List of words known better by UK people than U.S. people, and vice versa

Spelled “curbside” on this side of the pond. Not sure why that’s so hard.

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As a Canadian, I am really amused I know the bulk of both word lists. This tracks with the stereotype our culture is a hodgepodge of those two places.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to pay the hydro bill.

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Having lived in a city with a hydro-electric dam across the Columbia river, I had to pause for a moment to consider that at one time for me this could have meant either the Water or the Power bill.

I assume this means water bill, is it a common saying in Canada / across the pond?

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It’s those old time curbs made of granite instead of concrete that are particularly hard.

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Possibly just access to it? IIRC, there were no restrictions on Indian (or Pakistani) immigration to the UK until the 1960s, by which point there was a sizeable and well-established South Asian community.

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Currently reading the very British slang infested book series “Rivers of London” and don’t recall ever hitting up google as much reading any other set of books. A lot of them I get from context, but I still like to find out the etymology.

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Good guess, but it’s actually the electrical! As far as I know, it’s Canada only. Our biggest utility is still called “Hydro One”.

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Also some places in rural New England

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Indian food is immensely popular in Canada, at least the bits I’ve been in. There’s a tonne of really good Indian food in Portugal as well, due to Goa.

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Food terms Americans don’t understand:

Gazpacho

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Georgians.

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Oi! I know what gazpacho is! #notallGeorgians!

Episode 1 GIF by The Simpsons

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Can confirm. We have a restaurant in our area known for its soup, but I checked the menu and gazpacho is conspicuously absent. Hmm…

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I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but acetaminophen (aka paracetamol) is not an NSAID.

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Very good point! I’ve been told that what we in the UK typically think of as ‘Indian’ food is most normally either Punjabi or Bangladeshi in origin, or at least invented by people who may have come from those areas.

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I’m sure I remember walking down a whole street of indian restaurants in Paris once, in about 2001. Been back only twice since then, but haven’t been able to find it.

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This might change depending on the area someone in the US lives in. I know Houston and Austin have a number of good Indian places (there’s 2-3 close to me!), when i lived in Vegas i didn’t specifically seek them out but i know they’re there but the restaurant type of choice there was Japanese/Sushi though there’s a chance that’s changed in the 10 years i’ve been gone.

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It’s the different pronunciation of the same words that fascinates me. Imagine the following from a British newsreader vs American: “Continued controversy for a natural medicine, herbs and vitamins line found to contain high levels of aluminum. Also a zebra eats a tomato, right after these advertisements.”

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