| Author |  Topic  |
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
 United Kingdom
17365 Posts
Joined: 21 Jan 2002
Status: offline |  Posted - 04 Mar 2002 : 19:36:55  
| To start us off:
sidewalk = pavement
restrooms = toilets
trunk = boot
hood = bonnett
faucet = tap
soda = pop
tot lot = childrens playground
fender = bumper
shingles = roof tiles (not sure how much use this is)
chips = cripss
french fries = chips
jelly = jam
zucchini = courgette
semi = articulated lorry
rv = mini van (recreational vehicle)
wrench = spanner
trash = rubbish
trashcan = rubbish bin
hot tub = jacuzzi
tub = bath
country = K92FM  (Orlando radio station - you'll get the joke if you have ever listened to the station).
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas
Edited by - floridadreamvilla.co.uk on 04/03/2002 19:38:01 | | Report this post to a moderator |
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esprit
 USA
6886 Posts
Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 04 Mar 2002 : 21:15:10 
| OK here goes
crib- cot
diaper- nappy
closet- cupboard
panties - knickers
pants- trousers
sneakers-trainers
panti-hose -tights
butt- bum
fanny- bottom
jocks - Y-fronts
server-waiter/waitress
gratuity- tip
jello-jelly
swap meet- car boot sale
yard- garden/lawn
Any more for any more???
Julie Carty | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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orlandobabe
 United Kingdom
4513 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 05 Mar 2002 : 19:45:22
| I do know if you offer to 'knock someone up' in the morning-they take a very dim view of it-as their interpretation of it is you'll get them pregnant!
Some hope!
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esprit
USA
6886 Posts
Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Status: offline | |
esprit
USA
6886 Posts
Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 06 Mar 2002 : 21:25:31
| I got three americanisms in a row in one villa rental enquiry. They asked what community the villa is in ( estate is it on), whether it had a sleeper sofa( bed settee) and a grill ( barbeque).
Julie Carty | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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MMFAN
 USA
1964 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 07 Mar 2002 : 03:48:39
| I always try to reply to the UK enquiries (as opposed to inquiries) in British English instead of my native American. I am sure I mix things up though. I didn't know that sleeper-sofa didn't translate. But I'm OK on the boot and bonnet stuff. Now could you get everyone to drive on the right (as in correct) side of the road? I've had more than one late night surprise coming at me on 192.
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esprit
USA
6886 Posts
Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 07 Mar 2002 : 22:35:50
| Nice to meet an American on the forum which is dominated by us Brits. I answer my US inquiries in American so perhaps we should swap. By the way I thought you were Welsh because your user name looks like a Welsh name. I clicked on your profile and now I understand it. I also love your email address!!!
Julie Carty | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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greenhalgh
![]() USA
13 Posts
Joined: 13 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 08 Mar 2002 : 03:32:27
| MMFAN I sympathise with you I am a lancashire lass Living in Florida
I get totally confused when answering enquiries -inquiries and asking for a check-cheque even my e mail`s spelling checker is confused !!
sue greenhalgh | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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floridadreamvilla.co.uk
United Kingdom
17365 Posts
Joined: 21 Jan 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 08 Mar 2002 : 10:54:18
| Going off topic slightly, but we always have great fun when we are at out villa using our US computer as certain keys are in a different place or just do not exist on a US keyboard (e.g. try getting the £ symbol - we have to use the words 'pounds' in any enquiries for the villa we reply to from the US).
John & Sarah
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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orlandobabe
United Kingdom
4513 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 08 Mar 2002 : 11:44:21
| For me the big American-English language problem is not so much the odd words that we use that are different
-it's the way we both phrase things.
I think the English say things in a very long winded kind of way-and the Americans use a shorter version-so that if you get into a shop and say to someone-who quite possibly doesn't have English as their first language-american or otherwise
'Excuse me-can you tell me where you keep your travel cots please?
for example.
This caused huge mayhem at KMart on one occasion-and I left feeling quite frustrated and with no travel cot!
I now try to keep it short and snappy-but old habits die hard.
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steph_goodrum
 United Kingdom
6710 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 08 Mar 2002 : 12:17:00
| John & Sarah
Re your keyboard differences in US. Does the computer not come with a "character map". Using windows if you go to Start - Programs - accessories - character map. It tells you all the keystrokes needed to produce certain characters. My daughter uses it often as she is studying both French and German so needs all the various accents and funny letters (ß is one you can't really replicate any other way).
Might not work on your your computer but you never know.
