Britslang vs. American slang

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Britslang rulez, American droolz, l33t r0x0r.

― Leee (Leee), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:27 (twenty-two years ago)

chiz

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

CHIZ IS NOT BRITISH SLANG.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

what does it mean?

― ron (ron), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGPORTRAITS/music/portrait200/drp000/p047/p04719qj632.jpg

No I cannot forget where it is from that I come from

American slang all the way, R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

pants

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:41 (twenty-two years ago)

what does it mean?

I don't know. It's some Molesworth nonsense that does not mean 'cheers'.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

swizz

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

nish

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

clish

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 15 June 2003 23:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I beg to differ on the chizz thing. It is, afaik, a representation of a noise of disapoitment not unlike "tsk". I have british friends who use it. So if it isnt brit slang then what is it?

(nb: I suspect it is old usage too)

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:02 (twenty-two years ago)

PS English slang always wins, if only for - as Jim pointed out - pants.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:02 (twenty-two years ago)

me and toby keith ain't hearin' this bullshit.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

i always thought chiz was a molesworth thing meaning "what a ripoff" or something

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

what are examples of american slang?

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)

like, y'know, whatever

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)

C'mon now, what are you, man or mouse?

Cor, blimey!

So you sautee the vegetables and shrimp together in olive oil and margarine, pour the mixture over the already-drained angel hair pasta, and bob's your uncle!

What do you think of my new titfer?

Have a butcher's at my plan, please.

Brit slang all the way. :)

― Dee the Lurker (Dee the Lurker), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/staticmaps/q_120.html

― anthony easton (anthony), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

-headmasters are always very ferce and keep thousands of KANES chiz moan drone.

-It is a funny thing but headmasters are always very keen on conferences comittees etc when they discuss how to educate boys chiz tho it does not seme to make much diference we are all IGNORANT cheers cheers cheers and do not kno the pluperfect of moneo i am glad to sa.

-Masters do not care for brekfast and hav to be driven in to lessons by the headmaster chiz.

-It is either about a weed called Cotta who is always beating the Belgians or about Romulus and Remus who are a couple of babies who founded the city of Rome chiz if only they had abstained there would be no lat and no one could sa hunc hanc hoc without being put in a sty with the skool pig and rightly too.

-Not that he didn't get a few weeds on his side and wot with fotherington-tomas as lieutenant pinkerton and molesworth 2 as tanhauser you couldn't hear yourself rag chiz.

-This is the sort of chiz that miss pringle indulges herself in with a botany walk.

-This is nothing to boste about aktually as even molesworth 2 can read, but they thort it was wonderful and it all led to skools chiz chiz chiz. It also led to KNOLEDGE.

-Note: the real chiz about this method of avoiding history is that if the hist master go on long enuff you begin to believe that death is really upon you.

?? heheh

― ron (ron), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:20 (twenty-two years ago)

why do i get the feeling i couldn't read molesworth without picturing starry the whole time?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Yous Brits are a buncha bukyocks.

I'll make mincemeat outta yous!

Joykoffs.

― Mr. Mincemeat, Monday, 16 June 2003 00:28 (twenty-two years ago)

jim - it's true!

― ron (ron), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

british slang is "crap" (adj.)

― duane, Monday, 16 June 2003 00:32 (twenty-two years ago)

hey duane what's some good NZ slang?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

anyways im going with american slang because of shizzle/sheezy etc. off the hook/ chain etc. etc.

bogans

― ron (ron), Monday, 16 June 2003 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I forgot about mafia-slang, corr blimey, the Yanks might have a chance, 'en.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 16 June 2003 02:59 (twenty-two years ago)

i'll 86 you good and proper

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 16 June 2003 03:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Canadian slang roxxx, u r all gay.

― Nicole (Nicole), Monday, 16 June 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

nz slang owns this thread. though i'm not sure what nz slang is.

― di smith (lucylurex), Monday, 16 June 2003 03:03 (twenty-two years ago)

neither. but I do know that... "a chiz is a swiz or a swindle as any fule no"

― isadora (isadora), Monday, 16 June 2003 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"Me and him's gonna whack you in the lobanza!"

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 16 June 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

there isn't any authentic nz slang, it's all stolen from the aussies

― unknown or illegal user (doorag), Monday, 16 June 2003 03:36 (twenty-two years ago)

My criterion for classicness is if I can use the slang without sounding like a khyber pass or sommat.

