Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples

The Magazine's recent piece on Americanisms entering the language in the UK prompted thousands of you to e-mail examples.
Some are useful, while some seem truly unnecessary, argued Matthew Engel in the article. Here are 50 of the most e-mailed.
1. When people ask for something, I often hear: "Can I get a..." It infuriates me. It's not New York. It's not the 90s. You're not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really." Steve, Rossendale, Lancashire
2. The next time someone tells you something is the "least worst option", tell them that their most best option is learning grammar. Mike Ayres, Bodmin, Cornwall
3. The phrase I've watched seep into the language (especially with broadcasters) is "two-time" and "three-time". Have the words double, triple etc, been totally lost? Grammatically it makes no sense, and is even worse when spoken. My pulse rises every time I hear or see it. Which is not healthy as it's almost every day now. Argh! D Rochelle, Bath
4. Using 24/7 rather than "24 hours, 7 days a week" or even just plain "all day, every day". Simon Ball, Worcester
5. The one I can't stand is "deplane", meaning to disembark an aircraft, used in the phrase "you will be able to deplane momentarily". TykeIntheHague, Den Haag, Holland
6. To "wait on" instead of "wait for" when you're not a waiter - once read a friend's comment about being in a station waiting on a train. For him, the train had yet to arrive - I would have thought rather that it had got stuck at the station with the friend on board. T Balinski, Raglan, New Zealand
7. "It is what it is". Pity us. Michael Knapp, Chicago, US
8. Dare I even mention the fanny pack? Lisa, Red Deer, Canada
9. "Touch base" - it makes me cringe no end. Chris, UK
10. Is "physicality" a real word? Curtis, US
11. Transportation. What's wrong with transport? Greg Porter, Hercules, CA, US
12. The word I hate to hear is "leverage". Pronounced lev-er-ig rather than lee-ver -ig. It seems to pop up in all aspects of work. And its meaning seems to have changed to "value added". Gareth Wilkins, Leicester
13. Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all "turn" 12 or 21 or 40? Even the Duke of Edinburgh was universally described as "turning" 90 last month. When did this begin? I quite like the phrase in itself, but it seems to have obliterated all other ways of speaking about birthdays. Michael McAndrew, Swindon
14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow
15. What kind of word is "gotten"? It makes me shudder. Julie Marrs, Warrington
16. "I'm good" for "I'm well". That'll do for a start. Mike, Bridgend, Wales
17. "Bangs" for a fringe of the hair. Philip Hall, Nottingham
18. Take-out rather than takeaway! Simon Ball, Worcester
19. I enjoy Americanisms. I suspect even some Americans use them in a tongue-in-cheek manner? "That statement was the height of ridiculosity". Bob, Edinburgh
20. "A half hour" instead of "half an hour". EJB, Devon
21. A "heads up". For example, as in a business meeting. Lets do a "heads up" on this issue. I have never been sure of the meaning. R Haworth, Marlborough
22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London
23. To put a list into alphabetical order is to "alphabetize it" - horrid! Chris Fackrell, York
24. People that say "my bad" after a mistake. I don't know how anything could be as annoying or lazy as that. Simon Williamson, Lymington, Hampshire
25. "Normalcy" instead of "normality" really irritates me. Tom Gabbutt, Huddersfield
26. As an expat living in New Orleans, it is a very long list but "burglarize" is currently the word that I most dislike. Simon, New Orleans
27. "Oftentimes" just makes me shiver with annoyance. Fortunately I've not noticed it over here yet. John, London
28. Eaterie. To use a prevalent phrase, oh my gaad! Alastair, Maidstone (now in Athens, Ohio)
29. I'm a Brit living in New York. The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York
30. I hate "alternate" for "alternative". I don't like this as they are two distinct words, both have distinct meanings and it's useful to have both. Using alternate for alternative deprives us of a word. Catherine, London
31. "Hike" a price. Does that mean people who do that are hikers? No, hikers are ramblers! M Holloway, Accrington
32. Going forward? If I do I shall collide with my keyboard. Ric Allen, Matlock
33. I hate the word "deliverable". Used by management consultants for something that they will "deliver" instead of a report. Joseph Wall, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
34. The most annoying Americanism is "a million and a half" when it is clearly one and a half million! A million and a half is 1,000,000.5 where one and a half million is 1,500,000. Gordon Brown, Coventry
35. "Reach out to" when the correct word is "ask". For example: "I will reach out to Kevin and let you know if that timing is convenient". Reach out? Is Kevin stuck in quicksand? Is he teetering on the edge of a cliff? Can't we just ask him? Nerina, London
36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London
37. I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano". What ever happened to a medium sized coffee? Marcus Edwards, Hurst Green
38. My worst horror is expiration, as in "expiration date". Whatever happened to expiry? Christina Vakomies, London
39. My favourite one was where Americans claimed their family were "Scotch-Irish". This of course it totally inaccurate, as even if it were possible, it would be "Scots" not "Scotch", which as I pointed out is a drink. James, Somerset
40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" - when the English (and more correct) version was always "that'll teach you". What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London
41. I really hate the phrase: "Where's it at?" This is not more efficient or informative than "where is it?" It just sounds grotesque and is immensely irritating. Adam, London
42. Period instead of full stop. Stuart Oliver, Sunderland
43. My pet hate is "winningest", used in the context "Michael Schumacher is the winningest driver of all time". I can feel the rage rising even using it here. Gayle, Nottingham
44. My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh
45. Having an "issue" instead of a "problem". John, Leicester
46. I hear more and more people pronouncing the letter Z as "zee". Not happy about it! Ross, London
47. To "medal" instead of to win a medal. Sets my teeth on edge with a vengeance. Helen, Martock, Somerset
48. "I got it for free" is a pet hate. You got it "free" not "for free". You don't get something cheap and say you got it "for cheap" do you? Mark Jones, Plymouth
49. "Turn that off already". Oh dear. Darren, Munich
50. "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less" has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they're trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14201796

1. When people ask for something, I often hear: "Can I get a..." It infuriates me. It's not New York. It's not the 90s. You're not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really." Steve, Rossendale, Lancashire

I'm not sure why this is so infuriating, other it not really being grammatically the smoothest. Unless I'm misunderstanding the usage hinted at here, which is entirely possible. But like, other than coming off a bit uneducated, "can I get a... popsicle?" doesn't seem like it should be THAT infuriating.

I've heard of about 20% of these.

what's this "two time" "three time" thing?

can I get a what what

to be 'excited for' sth

I'm assuming they mean as in "two-time champion"? xxp

HAlf of these aren't even Americanisms.

I've had at least a couple Brits tell me the expression "I'm all set" is amusing/weird to them.

Also, a lot of these people are stupid enough not to realise a lot of these phrases are being said to them with tongue in cheek.

i hate people who hate americanisms. and hate words. and talk about "correct" english. and moan about apostrophe's. and yada yada yada

anyway is this a vote for the best or the worst?

i think a lot of these are examples of people noticing a thing and so deciding to hate on a thing because then they can notice it and hate on it.

pls add 'hate on' to poll

noodle, it is what it is.

Yo USA, any time you want to carpet bomb this nation of pedants, you guys have clearance from me ok

excellent

i hate people who hate americanisms. and hate words. and talk about "correct" english. and moan about apostrophe's. and yada yada yada

― Mecha-Geir Solid (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 20 July 2011 14:30 (1 minute ago) Bookmark

The concept of "Correct English" makes my blood boil more than any of the poll options.

36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London

lol uh huh sure "maths"

i feel like i hear "it is what it is" 5 or 6 times a day at work. even have a lady with the phrase carved in wood sitting on her desk. most hated.

29. I'm a Brit living in New York. The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH oh ami you nut, you crazy beautiful dreamer, what even IS a fortnightly

36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London
lol uh huh sure "maths"

― max, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 14:34 (49 seconds ago) Bookmark

Int he UK it's "maths" but it's "you do the math".

"Maths" is so annoying and any American who says "fortnightly" would just sound like a pretentious ass.

37. I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano". What ever happened to a medium sized coffee? Marcus Edwards, Hurst Green

marcus! nothing happened to a medium sized coffee!! you are ordering something different now!!!

wait i thought bi-weekly meant twice a week?

Int he UK it's "maths" but it's "you do the math".

― Post-Manpat Music (dog latin), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:36 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol uh huh sure "maths" totally

I have to return to the fort nightly, or else I would be AWOL.

22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London

People who catch trains, usually from a station.

22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London

People who catch trains, usually from a station.

46. I hear more and more people pronouncing the letter Z as "zee". Not happy about it! Ross, London

ross...

"train station"? is there another way to say this? train depot?

lol - exactly

What else would you possibly say in that case?

