There might be trade war brewing over steel and aluminum. But another trans-Atlantic war has already been raging for a couple of centuries over one of those heavy metals. Which came first: American aluminum or British aluminium? Continue reading
Category Archives: Yanks vs. Brits
I say sked-yule, you say shed-yule; I say nego-she-ate, you say nego-see-ate …
“Stand well away from Platform 4. The approaching train is not SHEDuled to stop at this station.” So pronounces the Very British voice actor Celia Drummond, who happens to be the the voice of London’s Jubilee and Northern tube lines, as well as of some of the other British transport systems. But is this the “correct” pronunciation of the word schedule? Or do Americans come closer to the way the word was pronounced in its original language? Continue reading
Why is it called Boxing Day?
(Reposted by popular demand from previous years.)
What exactly do Brits get up to on Boxing Day — the day after Christmas? Apart from sheer regret, what is the sentiment of this day post repast? Continue reading
BBC’s Christmas Grammar Guru quiz
Here’s a fun grammar quiz from the BBC.
I got one question wrong. I wonder if other Glossophiles are puzzled by the same question, which I think has two correct answers and not just one (see below for the question in question, and I promise not to spoil it). Continue reading
The British used to fag, and now they can’t be fagged
Offensive as the title of this post probably sounds to most American ears, the word fag, in at least some of its meanings and variations, is alive and well — and for the most part benign — in the mouths of Brits. This is one of those Yanks vs. Brits subjects that I’ve been reluctant to discuss on Glossophilia because of the word’s shameful meaning on one side of the Atlantic; however, it seems a pity not to take a look at this quirky piece of vocabulary that is so versatile, evocative and mostly innocent on British shores, where its only real shame is in its reference to a long and very un-PC tradition — now thankfully obsolete — in British public schools. Continue reading
English words you need …
… when you’re travelling in England: Continue reading
Will call
A Brit in San Diego might be forgiven for wondering what the sign hung on the children’s theater’s box office actually means. Who will call whom at 5.30? Or is it a note to Will (missing a comma), asking him to call at 5.30? Continue reading
X v Y: You say lit, I used to say lighted
Continuing Glosso’s September series, “X v Y”, we take a look at lit vs. lighted. Continue reading
X v Y: The British “public school”: what does public really mean? Private?
Glosso’s “X v Y” series tackles the complicated matter of British schools: when are they public, and when are they private? Can any actually be both? Continue reading
X v Y: Careering and careening
Continuing Glosso’s month-long series “X v Y”, we look at two words that are spelled almost identically, and used almost interchangeably, but are not actually synonymous. Career and careen: what’s the story? Continue reading