Disney Boombox

/Archive 1 (June 18, 2003 through July 25, 2006)

Minor Disputes

Though perhaps it's coming from Americans, 'bro' is definitely in use here in the UK. I'm not sure how wide the usage is, though.

Say, you guys did way better on this page than the Brits. There were lots of mistakes on this page's counterpart, but that's the only one I found here! Cheers! 86.131.159.4 (talk) 20:12, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Here are some more I'm pretty sure are common in the UK:

bud dweeb gee-whiz: Although I guess it seems quite old-fashioned by now. hickey: Just as common as 'love-bite' which sounds a bit twee. snuck: The UK uses 'sneak', so why would the word not exist in its past tense form? stick: Used as a shortened from of gearstick. I don't think I've ever heard the term stickshift though. yellow light: I know it's amber officially, but I'm fairly certain many people use yellow colloquially. AneurinM (talk) 12:48, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Snuck is definitely used in Ireland (which is more heavily influenced by BrE than AmE -Orathaic

Narc

'Narc' is used in the UK as a pejorative for an authority figure, however its usage is seen as old-fashioned.

Anchor

Strictly speaking, an anchor is not a synonym for a newsreader. Traditionally, a British newsreader could be, say, an actor, whereas a news anchor is not only the presenter of the news but theoretically the lead journalist behind it (hence the metaphor in the term). Not everyone reading the news on television is necessarily an anchor.

FWIW, German practice generally includes an anchor and a newsreader (the former introduces the show, composes his or her own introductions to out-of-studio pieces, and is allowed to exhibit a certain amount of personality, whereas the newsreader reads the news briefs in a formal tone on-camera), and Deutsche Welle TV news followed this practice in English, using both terms.

 ProhibitOnions  (T) 15:02, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

ATM Machine

I'm from England and come across the term ATM fairly frequently - maybe it is just me. --Joshtek 15:05, 28 July 2006 (UTC)


ATM or atom is commonly used in Ireland. -Orathaic

Airplane?

Airplane is used just as widely, if not more widely, than aeroplane is in the UK. Just thought I should note that

hang-up?

Used as an adjective in "hang-up clothes", or as a noun meaning (I believe) wire clothes hangers. I first heard this in California on my first visit to the US, and never heard it in the UK. -213.219.187.253 02:31, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Bum bag?

A Fanny pack should be approximately a bum bag, because no one actually uses the term and just call it a bag ("fanny-packs" are used by tram and taxi drivers in England). Also the article should give reference to British fanny, meaning vagina.

Savings account

The term savings account is very widely used in Britain - in fact, I believe it to be the standard name for this type of account. (I wasn't aware that they were ever called anything else.) AdorableRuffian 09:35, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Duct/duck tape and chapstick

As a Brit, I've certainly come across, and used the terms duct and duck tape in place of gaffer tape - gaffer tape being informal/slang, duck being brand name (so maybe should have TM against it?). Likewise, have come across chapstick, although I suspect a more common usage in the UK would be lipsyl (brand name). Haven't changed the main page, since I don't know if these are just me, or are common in the UK. Carre 14:32, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

49er?

Is this really a word per se? It's a reference to a historical event, and since the historical event happened in the U.S., of course it's more commonly referenced in American English. It's not exactly commonly used in American English, either, apart from the name of a sports team (which is a proper name, so not relevant for this page). I'm going ahead and removing unless/until anyone objects. --Delirium 00:19, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

Soccer

I have just reinstated this word. Yes, it is used by some people in Britain (I think the person who deleted it is correct - it is used in British public schools to distinguish it from "rugger") - but it is worth including because (a) it is not the standard UK term and (b) I assume one of the functions of this list is to provide a reference for speakers of American English on which of "their" words are not so widely used "over here". In my experience (coming from Ireland to England and constantly finding myself saying "soccer - sorry, I mean football"), soccer is very much not a standard BrEng word! Snalwibma 08:33, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Tardy

I deleted this entry a while back, and someone has just put it back. I have now asterisked it, because I feel it is pretty standard BrEng usage too. I still think it can be deleted, but this time I'll see if anyone else has any opinions first. Snalwibma 08:30, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Wrench

This has just been added anonymously, and I have asterisked it. Seems pretty standard BrEng too - though no doubt the standard word is "spanner", and "wrench" is normally part of a compound like "monkey-wrench" or "mole-wrench" (are those trade names, I wonder?). In BrEng, a wrench is a spanner with adjustable jaws. Am I right? I am in two minds whether "wrench" should remain in, with an asterisk, or be deleted on the grounds of common meaning and usage. Snalwibma 17:36, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

Paper Route

I'm an American and I lived in the United Kingdom for a few years and I had a paper route during this time. From my experience both countries call it a paper route - not just Americans. Lngarrett 17:45, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

SUV

I would say SUV is fast replacing 4 by 4 as the standard term over here (although many people might not be aware of what it stands for)

Sophomore

The listing for "sophomore" suggests that the term "sophomoric" comes from the American usage of "sophomore" when applied to a student or a band's music. One need only consult a dictionary to find the word is from the greek "sophos", meaning "wise", and "moros", meaning fool. The word itself means "wise moron" and has nothing to do with any cultural connotation imposed upon it. The writer has got it backwards. I will make the needed correction.

Here is the old text:

Truck

Why not add truck to the list. I know from watching BBC shows that Brits say "Lorrey."72.78.161.113 20:05, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Roil

Unusual in both places, but not a US/UK distinction, I would say. Rich Farmbrough, 14:35 21 December 2007 (GMT).

"Great Britain" is incorrect in this title

This page should be moved to List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom or perhaps List of American words not widely used in Britain. Great Britain is an island, not a nation. In fact, the article's (correct) opening sentence contradicts the title:

This is a list of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom.

Swedish fusilier (talk) 04:08, 23 December 2007 (UTC)

there should be an article on a list of british words not widely used in America


Actually 'Great Britain' refers to the geo-political union of England, Scotland and Wales. British is a nationality and therefore a nation. 'Britain' is the islands name. -Sam

n-alarm fire?

Living in the US I often heard the phrase "four-alarm fire" (or as it may be "three alarm fire" or whatever) in news reports. I was never sure what it meant, but I assumed that it meant a fire so severe that fire tenders were summoned from adjacent areas to assist the main responding brigade. I have just found a nice article on Slate. I will try to condense this into a one-line definition, but where should it go? At the top with the numbers? Under A for Alarm? Rachel Pearce (talk) 11:41, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

I think referencing it in a sentence would be great. But I’m also not sure where to put it.--DavidD4scnrt (talk) 10:03, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

Bachelorette v Spinster

JackLumber (talk ·contribs) removed my addition "(UK: spinster)". Edit summary: problem is, 1) spinster is not a UKism and 2) it's not exactly synonymous with bachelorette

Admittedly, I am somewhat surprised at the connotations revealed by various dictionary defs. But as for point 1, my intention was simply to answer the question "What do