I am British. I thought I knew Americanisms, such as truck for lorry, and Fall for autumn, and cookies for biscuits. However, when I went to live in the USA I found a lot more. Such as faucet. I had to learn about the car hood and trunk.
I also had some confusions. What did make a left mean? Stop on the left? Turn left?
When I was in the stationery department of a big department store I asked the assistant, "Do you sell rubbers?"
She said, "You need a drugstore. There's one upstairs."
I walked around the department store and found a rubber. I asked her, "You have this. Why did you say you didn't have any."
She replied, "That wasn't what you asked for."
I thought. "I asked for a rubber. What do you call this?"
"An eraser."
"But you understood the word rubber. What did you think I meant?"
"Go upstairs to the department store and ask for a rubber."
I bought the eraser. Then I went upstairs.
US - UK
diaper - nappy
eraser - rubber
fall - autumn
faucet - tap
hood (of a car) - bonnet
make a right - turn right
staff - flagpole
truck - lorry
trunk - boot
windshield - windscreen
UK - US
autumn - fall
bonnet (of a car) - hood
boot - trunk
flagpole - staff
lorry - truck
nappy - diaper
rubber - eraser
tap - faucet
turn right - make a right
windscreen - windshield
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English
About the author
About Angela The Author
The Author - Quick Quotations
Angela Lansbury B A Hons is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books.
About Angela The Speaker & Trainer
Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.
Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President Public Relations, Immediate Past President.
Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.
Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK
Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg .
Recent meetings of BHA included an educational session on using Powerpoint for posters.
Next BHA meetings, always first Wednesday evening, 7 pm Singapore time. Next meetings 1st Wednesday evening is Wednesday June 2nd at 7pm; and third Saturday afternoon, June 19th 2pm Singapore time.
Angela The Blogger
Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:
See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.
Please share links to your favourite posts.
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