Wednesday, August 29, 2007

breaking the language barrier

at last! the times of london publishes a vocabulary list to help brits and americans to speak english to each other. here are some important examples:

British — North American:

articulated lorry — tractor-trailer
blanket bath — sponge bath
bumbag — fanny pack
central reservation — median strip
cut-throat razor — straight razor
double cream — heavy cream
dummy — pacifier
dustbin — trash/garbage can
fringe — bangs
green fingers — green thumb
hundreds and thousands — sprinkles
indicator (on car) — turn signal
ladybird — ladybug
mangetout — snow peas
maths — math
number plate — license plate
off-licence — liquor store
press-up — pushup
queue — line
recorded delivery — certified mail
roundabout (in road) — traffic circle
trainers — sneakers
transport cafĂ© — truck stop
vest — undershirt
waistcoat — vest
zebra crossing — crosswalk

the rest of the list is here, in the entertainment section!

they left out the pants/underpants/trousers example though ... make of that what you may ...

1 comment:

  1. I LOVE IT!! What a fabulous list. I might just have to show that to all my friends. Thanks :)

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