Here's where Brits take a dump on Americans

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For unexplainable reasons, certain British expressions/phrases/words irritate me. For example, friends as 'mates', 'cheers', 'pub', 'snoggin', 'full-on', 'knickers', 'spot on', 'bloke'

So what American slang/expressions do you British (and other foreign devils) despise?

― Oops (Oops), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 19:53 (twenty-three years ago)

as an american i enjoy british phrases. they make me tingle, or that could be the vikes and crown.

― Chief 2 Tone (Chief 2 Tone), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 23:43 (twenty-three years ago)

'off of'

example: 'that guy off of that show'; 'get me off of this couch because i am too fat and stupid to use language that doesnt sound retarded'

― webber (webber), Saturday, 8 February 2003 07:53 (twenty-three years ago)

'Awesome', although I'm not a hundred percent sure that is a completely American word. It seems to be doing the rounds in christian circles at the moment.

― Anna., Monday, 10 February 2003 04:53 (twenty-three years ago)

pronouncing route as 'rout'

AHJRGRULKBDGLJKNDLIGHNDEOIGEJLND:IMGVg

― webber (webber), Monday, 10 February 2003 09:31 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't like it when people say Craig as Creg. It sounds like an alien's name or something..,

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Monday, 10 February 2003 11:46 (twenty-three years ago)

how do you normally say craig? i think i always say it as creg...

― rebekah, Monday, 10 February 2003 15:32 (twenty-three years ago)

As an American with a BA in English, I hate the American tendency to end all questions that ask for directions with the word ‘at.’ As in— “Where’s the bathroom at?” Drives me up the friggin’ wall.

Or is this not just American?

― No One (SiggyBaby), Monday, 10 February 2003 16:09 (twenty-three years ago)

and the non-word ‘anyways.’

― No One (SiggyBaby), Monday, 10 February 2003 17:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Rebekah, just how it looks! As in "CRAYG". I guess.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 02:14 (twenty-three years ago)

"Anywho" - grrrr!!
"Alright/Enough already!" - yuck!
Saying "baysil" instead of "Basil", "Toona" instead of "Tuna", "Aloominum" instead of "AliMINIum" - they miss out a syllable. "Sem-eye" instead of "Semi"!!! i bet i've missed out loads of stuff. i'm not saying all americans do all of these but the ones who do can be reeeeeally annoying.

― Jenny, Saturday, 15 February 2003 00:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, aluminum is the original (and therefore "correct") spelling, so it probably should be pronounced that way.
Still sounds lame though.

Also, oregano

― webber (webber), Saturday, 15 February 2003 02:55 (twenty-three years ago)

talk about the aussies and how they talk.

― Chief 2 Tone (Chief 2 Tone), Sunday, 16 February 2003 08:59 (twenty-three years ago)

some of them call slides 'slippery dips'

― webber (webber), Monday, 17 February 2003 01:29 (twenty-three years ago)

aussies are so cutsie with everything. they add "ie" or "y" to everything! and um i say all of those things jenny said, does that make me annoying? it's how everyone i'm around talks at least

― rebekah, Monday, 17 February 2003 03:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah excuse me they are slippery dips. Don’t even start on how NZers talk with their dairies or what have you.

― Fergus Noodle (Fergus Noodle), Monday, 17 February 2003 09:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Instead of milk bars or something?

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:43 (twenty-three years ago)

How do you say tuna?

In US, aluminium was patented as 'aluminum'. Supposedly it was just a typo at the patent office, but damned if us Americans are gonna admit we made a mistake. Oh no, we'll just go on saying and spelling it our way and insist on that being the proper way. You gotta problem wit dat?

― oops (Oops), Monday, 17 February 2003 17:44 (twenty-three years ago)

"Instead of milk bars or something?"

no no, not something that logical. generally they call them 'that place where you can get milk from. mate.'