― Leee (Leee), Monday, 16 June 2003 05:07 (twenty-two years ago)

"Gimme a cheese wit, a double deuce a heiny, and a pack a cadillacs." "Nah, fuggit, that's too high, jus' gimme a loosey."
I'm gonna miss philly when i move.

― scott seward, Monday, 16 June 2003 05:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Is bogan specifically Aussie? More to the point is it central to Victoria? I'd never heard the phrase til I moved to Melbourne. We called 'em "westies" where I come from.

What do other people call erm, those uncouth redneck types? I know canadians use "newfies" (well quebecois do anyhoo). Am curious as to what, and origins thereof. Maybe that should be its own thread...

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 16 June 2003 05:27 (twenty-two years ago)

isn't newfie just someone from newfoundland?

― scott seward, Monday, 16 June 2003 05:30 (twenty-two years ago)

British slang: quality
American slang: quantity

― oops (Oops), Monday, 16 June 2003 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, i get the feeling Brits use more slang per capita.

― oops (Oops), Monday, 16 June 2003 05:39 (twenty-two years ago)

isn't newfie just someone from newfoundland?

It is, but my Quebecois ex-fiancee told me that it can sometimes be used disparagingly, something about the remoteness of newfoundland meaning yr a redneck/dumbfuck?

I at this point throw up my hands and say "not my explanation, and anyone from newfoundland reading this I mean no harm pls dont hate me etc".

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 16 June 2003 06:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I beg to differ on the chizz thing. It is, afaik, a representation of a noise of disapoitment not unlike "tsk". I have british friends who use it. So if it isnt brit slang then what is it?

Are you sure they aren't just saying 'jeez' in a cute British accent?

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 16 June 2003 06:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Nah I have 2 friends who actually type it out as chiz/chizz, and if you think of it as a noise rather than a word, it kinda makes some sense I reckons. Even looking up above at that stuff ron posted it still does. ie:

"Masters do not care for brekfast and hav to be driven in to lessons by the headmaster, tch" (*disapproving clucking noise*)

Maybe all this time I misunderstood it but yah.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 16 June 2003 06:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, well maybe they are Molesworth fans too.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 16 June 2003 06:57 (twenty-two years ago)

i dont like british slang, because, at least on ilx, it is invariably molesworth or cockney. i cannot accept this

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 16 June 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

ruddy swizz, this bucko's gone gully

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 16 June 2003 10:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I assumed chiz came from 'chiseller', a cheating, swindling kind of person.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 16 June 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

what about 'spiv'?

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 16 June 2003 12:29 (twenty-two years ago)

that comes from "spiveller"

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 16 June 2003 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm fond of "naff." I'm going to start saying that all the time. It's sounds like something rappers would say: "Yo, that shit is naff."

― NA. (Nick A.), Monday, 16 June 2003 12:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, UK hip-hop really missed a trick there.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 16 June 2003 16:06 (twenty-two years ago)

cha

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 16 June 2003 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

rastclart

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 16 June 2003 16:33 (twenty-two years ago)

whatsamattayou?

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Monday, 16 June 2003 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Where does "wanksta" fit into all this?

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 16 June 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

good point duane - which is why aussie slang OWNS this thread. trayce - we use bogan down here too, though i understand aucklanders prefer to call em westies.

― di smith (lucylurex), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Is "shite" fairly common throughout the U.S? Cause it is
in my neck of the woods. "Bloody" is also being assimilated
into the language, at least among people I know.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

In Wanganui we say 'locals' Di.

― isadora (isadora), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

hahahaha

― di smith (lucylurex), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

So just what does "twee" mean?

And "wank" or "wanker"? (Can't decide if it's intercourse/fucker or masturbation.)

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 21:26 (twenty-two years ago)

twee has lost all meaning, due to it being bandied around so much and what not and then people trying to reclaim it etc. wank / wanker = masturbate / masturbator. silly insult rilly. oh no masturbation OH NO!

― di smith (lucylurex), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)

twee = nauseatingly cute in eccentric fashion

wank/wanker = masturbate/masturbator

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

*chortling* Thank you, both of you. I am now going to make it my mission for the evening to use both of those words, in one sentence, in a regular conversation.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

i've got a thing about americans saying 'wanker' so by all means go and bellow it from the rooftops ;)

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"Talking about wanking is so twee."