Railway station presumably

station iirc

there was a guy on the radio last week doing a lecture about "won't somebody think about the english?" and he was really pissed off about train station too.

the britishes version is "railway station"

yeah "railway station" is supposedly the "correct" UK English expression. Even though we might say "bus station" as opposed to "road station".

My worst horror is expiration, as in "expiration date". Whatever happened to expiry? Christina Vakomies, London

Christina girl if that's your "worst horror" . . .

I didnt realize "deplane" was a thing. I've lived here for 40 out of my 41 years, and Ive never heard it or used it. Hilarious.

the parting platfourm

deplane boss, deplane

Half of these are just management-speak, not day-to-day Americanisms.

And yet for "subway station" they say "tube"...

44. My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh

except...

or underground station

well "tube station", not just "tube"

shd do a top 50 Britishisms but i only know "garage" for "car-hole"

18. Take-out rather than takeaway! Simon Ball, Worcester

^if you have time to worry about something like this, you live a charmed life, Simon.

dude lives in Worcester, there's nothing else to do, give him a break

I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano". What ever happened to a medium sized coffee? Marcus Edwards, Hurst Green

pretty sure no american i've ever known has ordered an "americano"

Autumn for "fall"
Winter for "snow-fall"

that would be well good, you chav

I wonder if Simon knows Christina.

in other words, we no speak americano

xpost

28. Eaterie. To use a prevalent phrase, oh my gaad! Alastair, Maidstone (now in Athens, Ohio)

Prevalent when, 18th century Bath?

To put a list into alphabetical order is to "alphabetize it" - horrid! Chris Fackrell, York

SO HORRID!

ive ordered americanos before! its just that... its not an "americanism" for "regular coffee," its an "italianism" for "watered-down espresso"

i have never had a beautiful child whose face was horribly mutilated in an accident, but i have moved to america, and linguistically the effect is much the same. the love is still there but...it kind of pains you to have to be around it all the time, with its gnarled and twisted visage leering at you.

haha why do britishes h8 life so bad

have you been to britain?

lol

i guess in the five years i've been gone the espresso hegemony has consolidated its grip worldwide but yes, i never even heard of the term until ca. 2005 when i came to london

maybe the guy is complaining about the fact that there are new coffee things you can order and drink? like a ca-2001 stand-up comic? but americanos have not replaced regular coffee at any coffee shop anywhere in the entire world

aloominum

yeah but those are spelled differently

British people certainly hate making life easier for themselves, insisting on saying phrases with many more syllables than is necessary

Er yeah apart from this chain called Starbucks you may have heard of

xxpost

they call a small cup of coffee a tall! what's up with that! get a brain, obama.

I really dislike 'touch base'

but I love love 'winningest' that's one of the greatest words in our language

colonel poo an "americano" is not the same as regular, i.e. filter coffee

touch base is perfectly fine fuiud

If that's the case then Starbucks do not sell regular coffee! Yeah I know obvious jokes

i HATE that americans call pork scratchings 'pork rinds'. every day when i go to buy some it eats away at me.

have you been to britain?

― Mecha-Geir Solid (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:50 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

its a bit shit isnt it

39. My favourite one was where Americans claimed their family were "Scotch-Irish". This of course it totally inaccurate, as even if it were possible, it would be "Scots" not "Scotch", which as I pointed out is a drink. James, Somerset

james in somerset i think you'll find the term "scotch-irish" is an american term designating american people so therefore, shut the fuck up

if british starbucks are calling drip coffees "americanos" then thats a problem with britain, not the US! here (and everywhere else) an "americano" is a very different thing.

you guys should have just stuck with tea frankly, it seems clear you cant handle this coffee business

"That statement was the height of ridiculosity". Bob, Edinburgh

That's funny, because I learned the word "ridiculousity" from ANGUS, THONGS, AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING.

40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" ... What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London

My great-gmother from Tennessee used to say this. It's Southern. You bitch.

British people certainly hate making life easier for themselves, insisting on saying phrases with many more syllables than is necessary

― Post-Manpat Music (dog latin), Wednesday, 20 July 2011 09:53 (54 seconds ago) Bookmark

yeah, this is pretty much what I'm getting from some of these. Like the guy who complains about "24/7".

british starbucks call drip coffee "filter coffee" and it is very much available

http://josh-jackson.net/images/albums/Movies/AMERICANO/MOVIE%20POSTER/normal_americanoposter02.jpg

Tracer, I'm p sure that "Scotch-Irish" is completely just a bastardization and mis-hearing of Scots-Irish, not too complicated really. But one of them is still wrong, I believe.

maybe the guy is complaining about the fact that there are new coffee things you can order and drink? like a ca-2001 stand-up comic? but americanos have not replaced regular coffee at any coffee shop anywhere in the entire world

― max, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 13:52 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

max in most british isotopes of starbucks (viz. costa coffee, caffe nero, etc.) there's no drip coffee, and so the regular coffee has in fact been replaced by americano

this is still kind of not a big deal tbh

xposts -- starbuckses themselves do still do 'park place' or whatever it is

I don't think there is a poll out there where, given the option, I would not vote "fanny pack"

put that in your fanny and pack it

I caught myself saying "la fin de la semaine" instead of "the weekend" today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to France either.

15. What kind of word is "gotten"? It makes me shudder. Julie Marrs, Warrington

I've forgotten

Tracer, I'm p sure that "Scotch-Irish" is completely just a bastardization and mis-hearing of Scots-Irish, not too complicated really. But one of them is still wrong, I believe.

― it's not that print journalists don't have a sense of humour, it's just (Laurel), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:00 AM (27 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

wikipedia says "scots-irish is a relatively recent version of the term"

iirc scotch used to be the common way to refer to those from scotland like 100 years ago, so really its scots that the bastardization, good luck britain

15. What kind of word is "gotten"? It makes me shudder. Julie Marrs, Warrington

it's a past participle of 'got' that predates the country america by something like 500 years

it's funny because fanny means vagine

LOLZ

like, if a political pollster asked me who I was voting for in the presidential election and the choices were "Romney", "Obama" and "fanny pack", how could you NOT vote fanny pack

max in most british isotopes of starbucks (viz. costa coffee, caffe nero, etc.) there's no drip coffee, and so the regular coffee has in fact been replaced by americano

this is a) weird and b) stupid and c) still doesnt make "americano" an "americanism"

GOD

'touch base' is pretty vulgar to my ears tho. also, do brits say 'that hits the spot' like americans? b/c that shit is dirty.

40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" ... What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London

My great-gmother from Tennessee used to say this. It's Southern. You bitch.

― it's not that print journalists don't have a sense of humour, it's just (Laurel), Wednesday, 20 July 2011 13:59 (41 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it probably traces its roots to france where the word for "teach" and the word for "learn" are the same word - so put that in your pipe and le fumer, tabitha

Yeah I'm not defending calling Americano and Americnism fwiw just saying it is a thing here.

also not defending my lack of typing skillz

Huh! Today I have learned something I can use at my next highland games.

I also cringe at the word "deplane", though -- like really?

yeah English dudes used "Scotch" when Scottish people were using "Scots", it was a mark of being an imperialist ball-bag

the last time I was in London the americano thing infuriated me to no end

I just wanted coffee! Make me one!

I'm voting for "I could care less", because I enjoy the fact that english speaking people everywhere get angry about that phrase.

debus and detrain and decar and devagina

doin' debutt

now i'm thinking of that scene from 'talk to her' where the chaplin-esque guy climbs into the big plastic cooter

holly johnson will tell you what's up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svki4Rp9tlU

I'm not sure 'devagina' really works as a verb, which is a shame

also anyone who hates "two-time/three-time" hates funk and the cha-cha slide by proxy and should be shunned

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s112Ode4Fac

"devagina" sounds like you are removing a vagina

This whole thing is like the fucking apotheosis of WhiteWhine.com . Can we nuke the Britishes yet?

i bet if we sent a missive notifying the british pm that the correct term for us is 'irishes' they'd swallow that shit too, lol imperial guilt you're embarrassed about winning that's why the yanks are #1 now and get ur language

j/k I love you UK.

extract from OED on scots/scotch/scottish:

Uncertainty among the educated classes in Scotland concerning the relative ‘correctness’ of the three competing terms may be noted as early as the late 18th cent., and by the mid 19th cent. there is a growing tendency among educated speakers to favour the more formal Scottish or (less frequently) the more traditional Scots over what was perceived as the more vulgar Scotch. By the beginning of the 20th cent. disapproval of Scotch by educated Scots was so great that its use had become something of a shibboleth (much to the bafflement of speakers outside Scotland for whom this was the usual word). During the 20th cent. educated usage in England gradually began to adapt in deference to the perceived Scottish preferences.

