Aluminum. Or aluminium. / Wikimedia Commons
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
“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
(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
Santa / Wikimedia Commons
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
Lazy clouded leopard by Charles Barilleaux / Wikimedia Commons
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
… when you’re travelling in England: Continue reading
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
Cate Blanchett in “Carol” / Tumblr
Continuing Glosso’s September series, “X v Y”, we take a look at lit vs. lighted. Continue reading
British public schoolboys
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
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