Thread: Etiquette

In a few weeks time will be visiting USA again Have had numerous visits and have been through 29 States, mainly with the help of Amtrak. We all get along famously on the forum, no problem with the language till we meet and speak to one another.

Below is my list:

We in the UK use the same language as you in the States, but do we, and if your European cruise bring you to the British Isles then:

Last year I was told in the states, that we only invented the English language the USA improved it.
We write dates as : 22/6/2005 not 6/22/2005 prefer 22 Jun 2005
We write cheques not checks
We walk on the pavement not the sidewalk.
We drive on the left side of the road not the right.
We ask for the bill in restaurants not the cheque
We transfer from one floor to another in a lift not the elevator.
We buy petrol not gas
We queue not stand in a line.
We reside in an a flat not an apartment
We get money from the hole in wall not the ATM
Our children have pocket money not an allowance
Before we get married we have a hen or stag night, not a bachelor party
We reverse our car not Back-up our car
When we cut ourselves we stop the blood with a plaster not a Band-Aid
I am going to the pub, not the bar
People play Rounders, not Baseball
The floor below ground level is known as the cellar not the basement
We go to the toilet, not the restroom
We may have a lodger, not a boarder
We go on holiday, not a vacation
When on holiday we may stay in a caravan, not a camper or trailer
I have just opened a tin of beans, not a can of beans
We buy sweets, not candy
The shopkeeper puts the money for purchases in the till, not the cash registrar.
Mobiles phones are very popular, not cellular phones
We may fancy a game of draughts, not checkers.
It is cold, we wrap ourselves in a duvet whilst in bed, not a comforter or heavy blanket.
I fancy some biscuits, not cookies
Lollipop persons assist children across roads in busy times, not crossing guards
We may live in a Cul-de Sac not a Dead End Road
If the house is large enough we may have a study not a den
We shop in the city centre, not downtown.
The fish fingers we had for dinner are not fish sticks
We have tyres on our cars, not tires
We watch football not soccer
Some places play American Football, not football
We have boots on some of our cars not trunks
We have bonnets on our cars, not hoods
We put our rubbish in the dustbin, not garbage or trash into the garbage can
To speed up we press the accelerator, not the gas pedal.
We go to the garage to fill up with petrol, not the gas station
We use the gear lever to change gear, not the gearshift
We use motorways not freeways or expressways
If we require alcohol we go to the off license, not the liquor store
To apply for a job we have to supply a Curriculum Vita not a Resume
We have slots in the door for letters and newspapers, not boxes on the front of the house

I am sure there are many more, some I believe have been adopted in the two Countries and I hope is useful for British people visiting the States or vice versa.

I live in England, and I am only quoting what we do, not the rest of Europe or the world.

Good post!

I have copied it over to the Ask a Cruise Question forum, too.

We may fancy a game of draughts, not checkers.

I never knew that's what draughts was! Thanks!

Don't even think about going outside for a "fag"

And we language challenged Canadians are somewhere in the middle of all that.

Here's a good one for you, Today I was told that if you are German, who the US fought a war against, you don't need a Visa to visit the US...BUT if you are a UK passport holder, who were allies to the US & are supposed to have a "special relationship with", you do need a visa & have to fill in an ESTA online.

Quote:"We may live in a Cul-de Sac not a Dead End Road"

It's called a Cul de Sac here too. Some people may refer to it as a dead end street.

Char, I'm originally from Trinidad & Tobago(Trinidad specifically) a former British colony, and we used to call checkers Draughts, checks, cheques, the hood of the car the bonnet, etc. Those I'm not familiar with are the Lollipop persons, and the Off license. We called the latter the rum shop as well as the Curriculum Vita. We called that a resume also, plus a few others.

We say cul de sac too, but the rest of your list is very "right on." If you really want to go bonkers (mad), you can find the song "Valley Girl," which was written in the 70s/80s (?) about the lexicon in my area. Some parts of it is out of date (the kids around here use "fail" a lot).

what does 'fail' mean in the Valley ?

We say cul de sac when there is a semi-circle at the end of the street/road and dead end street when there is no semi-circle. Lots of dead end streets around here and with parking on both sides of the street and only enough room for 1 car, if you go down them and park, you're backing up (reversing) all the way out since there's no room to turn a car around.

At Carolina beaches when we're going out shagging, we're going out dancing!

The Shag is the state dance of South Carolina!