Search This Blog

Popular Posts

Labels

Showing posts with label bellhop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bellhop. Show all posts

Sunday, July 4, 2021

Americanisms that amaze the Brits and British words that baffle Americans


 When we Brits went on holiday to Disney World in Florida we took the monorail, with our heavy bags. I was shocked to hear the announcement, "We will be stopping momentarily ..." 
I shouted to my family, "Quick - pick up your bags and stand by the door. It's a very quick stop."

In a hotel I phoned reception for a porter. The Receptionist said I should ring housekeeping. I left a message.
Nobody appeared. 
I phoned down to reception and asked again. 
The second time the receptionist answered, "Ma-am, we'll gladly send you one, if you can describe what it is."

I replied, "A man with a trolley, to move our suitcases. Luggage. Baggage. Carry bags?"

"Ah, ma-am, I believe you are seeking a bell-hop?"

My husband emerged from the bathroom and demanded, "What's taking so long?"

I replied, "Lost in translation. Sounds like they thought a porter was some king of cocktail. What we want is a bellhop or bellboy."


American - English

argue - row (rhyming with how)

bangs - fringe (hairstyle)

bell hop, bell boy - porter (in a hotel)

drug store - chemist

drunk - pissed (slang)

fanny pack - bum bag / waist pouch

good / I am good - well / I am well 

good to go - (ready to go)

goose bumps - goose pimples

lawyer - solicitor (in an office doing paperwork, not in court) 

math - maths

momentarily - soon, shortly, in a moment

oftentimes - often

period - full stop

pleased with yourself/proud/delighted - chuffed (slang)

raise (a child) - bring up

real estate - property

real estate agent - estate agent

regular - medium size

shopping cart - (shopping) trolley

take out - take away

zee - zed




English - American

bring up (a child) - raise

bum bag / waist pouch - fanny pack

chemist's - drug store

chuffed - pleased with yourself

estate agent - real estate agent

fringe - bangs

full stop - period

goose pimples - goose bumps

maths - math

medium size - regular

momentarily - briefly, only for a moment

my mistake, my fault - my bad

often - oftentimes

row (rhyming with now) - argue

pissed (slang) - drunk

shopping trolley - shopping cart

solicitor (in an office doing legal paperwork, not speaking in court) - lawyer

take away - take out

well (I am well) - good (I am good)

zed - zee


Useful Websites

Americanisms

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14201796

General Language

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Language


About The Author

Angela Lansbury was born in london, England and is British. She has lived in the USA. She teaches English and runs workshops. 


About the Author

Angela Lansbury is Vice President Public Relations of Braddell Heights Advanced, and Tampines Changkat Advanced,  speakers training club which are part of Toastmasters International. The USA has several Spanish speaking as well as the English speaking clubs. You can pick up Spanish from buying or reading online their Spanish clubs welcome pages and manuals. 

In The USA, UK, Singapore and worldwide, there are many clubs which are English speaking, as well as Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, French, Tamil, Malay.

The inauguration of Tampines Changkat Advanced was Tuesday 29 2021, online on  zoom. Their meetings are on the fourth Tuesday evening of the month. They hope to hold meetings with a few people meeting physically, the others online, as soon as the Covid-19 conditions allow.

You can find the club through their facebook page as well as through Toastmasters International find a club. 

https://www.facebook.com/tampineschangkatadvTMC

The meetings are free for visitors. Visitors can watch, and join in speaking by introducing themselves and volunteering to do a 2 minutes impromptu  speech in table topics.

If you wish to join for a year, it costs about 190 US dollars, to have monthly meetings online, a mentor, a magazine, and one of the 11  Pathways, consisting of 14 projects. Each project starts with 3 speeches of your choice of subject, lasting 4 to 6 minutes, then 5 to 7 minutes. The Pathways include the most popular Presentation Mastery. I chose  humorous speaking as my second Pathway, costing 20 dollars. Then my third was a leadership course. Come and see for free.

The club also has meetings in person in Singapore

You can also contact my other club, smaller Braddell Heights Advanced, which is a cosy little club with more chances to speak.

Login through bha.learncool.sg/meet/bha 

That will link you through to Zoom or googlemeet. 2 pm to 5 pm.

BHA meets the first Wednesday evening each month, starting at 7 pm Singapore time. 

Then an extra meeting on the 3rd Saturday afternoon, starting at 2 pm Singapore time.

