Message #62591

[Judy Loux]

Some other differences in language useage:

Bloddy is the adjectival form of blood but may also be used as a swear word or expletive attributive (intensifier) in Britain, Ireland, Canada, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Nowadays it is considered (by most of the population of these countries) to be a very mild expletive, and unlikely to cause offence in most circles.


Buns. You know what these are. You're probably sitting on them now. In the UK buns are either bread or cake rolls. Asking for a couple of sticky buns in a bakery in the UK  will mean Mr Crusty the baker will give you two cake buns with icing (frosting) on the top....

Fag. A goody but an oldie. In the UK a 'fag' is a cigarette. So in the song 'It's a long way to Tipperary' the line 'As long as you have a Lucifer to light your fag' is not a fundementalist Christian's statement that all homosexuals will burn for eternity in hell, but saying that 'if you always have a match to light your cigarette...'

Faggots. Meat balls made from offal (chopped liver) in gravy. Also a small bundle of logs suitable to burn on a fire.

Pants. In the US we call them pants In the UK they are called trousers; pants are the things that go underneath.

Rubber. In the UK a pencil eraser. Don't be shocked if the mild mannered new Englishman in your office asks for a pencil with a rubber on the end. Especially when he says that he enjoys chewing it when he is thinking.

Waistcoat. The US calls them vests.

I'm not sure how this came to be but I prefer EA, etc.  In the US a PA can also be the Public Address system.  I don't wish to be known as a public address system because that could infer loose lips, gossip, etc.  and an EA in our office must be very aware of confidentiality all of the time.

Ddiva