― webber (webber), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 04:54 (twenty-three years ago)

(this post was a joke and in no way reflects my opinions of australia or australian citizens)

― webber (webber), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 05:02 (twenty-three years ago)

How do you pronounce tuna besides "toona"?
anything else makes little to no sense whatsoever.

― Chief 2 Tone (Chief 2 Tone), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 06:38 (twenty-three years ago)

most other countries kinda try to pronounce it correctly but it comes out as "chew-na". it's supposed to sound more like "t-you-na" though i believe.

i have posted a lot of crap in this thread.

― webber (webber), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 09:45 (twenty-three years ago)

No it is the shop! The shop! In NZ do you have different terms for the cane furniture shop and the leather shop? Is one called like the whajkatanle and one is called the floopy. Why would you have a different name for the corner shop and the other shops then huh? WHY WHY WHY? And while I am here THEY ARE ALL CUPBOARDS!

― Fergus Noodle (Fergus Noodle), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 09:54 (twenty-three years ago)

So we can tell them apart more easily, I guess.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 10:36 (twenty-three years ago)

exactly!

― webber (webber), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 00:28 (twenty-three years ago)

No but you only have a different name for this particular shop. So how come it is so special it needs its own name? This is the bizareness. I never had a problem with calling the shop the dairy no matter how crazy it may be I think it was rather someone else here that had a problem with not calling the shop the diary yes I think so.

― Fergus Noodle (Fergus Noodle), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 08:06 (twenty-three years ago)

You might not want to visit New Orleans, you'll have a stroke.

Saying "baysil" instead of "Basil", "Toona" instead of "Tuna", "Aloominum" instead of "AliMINIum" - they miss out a syllable. "Sem-eye" instead of "Semi"!!! i bet i've missed out loads of stuff. i'm not saying all americans do all of these but the ones who do can be reeeeeally annoying.
-- Jenny

Who says British are obsessed with class, huh? My sem-eye (big truck) brings me my tuna (toona) in a can (sometimes aluminum).
Sem-eye is the only way to pronounce the word for "big truck" (lorry); otherwise, most Americans say "sem-ee" (like the valley in Los Angeles area). You ever get stuck on the interstate here and a truck driver picks you up to give you a ride, and you tell him "that's a nice sem-ee," you gonna be hitchin' a ride, toots.

― frank p. jones (frank p. jones), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 15:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Next up: that crazy Ebonics.

― frank p. jones (frank p. jones), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 15:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, the first time I was in N'awlins, I had my shoes shined.
“Don’t be sad that you been had.”

― No One (SiggyBaby), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 15:28 (twenty-three years ago)

i knew about him and i let him get me. i gave him a half assed "oh, you got me, damn."

but i brought about a hundred dollars just for people who were begging

― Chief 2 Tone (Chief 2 Tone), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 18:17 (twenty-three years ago)

why not just call it a truck

― webber (webber), Thursday, 20 February 2003 04:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Because this is a truck:
http://www.truckworld.com/Industry-News/2003-Dodge-Ram-35002.jpg

and this is a semi:
http://www.sktoytrucks.com/Coach-Peterbilt-Yellow.jpg

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 20 February 2003 23:45 (twenty-three years ago)

that first thing is a ute mate

― webber (webber), Friday, 21 February 2003 00:58 (twenty-three years ago)

exactly

― Fergus Noodle (Fergus Noodle), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Nah, here's a ute (though we don't call 'em that):

http://inv.rohrman.com/pictures/new/Grand%20Cherokee.jpg

― oops (Oops), Friday, 21 February 2003 15:45 (twenty-three years ago)

that's a jeep, or a four wheel drive. the other thing is a ute

― webber (webber), Saturday, 22 February 2003 02:09 (twenty-three years ago)

no, the other thing is a pickup truck. ute makes some sense, but pickup makes more sense. by the way, don't the dutch have a very odd manner of speaking? the people in amsterdam just loved practicing english on my sister and me.

