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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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 Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:28 am Post subject: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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Noting how some of you folks have trouble understanding my English English, here is the on-line version of a popular book of translations, which will help you avoid "putting your foot in it", with be Britons! 
The seven sections contain over 1000 words and expressions that differ in their usage between the US and the UK.
The book has sold around 30,000 copies as a paperback and has been reprinted four times!
The Very Best of British - The American’s guide to speaking British
http://www.effingpot.com/index.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/people.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/motoring.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/clothing.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/house.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/food.shtml
http://www.effingpot.com/objects.shtml
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net
Last edited by NASkeet on Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:23 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Jody '71
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Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2842
Location: Manassas VA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:48 am Post subject: |
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We will have to check this out Nigel. When you say "Putting your foot in it," is this in any way associated with putting your foot in "Rocking Horse (or Unicorn) Droppings? I'm interested to find the American equivalent of "Droppings," which would be "Droppins." "Droppins" is of course associated with those of us here in the Colonies that live below the Mason-Dixon line. I wonder if such distinctions are made based on one's geographical location.
_________________
'66 Beetle
2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring |
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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:41 am Post subject: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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| Jody '71 wrote: |
| We will have to check this out Nigel. When you say "Putting your foot in it," is this in any way associated with putting your foot in "Rocking Horse (or Unicorn) Droppings? I'm interested to find the American equivalent of "Droppings," which would be "Droppins." "Droppins" is of course associated with those of us here in the Colonies that live below the Mason-Dixon line. I wonder if such distinctions are made based on one's geographical location. |
"Putting your foot in it", as in making a "faux pas"; another common English expression!
Rocking Horse & Unicorn Droppings, are equally as rare as Hen's Teeth, which is another common Enlish expression!
For those unfamiliar with droppings, try the alternatives such as faeces or manure.
As with the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, I'm sure that different parts of the USA have their own dialects; expecially considering the ethnic diversity of immigrants.
As we used to say in Dundee, Angus, Scotland, where I lived as a child, "Dinne fash yourself"!
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
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Jody '71
Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2842
Location: Manassas VA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:34 am Post subject: |
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But Nigel,
Isn't "faux pas" a French term??? So what I can figure without consulting the links above is that by "putting your foot in it" is akin to "being in a sticky wicket." Am I on the right course here?? Or does it simply mean I have stepped in dog doo and now have to scrape all that mess out of my sneakers? And I wonder, and hope you may be able to enlighten me, as to where the term "Limey" came from. It is my understanding that this word is used by us here to refer to English people. Is it a derogatory slang word??? Like "Frog" is for the French? I myself prefer "Brits," this is a term one of my best friends that visits your country uses. In fact, I'm working on his US 1966 Beetle right now. It is in my garage as I type this. What do the "Brits" call a garage?
_________________
'66 Beetle
2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
Last edited by Jody '71 on Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Rick73Super
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Joined: June 30, 2004
Posts: 1792
Location: Ocala FL 34481
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:21 am Post subject: |
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| "In America they haven't spoken English for years" ... Professor Henry Higgins. |
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Desertbusman
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Joined: June 03, 2005
Posts: 14655
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:16 am Post subject: Re: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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| NASkeet wrote: |
...which will hell you....
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Some things do get lost in the translations.
Evidently the term "putting your foot in it" really has huge differences in meaning. I'd think the common understanding here is putting your foot in your mouth. I.E. speaking something that you shouldn't have. That's a lot different than stepping in a pile of cr@p.
All in all, the Haynes VW Beetle & Karmann Ghia Automotive Repair Manual is very worthwhile to read just for enjoyment and entertainment. With it's petrol and dynamo's and all the other strange language.
And our good VW buddy in New Zealand who tried to do a Samba search for info on fitment of the windscreen.
Cheers-
Isn't that what you do at the pub? We go to football games to watch the foxes do it.
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71 Superbug
71 Westy |
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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:28 am Post subject: American's guide to English English inc. motoring terms |
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| Jody '71 wrote: |
But Nigel,
Isn't "faux pas" a French term??? So what I can figure without consulting the links above is that by "putting your foot in it" is akin to "being in a sticky wicket." I am I on the right course here?? Or does it simply mean I have stepped in dog doo and now have to scrape all that mess out of my sneakers? And I wonder, and hope you may be able to enlighten me, as to where the term "Limey" came from. It is my understanding that this word is used by us here to refer to English people. Is it a derogatory slang word??? Like "Frog" is for the French? I myself prefer "Brits," this is a term one of my best friends that visits your country uses. In fact, I'm working on his US 1966 Beetle right now. It is in my garage as I type this. What do the "Brits" call a garage? |
English is a hybrid language, with roots in many other different languages, both ancient and modern, including Latin, Greek, French, old Nordic, Saxon, Norman, Celtic, Dutch, Urdu and a few others.