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Is the predilection for Britslang to do with unfunky white boys coopting the slang that invariably comes from the black community?

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

We're not all black.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Did "wanker" really come from the black community? You learn something every day.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 00:13 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm pretty sure wanker is fairly universal. for the obvious reason

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

i've got a thing about americans saying 'wanker' so by all means go and bellow it from the rooftops ;)
-- stevem (bluesk...), June 17th, 2003.

like, you find it attractive or annoying? i somehow find americans using britslang totally obnoxious. and i'm american.

― mandee, Wednesday, 18 June 2003 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

If you're American you have to say "wanksta".

― That Girl (thatgirl), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

All the time.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

(sorry, that means 24/7)

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Britslang wins because Britslang tends to consist of entire *systems* of slang whereas US slang doesn't. If we imagine that there are two megabranes on either side of the Atlantic, then the Brit slang megabrane is more like a super calculating machine thinking up whole systems of slang and e-mailing them to various communities round the country, whereas the US slang megabrane is more like a sausage machine, taking in the ingredients (words) thru a metal funnel at the top and churning out the sausages (slang words) en masse at the end.

e.g.s of Brit slang systems: Cockney rhyming slang. Growing all the time, updating all the time and frequently with more than one rhyming slang term for the same word. Or backslang, which, ok, is not v prevalant now (anyone think of any backslang words other than yob which made the dictionary?)

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

the Brit slang megabrane is more like a super calculating machine

he US slang megabrane is more like a sausage machine

I don't think this analogy is playing fair.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, I think it's hokum.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

prove me wrong by giving e.g.s of US slang systems.

The ball is in your court.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Hip hop slang?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

does it follow rules? If so, what are they? I suspect my knowledge of hip-hop is miniscule compared with yours.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha - I'm no expert at all. I didn't realise you meant 'systems' so.. systematically. I thought you were just saying that the US was more homogenous a slang culture. I see what you mean now. Rhyming slang is a bit of a Guy Ritchie-esque preserve now though, and I had no idea about backslang until you mentioned it. I know the French used to do something similar with reversing syllables and we laughed at our French exchange teacher for it being such a lame idea.

Pig Latin is another silly old system, I suppose. But to generalise from these oddities to a theory about the differences in slang across the two countries doesn't strike me as correct.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe having "rules" for slang is a more typically British trait.

― NA. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

What I'm saying is that rules-based slang is a tiny subset of British slang.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

hmmm....the US wins in terms of no. of slang words because more ppl = more opportunities to think stuff up and it has been more culturally diverse for longer and every word in the mother tongues of immigrants who became citizens of the US had the opportunity to become a slang term in the nation's language, i.e. American English, tho of course the take-up rate was higher in some languages than others.

(ok I know UK = norman, saxon, viking ect ect but crucially, these invasions happened when communication slow and before printing was invented, whereas by 1776 communication - travel and ideas were faster and there were lots of books being printed).

Of course backslang, pig latin (isn't there also dog latin - what's with the animals thing?) and Cockney rhyming slang all started in the inter-war period or earlier, before the immigration of ppl from the New Commonwealth and mass consumption of US TV. There is a sense in which a society with fewer opportunities to borrow from outside is less lazy in appropriating slang from elsewhere and so becomes more innovative within itself. Hence the *systems* of slang rather than the lack of systems and greater *volume* of slang.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

here is a sense in which a society with fewer opportunities to borrow from outside less lazy in appropriating slang from elsewhere and so becomes more innovative within itself.

You say 'lazy' where you could say 'open minded' and 'innovative' where you could say 'masturbatory'.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)

wos backslang

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

boy -> yob

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

AND THAT'S ALL!

it is the smallest system evah

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 21:24 (twenty-two years ago)

No, no, no Mark S there's much more than that.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

but that's not as fun as izzles or eezys

'Lda enta eda opheta olda atcha efta aistcoata"

my nizzle's got the gizzold wizzatch in his wizzlecizzoat

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

{|B-)

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

the septic's companion:

http://septicscompanion.com/

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 21 November 2008 12:58 (sixteen years ago)

dischuffed?

― thanks (Upt0eleven), Friday, 21 November 2008 13:29 (sixteen years ago)

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Britslang vs. American slang - ts