― Chief 2 Tone (Chief 2 Tone), Saturday, 22 February 2003 06:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Notice how we always say "moun'ans" instead of "mouNTains" ...where did the "T" go? Has it become too much for us fat, lazy Americans? Probably... Or wanna hear something REALLY funny? Have some dumbass say "winsheild wipers" I bet it won't sound anything like what its's supposed to...more like "winshel wipers" or "winshul wipers" That goes for any long word or phrase. How sad :(

― lola falana, Saturday, 22 February 2003 08:29 (twenty-three years ago)

it's windshield

― webber (webber), Saturday, 22 February 2003 09:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What if the first one has 4 wheel drive? Wouldn't someone get confused if you had auto A and auto C and told them to grab something out of the 4 wheeler? If you told an American to get X out of the 'ute', they'd first laugh at you, then guess that you meant SUV (sport utility vehicle) and head towards auto C.
Whereas if you said, get X out of the pickup truck or get X out of the SUV or get X out of the semi, there'd be no confusion.

And what about this auto:
http://www.edmunds.com/media/reviews/lists/ten_best_selling_vehicles/01.ford.explorer.500.jpg

It doesn't have 4 wheel drive and it isn't a Jeep.

― oops (Oops), Monday, 24 February 2003 18:49 (twenty-three years ago)

A wrench wrenches, but what does a spanner span?

― No One (SiggyBaby), Monday, 24 February 2003 19:01 (twenty-three years ago)

How about pants vs. panties? Pants sounds so German, while adding the diminutive makes (lenghthen the aaa sound) panties sounds positively naughty (lenghthen the augh sound).

― No One (SiggyBaby), Monday, 24 February 2003 19:06 (twenty-three years ago)

A spanner spans

― Chief 2 Tone (Chief 2 Tone), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 02:27 (twenty-three years ago)

wouldnt using pants as a term for your underwear get confusing? what do you call your actual pants then?

If you told an American to get X out of the 'ute', they'd first laugh at you, then guess that you meant SUV (sport utility vehicle) and head towards auto C.

ah, but see that confusion would be solved if americans weren't all crazy and gave things wacky names in the first place.

And what about this auto:

i would still call it a four wheel drive. whether it has one isn't really the point to me, it just looks like it does. maybe i am just crazy though i dunno what other people call these things

― webber (webber), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 02:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Tee-hee!

Americans make up wacky names ('truck' and 'SUV'?), yet you give us 'ute'?

We make things confusing but you call something a four wheel drive even if it doesn't have four wheel drive?

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 16:55 (twenty-three years ago)

pickup, 18-wheeler, SUV

end of story

the word "truck" shall henceforth be banished from the world

― some person, Friday, 28 February 2003 23:55 (twenty-three years ago)

i hate the way some americans say 'i could care less' when they mean 'i couldn't care less'.

bump, btw

― webber (webber), Sunday, 2 March 2003 07:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh fuck I just loathe that, seriously. If you COULD care less what does it matter? Do you understand that the words you say contain MEANINGS? I'm exaggerating a bit, it's just a phrase that's become habitual mostly and now effectively means the same thing, but it's kinda grating.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Sunday, 2 March 2003 11:18 (twenty-three years ago)

also, every american i have ever met uses the world 'literally' when they are using hyperbole, instead of a world which means THIS IS WHAT I ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY DID.

so you get 'my eyes literally jumped out of their sockets,' or 'i literally crapped my pants because i am such a complete fucking retard'.

the second one may be correct.

― webber (webber), Sunday, 2 March 2003 23:42 (twenty-three years ago)

RODFLOFLC!! some words are rather retardedly spelt and or pronounced by the 'yanks' which is funny but annoying at the same time:/ i don't know how it went so wrong after we spawned most of them:/ but i have nothing against them:) really;/ except arrogance to take over the world, or alternativley...destroy it:| but whatever. neways...;\/\'/

― nevermind^, Tuesday, 11 March 2003 23:47 (twenty-three years ago)

i am sooo glad that this discussion didn't turn to the good ol' "canadaians say....." whenever i speak with an american it always turns to "say this, say that"

― saaboo smooth (saaboo smooth), Sunday, 23 March 2003 06:40 (twenty-three years ago)

vehicles are shit and uninteresting anyways, what's wrong with car or lorry?

