I blame YouTube, how many more Americanisms are we going to have to suffer ?

[kinverkid]

Once upon a time there were problems, but then they morphed into "issues", which then were politicised (or politicized if you prefer) into "challenges".

I once got a telephone call from a manager telling me that my supervisor is off work ill so if I have issues can I let him know. I said 'What would I be doing with his shoes?'

 

[TRITON]

Morticers
Not Mortisers

 

[Jester129]

I once worked with a chap from Nuneaton (all of approximately 14 miles away), that, at the end of speaking used to say, "What, eh?". Every time he said this, I would reply with, "Pardon, excuse me?"
He eventually (remember, he was from Nuneaton) twigged that I was extracting the urine, so instead of "What, eh?" he would say "Pardon, excuse me?"
Imagine what it must have been like from someone hearing us speak!!!!! LOL.

 

[Cantungman]

Vise instead of Vice. Doesn’t even sound right.
Clamp for Cramp that one is almost ubiquitous now, in case you didn’t know a clamp is that bit of wood on the end of a breadboard, or something that fastens onto a tube. I think in this case it was just easier for people like Axminster to copy the American way.
Lumber instead of Timber. I think I’m right in saying that lumber in the UK is used to refer to trees before they are cut up.
Jointer for Planer
Tote for Handle.
Is it just me? Am I getting too old?

We would all be speaking German or Russian by now so get over it man. It’s a small price to pay. I travelled to California once and no one knew what I was talking about when I asked the way to La Jolla. Try explaining the spelling of Happisburg to anyone not from around here.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

While we're on stupid words and sayings, where did bloody "road map" come from?

 

[Cantungman]

a chip (french fry) off the old block (distance etc)

Americans stopped eating French fries a few years ago when they fell out over Iraq. They now eat Freedom fries.

 

[kinverkid]

When did we start giving people 'the middle finger' over the traditional 'two to the French'?

 

[Limey Lurker]

profess would be used instead of protest in the next to last example - at least in the US.

The English language didn't originate here, but we have fixed a lot of the errors in it, so far!

They're NOT errors; they are Design Features!

 

[Stan]

Place names are the funniest. My son was once asked by an American the way to "LOOgah baROOgah".

Please excuse my clumsy attempt to render the pronunciation phonetically. One bragging point to whoever works out what they meant. Answer will be given in a day or so if nobody gets it.

I am sure it also works the other way. Why is "Arkansas" pronounced "ARkinsaw"?

 

[Droogs]

Loughborough

Same as when i was a kid and an english couple asked my friends and I how to get to Outer Mouty. Turns out they meant Och ter muxch tea (Auchtermuchty lol. they were Proclaimers fans on a pilgrimage.

 

[selectortone]

Place names are the funniest. My son was once asked by an American the way to "LOOgah baROOgah".

Please excuse my clumsy attempt to render the pronunciation phonetically. One bragging point to whoever works out what they meant. Answer will be given in a day or so if nobody gets it.

I am sure it also works the other way. Why is "Arkansas" pronounced "ARkinsaw"?

Loughborough?

My favourite is Wor-sester-shire.

 

[Gogsi]

I have no idea what sassy means.

Sassy means having a lot spirit or get up and go or a lot of zest.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

English place names are ludicrous. Can anyone top Woolfardisworthy? Note I said "English" place names - the celtic contingent run rings around the English, but it's a foreign language, so technically cheating.

 

[JobandKnock]

While we're on stupid words and sayings, where did bloody "road map" come from?

Boris the Bozo?

And if you think Happisburgh is bad, it'll "do yer 'ed in" trying to work out what folk in north east Essex call St.Osyth

 

[scooby]

Thinking about that my 70 year old engineering mate refers to them as clamps & I doubt he’s seen a You Tube woodworking video in his life.

I bet he's a secret Mr. Beast subscriber

Got to admit, I only know of the existence of the aforementioned YouTube because he pops up on adverts a lot. I'm not a subscriber.....honest.

 

[Gant]

English place names are ludicrous. Can anyone top Woolfardisworthy? Note I said "English" place names - the celtic contingent run rings around the English, but it's a foreign language, so technically cheating.

Nempnett Thrubwell takes some beating. It’s my personal favourite; it’s just a little spot in the Mendips near Bristol.

 

[scooby]

Loughborough?

My favourite is Wor-sester-shire.

Towcester and Bicester are good ones also.

 

[selectortone]

There's a place near here called 'Shitterton'. And it's on the river Piddle .

The genteel set have tried on occasion to have it renamed 'Sitterton' but have had no luck so far. They've had to engrave the name onto a massive lump of rock because souvenir-hunters kept stealing the sign at the entrance to the village.

 

[D_W]

Sassy means having a lot spirit or get up and go or a lot of zest.

yes, with a side meaning in the states if a guy says it to another guy. Sassy is usually said to guys when they're turning into a bit of a diva or getting attitude that we'd expect from women (like ripping on how someone is dressed, whether or not their car is washed, etc).

I suspect because it refers to guys getting "smart" over things we'd expect women to trouble us about, it'll be a cancelled term soon.

Also used if someone is getting arrogant, condescending, etc, "ooh, you're getting sassy". Kind of like throwing a pink shirt over someone's personality when they don't really want that.

When alex rodriguez ran to first a few years ago and tried to swat the ball out of a first basemen's glove, he was accused of "purse slapping". That was a sassy move. A more appropriate move for a guy who wanted to cheat would've just been laying a shoulder into the first basemen while running by. I don't think you could even call it "purse slapping" now, or you'd be canceled.



Funny thing about this video is if you put "a-rod purse" in youtube, this is what comes up.

 

[D_W]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shartlesville,_Pennsylvania
Shitterton should be near shartlesville. One is major, the other is minor.

The latter is near my in-laws. When I first met them, I didn't realize they were relatively humorless (we're all pennsylvania dutchy descendents - non-anabaptist PA dutch - not really known for a sense of humor). When a lady stopped by from shartlesville ("shart" has a meaning in the states, not sure if the Queens English covers it), I said I could open a t-shirt shop there and create a tourist draw by selling shirts that said things like "I got this shirt in Shartlesville, but left my underwear in the trash".

All of them laughed, none of them got it. The rude sense of humor (in their mind) got me the name "funny boy. funny boy has a joke for everything!".

Being very naive, the amish left us with several names that they don't see an issue with :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird-in-Hand,_Pennsylvania
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercourse,_Pennsylvania
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ball,_Pennsylvania
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasureville_Historic_District
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise,_Pennsylvania
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Joy,_Pennsylvania