'devagina' sounds like the answer to smth like 'where does one locate debartholin's gland'

drip coffee feels almost like a britishisation of an americanism

it's funny because fanny means vagine

LOLZ

― ladies love draculas like children love stray dogs (ENBB), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:02 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

a friend has a hilar embarrassing story abt taking a fannypack on a family trip to england when she was like 12, at some point someone told her in a somewhat humiliating manner what fanny meant over there, then she was i think getting on a boat and the boat guy asked her for her ticket and she was all 'oh hold on its right here in my fanny...' freezing mid sentence when she realized what she was saying, making it 1mx worse

unrelatedly, where is whiney itt

xpost.

Bi-weekly sucks because even Americans think it means twice a week, which is what it should mean really.

lol imperial guilt you're embarrassed about winning that's why the yanks are #1 now and get ur language

will ye be having another wee bail-out there?

"i will have an "espresso" please"
"do you want single or double plop"

Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all "turn" 12 or 21 or 40? Even the Duke of Edinburgh was universally described as "turning" 90 last month. When did this begin? I quite like the phrase in itself, but it seems to have obliterated all other ways of speaking about birthdays. Michael McAndrew, Swindon

hmmmmm

we won't need one we'll just get another top-up for the 'ulster-scots language development fund' lol suckers

i bet if we sent a missive notifying the british pm that the correct term for us is 'irishes' they'd swallow that shit too, lol imperial guilt you're embarrassed about winning that's why the yanks are #1 now and get ur language

― who shivs a git (darraghmac), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:09 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lmao

"i became 45 last sunday"

Yeah I just don't get what you would say otherwise.

"I forty-fifthed myself off the other week"

i shot the age of 32 in the fucking face

^^ AMERICAN

My age level went up by +1.

life begins when you evolve to level forty

leveled the fuck up, in age

I achieved my 30th annuation.

celebrating his 57th year of sucking air

i three six fived

My body did an old.

now in his 33rd year on the lam after escaping his mother's womb in a daring daylight prison break

an americano is an espresso to which hot water has been added

the more you know

what does "regular americano" even mean? black? white? not small or large? does this person imagine they'll be lumbered with a gigantic coffee if they omit saying "regular"? so many questions

48. "I got it for free" is a pet hate. You got it "free" not "for free". You don't get something cheap and say you got it "for cheap" do you? Mark Jones, Plymouth

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iCVVBWSk3bw/R1Nz3oqEnAI/AAAAAAAAACE/70N6TLRoEw8/s1600-R/Wegotit4cheapVol1.jpg

iirc if you ask for a "regular coffee" in new england it comes with milk and sugar

14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow

"I got it £4.50"

40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" - when the English (and more correct) version was always "that'll teach you". What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London

somebody needs to learn these Brits something fierce!

"I got it nothing"

people being mad at soft power is kinda the most hilarious

they done got theyselves uppity

stupid british with their fancy book learnin

disappointed that youse guys didn't make this list

that'll school you

Dear Britishes:

This is what a "trolley" looks like. Unless you're driving one of these through the aisle of your grocer, please STFU.

http://www.golamers.com/images/trolley_buses_5_BIG.jpg

a british trolley full of lamers

an americano is an espresso to which hot water has been added

the more you know

― dayo, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:28 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

ya this has been covered pls catch up

i see that tram has been customized for its american passengers

thats totally actually a bus tho xp

wait, that's a trolley? what's the last car on a train?

don't get me started on "dual carriageways"

disappointed that youse guys didn't make this list

― dayo, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 15:33 (1 minute ago) Bookmark

That's Scottish and Yorkshire though.

I think maybe that's a jitney or something, Phil.

a CABOOSE ya mongoose

xposts

a british trolley bus full of lamers

Oh never mind, I was thinking of caboose.

an americano is an espresso to which hot water has been added

Or cold water, and ice, to make the most delicious iced Americano. I order these in coffee shops that do not have cold press, or as you Brits say, "refrigerated coffee beverage."

My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh

Hideous D. Henderson's brother is a bro

this is a trolly, it runs on tracks, down a street

http://www.palm-springs-photography.com/photos/trolley_car.jpg

ya this has been covered pls catch up

― max, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:35 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

thanks for touching base wit me, got the heads up, Im good now

at our favourite restaurant here they sell a cheese and tomato pasty but call it a "p'zone". UGH

dayo you might even say you were "all set", "good to go"

I'm curious abt britishers picking up americanisms on ilx from say the gun sounds or sports-rel threads

at our favourite restaurant here they sell a cheese and tomato pasty but call it a "p'zone". UGH

your favorite restaurant is Pizza Hut???????

A Streetcar Named Lamers

oh you know it dan?

I've had at least a couple Brits tell me the expression "I'm all set" is amusing/weird to them.

― ladies love draculas like children love stray dogs (ENBB), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:29 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

Supposedly, some regions of the US might find that weird, too. Apparently, it's an east coast thing.

yeah ive been outed as being from boston via using 'all set' before

not quite the tip off 'wicked awesome' is but you know

In Britain, umbrellas are sometimes called "gamps" after the character Mrs. Gamp in the Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit. Mrs. Gamp's character was well known for carrying an umbrella.[3]

those sillies.

okay lol

Now you're just making shit up.

An umbrella or parasol (also called a brolly, rainshade, sunshade, gamp or bumbershoot) is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight.

thats totally actually a bus tho xp

I THINK YOU MEAN 'OMNIBUS' DON'T YOU?

i will give $100 american to the first ilxor who names a child "chuzzlewit"

first name, not last

Yo don't even f/w me on the subject of trolleys I live in the home of Lolly the motherfuckin' Trolley.

http://www.lollytrolley.com/

http://www.lollytrolley.com/pix/lollynew.jpg

can we all agree that #50 sucks really hard, tho

honestly i could care less

http://images.wikia.com/scratchpad/images/e/e6/TobyTTTE.jpg

I could care fewer?

A "heads up". For example, as in a business meeting. Lets do a "heads up" on this issue. I have never been sure of the meaning. R Haworth, Marlborough

This makes me think the Britishes are making up a new meaning for this one.

I could care less, but this is actually the winningest thread going on ilx today.

i'm proud to be an american, where at least i know i could care less

American customers asking whether we "carry" something used to puzzle me a bit at first. As in "do you carry any Shakespeare?".

yeah u dont do a heads up u give a heads up

you can do a stand up, tho

I read a James Bond book a long time ago in which our hero muses that the Americans call the blinky light board inside a plane the heads-up display, and the British call it the head-up display. Iirc, nothing results from these musings.

My worst horror is expiration, as in "expiration date". Whatever happened to expiry? Christina Vakomies, London

Oh how I would like to swap your life for mine. Actually no, that'd consist of worrying about language and how it evolves.

Is parasol also used for umbrella? Here (in Belgium) I'm pretty sure a parasol is only to protect the carrier against the sun.

The only think I loathe is the use of some english words in our dutch language. Instead of saying "kinderen" (children) people prefer using the english word "kids." What the fuck's wrong with saying "kinderen?"

parasols are only for the dainty wives of frontiersmen

Oh how I would like to swap your life for mine. Actually no, that'd consist of worrying about language and how it evolves.

The only think I loathe is the use of some english words in our dutch language. Instead of saying "kinderen" (children) people prefer using the english word "kids." What the fuck's wrong with saying "kinderen?"

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:50 AM (5 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

haha dude

26. As an expat living in New Orleans, it is a very long list but "burglarize" is currently the word that I most dislike. Simon, New Orleans

Is he complaining about the "burglar" or the "ize"? Because "Hamrobber" doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Have you ever seen a GAMP?
What Gamps like is breaking lamps.
So if you see a stamping Gamp,
Keep your lamp safe and un-Gamped.

assume he doesn't like burglarize instead of burgle xpost

turdburglarized

I feel the same way.

I sometimes feel as if I've been hypnoed.

'gamp' and 'bumbershoot' sound like the koind of words froysia wroiters useta shav into the maff of poor ahld daphne

Ice Cre?m, hahaha, fair point. But how would it sound like if people kept saying "enfants" instead of kids in English? A bit ridiculous, no?

yeah except we're the ones who export the mangled language. the rest of you fuckers are just buyers.

Hmm feel like there's not much difference between that and these examples, English borrows words from other languages all the time.

Yeah, I know. I know.

by the way, it's always good to see you whenever you come by ilx, stevienixed

Hahaha, yeah, sure, five minutes into posting and I get bashed. lololol (Deservedly so I know.)

no, no! I think people should say "kindern", in Belgium or whereever they are. : )

No, we should ignore the little fuckers. heheh.

49. "Turn that off already". Oh dear. Darren, Munich

hey Darren from Munich, do you hate everything about the Jews or just their turns of phrase

oh snap

3. The phrase I've watched seep into the language (especially with broadcasters) is "two-time" and "three-time". Have the words double, triple etc, been totally lost? Grammatically it makes no sense, and is even worse when spoken. My pulse rises every time I hear or see it. Which is not healthy as it's almost every day now. Argh! D Rochelle, Bath

I would sense confusion in baseball games (he's a triple triples champion -- he's hit nine times more bases than anyone else?) Two-time and three-time seem more linear while double and triple seem more exponential. A two-time visitor to the ice cream shop has only been there twice while a double visitor may have been there twice as many time as anyone else.

13. Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all "turn" 12 or 21 or 40? Even the Duke of Edinburgh was universally described as "turning" 90 last month. When did this begin? I quite like the phrase in itself, but it seems to have obliterated all other ways of speaking about birthdays. Michael McAndrew, Swindon

I think we should all speak it like in Spanish. "How many years do you have?" "I have 37 years." "Oh, so only 35 more to go!"

I would love to be able to say fortnight without sounding like a ponce, but not in this America. Bi-weekly bring up the same old confusion of twice a week or once every two weeks? I can get away with saying fortnight around the house since my wife is from a Commonwealth, but like our pet nicknames for each other, we don't take it public.

I mean, I didn't even recognize that as an ethnic turn-of-phrase. What, people don't just say this?

tbf the jews are a worldwide problem. you can't blame us for that.

fyi fwiw 'burglar' is the original term, 'burgle' is a back formation, 'burglarize' a more legitimate creation, they both date from around the same time /boringpedant

burgle sounds like a sex crime.

involving Mike Patton.

burgle is one of the greatest words in the english language.

"Burglarize" sounds like something a machine would do.

I assume zee is American for zed?
I have yet to hear someone say ridiculosity. Sounds cute though.

to be honest people who care about weird new things people say literally make me want to stab my eyes out, son

How do British sing the alphabet song if Z is pronounced "zed"?

with a "zed" at the end

We incorporate a key change in 3/4 and a false ending.

We have incorporate a key change in 3/4 and a false ending.

WTF is going on with my posts today.

"news" instead of "NEWSIE WEWSIES," apparently

"Do you say 'Zed Zed Top'?" - maybe the fourth or fifth question I ever asked my Australian wife.

The first three were about local liquor laws.

We say "Zzzzzzeerrr Top"

so does she or what xp

E Zed Motherfuckin E

She says ZZ Top.

E-Zed Cheez

Jay-Zed

where does the "D" come from?

wait i thought it was pronounced "Snore Top"?

"news" instead of "NEWSIE WEWSIES," apparently

― harbl bosses (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:19 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lold at this

Murray Hewitt: You can't just neglect your old fans like that. What happens when the new fans fly the coop? You'll end up like Zed-Zed Top.
Bret: What are you talking about?
Murray Hewitt: You know, Zed-Zed Top?
Bret: Yeah.
Murray Hewitt: They sang the song about the, the, uh, woman with the legs. Anyway, they grew big beards, their old fans didn't like it, their new fans didn't like them without the beards, and then they had a "Do we have a beard or not?" sit - situation.

DAMMMMMMIT - just found this thread and there goes my work productivity :(

1. When people ask for something, I often hear: "Can I get a..." It infuriates me. It's not New York. It's not the 90s. You're not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really." Steve, Rossendale, Lancashire

I'm not sure why this is so infuriating, other it not really being grammatically the smoothest. Unless I'm misunderstanding the usage hinted at here, which is entirely possible. But like, other than coming off a bit uneducated, "can I get a... popsicle?" doesn't seem like it should be THAT infuriating.

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 8:25 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

jvc OTM. 90s? Friends? What??? It's not a catch phrase, it's a simple set of words....

I would love to be able to say fortnight without sounding like a ponce, but not in this America. Bi-weekly bring up the same old confusion of twice a week or once every two weeks?

yeah, fortnight is a p handy word

what i think steven in rossendale was trying to say is that he hates the baptist church

xxp: No, it's bossy and rude like noted New Yorker Jennifer Aniston.

It's hair salon slang, as in: can i get a Rachel?

or her Londoner counterpart Gemma Aniston

Not really sure why an American saying fortnight is wrong and indefensible, while we are all clowning Brits for not liking it when their fellow Brits use American (or supposedly American) phrases tbh.

Once heard of a redneck argument outside of an apartment complex, the jilted suitor screaming from the parking lot up to his girlfriend on the second floor "YOU HAVEN'T MADE LOVE TO ME IN A FORTNIGHT! A FORTNIGHT" Then he muttered goddam and kicked some empties around before peeling out into the darkness.

It's just not something that we say and doing so would sound really strange as though the person were trying too hard to sound English and/or v educated. It would just sound too pretentious.

also no one knows what it means

"Can I get a..." would be considered a bit rude in UK English. Kind of smacks of the US service industry - we'd imagine the phrase accompanied by a snap of the fingers and a big-cheese attitude. Although loads of Englishers would say "can I have".

and 'two weeks' is p okay w/me

x-post Americans have no idea what "fortnight" means. so it wouldn't be all that practical here, as you would have to explain yourself all the time.

Still doesn't seem quite like it was one score and seven years ago that the Challenger blew up.

lol

Fortnight is a great word

Has "in a coon's age" caught on over there yet?

just a fortnight ago i weight some amount of stones, mate

It's just not something that we say and doing so would sound really strange as though the person were trying too hard to sound English and/or v educated. It would just sound too pretentious.

Yeeeesss and how is this different to the reverse situation? I.e. person trying to sound American/cool or something.

I dunno to me either situation seems equally lame.

Even when I lived in England I never said fortnight because it just sounds wrong with an American accent imo.

i can understand britishes wanting to sounds cool and american, being cool and americans is aces

otm

yeah except none of these phrases would be remotely seen as "cool" by any american. except for fannypack.

which is boss.

It is sort of better than bum bag tbh.

Even when I lived in England I never said fortnight because it just sounds wrong with an American accent imo.

― ladies love draculas like children love stray dogs (ENBB), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 4:39 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i don't think it would to most british people, we mostly don't know it's not a word in america.

fortnight seems kind of apparent in meaning, it would surely take not v long to catch on

also i don't understand why that word never made it over there, tbh

x-post - Yeah but I would have felt like an idiot.

I am assuming that British people who get bothered about people using Americanisms are upset because they think the person is trying to be "cool". Whether real Americans think so is not really relevant.

xposts

pretentious would be using "se'enight"

x-post - Yeah but I would have felt like an idiot.

― ladies love draculas like children love stray dogs (ENBB), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 4:42 PM (25 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

only you would have known you were an idiot, it would have been your secret, and sometimes being an idiot is the best secret to have

on fourteen morrows hence

when i was over in yankland everyone thought it was hella quaint the way i said "half eight" for 8:30.

Once heard of a redneck argument outside of an apartment complex, the jilted suitor screaming from the parking lot up to his girlfriend on the second floor "YOU HAVEN'T MADE LOVE TO ME IN A FORTNIGHT! A FORTNIGHT" Then he muttered goddam and kicked some empties around before peeling out into the darkness.

PP, that is amazing and wonderful!

I don't think "Can I get a _____?" sounds bossy at all. And I think I have some authority on the matter, as I was a server and bartender for a long time. Also, I would say that "COULD" is more common than "Can".

Listen Caek I have to be true to myself, you dig? ;)

I really don't need a word for the 'fortnight' period of time, it's just not a problem in my life

Also, IME, Americans do know what "fortnight" means, but it would sound weird to use it. Except when you are a redneck yelling at your girlfriend for not fucking you.

"i'll see you again when the moon is fully engorged"

"Do you say 'Zed Zed Top'?" - maybe the fourth or fifth question I ever asked my Australian wife.

―  (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:20 AM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark

I've heard UK DJs say "Double-Zed Top." Which sounds like a hamburger and/or dirty.

I am assuming that British people who get bothered about people using Americanisms are upset because they are gigantic tools.

to be 'excited for' sth

― who shivs a git (darraghmac), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 8:28 AM (2 hours ago)

I just wrote this the other day, am now filled with shame.

pretentious would be using "se'enight"

― thomp

Beat me to it.

#1 british word that sounds wrong in any american accent - pint

http://991.com/NewGallery/Marvin-Gaye-Can-I-Get-A-Witne-376506.jpg

i had no idea fortnight wasn't commonly used in the US.

when i was over in yankland everyone thought it was hella quaint the way i said "half eight" for 8:30.

― ledge, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:44 AM (32 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Oh this drove me nuts because if you say the same sort of thing in German it would mean a half an hour before (halb acht means half past seven not eight thirty) so I always get really confused with people use it that way.

To "wait on" instead of "wait for" when you're not a waiter - once read a friend's comment about being in a station waiting on a train. For him, the train had yet to arrive - I would have thought rather that it had got stuck at the station with the friend on board. T Balinski, Raglan, New Zealand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5-MO4nhSjg&feature=fvst

wait, i say it like this: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pint <--- how do brits say it?

(xpost) Yeah, I woulda thought half eight was 7:30, halfway to eight. Huh...