― jonathan gittins (nevermind^), Thursday, 3 April 2003 14:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I said this on another thread elsewhere on ilxor, and I'll say it again : often the American pronunciations of things are actually closer to the foreign root words. There are a lot of things about American culture worth bashing, but mispronunciation isn't one of them. I've found that American media personalities will go out of their way to determine the correct pronunciation of something (esp. foreign words & non-English surnames), whereas it really seems as if the British talking heads will just pronounce things any way they damn well please. This, of course, does not apply to ordinary Americans and it does not apply to morons like our president (e.g. "nuk-yuh-lur"). It just applies to media people who should know better.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Thursday, 3 April 2003 15:24 (twenty-three years ago)

British talking heads will just pronounce things any way they damn well please

That's cuz they invented a language and thus don't have to bother with any other ones. Reminds me of my Hispanic friend who would chastise anyone for not pronouncing 'Portillo's' por-tee-yos. I was like, dude, you know it's an Italian name, right?

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 3 April 2003 16:41 (twenty-three years ago)

In other words, fuck your language we have one of our own thank-you?
And I wonder why the human race hasn't reaced a state of unity amongst itself.... But anyhow, that's hardly the polite attitude I've come to expect from the British! I am being serious... most Brits I've met are polite and well-mannered... at least compared to the many people of my own country I meet and greet everyday. Brits seem pretty understanding. At least in person, I can just imagine what they might have said about us sloppy yanks behind my back. Good thing I really don't care, because it probably wouldn't all be unfounded.

― The Man they call Dan (The Man they call Dan), Thursday, 3 April 2003 17:23 (twenty-three years ago)

I would fuck a british woman.But I would never fuck one of you stupid and lame lonley ass people.Your all vey dumb and I love pussy.Thank you.

― Adrian McCoy (Adrian McCoy), Sunday, 6 April 2003 20:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Adrian you're not on my christmas card list anymore

― The Man they call Dan (The Man they call Dan), Monday, 7 April 2003 05:23 (twenty-three years ago)

the foundry of the american mispelling of the english lanuage and possible mispronounciation was from Jefferson? i'm not confident on names sorry, but whoever wrote the dictionary or something after the american war of independence WAS dyslexic, and that IS a fact. i don't know names or anything so don't hammer me for that but i know he was dyslexic or had no education or something.

― jonathan gittins (nevermind^), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 15:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Most modern US dictionaries are descended from this guy:

http://www.m-w.com/about/noah.htm

But I'm not sure if he's dyslexic or had no education... a reference on that point would be interesting, because as I read that notion, it sounds like a fable british teachers tell their pupils to explain why American children are so improper... lol

― The Man they call Dan (The Man they call Dan), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 16:00 (twenty-three years ago)

lol:P 'improper'..what a bleak term;/ and i find this rather amusing on a random note... http://www.bloommedia.co.uk/richard/b3ta/statueswap.jpg

ah wait...i've got it...i read up more:)...it's becasue you kept our old whatever century spellings and ours changed as there were no dictionaries or standard spelling until dr. johnson developed his dictionary in the 18th century. and the differing prononciation will be caused by the many nations that settled in america adding their own colliquialisms and pronounciation.

― jonathan gittins (nevermind^), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 16:13 (twenty-three years ago)

...if i did research my facts better 1st the time and he did do a dictionary or whatever, it probably wouldn't have said at the end 'o, an bye the waye, iym dislecksic' ;/

― jonathan gittins (nevermind^), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 16:16 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

god this board was a piece of shit

― gershy, Monday, 29 October 2007 04:51 (eighteen years ago)

ain't that the truth

― Curt1s Stephens, Monday, 29 October 2007 06:39 (eighteen years ago)

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