Brits will use a different term for something, let alone what it is. But where I do know - drives me crazy!

I also bought a book recently (chick-lit, but enjoyable) where the author was British, the characters were {mostly} British, and it was originally published in Britain. And then the US publishing house printed it here. And CHANGED THE LANGUAGE. Apparently they decided dialogue should remain the same, but all narration should be changed.

The problem with this? It was FIRST PERSON point of view - and that person was a native Londoner! So in narration, she's talking about calling people "on her cell" and "going to the bathroom." !!!!

(Speaking of - I know that Brits will use the verb "to ring" to refer to calling people on a phone. Is that the exclusive term, or do they "call" people, too?)

Bethy

Ohhh... You've hit upon one of my favourite topics! :-) There is *sooooo* much I could write now, that I don't even know where to begin. I'll limit myself to commenting on Alisha's list and relaying a personal anecdote or two. Incidentally, whole books have been written about this topic. Before my first trip to Great Britain, I bought Norman Moss' book "Travel Guide to British/American English".

Alisha, the term "curriculum vitae," or "CV," is also used here, but it is not synonymous with "resume". The former is restricted to the document used when applying for a job within academia. CVs tend to be longer and more detailed than resumes.

The only time I've heard Americans use "knickers" for modern apparel is in the sentence, "Don't get your knickers in a knot." The folks who have said it have tended to be Anglophiles, so I suspect that it might not be a common usage within the U.S. I think "knickers" is also used here as a synonym of "bloomers" to refer to the underwear which ladies wore in bygone eras -- the ones that were knee-length or so.

I have been exposed to British literature and television since I was a very young child, and I have a tendency to use Britishisms and British spellings myself. (I am therefore not a very good source for what a typical American would use, incidentally. And unfortunately, I have had to put most of my language references in storage.) In fact, I distinctly remember getting "color" wrong on a spelling test because I spelled it "colour". I had been quite upset about that, because I *knew* I had read that spelling in a printed book. When I mentioned that to the teacher, she just said that I was wrong - end of discussion. It was only years later that I figured out on my own that Great Britain and the U.S. use different orthographies. My own spelling tends to be a blend of the two -- I will usually use the -our and -re endings, but will stick with the -ize suffix. It's what works for me. When I write L&C fanfic, however, I try to use the more typical American spellings, simply because the show and the characters are American. There are a few words (e.g., grey/gray, traveler/traveller) for which I can never remember which side of the puddle uses which spelling.

When I see British spellings when reading L&C fanfic, they do not bother me in the slightest. I might make a mental note to see where in the world the author is from, but that is about it. British vocabulary items and phrasing (e.g., "in hospital" vs. "in the hospital") only faze me when they are put into the mouth or the pen of an American character. As part of the main narrative, they pose no problem for me.

Joy,
Lynn

Going along with the flashlight/torch comparison, that which Americans call a "torch" (a stick with one end covered by a cloth soaked in pitch which burns and gives a rough illumination) will sometimes be called by the English a "fag." (This word can also refer to a cigarette.) But in the US, the word "fag" has a completely different connotation, one which has never been polite and now is no longer considered acceptable (if it ever was).

I also recall an interview with the cast of the American TV show "Fame" from the early 80's where an interviewer asked Debbie Allen (who played the dance teacher) "Do you ever row?" (The word rhymes with "now" in Britain.) Ms. Allen gave her a blank look and asked, "Child, what is 'row?'"

A "row" in England is the equivalent of an "argument" in the US, and the word "row" here is pronounced as rhyming with "no." It means to propel a small boat through the water by way of fixed paddled.

Do the English use that pronunciation and meaning, or do y'all "paddle" your small boats? Oh, and there's some kind of small boat called a "punt" in England, but in the US a "punt" is a specific play in football (not soccer, mind you).

We are indeed divided by a common language.

You know until I thought to answer this it hadn't occurred to me that I use both in different contexts. I will say "Give me a ring." but "I'll give you a call." or "I called Stephen today." I would never say "I rang Stephen today."

I'm fairly sure that both ring and call are used in the UK - even if not in the ways above, which quite possible could be entirely unique to me.

LabRat

Ooh, I love these kinds of discussions!

I think I've gotten used to a lot of Britishisms by now, but one thing that always tends to jar me is the phrase "In Hospital." I stare at this phrase and I know it's considered correct, but I just so, so badly want to squeeze a "The" in there. I know it's irrational, especially since we here in the USA say "in school" as opposed to "in the school", but I just---well---um...Oh look! A distraction!

Yeah, like others have said, we have both of those words here. I guess "Fall" is just more casual, and thus more common. Also works well in punny remarks uttered before tripping someone.

We have the words "Jam" and "Jelly". They are just the same thing, is all. If there is a difference, it's probably that jelly has more sugar in it.

Again, we have both, and they are mostly the same.

Porridge is *oatmeal*??? *THAT's* what it is?? I always thought it was some mysterious mushy substance eaten by orphans and bears. Huh. O_O

There is a hilarious comic about this in Axis Powers Hetalia.

My personal theory is that it comes on in a flash. Instead of having to light a match or rub two pieces of wood/flint together, you just push the button and--click! Light.

