English Words That Are Different in the UK and USA

voice of the sun.:

Bollocks.

Is the term "taking the piss" (taking the mick/making fun of, basically) used in America? Because I've said it to an American friend online before and they didn't understand what I meant.

I don't think so. I've never heard it used on TV, in books, or by any of my friends. I've used it occasionally, but I learned it from the movie Snatch and just thought it sounded awesome.

I think the words used in America are more straightforward, simplified and sometimes more blunt. Such as using favorite other than favourite, bum and butt, boot of car and trunk. Things like that.

voice of the sun.:

Is the term "taking the piss" (taking the mick/making fun of, basically) used in America? Because I've said it to an American friend online before and they didn't understand what I meant.

We have "taking a piss", which is completely different. That's "piss" in the urination sense. Did your friend happen to think that's what you meant?

ghosthorse:

We have "taking a piss", which is completely different. That's "piss" in the urination sense. Did your friend happen to think that's what you meant?

Nah, that's a completely different context.

"Taking a piss" means urination here too, but "taking the piss" is making fun of something. Like the phrase "taking the mick" (if you have that over there?) but slightly more crude.

the architect.:

I don't think so. I've never heard it used on TV, in books, or by any of my friends. I've used it occasionally, but I learned it from the movie Snatch and just thought it sounded awesome.

Damn, we say it here all the time.

Do you have things like "that's really tight"? (meaning "that's really mean/cruel/evil").

Like: "I just stole that old guy's food ."
"That's really tight. "

One that annoys me is the different book title's!!!!
Why is it called Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in America?!

welshgirl44:

One that annoys me is the different book title's!!!!
Why is it called Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in America?!

That's always something I have wondered too. In Australia we always get the British version of the book, if that happens.

voice of the sun.:

Damn, we say it here all the time.

Do you have things like "that's really tight"? (meaning "that's really mean/cruel/evil").

Like: "I just stole that old guy's food ."
"That's really tight. "

I've heard it around here, but I think it's uncommon. We say "That's really harsh..." most of the time.

welshgirl44:

One that annoys me is the different book title's!!!!
Why is it called Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in America?!

That's because Scholastic didn't think American children would want to read a book with 'philosopher' in the title (source). It's not a linguistic thing because sorcerer has a totally different history/meaning to philosopher (so the whole connection to alchemy was thrown off).

ayanasioux:

I think the words used in America are more straightforward, simplified and sometimes more blunt. Such as using favorite other than favourite, bum and butt, boot of car and trunk. Things like that.

'Favorite' is hardly more straightforward though. It simply has one letter less.
Plus nobody in england goes to the extent of calling it a 'boot of a car' though, normally just the boot. And by your logic, that's more simple than trunk.

voice of the sun.:

Damn, we say it here all the time.

Do you have things like "that's really tight"? (meaning "that's really mean/cruel/evil").

Like: "I just stole that old guy's food ."
"That's really tight. "

That's weird. Where I'm from (Maryland in US) "that's really tight" means that's really cool.

Fallen From Grace:

'Favorite' is hardly more straightforward though. It simply has one letter less.
Plus nobody in england goes to the extent of calling it a 'boot of a car' though, normally just the boot. And by your logic, that's more simple than trunk.

But what I was taught, taking that out makes it more simplified. And you didn't touch on how in Ameria we tend to use more crass words. And in majority I think we do use more simplified words. We also use much different slang. I think it's completely different.

ayanasioux:

But what I was taught, taking that out makes it more simplified.

If you really think taking a letter out makes it significantly more simplified then okay. I assumed generally that has no impact and makes no difference to people...therefore I was simply confused as to why it was worth pointing out/focusing on.

ayanasioux:

And you didn't touch on how in Ameria we tend to use more crass words. We also use much different slang. I think it's completely different.

...why would i touch on that? what does that have to do with it being more simple and to the point?

To quote Eddie Izzard;

"You say 'erbs' and we say 'herbs'. Because there's a fucking H in it."

Pippa Shadows.:

To quote Eddie Izzard;

"You say 'erbs' and we say 'herbs'. Because there's a fucking H in it."

That man is such a genius. I'm American and I say herbs. I never understood the silent "h".

Telly and TV, both meaning television.

Fallen From Grace:

...why would i touch on that? what does that have to do with it being more simple and to the point?

Because I was talking about both of those matters, not just the being simple and straight to the point.

fightoffyourdemons.:

That man is such a genius. I'm American and I say herbs. I never understood the silent "h".

Telly and TV, both meaning television.

Well the fact of the matter is, Americans have different slang meanings and words depending on what states they live in. Another thing about American slang is that it comes from diffrerent cultures when people of different cultures move to American and started using words in their language. Sometimes it could be altered a little and become "English Slang". It's happened sometimes before... mostly with Hispanics (from what I know) I've never said telly and I'm American ~*_*~

ayanasioux:

Well the fact of the matter is, Americans have different slang meanings and words depending on what states they live in. Another thing about American slang is that it comes from diffrerent cultures when people of different cultures move to American and started using words in their language. Sometimes it could be altered a little and become "English Slang". It's happened sometimes before... mostly with Hispanics (from what I know) I've never said telly and I'm American ~*_*~

Yes, because we don't use the word telly in the US. In the US we usually just shorten television to TV. In the UK it's usually shortened to telly, as I understand.

veronika:

It's 'blatant', and I don't see how that's exclusively used in your country. It's a legitimate word in the English language, not British slang.

True, but it's often used in a slang-y way here. If that makes sense . . . Like, I don't think teens normally used the word regularly until a few years ago and then people just kind of picked up using it all the time, chavs and non chavs a-like:) 'Yeah well 'at's blatant ain't it mate?'

Still, the meanings the same so it's not really slang, I guess.

CALiEJO:

I wonder if the British use words like 'nigga' or 'hype'.

I have lot's of friend's that do. I can't personally pull of nigga, though they seem to, even though there as white as can be. They don't mean to be taken seriously when they say it though. It's something guys tend to call their white guy mates for a lol :z Hypes used pretty generally, I think

Avant Gardener:

In the UK they say "happy Christmas" instead of "merry Christmas"
I just cant get used to that.

Mmm, yeah we say both. I think we most commonly say Merry Christmas, but happy christmas is used too... doesn't make much different to us :L

dru is on fire.:

We say both. We also say "fuzz", "bacon", and "pigs".

Has no one mentioned in america the word po po is also used?