The term Limey, derives from the long-standing use of limes (small, green/yellow citrus fruit) by The Royal Navy, as a means of countering skurvy, a now rare deficiency disease, associated with the lack of ascorbic acid in one's diet, mainly due to lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, on long sea voyages.
The term, "putting one's foot in it" or "putting one's foot in one's mouth" relates to saying something silly, stupid or inappropriate; something which George W. Bush, seems to have turned into a new art form, especially in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II!
When one reveals some information, resulting in embarrassment, conflict or other dire consequences, this is also referred to as putting one's foot in it" or "letting the cat out of the bag".
| Desertbusman wrote: |
| NASkeet wrote: |
...which will hell you....
|
Some things do get lost in the translations.
Evidently the term "putting your foot in it" really has huge differences in meaning. I'd think the common understanding here is putting your foot in your mouth. I.E. speaking something that you shouldn't have. That's a lot different than stepping in a pile of cr@p.
All in all, the Haynes VW Beetle & Karmann Ghia Automotive Repair Manual is very worthwhile to read just for enjoyment and entertainment. With it's petrol and dynamo's and all the other strange language.
And our good VW buddy in New Zealand who tried to do a Samba search for info on fitment of the windscreen.
Cheers-
Isn't that what you do at the pub? We go to football games to watch the foxes do it. |
In the days when I wrote communications using a pen, I made far fewer spelling mistakes, because I could continuously see, what was being written! That's one of the penalties of being a two-finger typist!
We in Great Britain and most of the British Commonwealth, regard North American words, expressions, idioms and spellings, as being just as strange if not more so!
Don't you mean America football rather than football (aka soccer) or rugby football (aka rugby). Watching American football, is rather like watching mating turtles or a bastardised form of rugby football, played by medievel knights in body armour.
I do not frequent pubs (i.e. public houses) and seldom drink alcoholic beverages, but yes one would often say "cheers", as a toast or a way of wishing someone "good health", at the commencement of a drink. In The Royal Navy, one traditionally toasts the current monarch, whilst remaining seated in the wardroom, the naval equivalent of the officers' mess.
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
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Rick73Super
Samba Member
Joined: June 30, 2004
Posts: 1792
Location: Ocala FL 34481
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:58 am Post subject: |
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Nigel,
Your postings are the dog's bollocks!  |
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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:29 am Post subject: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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| Rick73Super wrote: |
Nigel,
Your postings are the dog's bollocks! |
Now, that's an expression I never use, for obvious reasons!
http://www.oed.com/bbcwords/bollock-new.html
http://www.oed.com/bbcwords/dog-bollocks-new.html
However, it's origins and history were recently reviewed in a British television series, entitled Balderdash & Piffle, hosted by Victoria Coren.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/fulllist.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/newresults.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/history.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/wordhunt/oedtext.shtml
http://www.oed.com/bbcwords/
http://www.oed.com/bbc-series1/list.html
The programme documented research on behalf of the Oxford English Dictionary, to determine the origins of words or expressions and to find corroborative evidence of when they first entered use in the English language.
« The Oxford English Dictionary, is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last thousand years. It aims for nothing less than recording the complete history of the vocabulary of the English language - not just what each word means and how that meaning may have changed, but where the word comes from, when it was first used, and how different people have used it since. There are over 600,000 words and phrases in the dictionary and their uses are illustrated with over 2.5 million citations. »
It's generally reckoned that the average person, typically uses about 500 different words, whilst the well educated probably use about 3,000 to 5,000 words, on a reasonably regular basis, but are probably acquainted with more.
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net
Last edited by NASkeet on Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:26 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Rick73Super
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Joined: June 30, 2004
Posts: 1792
Location: Ocala FL 34481
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| Eddie Izzard gave a good explanation on one of his specials. |
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90volts
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Joined: August 10, 2005
Posts: 2637
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:38 am Post subject: |
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you'll be fine as long as you remember when you come to the US not to ask for a 'FAG' in line at the store.  |
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Jody '71
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Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2842
Location: Manassas VA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:59 am Post subject: |
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Well Nigel,
You certainly have cleared up the source of the term "Limeys." But, I question the source of the Royal Navy's limes. Did their limes come from Florida? Now you have to keep in mind that if they did get limes back when Florida was still in Spain's posession, limes would be called "limas," so this really opens up another "can of worms."
