Originally published at: List of words known better by UK people than U.S. people, and vice versa | Boing Boing
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We skipped the transphobic shit this time, did we? Here’s hoping.
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How is “known” being assessed here? (“Don’t know the word ‘colour’ at all, but i can make an educated guess” “Crivens! what’s all this ‘bubkes’ they keep on abouts!?”)
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so much foods?
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Almost as if food is one of the prime expressions of culture
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At least 2 of the U.S.-known words are medications (acetaminophen & albuterol)
Are any of the U.K.-known words medications? Or does this somehow highlight a U.S. pharma-culture?
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Linguistic differences between the US and UK is a favorite topic of mine, and there’s a great blog devoted to it:
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I can add the word “bumbershoot” to the list of American words unknown in England. Ironically, this appeared in a question from an American asking if people in the UK still used the word. We never did. It’s American.
It means umbrella - or brolly.
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Specifically a culture of having pharma ads on TV, something that is entirely alien to most of us in the rest of the world. I assume this is why those words are known by the general public?
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In that list chiropody is a medical term (podiatry).
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Perhaps, but acetaminophen is the generic name of a popular over-the-counter NSAID, so we never get advertisements for those, only for their name-brand counterparts (Tylenol, Excedrin, most commonly in the US). I think in Europe the generic name for this is Paracetamol, with the name brand of Panadol and Calpol.
Albuterol similarly is a generic name for asthma medication, which goes by a different generic name in Europe, Salbutamol. While it is a prescription only medication in the US, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an advertisement for it outside of a doctor’s office.
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Oh yes, Paracetamol is a word I know. So that makes sense, it’s common enough that nearly everyone comes across it even without ads.
I’m still mystified by the Salbutamol, though. I wouldn’t think respiratory issues are common enough for people to know that word unless they’re personally afflicted.
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If you’re interested in words and their origins, I recommend
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Interesting that the English words unknown in the US are almost all words of English origin; not so much with the American words unknown in the UK. Though I have to say, about equal numbers of words on both lists are familiar to me.
It’s interesting to see the categories the words fall into - brand names turned generic, for example (tippex, biro). There are a lot more words of that type that I would also expect to see on the list - e.g. hoover, and American versions, e.g. dumpster or xerox. Though I wonder if words like “dumpster” are more familiar to Brits thanks to the ubiquity of American film and television, than the British equivalents in the US. It would explain why so many of the US terms are food related - they’re less likely to show up in media.
I’ve literally never heard the word before in the US. I’ve been trying to figure out if it’s regional, but my searches have gotten me nowhere. (Especially weird that it’s a fully American, 19th century portmanteau of umbrella and parachute meant to sound - or current perceived as sounding - English.)
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kabob
This seems a rather obvious one, i highly doubt that someone in the UK would have no idea what this word is considering that it’s a really popular food there. The spelling is different, with it being kebab though it can also be spelled as kabab or kebap as well
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Not on the list but paracetamol is something that is likely unknown in the US that I’m pretty sure everyone in the UK knows. It’s acetaminophen in the US (aka Tylenol).
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When I lived in the UK I’d never seen brolly spelled out, but I always assumed it was “brelly” which would make sense being short and cute abbreviation for “umbrella”. Maybe it’s just because I always heard it in a Scottish accent.
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Sometimes it’s even just pronunciations of the same word. Heck, my work colleagues get stuck on the Greg/Craig oddity, and don’t get me started if your car is a Nissan.
I’ve never understood why Indian food isn’t as popular in other countries as it is in the UK, though. Do Americans really not know the simple joys of a good korma?
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I’ve lived in India and didn’t know what korma was. I’m not surprised, though. There is a lot of regional variation in India. Saying “Indian Food” is really more akin to saying “European Food” or “American Food”. Some things are common, but a lot isn’t.
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