We commonly say things like "noon-thirty" around these parts.

x-post - Right? I still get really confused by that tbh.

half-past the cow's ass and a quarter to his balls

you brits say this one, right?

Maybe I learned half-eight and the like in German class, come to think of it.

lift up his left leg

It is short for half past eight. We did this the other day - in German, halb acht does mean 7:30 (xpost)

I know - it's confusing!

i was an hour late for an apartment viewing in munich last week for precisely this reason

fortnight seems kind of apparent in meaning

I think here the brain would go toward "forty nights" rather than fourteen, given our fixation on the Bible.

x-post - Oh no!!!

i got the apartment though. it's going to be a total babe lair.

half-past the cow's ass and a quarter to his balls

you brits say this one, right?

― apichathong song (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:50 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

Where I grew up it was a monkey's ass. Monkeys are much more portable timekeepers.

x-post - SWEET

half-past the cow's ass and a quarter to his balls

you brits say this one, right?

― apichathong song (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:50 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

Someone asked this on ilx recently (monkey variant, I think) and no one responded!

well i was raised among cows so idk

i don't mean on a farm, i mean like tarzan

I feel like I've heard both tbh.

when i was over in yankland everyone thought it was hella quaint the way i said "half eight" for 8:30.

― ledge, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:44 AM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

haha yeah this is straight up hobbit speak

roommate and housemate is a big source of crossed wires

whats the diff?

roommate someone you share a room with, housemate someone you share a house with

roommate makes no sense to describe a flatmate or housemate

well it does if there's only one room

half-past the cow's ass and a quarter to his balls

you brits say this one, right?

― apichathong song (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:50 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

Someone asked this on ilx recently (monkey variant, I think) and no one responded!

― grit of ad hominem (kkvgz), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:54 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

British v. American

housemate = in U.K. someone you share a house/flat with but not a bedroom, not sure if you use this word in the US

roommate = in U.S. someone you share a house/flat with and maybe but not necessarily a bedroom (i think), we don't use this word in the UK, but when we hear it we mostly assume it means sharing a bedroom if not a bed (student rooms never have two beds in like in the u.s.)

(student rooms never have two beds in like in the u.s.)

This is not true btw I shared a room in my 1st year at uni

whenever my american housemate would tell people we were roommates people assumed i was hitting it. admittedly i was, but that's not the point.

when did you go to uni? xp

94-97 but iirc the halls of residence are still there.

We wouldn't really say housemate here. Well, I wouldn't. I think roommate is more commonly used but once you get past a certain age it's sort of understood that you don't actually mean someone you sleep in the same room with.

unless of course you are a ho

I shared a room in a residence hall while studying in London about five years ago.

hunh. lol oxford i guess.

My little sister had suitemates in college.

I think you only get away with that though if you're my little sister.

ppl in the US say 'housemate' but whenever i encounter it (or use it) it seems....very deliberate. like, the person saying it has realized how dumb it is to say 'roommate' and has arrived to 'housemate' on their own, not because its actually in wide circulation.

i always say "vacation" and people are "ARRGH AMERICAN" and i'm "haha oh no old man, 'vacation' is old money, you just have never met anyone seriously rich like me".

I hear people say housemate when they're sharing an entire house, but people sharing an apartment say roommate because "apartmentmate" sounds clunky.

dunno if its been pointed out upthread but a lot of these 'americanisms' are actually just 'business-speak' or the shit that TV commentators say.

What do people say in place of "vacation"? Time off?

"holiday" i believe

for real though the only one that bothers me on a practical level is bathroom vs toilet (vs loo). "where is the bathroom" sounds silly in a british accent (even though we have that word anyway).

which like how do you differentiate a vacation from arbor day then is my question

well you could say flatmate.

and while it's not in wiiiiiiiide usage, i have heard a few ppl refer to their apartment as their 'flat' while managing not to seem like anglophilic ninnies.

"Holiday" would not have scanned well in the Go-Go's song, so.

I say 'flat' all the time now, so much better than 'apartment' (via too many syllables)

i've got to the point now because of work when i do kind of feel like i'm swearing when i say "toilet"

i prefer the nomenclature "shitbin"

any time an american says "flat" i just feel like asking them if they're also big fans of skiffle and the beano*

(*i have no idea what either of those are. some kind of chocolate?)

they are racial slurs

"Holiday" would not have scanned well in the Go-Go's song, so.

Worked for Madonna.

'flat' is a great word

Not sure about this, tbh, but I've been told that an apartment in SF, is any kind of suite of rooms (or studio) whereas a flat is an apartment that occupies the entire floor of a building.

^^^ that is why i only live in flats

well i live in a flat then

I've seen it all, but even I was a little bothered by the big black sign hanging over the Sydney terminal that said TOILET.

Just say restroom, we all know what's inside there. And maybe I just need to wash my hands, especially after seeing that sign.

'flat' makes me think of flop houses

this is my flopmate

Yeah I'm not a big fan of "toilet". It's just sounds gross.

sorry, "terlet"

I say 'washroom'

I prefer "the little boys' room"

So, was Madonna actually singing about Easter and shit, as opposed to "taking a break"/"going away"?

xposts - ah i see this is being addressed.

yeah flat makes me think of dirty dishes and four people forced to sleep in one bed, like a walker evans photo or willy wonka and the chocolate factory

Madonna was worldly

when i went home to sheffield and to a pub i didn't know i asked my old friends where the bathroom was which resulted in, "why, do you need a bath?" they are just jealous that they are not old money like me.

have you been to the north of england strongo

anybody who calls their apt a flat around me better be on the verge of putting on a comically undersized hat and running around in fast-motion while they play yakety sax on a boombox

that was actually in the + column for mpls when i was deciding whether to move there jj

i was told it's basically a really fun bye law.

Just say restroom, we all know what's inside there. And maybe I just need to wash my hands, especially after seeing that sign.

Ha ha, you do realize that 'toilet' is from a euphemism, itself, right?

do 'merkins not ever say "toilet" then or what?

In Chicago we use the term "flat" only when describing the number of apartments in a building with relatively few apartments in it. E.g., six-flat, three-flat. "I lived in a 6-flat on Argyle Street." No one knows why.

Is this terminology used in other US cities?

when i went home to sheffield and to a pub i didn't know i asked my old friends where the bathroom was which resulted in, "why, do you need a bath?" they are just jealous that they are not old money like me.

― caek, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 12:18 PM (38 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I remember once I asked my mom where the bin was without realizing it and she looked at me like was I was nuts and was like, "Oh Puh-lease you're back in NY ffs just say can". I wouldn't have done it on purpose though.

anything to do with shit is one thing we're weirdly prudish about

oh weird, i'd forgotten about that usage xp to jesse

So when strangers meet at clubs do they have sex in the 'toilet'?

"toilet" comes from toilette which comes from toile which comes from the French word for "web" right?

like certain people will actually give you weird looks if you're at work and say "i'm going to the bathroom" instead of "i'm going to the restroom." we all know what we're doing in there and it ain't knitting a sampler.

Dog Latin we say toilet when talking about the actual thing like "I'm going to clean the toilet" of idk if you were redoing a bathroom or something and needed to purchase a new toilet. We don't generally refer to the room in which people do their biz as the toilet though. That's either bathroom, restroom, ladies' or gentlemen's rooms, washroom, etc.

i can only speak for myself, but yes, always, xxp

i quite like restroom tbh but would only use in the US. get enough funny looks in pubs here as it is.

"You ponce. Stop saying you live in a flat when you really live in a – oh. My apologies."

http://www.eoearth.org/files/114201_114300/114215/380px-Earthquake1.jpg

I call it the euphemism.

So when strangers meet at clubs do they have sex in the 'toilet'?

― President Keyes, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 12:21 PM (47 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Have sex in, do coke in, etc. Yes.

depends on the club really xxxposts

Calling a bathroom "the toilet" is like calling a kitchen "the oven"

you shit in your oven?

not really xp

actually that reminds me, do you brits say "go shit in your hat?" because i don't think i could ever do without that one.

"baking brownies"? xxp

"loo" is the more uhh polite term for "toilet" in the UK, but when i'm in america i'm never sure anyone will have the slightest idea what i mean if i say it

calling a room with no bath in it a bathroom is ok tho?

TS: poo vs. poop

shite

i try to do one of each per day myself

what about "loo"? Or is that just Victorian these days?

"toilet" comes from toilette which comes from toile which comes from the French word for "web" right?

"The word "toilet" came to be used in English along with other French fashions. It originally referred to the toile, French for "cloth", draped over a lady or gentleman's shoulders while their hair was being dressed, and then (in both French and English) by extension to the various elements, and also the whole complex of operations of hairdressing and body care that centered at a dressing table, also covered by a cloth, on which stood a mirror and various brushes and containers for powder and make-up: this ensemble was also a toilette, as also was the period spent at the table, during which close friends or tradesmen were often received." Wiki

PLOPSIE WOPSIES

loo, toilet, bathroom, jacks, shitter all perfectly acceptable imo

Restroom is just confusing, surely refers to a room with a bed in it?

xxxp - lex, we know what a "loo" is! It's like the quintessential British word.