As for row; I'd always wondered about that word. Thanks, Terry!

Yeah, we do have both, but no, I wouldn't say they're used in quite the same contexts. Pavement tends to refer to the literal hard surface - and I'd apply it equally to sidewalks and paved roads. As opposed to, for example, telling a child to "be sure to stay on the sidewalk" - where I'd never say pavement.

(Unless the kid was walking on the side of the road and beyond the paved surface was a ditch and I was saying don't go on the unpaved/risky ditch portion. But then I'd be clearly referring to the road, not a sidewalk.)

And then there are phrases like "pound the pavement" - defined as "walking the streets, especially in search of employment." Whether one is doing said walking on the sidewalk or the road, Google search does not tell me.

I love these discussions.

Oh, and Terry - ta for the "row" example. I knew it could refer to an argument, but I (a) didn't realize it was pronounced like "now' and (b) didn't realize it was still currently used in Britain. I'd always associated it with "old-fashioned" speaking, having mostly encountered it in older literature.

Bethy

I always thought that, while they were made the same (add pectin and sugar), "jam" was when you put the whole, crushed-up fruit, seeds and all with the other ingredients, and "jelly" was when you just put in the juice of the fruit with the other ingredients.

That's why grape jelly is clear purple, but raspberry jam has little raspberry seeds in it.

And yes, this is incredibly trivial.

That's the way I understood the jam/jelly distinction in the US, too, Iolanthe.

Also, another same word/different meaning -- pissed. US = angry. UK = drunk.

And in confirming this, found a fun site! British/Canadian/American Vocab Comparisons.

Bethy

Not to mention "crack":

- U.S. = cocaine; UK (Scottish) = (roughly) fun conversation or chat (My understanding is that it is an Anglicization of the Scots word "craic")

LabRat, could you confirm the precise meaning of that?

There's also one that I am somewhat hesitant to bring up, since it is *not* polite in the UK; but Americans should be made aware of it if they don't already know it, if only to avoid inappropriate use of the term. That is "fanny". In the U.S., it is slang for the portion of the human anatomy upon which one sits. In the U.K., it is a crude reference to a nearby portion of the female anatomy. (Actually, another meaning for "crack" in the U.S. is pretty much the same as "fanny" in the U.K.)

Joy,
Lynn

One word that always throws me out of a story is "sneakers". I know that this is an American term, but every time I see it, no matter where the story is taking place, I always have to pause and remind myself "That word means 'runners'. As in running shoes."

Also, the "freshman/sophomore/junior/senior" thing confuses me. I always have to go through the whole list and convert it to number values before I can understand it.

Have to say that I've never heard of that, Lynn. Which isn't to say that it isn't Scottish - could be more of a Highland than a Lowland word, or even just a regional variation outwith my area.

I have to say though that I've heard crack used frequently as a word for chat by Irish comedians on TV - which was my first exposure to the word and meaning. So perhaps your source is off by a few miles and it's actually an Irish word, with its roots in Irish Gaelic rather than Scottish Gaelic.

LabRat

Hey Terry, well from an NZ perspective (we use the English version of English... LOL), I find the older generation tend to use 'row' when referring to an argument more than the younger generation (I say younger when I'm referring to myself but then there are those younger than me who would think I was of the older generation! LOL). And yes we do 'row' our boats as well.

Cheers
Elizabeth

Interesting. Thank you! I had based my understanding of the word on a discussion I had had with someone from Scotland over a decade ago. I don't think he mentioned what part of Scotland he was from; but the usage of the word really made an impression on me. I had thought it was confirmed by the lyrics of a song by the Scottish singer Andy M. Stewart. The song Take Her in Your Arms includes the lyrics "And the craic is grand tonight". AFAIK, most of the songs he sings are of Scottish origin , but perhaps this song is originally Irish, or perhaps the lyricist just decided to borrow an Irish word?

Unfortunately, I don't have ready access to my linguistics resources to try to look it up; and I don't completely trust sources on the web for a detailed explanation, although the general consensus from the web pages I looked at quickly did confirm your impression that it is predominantly an Irish word.

If anyone here is from the Highlands, especially if you happen to be a Scots Gaelic speaker, would you please comment? Thanks.

Joy,
Lynn

Yep, craic is Irish... At least since I moved to Dublin (Ireland, not California ), I've heard it often enough. I guess, it's a synonym for "fun"

To add to Alisha's list:

city centre = downtown
motorway = highway
bloke = guy / fellow
mate = buddy

I think I've seen "city centre" and "mate" used in L&C fics..

These were my impressions. I'm neither a native speaker of American English nor that of British English. I've just lived in both countries for a while, so I might be wrong..

I'm not a Gaelic speaker, but I do live in a part of Scotland where Gaelic is still spoken, albeit by a minority of the population, and where an awful lot of place names are Gaelic.

And, yes, I'm pretty sure that I've heard mention of craic around here.

My understanding is that craic does imply fun, but it also conveys something about the quality of the conversation / banter that is involved.

Krissie

I'm odd about this one. I separate them out.. movie theatER, and broadway theatRE. I guess in my mind anything performed live deserves to have a "fancy" spelling.