To check your time zone,  

https://24timezones.com/difference/singapore/ 

Meetings will be on Wed July 7th and  Saturday July 17th.

Contact either of these or other clubs through Toastmasters International Find a Club.



Thursday, January 21, 2021

Speaking English Outside England and Undertanding Americanism - the challenge



George Bernard Shaw, the great British writer, wrote that England and America are two countries divided by a common language. 

I was walking along the street after an American who told me, "Follow me. Don't walk on the pavement." I was a bit puzzled because he stepped briefly into the road to avoid a pothole and then back onto the pavement.

He turned around and said, "I warned you not to walk on the pavement."

I replied, "I'm doing what you said. I'm in the road."

He shouted, "Get out of the road!"

I frowned, "but you said off the pavment. This is the pavement."

"No, he said, "that's the sidewalk, He pointed to the road, "Thtat' the pavement." I scratched my chin. I scratched my ear. I shook my head. I sighed.

UK - USA

bonnet (if a car) - hood

boot ( of a car) - trunk

call in - drop by

lorry -truck

math - maths

nappy - diaper

pavement - sidewalk

porter - bellhop

roadway/tarmac - pavement

Rubber - eraser

Tip or trick - hack

tap - faucet


USA - UK

bellhop - porter

diaper - nappy

eraser - rubber

faucet - tap

hood (of a car) - bonnet

Maths - math 

drop by - call in

hack - tip or trick

pavement - road/roadway/tarmac

sidewalk - pavement

truck - lorry

trunk (of a car) - boot

Useful Websites

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14201796

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 
She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:
 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Your Handy list Of American English and British English Words - how many do you know?

British - American

a quarter past - a quarter after
bag-handbag - purse
bonnet (of car) - hood (of car)
brought up - raised
Burgle (past tense, burgled) - burgle (past tense burglarized)
car park - parking lot
caster sugar - superfine sugar
chemist - drug store
cling film - plastic wrap
cooked both sides (of fried eggs) - over easy

educated - schooled
estate agent - realtor
garage (for filling up your car with petrol) - gas station
ground almonds - almond flour
guys (male only, no females) - boys/men
gym shoes - sneakers
hockey - field hockey
ice hockey - hockey
icing sugar - powdered sugar/confectioners' sugar
lorry - truck

luggage - baggage
marzipan - almond paste
momentarily - briefly
nappy - diaper
petrol (for cars) - gas
plain flour - all-purpose flour
purse - purse or bag
Rubber - eraser
rubbish - trash
pants - underpants

porter - bellhop
self-raising flour - self-rising flour
shop - store
spring onion - scallion
stand still (or I'll shoot) - freeze
stop - yield
store - warehouse
take away - take out
toilet - rest room
tip (advice) - hack
trousers - pants

trouser suit - pant suit
trunk (part of an elephant/box shaped suitcase)
turn left/right - make a left/right
waste paper basket - trash can
You folks/you people - you guys (both sexes)

Flag of the USA

American - British

a quarter after - a quarter past
baggage - luggage
bellhop - porter (in a hotel)
broil - grill or cook with strong heat from above or below
burglarized (past tense of burgle) - burgled
davenport - couch or sofa
drug store - chemist
diaper - nappy
eraser - rubber
field hockey - hockey

freeze - stand still (or I'll shoot)
gas (for cars) - petrol
gas station - garage
guys - boys/men/people/folk (both sexes)
hack - tip (advice, trick)
hockey - ice hockey
hood (of car) - bonnet (of car)
make a left/right - turn left/right
momentarily - shortly, soon
over easy - cooked both sides (fried egg)

pant suit - trouser suit
pants - trousers
parking lot - car park
purse - bag/handbag (sometimes purse)
raised - brought up
realtor - estate agent
rest room - toilet
schooled - educated/went to school
take out - take away
trash - rubbish

trash can - waste paper basket
truck - lorry
trunk (of car) - boot (of car)
underpants - pants
yield (traffic sign) - stop
you guys (goup of people of either sex or both) - you people/you folk(s)/you boys and girls/you girls

Websites
wiki - American English
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_American_and_British_English#Vocabulary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhound_Lines
Terminology worldwide for Filling Stations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filling_station
https://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/uk-us-conversion/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker and speech trainer, was born and educated in England and lived in the USA.

I have several more posts on Americanisms and learning languages.
See my previous post
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/07/american-english-and-british-english.html
Please share your favourite posts.