When an American is doing a comedy English accent, you are likely to hear the word "loo." Or "Please sir, may I have anotha!"

i don't like 'ladies room' because surely women deserve better than a tiled stall stinking of shit

My dad always calls it the john so when I was a kid I started saying that too and they had to correct me and tell me it wasn't very lady-like.

x-post - But people say men's room too!

I'm not sure where this comes from but in my youth, it was always 'the head' as in, "I'm going to go hit the head." My dad grew up in Santa Monica, though, so maybe he picked it up sailing.

the head is military

iirc

do americans say/differentiate between "will" and "shall"?

yeah, nautical term mw

What is the difference....? (so, no, I guess) xp to caek

I'll have a pepsi?
Sure. Would you like that in the can?
*clark griswold looks around*
No, I'll have it right here, thanks.

i/we shall, he/she/you/they will

we differentiate by never saying shall ever

no american says shall with a straight-face unless he's behind a pulpit or in front of a campaign banner

my first grade teacher told us we had a special 'lavatory' in the back of the classroom we could use if we didn't want go in the hallway bathroom. i was very confused, and afraid of going into the little stall-y place in the rear of the class b/c i thought it would be filled with white-coated scientists or some sort of terrifying equipment.

so Brits just use "transport" instead of "transportation"? department of transport?

What?? Really? Will/shall is a matter of conjugation?

yeah "lavatory" was always good because you could say it in a bela lugosi accent

I feel like I've heard people just say "lav" now but I can't remember if that's a brit or american thing.

was amazed when i discovered that ordinary brits used 'shall' tbh, thought it was a blytonism

i have never understood the difference, tbqh but allegedly there is one.

i assumed "shall" was rarely heard in the u.s. because of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKXkfLhn6pA

Legal writing uses shall a lot. And pompous assholes use it in speech, too.

so Brits just use "transport" instead of "transportation"? department of transport?

yup

people said lav all the time in school. as in can i go to the.

i only learned about the will/shall difference in latin class at school

savages imo, but still. xpost.

the ability to use shall/will correctly is very very rare in the UK, much rarer than who/whom.

wait i think americans say "i shall" to their captain when they are about to fly their spaceship on a suicide mission but thats the only common usage i am aware of

i love how germans use who/whom correctly when speaking english though.

x-post Might start using it. I like to be fancy and shit.

"loo" used to be pretty common in Georgia if my aging relatives are anything to go by

i/we shall, he/she/you/they will

― lex pretend, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 16:30 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

waaaaaaaht

http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/ihaveadreamaugust281963.jpg

What an anglophile.

lol xp

caek does german have inflected pronouns? things i should remember

yeah that's not right lex

xp yes, german has four cases

the ability to use shall/will correctly is very very rare in the UK, much rarer than who/whom.

the one i still don't get right is that/which

do americans say/differentiate between "will" and "shall"?

Rarely. Officially, 'shall' is for the first person (singular and plural) and for emphasis, the will/shall conjugation is inverted.

germans also use collective nouns perfectly when talking about eg a football team, which jars tbh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shall_and_will

Shall I wait a lonely lifetime?
If you want me to, I shall.

Shall I wait a lonely lifetime?

This seems a different question to me.

i/we shall, he/she/you/they will

― lex pretend, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 16:30 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah that's not right lex

― caek, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 4:35 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

That is the really old-school simple future that no-one but no-one uses.

Don't the Brits use collective nouns as plurals?

that no-one but no-one uses.

Wrt to the emphatic inversion I mentioned above, nothing beats, "You SHALL obey me!"

I can't hear "shall" without thinking of pompous, sarcastic Frasier Crane voice. "Oh, then we'll all just something something, shall we?"

shall more emphatic since it implies obligation - cf. should, would.

I love 'shall' less than 'shan't'. Shan't always sounded vaguely naughty to me as a kid for some reason.

shall more emphatic since it implies obligation - cf. should, would.

I'm not sure this is true, though.

(xpost) My grandma (German-American) used to use "dasn't" all the time.

xp well it's one of the many and varied applications.

Shall is only more emphatic after pronouns that are usually conjugated with 'will'.

that'd be pretty much all of them these days...

I shall go down to the store. I WILL have my way!

He will have a good time. He SHALL let us pass!

(xpost) My grandma (German-American) used to use "dasn't" all the time.

My dad did too! I had never heard anyone else say it. He was German-American, born in the U.S. in 1915 to parents from Germany.

"my bad"=blame a Sudanese

that'd be pretty much all of them these days...

I am always aware of the 'correct' usage but it's pretty much moot since in demotic American I say, "I'll, you'll, they'll, etc..."

The correct term for toilet is "bog"

i've lived in london for awhile but every now and again i will admit to a little giggle when someone says something like "oh, she's in the toilet"

Would and should are used in the same way as other preterite modal verbs to talk about situations seen from the perspective of an earlier time, sometimes called Future in the Past or Past Future. Use of shall in the traditional simple future sense in this past time use can give rise to ambiguities for hearers. The sentence "The Archbishop of Canterbury said that we should all sin from time to time." is reporting the sentence "We shall all sin from time to time" (assuming the archbishop is including himself in the proposition), where shall is used to denote simple futurity.

Remember learning this kind of thing in German class, never realised it's a purported thing in English too.

see, that's just stupid and i'm proud that the collective laziness of the english speaking world has rendered that usage obsolete

you know what i like? britishisms! they're so cute! not to mention wicked, brilliant, and gear too

also, it's kinda lovable when brits get all worked up about "proper english" and stuff. it's like when your little brother gets angry cause you've taken his ice cream and he can't do anything about it, and he gets all worked up and shit, and runs up and ineffectually punches you as if he could actually do something about it, and you can barely even feel the punches so you just push him over without even trying, then just stand there eating it while he sits there on the floor and cries. so adorable!

eponysterical ^

are you taking the piss mate?

ay, guv

rekon yer hard then, eh?

Well, when you talk like that...

it probably traces its roots to france where the word for "teach" and the word for "learn" are the same word

My French is really rusty but the (separate) words for these are "enseigner" and "apprendre", right??

Yes, but you can 'learn someone something' in French, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefroPFzUHA&feature=player_detailpage#t=37s

hmmmm...was trying to copy/paste that at about 0:37

xpost to be honest it was a legitimate question - i'm not really sure how my post was eponysterical. messiah? wannabe? making fun of the brits getting their knickers in a twist about those damn american words taking over their precious queens english? i just don't see the connection. i must be thick!

Je vais vous apprendre à me parler ainsi

making fun of the brits getting their knickers in a twist about those damn american words

Americans seem to get bent out of shape if anyone dares sigh at their making fun of regionalisms from other countries, too.

messiah, i was referencing the way that anti-british sentiment often leads to bannage, and that banned posters are fetishized to unreasonable heights

ah, i see. you guys are smarter than me, i totally didn't catch that!

also, it brit baiting a bannable offense? it thought it was just par for the course. tit for tat and so on, given the nationwide eyerolling involved in The Magazine's recent piece on Americanisms and it's thousands of email responses

I don't think "Can I get a _____?" sounds bossy at all. And I think I have some authority on the matter, as I was a server and bartender for a long time.

I worked in a shop in the 90s and remember it coming into use really clearly. Don't think it was Friends though, I blame a shit Philadelphia cheese advert set in a NYC bagel shop. Suddenly wee Scots wifies were coming in all "Hey! Let me get ten Mayfair and a 1/4 vodka".

Which sounded pretty bossy compared to the usual "excuse me? Sorry to bother you, but could I possibly have ten Mayfair, please? Oh, and a 1/4 bottle of vodka, if you have one. Thank you."

Je vais vous apprendre à me parler ainsi

Ah, right, thanks.

Tbh, I would probably say "Je vais vous enseigner..." but as I said, my French is super-rusty.

brit baiting = racism + hunting iirc

Fwiw, I voted 'normalcy'.

'Enseigner' has more of a feel of formal pedagogy to it.

Coloured future use of shall

I have found my epitaph

(xpost) My grandma (German-American) used to use "dasn't" all the time.

― An influential prophet from Denton, Texas (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 12:45 PM (57 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Wait - I don't get this. What was she using this for? Maybe I'm just not reading it correctly.

coloured future food of worm, surely

dasn't= dares not, right

?

Yep, "you dasn't do that."

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010126

In which parallel universe is "that'll learn you" an Americanism? I don't much like it, but it's been used in working class British English forever. Both my grandmothers used to use it.

