"separated by a common language"

[Pox Voldius]

Oh! I think I've found it! (by doing a Google search on Mr Brains Pack meatballs)

Is it this?
http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.bl...1_archive.html
(scroll down to the second entry for July 3rd)

[anabel]

Yupp - that's the one. They are very tasty and it's not a derogatory word in Britain!

Under here:    

---

[ginger1]

It's an odd word altogether. In the UK slang for a cigarette end is a f-- end. Also a cigarette is a f--. (I'm using dashes because I don't know how much would be subject to asterisks). But the main use of the word which is questionable in Britain (not necessarily for it's other meanings in the US, but because of the oddities of British society - is that a f-- at a public school is a junior boy who runs errands for a senior.

And a public school (here) is not public at all, but one that needs to be paid for, and therefore, very private, and I guess it's all very different over the pond?

[Youdan]

F-- also used as instead of tired. School boy F-- do the tiresome or boring jobs.
There is a book out from the editor of the Canadian Oxfrod dictionary about words used in Canada. Rain gutter = eavestrough. funny book. Only in Canada you say

[Pox Voldius]

Originally Posted by ginger1

And a public school (here) is not public at all, but one that needs to be paid for, and therefore, very private, and I guess it's all very different over the pond?

Yes. Here, "public schools" are the free* ones, and the ones you have to pay for are called "private schools".

(*but you still have to pay textbook & locker fees, and buy your own school supplies & P.E. uniforms, and that sort of thing)

[MC2456]

Hey, in Asia, our kind of porridge is the one where we eat with our food (eg, meat, veggies that kinda stuff.) It is made out of rice (the kind of rice you get from Thailand.) and cooked with water until it becomes very soft. I understand you call this 'congee' in US. Well, here we call it porridge.

I also read in some books that people in the UK eat porridge with sugar during breakfast. Is it similar to our kind of porridge made with rice, or is it made of oats? I would want to ask because I find it very confusing to read that some people eat porridge with sugar during breakfast. Hope you can reply me quick!

[Mundungus Fletc]

British porridge is made with oats ("A grain that in England is fed to horses and in Scotland supports the people," according to Dr Johnson) It is eaten with sugar for breakfast though some people prefer salt.

[MC2456]

Thanks Mundungus Fletc! That cleared my mis-understanding, as in Asia we eat either porridge or rice as a staple food, like how you in the US and UK eat bread or potatoes, yes?

[Pox Voldius]

Originally Posted by MC2456

Thanks Mundungus Fletc! That cleared my mis-understanding, as in Asia we eat either porridge or rice as a staple food, like how you in the US and UK eat bread or potatoes, yes?

I'm not so sure about bread or potatoes as a staple food (unless maybe it's Ireland before the Potato Famine)... I think I would probably have gone with beef, chicken, and fish. Bread & potatoes are more of an accessory for those.

[YellowPoofBall]

Originally Posted by MC2456

Hey, in Asia, our kind of porridge is the one where we eat with our food (eg, meat, veggies that kinda stuff.) It is made out of rice (the kind of rice you get from Thailand.) and cooked with water until it becomes very soft. I understand you call this 'congee' in US. Well, here we call it porridge.

We call it porridge in the US too. The only time I've ever seen it called congee is in Vietnamese restaurants.

[PrezLeefun]

Please someone who actually is british or english- hell from the UK set me straight because I may have insulted someone.

I was just told that it is an insult to call a british person "british" someone set me right on the proper vernacular please.

[ginger1]

Well, if you know which country they live in it's easy - from Wales, call them Welsh, from England, call them English etc - but usually it's difficult to tell. So we're all from the UK - call us British - I am from England, but I don't mind being called British at all.

[anabel]

Originally Posted by PrezLeefun

I was just told that it is an insult to call a british person "british" someone set me right on the proper vernacular please.

It is not an insult at all. We don't generally call ourselves that, but we are all British.

[PrezLeefun]

Originally Posted by ginger1

Well, if you know which country they live in it's easy - from Wales, call them Welsh, from England, call them English etc - but usually it's difficult to tell. So we're all from the UK - call us British - I am from England, but I don't mind being called British at all.

