Cotton Wool

[Trafalgar]

Can somebody tell me what this is? Maybe post a picture?

I Googled it and all I got were pictures of cotton balls, like the kind a nurse swabs in alcohol over your arm before an injection.

TIA

 

[dunbarhamlin]

That's the stuff. also comes in rolls.
Reputedly often found between the ears of those with a differing PoV

 

[jimi43]

England and the USA...two countries separated by a common language! :mrgreen:

 

[Trafalgar]

England and the USA...two countries separated by a common language! :mrgreen:

Yes, cotton and wool are two different things over here. But then we have steel wool as I believe you all do as well.

 

[jimi43]

England and the USA...two countries separated by a common language! :mrgreen:

Yes, cotton and wool are two different things over here. But then we have steel wool as I believe you all do as well.

I once rebuilt an MG with help from a guy from Florida and we had a Haynes manual which had the UK/USA words translated...like "spanner/wrench" "boot/trunk" "bonnet/hood" and we sat down with a beer one day and went through every one and decided that 1/3 were more logical in UK format...1/3 more logical in US format and 1/3 WTF!!!

Hilarious afternoon which ended with no work done and very big hangovers! :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[CHJ]

Can somebody tell me what this is? Maybe post a picture?

I Googled it and all I got were pictures of cotton balls, like the kind a nurse swabs in alcohol over your arm before an injection.

TIA

You probably know it just as Absorbent Cotton

 

[Trafalgar]

England and the USA...two countries separated by a common language! :mrgreen:

Yes, cotton and wool are two different things over here. But then we have steel wool as I believe you all do as well.

I once rebuilt an MG with help from a guy from Florida and we had a Haynes manual which had the UK/USA words translated...like "spanner/wrench" "boot/trunk" "bonnet/hood" and we sat down with a beer one day and went through every one and decided that 1/3 were more logical in UK format...1/3 more logical in US format and 1/3 WTF!!!

Hilarious afternoon which ended with no work done and very big hangovers! :mrgreen:

Jim

Wish I had been there....

My father and law and I are threatening to restore a Spitfire or an Austin-Healey or something. He's been retired for several years and restores WWII military vehicles. The man never met something he couldn't fix or build. If he decided to take up furnituremaking it would take him about six months to make me look like a fool. Tools just look like they were made for his hands, doesn't matter what kind.

 

[Trafalgar]

Can somebody tell me what this is? Maybe post a picture?

I Googled it and all I got were pictures of cotton balls, like the kind a nurse swabs in alcohol over your arm before an injection.

TIA

You probably know it just as Absorbent Cotton

Yep, that's it.

I also just figured out what decorator's 'lining' paper is too.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The Canadian m.i.l. of the landlady of my local stopped a full bar dead one evening when she told everyone that her d.i.l. had always had a beautiful fanny.

 

[rafezetter]

The Canadian m.i.l. of the landlady of my local stopped a full bar dead one evening when she told everyone that her d.i.l. had always had a beautiful fanny.

LOL I wish I'd been there - my mother and grandmother are american so stuff like that used to happen on occasion - often with "pants" - dirtying ones pants means something quite different over here.

 

[XT500fred]

Those you from the north of england will be familar of the expression "Knock me up in the morning with a ***".
An expression best not to be used in America as my father found out. It took some explaining.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

The other one that confused me for a time was "mineral spirits"

I found out that "white spirit" in the US is something completely different.

I've still to establish what denatured alcohol is - is it meths without the purple dye - to prevent it from being turned into spirit/whisky?

 

[Plumberpete]

When in the U.S. I once used the English 'Alright?' when saying hello, only to be met with an almost hostile 'Yeah, what makes you think otherwise?'

How we all laughed at the peculiarities of the English language once I'd had the bullet removed from my shoulder.

 

[Ian down london way]

My wife, as an exchange student in the USA, on her first day in Pen college, asked the student next to her if he could borrow a rubber.

Apparently it took a good 10 minutes before they could carry on the lesson.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My wife still remembers my nephew in NZ asking her if she'd like to see his big ****. It was a minute before she realised he meant deck.

 

[boggy]

Try saying 'Durex' in Australia if you want a laugh.

 

[XT500fred]

I've still to establish what denatured alcohol is - is it meths without the purple dye - to prevent it from being turned into spirit/whisky?

Yes.

Methylated Spirits is ethanol (pure alcohol) with methanol added. The methanol is added to render the alcohol poisonous, smell bad and ideally undrinkable.
The purple dye is added as a way to visually distinguish meths from other liquids.

So, denatured alcohol is natural alcohol that has been "denaturalised" by adding methanol.

 

[bugbear]

This site may help and/or amuse

http://www.effingpot.com/

BugBear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No wonder the Americans struggle - there's a few English words and expressions there I've never heard of. Mind, coming from Cornwall I expect I know a few that most of you wouldn't.

 

[gregmcateer]

Accents can be tricky, too;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LQYMil8D04