The objection to "can I get" is traditionally grammatical. It used to be taught in UK schools. May is the correct word to use, because you are asking for something. Can merely inquires as to the possibility of something, rather than actually asking for it: "Can I get a coffee?" "Yes you can, but I am not going to serve it to you." "May I punch you in the face then?" "Of course, sir."

I thought I was going to get all of the way through this without particularly minding any of them, but then they had 'I could care less' as the last one and that really is infuriating.

Wow, I'd never ever heard of 'dasn't'

i think the march girls use it in little women

kinda sounds like uncle remus tbh

thought that "get" instead of "have" was just as irksome to those prone to be irked.

i find "you do the math" super-annoying but not cuz of the americanism, it'd be an awful smug conversation-ending cliché if people said "you do the maths" as well

"maths" is some unpronounceable shit, british people

awww, I missed the great Room/House mate debate because I was having lunch. Anyway, I live in a triplex (three apartments in one building) and I refer to my sister as my roommate (lives in my apartment, but has separate bedroom) and the people who live in the basement as housemates. Hah!

I was so torn up about the "can I get" thing when we were in London that I barely talked to anybody other than Jeff and just kind of mumbled the name of whatever I wanted without any preamble.

In my family, we called the actual toilet the "hopper."

do you find the plurals of "path" or "bath" to be unpronounceable as well?!

Ha ha. I love 'I could care less'. 'I couldn't care less' has logic and straightforwardness to it but the implication via the conditional in 'I could care less' is 'but I can't be bothered to try'.

Ha ha. I love 'I could care less'. 'I couldn't care less' has logic and straightforwardness to it but the implication via the conditional in 'I could care less' is 'but I can't be bothered to try'.

haha yes! finally i get why "i could care less" DOESN'T annoy me even though rationally it really should

In my family, we called the actual toilet the "hopper."

I read this as the pooper.

do you find the plurals of "path" or "bath" to be unpronounceable as well?!

not unpronounceable but it's a struggle, yeah

Jay-Zed w/ his new single May I Have A

I say 'may I have' here in Murka so it's not much trouble speaking to Britishes and I can substitute 'Have you' for 'Do you have any' w/o compunction.

growing up with an oirish confused my vocab a bit as a kid, and if i'm ever in the UK/ireland i codeswitch in a way that's vaguely embarrassing to me

http://i.imgur.com/yB4VU.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Rfh6B5xFpNU/TCl7zuxkGoI/AAAAAAAAAzg/Xk-QlTZOxJ0/s1600/355.JPG

LOL!!

Britishes w/o tea can lead to a pretty bad sitch, PP.

I still remember half gasping w/astonishment when I saw 'whilst' on a sign in a BR loo requesting ppl not use it when teh train was still in the station.

Calling a bathroom "the toilet" is like calling a kitchen "the oven"

We don't call a bathroom 'the toilet', we call a bathroom 'the bathroom'. A bathroom is a room with a bath and/or shower in it (and usually a toilet too). Calling a room without a bath/shower in it 'a bathroom' seems plain crazy, like calling the kitchen 'a bedroom'.

I voted "24/7" because without that we wouldn't have tons of R&B smooth ballads about how the singer is going to "be your lover 24/7" etc.

I remember an American lecturer telling us students all about her excitement at arriving in the UK and seeing "Way Out" signs.

xpost Indeed, the name of the room is determined by its function. One goes to a bathroom to bathe. One goes to the kitchen to kitsch.

do you find the plurals of "path" or "bath" to be unpronounceable as well?!

the "th" is voiced in those plurals though, no? like the "th" in "there"

it is?

it is

yeah, I was thinking the same thing. pathzzz bathzzz mafs

I don't find voiceless 'ths' all the hard to say.

If one season of a TV series is called a "series" then what do you call the entire series of multiple series? I realize in practice this isn't much of an issue, since the British can rarely be bothered to follow an idea through for more than a handful of episodes.

In an American house, if you had a room upstairs which contained a toilet and a bath and a room downstairs which just had a toilet in it (well, and a washbasin so you could wash your hands) would you have different names for those rooms, or would they both be 'bathrooms'?

yes

upstairs would be a full bathroom, downstairs would be a half bathroom; in practice, both would be called "bathroom"

my experience: little bathroom, main-floor bathroom, upstairs bathroom, large bathroom, etc.

If one season of a TV series is called a "series" then what do you call the entire series of multiple series?

I don't think it really needs a name - in what context would you need to refer to it? You'd just say something like "I've seen every single episode of ___".

In an American house, if you had a room upstairs which contained a toilet and a bath and a room downstairs which just had a toilet in it (well, and a washbasin so you could wash your hands) would you have different names for those rooms, or would they both be 'bathrooms'?

And upstairs, you would be on the second floor.

If I came to visit you (which is very unlikely, so don't panic) would I be allowed to say "the bathroom with the bath" and "the bathroom without a bath"?

(xpost) Twin Peaks Season 2 really went off the rails. I just got the first season of Treme on DVD. etc.

more specifically:

toilet + sink: half bathroom
shower + toilet + sink: 3/4 bathroom
tub + shower + toilet + sink: full bathroom

and now you understand the real estate dialect of American English

If I came to visit you (which is very unlikely, so don't panic) would I be allowed to say "the bathroom with the bath" and "the bathroom without a bath"?

Yes, but why would you say that? generally speaking, "bathroom" means "the closest room with a toilet"

like, if you need to shower, I'm not going to expect you to give yourself swirlies in the downstairs toilet, so there is no ambiguity if you ask if you can take a shower in my bathroom

OK - what if the room had just a bath and no toilet in it?

NBS - whatever you'd call it over here it would never be "toilet". I would just say bathrooms for both.

Also, I've never heard dasn't. P interesting.

I think they call it a programme.

do british ppl say "based" yet?

I don't think it really needs a name - in what context would you need to refer to it? You'd just say something like "I've seen every single episode of ___".

well you could just call it a show of course. but then there are shows that are one-offs, live specials, TV movies, miniseries, etc. So theoretically "what's your favorite TV show" could be answered with "the nightly news" but "what's your favorite TV series" implies that it's serialized fiction. Also "show" could just refer to a single episode of a series. I just think the idea of a series divided up into multiple sub-series is kind of silly, and I don't understand why the British would be resistant to a perfectly fine word that better distinguishes the sub-series from the entire ongoing series. It's like objecting to the word chapter or something.

based? In what context?

i like the contradictory sentiments expressed in this thread. on the one hand people are astounded that brits could be annoyed by certain americanisms,on the other hand americans are like lol things britishes say,wouldn't it be terrible if we spoke like that.yes it would,that's the whole point.

The sink is in the kitchen, btw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq-jPa2-gdE

I say season when talking about American shows and series when talking about British shows.

a member of a 90s idm act once asked me if the word "skeezer" was of glaswegian origin because i had used it ironically.

Are there places in the US (south?) where people still say "powder room"?

"This cuppa char is rather based innit"

based? In what context?

― kip winger; radio ventriloquist (jel --), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 2:40 PM (50 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

like "i'm based" or "thank you based god" or "swag it out, yes, you can fuck my bitch, based god"

I've heard lots of people say it with a little bit of sarcasm or irony.

(xpost re "powder room")

There he is!!!!

the based god?

But you guys in the US also call random people "my lover" right?

(last said to me by a busdriver)

I just think the idea of a series divided up into multiple sub-series is kind of silly, and I don't understand why the British would be resistant to a perfectly fine word that better distinguishes the sub-series from the entire ongoing series. It's like objecting to the word chapter or something.

No, it's not like that, because we use the word 'series' to refer to what you're calling a 'sub-series'. What we don't have is a word for a series of series. So from your perspective it's not that we object to the word 'chapter', so much as we use the word 'book' to mean 'chapter' and we lack a word for 'book'.

I've heard lots of people say it with a little bit of sarcasm or irony.

(xpost re "powder room")

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 2:43 PM Bookmark

Yeah it's supposed to be one of the "polite" options. It's not quite as bad as the awful "powder my nose," which calls so much more attention to the fact that you're about to go urinate or defecate than just saying "I'm going to use the bathroom."

In Mexico, I would ask ¿Donde esta el baño?

In Spain, shall I say ¿Donde esta el inodoro?

Is there a Britishisms poll?

your busdriver is a crepe

Bidets Scare Me

busdrivers in the US are permitted to call you "honey" or "sweetie" but "lover" is statutorily prohibited

Lil B is a man without a country

thank you, nope, not come across based at all then.

What is God based on, or is that blasphemy?

Phrase

all right my lover?

(idiomatic, UK, West Country) An informal affectionate greeting.

Usage notes

As 'my lover' is a form of address in the West Country, this greeting is not at all indicative of a sexual relationship. For example, it is acceptable for a man to address an unknown woman as 'my lover', as it is for a man/woman to greet a man/woman who is not his/her lover with 'All right, my lover'.
Synonyms

how are you?