Babblin Boo | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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floridadreamvilla.co.uk
United Kingdom
17365 Posts
Joined: 21 Jan 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 08 Mar 2002 : 12:22:56
| Hi Steph
We ended up specifying the Keyboard language as English (UK) which worked well, even if we did have to remember that the labels on the keyboard buttons were not always what was produced when pressed e.g. the button labelled # now produced the correct £.
I came unstuck when at our MC's house as they were having the same problem. They have a PC running Windows XP and try as I might, I could not find the place to change the keyboard language!
John & Sarah
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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MMFAN
USA
1964 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 08 Mar 2002 : 23:53:21
| A friend of mine who is a Brit tells me that sometimes speaking British has definite advantages down in Florida. On a recent vacation [holiday], his rental [hire] car was hit on the windshield [windscreen] and the hood [bonnet] by a coconut [that's OK, right?]. Fearing that he might need a report for the insurance company, he called the police and asked what how to report the damaged bonnet. They told him to stay right there, and within 5 minutes a police car was at the scene. When he asked the officer if they always responded so quickly to minor accidents, his red-faced response was "Well, actually we had no idea what a bonnet was so we thought we'd better check it out"
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blott
 United Kingdom
21420 Posts
Joined: 22 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Mar 2002 : 19:24:40
| Oh dear! Things are quite complicated but I usually try to reply to US enquiries in American and UK in English (sorry, everyone, I mean British!), if I can tell where they originated. Usually, the dates give it away. Things do go wrong though, on occasion.
I've had a family book twice now, once last year and now this year. Trouble is, they're not on the internet and don't have a fax so we either have to snail mail (takes a long time) or telephone. We had awful problems trying to understand each other and it felt like we were both foreigners! I was trying to explain how to send a deposit check and told her who to make it out (payable) to and I even spelt the name and address, very slowly. This had to be repeated more than once and her baby grandson kept interrupting, so you can imagine it was quite a long phone call. The check duly arrived with a rather strange address (thank you Consignia!) and made out to a completely different person but I sent it to our bank anyway and it worked! I didn't have the heart to send it back and ask her (somehow!) to change it!
I always thought I communicated with Americans quite well but this family was from Virginia so I don't know if that explained the problem (MMFAN, you would probably know). I just wished I could do sign language to explain to her better via a videophone! 
Blott | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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floridadreamvilla.co.uk
United Kingdom
17365 Posts
Joined: 21 Jan 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Mar 2002 : 19:50:29
| We've been to Virginia a few times (it's beautiful - especially in the fall) and it's probably the most British of any of the US States.
If you get chance, visit Williamsburg - it's where the English first landed in the US and they re-enact things as if it was 300 years ago - fantastic! They take it so seriously, that if you ask a costumed character about TV they will ask you what TV is because they have never heard of it  .
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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porky
 United Kingdom
1001 Posts
Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 11 Mar 2002 : 10:34:28
| Please, if you need a rubber for the children, be sure to ask for an eraser. It will save you a lot of embaressment as a rubber is a [edited out - this is a family forums].
Reminds me of the Jasper Carrot joke about the Australian brand of cellotape - Durex!
A tap in America is called a faucet.
Jacqui
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MMFAN
USA
1964 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 12 Mar 2002 : 01:17:05
| Blott, I travel to the U.K. frequently (I love London) and have only minimal problem understanding British accents, so it's probably not you. Since Virginia is a Southern state, alot of people have an accent that is difficult for other Americans to understand, never mind Brits. They also have a hard time understanding people without that accent. Now Florida is in the South also, but it is filled with people that moved there from New York and New Jersey and other Northern states.
By the way, I agree, Colonial Williamsburg is very good.
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blott
United Kingdom
21420 Posts
Joined: 22 Feb 2002
Status: offline | |
blott
United Kingdom
21420 Posts
Joined: 22 Feb 2002
Status: offline | |
chris
 United Kingdom
1598 Posts
Joined: 21 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 16 Mar 2002 : 11:04:06
| When we had our foosball table delivered, the delivery man said he could not drive down the 417 as he had a 'tractor' on the back. I thought why is he driving around with a tractor as well? Turns out that's another name for articulated lorry.
Had a job not to giggle at Disney when the security man asked to look inside my fanny-pack (bum bag).
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MMFAN
USA
1964 Posts
Joined: 12 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 16 Mar 2002 : 16:02:03
| Chris: Isn't tractor easier than articulated lorry? The full term is tractor-trailer, which never really made any sense to me. A tractor without a trailer is a bobtail. Don't get that either.
I wouldn't make too much fun of fanny pack, bum bag sounds really strange too.
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