The linguistic confusion of a Brit in America

blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/09/oh-see-can-say-linguistic-confusion-brit-america/

Lorna Shaddick

9/9/2014

When youre a Brit living in the United States, as I am, sooner or later and its usually sooner, even if youre
trying hard to t in youll end up using a word or phrase that your interlocutor just doesnt understand. Everyone
knows the obvious pitfalls, and theyre constant causes of amusement or starters of conversation, so theyre also
easy to remember elevator instead of lift, sidewalk instead of pavement, fall instead of autumn, restroom or
bathroom instead of loo And even if you do slip up on these, most Americans nd them easily translatable
since the dierences are well known. Diverging pronunciations, too, such as those used for schedule or
controversy, dont necessarily stop you getting your point across. But Ive come to realise that occasionally, my
American listeners have simply never heard some of the words Im using and have no idea what Im talking about
rather thrilling, really, in such an interconnected age, to nd some last bastions of linguistic baement. Let me
take you through a perhaps slightly more than averagely confusing day for this Brit in the US to show you
what I mean.

A day in the life of a Brit abroad

First of all, Ill wake up in my at, and, if its a bit nippy out, I might put on a jumper. Although for Americans, the
noun at chiey means a at tyre as in, I have a at many are aware that its the British term for an
apartment. However, I have confused several US friends when declaring the need for a jumper, or an intention
to go out and buy one because over here, such a garment seems to mean a kind of gym slip or smock, chiey
for little girls, in which one would not be seen dead after the age of about ve. What I should say, it turns out, is a
sweater. As for feeling nippy, Americans might instead say it was a little chilly instead. Incidentally, on the subject
of clothing, I have had moments of hilarity over the confusion between the US and British meanings of
suspenders on both sides of the Atlantic theyre used for holding up pants, but whereas in America that means
mens trousers making them what Brits might in fact call braces back home, theyre a little racier and involve
ladies stockings
On the way out of my at, I may well look to see if I have any post while my neighbours a word Ill spell
complete with its British u will be checking to see if they have any mail. And upon heading out, Ill be sure to
use a brolly if its raining another term thats ummoxed colleagues before now, who need to be told it means an
umbrella.

Stalling over stationery

Once in my oce, I may well be met with a barrage of confusion when it comes to asking for or borrowing
stationery. Could you lend me a biro? may fall on deaf ears, since nobody here knows what one of those might
be, and Ill have to remember to say ballpoint. Seemingly simple objects such as Pritt Stick, Sellotape, and
Tippex have little meaning for my American co-workers (as they seem to be referred to here) since those brands
arent recognised Ill need to say glue stick, Scotch tape, and whiteout or liquid paper respectively. As for asking

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to borrow someones rubber well, lets just say its less embarrassing for everyone if I remember to say eraser
instead.
On the subject of brand names, if I cut my nger while using any of this exciting new stationery, Ill need to
remember to ask for a Band Aid not the British term, a plaster, which in the US means simply the soft stu you
put on walls.

Making arrangements
In the meantime, as part of my work as a journalist, Im likely to need to ring a few people up or rather, call them
up to sk-edule, not sh-edule, some interviews. That may well involve asking for my interviewees Christian
name and surname, a request which is usually met with baement until I remember to say rst name and last
name instead.
When it then comes to arranging a time for our appointment, I might well check to see if they are free at half past
two then have to correct myself to say 2.30, since its not a phrasing that many people seem to understand,
especially if its a snatched phone conversation. In addition, the twenty four hour clock isnt at all widely used
here either, so rather than telling a contact that my train would arrive at 13.40, Ill need to say 1.40pm. As for
asking to meet in a fortnights time, that could also prove a potential stumbling block better to say two weeks,
which has proved more comprehensible! And if interviewing someone who may be willing to show you some of
their work, its best not to ask to have a butchers or have a gander both odd and perhaps slightly sinister
sounding phrases that nobody here will understand

Food for thought

After work if Im feeling a little peckish though Ill have to explain that means hungry I may head out to eat,
and there the menu becomes something of a reverse mineeld. What are cilantro and arugula? (Coriander and
rocket, respectively.) What about zucchini, eggplant, and garbanzo beans? (Courgette, aubergine, and
chickpeas, of course.) Or a po boy or a sub? (both long submarine style sandwiches, the former often stued
with fried oysters or prawns sorry, shrimp)
And why are all the main courses labelled as entrees when they come in the middle of the meal? As for ordering
a lemonade, what is served under that name in the US a cloudy, yellow drink whose manufacture most
probably involved real lemons at some point is far superior to what we call lemonade in Britain, but what here
would be termed soda. Interestingly, OxfordDictionaries.com picks up on that, giving the British denition as a
sweet, colourless carbonated drink containing lemon avouring. Appetizing, eh? They should put that on the
bottles.
Meanwhile, theres no point ordering a cider here and expecting to get in any way tipsy, since it simply means
one particular kind of unltered, unfermented apple juice. If I want the alcoholic kind, Ill have to remember to ask
for hard cider and if I get pissed, explain to US friends that this doesnt mean Im angry, merely inebriated.
When it comes to dessert, its worth remembering that for Americans, pudding is a very specic kind of custardy,
creamy dish, not a general catch-all term for the sweet course, or afters (another term not used here) as it is for
Brits.

At the end of the day

Having nished all my eating and drinking, Ill head home and if Im driving, be careful not to have a prang
known here as a fender bender or, if theres something sharp in the blacktop (not tarmac!), a puncture (which
here must be called a at tyre or tire if I want the repair man to understand me.) If Im close to running out of
fuel, Ill have to remember to stop at the gas station and not say petrol station, words which for some reason
always seem to amuse US friends when I say them!
After such an exhausting day trying to make myself understood, I may want to tell someone that Im knackered or
shattered, but neither of those phrases are particularly in use here. Nonetheless, these small, everyday

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encounters with our divided language usually warm my cockles a little. Im glad that despite the continued
intermingling of our cultures, thanks to things like Harry Potter and Hollywood, we still retain something of an air
of mystery for one another in certain things we say, and the way we say them a small reminder of the
divergences, as well as the commonalities, in our shared heritage. Long may it continue! Vive la dierence!
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