I quite like oftentimes, that has an air of whimsy to it.

yes, you can only say "all right my lover" with a west country accent, otherwise it sounds quite creepy (or creepier).

"all right my lover?" is totally classic

You know what's creepy? When women or men ask for the "little girls'/boys' room". I've also heard adults ask where the potty is. These are both horrible.

I say season when talking about American shows and series when talking about British shows.

― Number None, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 2:42 PM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

No that's wrong.

Seinfeld, for example, is a TV series. Season 4 would be the shows that aired during the 4th year that the series Seinfeld was on TV.

^^^ This seems so straightforward I never thought of it any other way.

You know what's creepy? When women or men ask for the "little girls'/boys' room". I've also heard adults ask where the potty is. These are both horrible.

― ladies love draculas like children love stray dogs (ENBB), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 3:00 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i just say "where's the shitter"?

To be clear, i do not refer to the entire runs of American shows as seasons.

If one season of a TV series is called a "series" then what do you call the entire series of multiple series?

I don't think it really needs a name - in what context would you need to refer to it? You'd just say something like "I've seen every single episode of ___".

― There is power in an onion (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 1:33 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

Series finale v. Season finale. When a show ends for the season, the last show is called a season finale. When it ends forever, the last show ever is called a series finale.

Or "Season 4 of Seinfeld is my favorite of the series." Or "Seinfeld is my favorite TV series, and season 4 was exceptional."

Or "Season 5 of Seinfeld is my favorite of the series." Or "Seinfeld is my favorite TV series, and season 5 was exceptional."

wouldn't the analogue for "series" be "programme" in those examples

i just say "where's the shitter"?

― harbl bosses (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, July 20, 2011 3:02 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

WGW =

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vqD89Qvcn94/SyqTeh1vq_I/AAAAAAAACwM/Fzt_AhSs0gw/s400/cousineddie.jpg

using season when series work perfectly fine as a word with two meanings is annoying. having said that i think i've probably said it on occasion, possibly because it's starting to be used in british journalism, adverts etc.

works even, and to be clear i'm talking about in the uk, americans please say what you like.

I think it's only used when referring to American shows though?

Just noticed that my Lost box sets say series 3 and 4, but then switch to season from 5...

Series finale v. Season finale. When a show ends for the season, the last show is called a season finale. When it ends forever, the last show ever is called a series finale.

I think we'd just say 'last episode' and 'last ever episode'.

No, it's not like that, because we use the word 'series' to refer to what you're calling a 'sub-series'. What we don't have is a word for a series of series. So from your perspective it's not that we object to the word 'chapter', so much as we use the word 'book' to mean 'chapter' and we lack a word for 'book'.

well the person in #44 of the OP was objecting to the addition of the word season, so it is like objecting to adding the word chapter while you're referring to both the part and the whole as just "book."

wouldn't the analogue for "series" be "programme" in those examples

but isn't a programme also the individual episode? or not?

so it is like objecting to adding the word chapter while you're referring to both the part and the whole as just "book."

Except we don't ever refer to the whole. We have no word for the whole.

And yes the series/season thing is not a real world problem. I just think it's funny to object to cases where the American addition of a word actually clarifies meaning, while simultaneously objecting to deletions that don't remove any meaning (maths -> math).

You know what's creepy? When women or men ask for the "little girls'/boys' room". I've also heard adults ask where the potty is. These are both horrible.

Sometimes I will refer a contextual "little whatevers" room, so if I'm with a bunch of lawyers I'll excuse myself to go to the "little attorney's room," which is usually only funny to me.

you know what piece of slang I would like to see incorporated in every English-speaking country, is "wifey"

esp. as a verb

'er indoors

awful as is hubby

SO BAD

Except we don't ever refer to the whole. We have no word for the whole.

but series is not a word that's unique to the context of television. So technically the entire run of shows spanning multiple years is still a series of shows even if you don't refer to it as such.

It's interesting though that British TV seems to have more freedom to make radical changes from season to season so that each individual "series" actually is more of a standalone thing. I wonder if the language somehow had an influence on this phenomenon.

'er indoors

Wait, is this your word for bathroom?

Except we don't ever refer to the whole. We have no word for the whole.

This is beautiful. Like before the Greeks discovered zero.

xp - no, dewifey would be the verb

the only place i can imagine wifey being used as a verb is in prison

'er indoors is so awful and sexist sounding it makes me want to tear my ears off

This is getting confusing.

but isn't a programme also the individual episode? or not?

'Programme' means the, er, programme. That doesn't really help. 'Friends' is a programme (I think you'd say 'show', but maybe you'd also say 'series'). You wouldn't say "My favourite programme of 'Friends' is the one where Chandler thought Monica was blah, blah, blah..." - in that sentence you'd have to say 'episode'.

You could also say "My favourite series is 'Friends'", which basically means the same as "My favourite programme is 'Friends'" except it's adding the information that 'Friends' is a programme which is on repeatedly. I think someone has already said this and I'm tying myself in knots here.

Is "'er indoors" an actual thing that anyone aside from AA ever says?

round here everyone says "trouble and strife"

her indoors

The wife as referred to by her husband to his friends.
Popularized by Arthur Daley in British TV series 'Minder'.

The season thing used to make sense in the U.S. All the shows would start in the fall, you'd hear advertisements for GET READY FOR THE NEW FALL SEASON! "Barney Miller", "Taxi", "WKRP in Cincinnati" - they were all part of the 1978-79 season. Just like the NFL or NBA.

So if you were asked when you first started watching "Night Court", you'd say, "Oh, the season after Selma died." "Night Court" was the series and the season was when it originally aired.

I'll give you all though that since 2000, all series don't follow the same seasonal calendar anymore. You've got shows like Big Brother that seem to have two seasons per calendar year. It's like how the government's fiscal year begins in October while various corporations begin theirs in July or April. So the word "season" doesn't do as much justice to describing what "chapter" of a series is being described, but it's got some historical precedent at least.

I don't actually say this. Don't have a wife though

how about a wifey

'Programme' means the, er, programme. That doesn't really help. 'Friends' is a programme (I think you'd say 'show', but maybe you'd also say 'series'). You wouldn't say "My favourite programme of 'Friends' is the one where Chandler thought Monica was blah, blah, blah..." - in that sentence you'd have to say 'episode'.

Wow, ok. So you don't have the equivalent of "show" here where it can refer to an individual episode or the entire series?

Episode -> Series -> Programme
vs
Show/Episode -> Season -> Show/Series

is that right?

x-post Tee connotation is just so her indoors in the kitchen where she belongs and from which I never let her leave. I really hate it. Damn you Arthur Daley, damn you! *shakes fist*

just sitting here and imagining what would happen to me if i started calling K wifey

The kids I used to work with all used to call their SOs "hubby" and "wifey" even though the weren't really married. They were what one of my co-workers liked to call "hood engaged/married".

"Wifey" is martini language.

Yes though a programme can also be a stand-alone one-off. Xp

fyi you aren't actually married to your wifey

xp: ENBB got it

still plz film yrself calling K "wifey", it would be Youtube GOLD

Episode -> Series -> Programme
vs
Show/Episode -> Season -> Show/Series

is that right?

I think so.

Glad we can put that one to bed

Do britishers say "significant other"? It's one of my most hated terms for which there is alas no good substitute ("Partner" is hardly better).

sig other sounds pretty american, don't think i've heard it conversationally. definitely seen it in print, britishes print.

paramour

concubine

I think people use "significant other" in sort of a jokey way

I don't think you should be allowed to call the other person in your relationship your partner unless you have at least one choreographed dance under your belt.

British people use "partner" all the time. When I first got to England I was like "Damn, there sure are a lot of gay people in London!" It's becoming more common across the board but I was used to hearing "partner" used mostly by gay couples.

I think "partner" is the term I heard from English people most frequently when they were referring to someone with whom they were having a relaysh. TBH I still associate it mainly with gay couples.

In America at least.

also, in my mind, the opposite-sex analogue for "wifey" is "manz"

Don't you say 'pardner' in American? And 'howdy'?

lol

Actually earlier this week someone in my office referred to their "partner" and now I keep meaning to ask my work buddy if this other person is a lesbian. Not that it matters but I'm curious and because her use of the term seemed deliberate.

i sort of hate "partner" but i think if you're 40 and living together calling someone your "boy/girlfriend" is a bit, eh.

luckily i am pretty déclassé i always refer to my "partner", when i've got one that is, as my "bird" to anyone who doesn't know them.

my friend once told me a funny story that his mother told him, about how she thought, until quite a late age, that "consenting adults" was a euphemism for "homosexuals".

Yes, that's how we talk.
"Howdy pops!"
"Hiya pardner!"
"Ready to chow down on this awesome turkey?"
"Yippie-kay-ay-yay motherfucker let's close the deal. It's go time!"