I have always been a fan of the Royal Navy, except when it caused us to declare war on y'all in 1812 for impressing our sailors. Then your Marines burned up Wash D.C. Colonel Jackson got y'all back at New Orleans and that was that. Why HMS Hood wasn't refitted with thicker deck plates prior to its engagement with Kriegsmarine Bismarck is another problem I have with the Royal Navy. Was it a "sitting duck" like our ships at Pearl Harbor? Thank the Royal Navy's Swordfish Bi-planes and that one in a millon hit in the Bismarck's rudder. That North Atlantic Campaign may have turned out quite differently. I have a Royal Naval ensign that was a gift to me from a gunner's mate that was on a cruiser en route to chase the Bismarck, it being sunk prior to his ship's arrival. He lost his hearing from from shooting his "pom-pom" guns during the course of the war. All and all however, I highly respect the Royal Navy. I fly my Ensign every anniversary in May on the day the Bismarck was sunk.
I can't wait to hear your feed back on this one....
Charlie
_________________
'66 Beetle
2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
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prawny
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Joined: July 23, 2008
Posts: 8
Location: london uk
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:00 am Post subject: |
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dogs bollocks is a great english saying,
putting your foot in it, is like when your saying jees shes put on a lot of weight don't you think, but shes stood behind you! |
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Vanhag
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Joined: June 29, 2003
Posts: 2606
Location: Desert Coast
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:25 am Post subject: |
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I've never seen a problem. Do stupid people really have a hard time understanding "british" and "american" types of english?
I've got a Brother in Law from England and I don't have a problem understanding him or his british phrases. He doesn't have a problem understanding me. Maybe when ghetto talk of america and ghetto talk of britian get together they can't understand eachother? That's probably it. But who the hell cares about ghetto talk? On either side of the pond?
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CU05 w/HBB
HOODRIDANCE |
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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:01 am Post subject: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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| Vanhag wrote: |
I've never seen a problem. Do stupid people really have a hard time understanding "british" and "american" types of english?
I've got a Brother in Law from England and I don't have a problem understanding him or his british phrases. He doesn't have a problem understanding me. Maybe when ghetto talk of america and ghetto talk of britian get together they can't understand eachother? That's probably it. But who the hell cares about ghetto talk? On either side of the pond? |
In a word, yes!  And the not so stupid ones, also do sometimes! 
| 90volts wrote: |
| you'll be fine as long as you remember when you come to the US not to ask for a 'FAG' in line at the store. |
What about that other common English expression, about "knocking you up in the morning"? It's rumoured, that this involves pregnancy, to our North american cousins, but to us it merely means a morning wake-up call, by knocking on the door!
Then there's that American expression about falling on one's fanny, which would be regarded as extremely rude in Great Britain, where fanny = vagina!
Well, here's another publication, which I unearthed by chance, whilst browsing the Veloce Publishing's Internet website, in search of the newly published book on restoring 1968~79 VW Type 2s. It is said to include an translator between American & British English, for 350 automotive terms.
Keith Lane, "Automotive A-Z- Lane's Complete Dictionary of Automotive Terms", June 2002. ISBN: 9781903706404 (Hardback).
A5 format – 210x148mm (portrait). 352 pages.
£ 14.99 + Postage
http://www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/productDetai...raphy&
To quote the publisher's splurge:
« The most comprehensive guide to automotive terms available. For students, apprentices, mechanics, automotive industry workers, drivers & car enthusiasts. »
« Over 13,000 entries - Extensive appendices - A quarter of a million words. Explains the function of thousands of car, truck & motorcycle components. »
« English-American/American-English translator with 350 automotive terms. »
« Defines meanings of automotive acronyms like ABS, PS, CPU & VIN. »
« The most comprehensive guide to the bewildering world of automotive terminology, including jargon and acronyms. »
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:46 am Post subject: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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Here is some further food for thought:
"Notes on a small island: The things that really make Britain great", The Independent, Thursday, 28 August 2008, Extra Supplement, pages 2~5.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/...10558.html
« From rolling hills to rolling cheeses, morris dancing to readers' wives, our nation has a host of endearing pecularities to celebrate. In an extract from his new book, Iain Aitch takes stock of the sights and sounds that truly make us who we are. »
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
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NASkeet
Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006
Posts: 2958
Location: South Benfleet, Essex, UK
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| Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:25 am Post subject: American's guide to English English, inc. motoring terms |
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For those interested in the origins and development of the English language, here is another link, to a review of Henry Hitchings’s book on the topic:
The English language - The secret life of words, Books & Arts, The Economist, 18th September 2008.
http://www.economist.co.uk/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12252983
_________________
Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper
Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)
http://www.vwt2oc.net |
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