US - UK Dictionary

[ctgirlscout]

quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk

WC = toilet (restrooms)

What's a half bath? (I've got visions of someone trying to take a bath in a toilet now )!

We also have 3/4 baths that you can only shower in!

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I think it was just the way you said it originally - you said WC = half bath wheras WC actually means toilet (rather than the room the toilet is in). If you follow me .

quote:Originally posted by ctgirlscout

quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk

WC = toilet (restrooms)

What's a half bath? (I've got visions of someone trying to take a bath in a toilet now )!

We also have 3/4 baths that you can only shower in!

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk

WC = toilet (restrooms)

What's a half bath? (I've got visions of someone trying to take a bath in a toilet now )!

quote:Originally posted by ctgirlscout

John--

Here's another one for you--

Water closet=half bath

Took me a while to figure out what w.c. meant on some of the listing forms!

Here on the Cape a half bath is a wc... sink and small shower....

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

That's another one for the dictionary then as I would class a wc as a half bath...in the UK a WC means a small room with a toilet and perhaps a small hand basin for washing your hands.

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk

That's another one for the dictionary then as I would class a wc as a half bath...in the UK a WC means a small room with a toilet and perhaps a small hand basin for washing your hands.

Sorry I meant to type....toilet sink and small shower..is a half bath..not wc....we have one bathroom and a small WC here with just a toilet and hand basin....I don't know what that is called in the States....I need to wake up before I type in the mornings....

[asbaum]

ChrisJ

Sorry about the "Brit" call, but there you ago, I thought that was "politially correct".

So, straighten me out about this (so that I don't inadvertantly offend).

What is the subset here? All English are Brits but all Brits are not English?

In your example, all Texans are Americans but not all Americans are Texans, I get (probably because I live here).

So I did a little googling and found this post:

http://www.britainusa.com/faq/xq/asp...qx/showfaq.htm

for all the other Americans on this forum (who may need to be brought up to speed as do I on our friends overseas):

------- post begin ---------
What is the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain?

The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain, on the other hand, comprises only England, Scotland and Wales. The term ‘Britain’ is used informally to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
------- post end ---------



So now, let me see if I got this right.

If you say you are British you could be from England, Scotland, Wales but not Northern Ireland as British refers to the United Kingdom of Great Britain, true? Or am I mistaken about this and British refers to Northern Ireland too as noted in the above post "the term ‘Britain’ is used informally to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"?

And if you say you are from the UK then you are from either England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

But if you say your are English then you are from England, right Chris? And if you say your are Scottish then you are from Scottland, etc.

This sometimes gets confusing here too, especially with younger children. They forget that America really inlcudes North, Central and South America too. And in reality people from Mexico are Americans, although they aren't from North America and therefore not from the US. But they are indeed from the "Americas" as are we here in the US. As our Canadians, Guatemalans, etc.

Arnie

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

You are right with just about all of that Arnie apart from:

Technically someone from N Ireland is not British as British is just England, Scotland and Wales (hence the term United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).

In N Ireland it sadly comes down to whether you are Protestant or Catholic - the Protestants would say they are British (more correctly they would probably say they are from the UK) and the Cathloics would say they are Irish (as in the Republic Of Ireland).

Sorry if I've made any mass generalisations about the Northern Irish here but the above is in general true.

[fiona]

We class ourselves as British as I am Scottish and Chris is English! However many Scots and Welsh find it offensive to be regarded as a Brit. Many families will be split as ours are, but on the whole the Americans don't seem to understand the concept of Wales and Scotland. Though I am often asked if I am Irish - my colouring (it's the freckles!!).

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by fiona

We class ourselves as British as I am Scottish and Chris is English! However many Scots and Welsh find it offensive to be regarded as a Brit. Many families will be split as ours are, but on the whole the Americans don't seem to understand the concept of Wales and Scotland. Though I am often asked if I am Irish - my colouring (it's the freckles!!).

My daughter works in a shop over here.....and she is always asked if shes Irish....

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I don't know if it's our nothern UK accents but we used to get asked by American's if we were from Australia when I used to go to Florida as a child in the early 80's. Not sure why they thought this!