One thing I noticed during my brief time as a GE is that UK english involves a lot more commas than US english. I was taught in grade school that, as far as commas go, "when in doubt, leave it out!" UK english allows commas to be used for all sorts of things that look very odd to me. I still have yet to figure out the UK comma rules, actually.
As for "quite good", it's weird. I never think of it as a US phrase. It's sort of a quaint little way to say "very good," and almost has to be said with at least a trace of a british accent to make it work. ("Quaint" and "British" have an oddly large overlap in the US mind, for some reason. There are things that are quaint that are not british, and there are things that are british that are not quaint. In many cases, however, the two go hand in hand.)
I never realized that the UK meaning was so different, and now I don't know what to say. It seems like we have a US meaning/usage, but it's one that anyone in the US will tell you is of UK origin. It's probably a phrase that came over here, had its meaning changed, but somehow retained a british "flavor" in our minds.
As for pissed, it's always been my understanding that it's short for "pissed off." As I once explained to my first GE (Wendy, as it happens), it's amazing the lengths to which americans will go in order to be lazy.
Save a few keystrokes and/or syllables? Great! In any case, either phrase can be used to mean the same thing. Actually, come to think, "pissed off" is generally slightly angrier than just "pissed." The "off" is almost a sign of emphasis. If the situation is bad enough to warrent using the entire phrase (with a whole extra word!), then that problably should tell you something.
3 - Americans make plurals out of nouns that are uncountable in British English.
B.E. - strands of hair
A.E. - hairs
B.E. - types of food
A.E. - foods
I don't really agree with this one. ... Oh, now I see what the problem is. In the phrase "strands of hair," "hair" is a collective noun. It's not supposed to be plural. Same with "types of food."
I would say the following:
She brushed her hair. When she was done, she found that there were a few stray hairs left on the brush.
Looking around at the Food Court, he realized that there were many different kinds of food available. He moved around from stand to stand, collecting an assortment, then went to the nearest table, his plate brimming with food. Sitting down, he considered the all the foods on his plate. Where to start?
Momentarily can be used either to mean "in the very near future" or "for a brief time." It depends on context. Basically, it can be "
in just a moment" or "
for just a moment." Either works, although the former is more common.
A smackdown is a big, very hyped, fight. Probably derived from smacking your cards down on the table. These days, it's used mainly by the "pro" wrestling industry. "Monday Night Smackdown," for example. Also, somewhat rarely,
"a throw-down, smack-down fight."
Okay, that's all I have for now. I've got to get going, anyway.
Paul