Ok cool. I didnt insult anyone.... yay. Thank you guys.

[Quickquill]

Originally Posted by hermy_weasley2

I think that actually depends on who you ask--I overheard a conversation about this the other day. But, yeah, they're at least pretty similar. I've noticed that all the scones I've ever eaten (which doesn't amount to much) are less fluffy than a lot of American biscuits though, but that may just be me.

As far as I can tell, what the British call scones are what Americans call muffins. (A kind of quick-bread baked in a cupcake tin, usually without paper liners.) What we (Americans) call buscuits are made from a slightly stiffer batter that can be rolled out, cut into shape and baked on a tray. What we call "English Muffins" are apparrently cast in a ring on a tray from a relatively loose batter, and are wider than most muffins. Are they what the English call scones?

Regarding Pumpkin Pie etc. - apparently there are different varieties of pumpkin that are popular in differrent regions. In America, the round pumpkins are popular because of the tradition of carving Jack-o-Lanterns. They have a nice large cavity inside and not much flesh. Here in Israel, the common pumpkin is huge, and somewhat irregularly shaped with thick flesh that when cooked mashes up somewhat stringy. The American pumpkins mash up like potatoes, and are more suitable for making pie filling. Here the closest I can get to them is called a " Georgian" or a "dry" pumpkin. It doesn't really matter which variety of pumpkin is used as far as taste is concerned. If you have a good recipe, the pie will be tasty. Most of the charachteristic taste of pumpkin pie comes from the spices used anyway.

[mac_attack]

Eddie Izzard has a hilarious bit about the differences in the languages. It's most definitely not family friendly, though, so I won't post a link. It is funny though.

What is the difference in puddings? Here, pudding is dessert. Is it different over there?

I've heard lots of people say "hire" instead of "rent" (ex: "we're going to hire a car") So do you guys use hire to mean as in "hired at a job", or is there another word for that?

[Lyra Black]

Originally Posted by Quickquill

As far as I can tell, what the British call scones are what Americans call muffins. (A kind of quick-bread baked in a cupcake tin, usually without paper liners.) What we (Americans) call buscuits are made from a slightly stiffer batter that can be rolled out, cut into shape and baked on a tray. What we call "English Muffins" are apparrently cast in a ring on a tray from a relatively loose batter, and are wider than most muffins. Are they what the English call scones?

No! Muffins are not scones.

Scones are bread rather than cake, eaten as a mid morning or mid afternoon snack with jam, cream or butter, about 3-4cm in diameter and 2-3cm high, baked in an oven.



American style muffins (which are also called muffins in the UK) are much larger than scones and have an entirely different texture, a muffin being somewhere between bread and cake. It's also not usual to put any flavouring in a scone as the flavouring comes from the jam or whatever you like to put on. Muffins on the other hand come in many different flavours.



British style muffins (called English muffins outside the UK) are disk-like bread cooked in a pan on the stove or in a toaster and eaten for breakfast. Can be substituted for ordinary bread in a sandwich and filled with lots of different things, anything from just butter to practically a whole English breakfast.

[RavenEye]

Originally Posted by mac_attack

What is the difference in puddings? Here, pudding is dessert. Is it different over there?

Pudding is dessert (as in the course) and also the name for specific hot desserts like steamed sponge pudding.

I've heard lots of people say "hire" instead of "rent" (ex: "we're going to hire a car") So do you guys use hire to mean as in "hired at a job", or is there another word for that?

Rent (the verb) is usually just applied to property, while hire is more general.

[anabel]

Originally Posted by RavenEye

Pudding is dessert (as in the course) and also the name for specific hot desserts like steamed sponge pudding.

Or steak and kidney pudding! Puddings can be savoury too.

[Pox Voldius]

Ah, see, in the U.S., "pudding" is pretty much just stuff like this:


Goopy stuff that comes in flavors like chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, and tapioca, and it's served chilled or at room temperature. Mostly stuff made by the Jell-O company.

Anything else, and you have to state specifically what kind, like "rice pudding".