Americanisms that will never, ever cross over into the UK

When I was little I didn't know what that meant and one day while playing restaurant (my parents owned restaurants so I played that instead of playing house) I made up a menu with chicken a la mode. Yum.

Rooster

your ideas intrigue me

xpost

In coastal New England a "regular" coffee was one with cream and sugar. The counterperson fixed it for you. I think it's a dying practice.

Beth - I'm in Boston and hear people use that all the time still!

damn straight - same goes for NYC delis and it hasn't died out yet there as far as i know

That's brilliant! Because that's exactly how I like my coffee. Everyone serious west of the East Coast drinks coffee black, no sugar.

the 'regular coffee' thing still confounds and infuriates me every time i try to order a goddamn cup of coffee out here.

i am serious midwestern coffee drinker.

Charlie that's a whole 'nother topic

pls to xpln, tracer?

"Great horny toads!" is too

Horny toads are nearly extinct. :(

"basketball boots" wtfomglol

If "Darn tootin'" is out then I'm guessing "Great horny toads!" is too

"Consarnit" and "Razzle Frazzit" however, are making a comeback. ; )

Are there still varmints west of the Pecos?

I am still staggered by this "entree means main course thing" wtf. Its an entree! Not a main!

Do Americans say starter then?

What does "what's up?" mean in America? I've always used it to mean "what's the matter?", but it seems to mean "what's going on?".

Similarly, in the UK, "are you all right?" seems to mean "what's going on?" but in the US, it means "what's the matter?/is there something wrong?" This caught me off-guard the first few times I heard it when studying over there.

* american brain explodes *

Charlie "you want that i" is, to me, a very regional NY area thing (i also wanted an opportunity to say "whole 'nother")

xpost - totally! people say it ALL THE TIME - "you all right then?" - i'm like, why shouldn't i be? do i look hung over or something?

Do Americans say starter then?

Sometimes. Sometimes appetizer.

Like, dude, me and my homeys were totally shitty last night, i can't believe that fucking guy stole a suitcase from Wal-Mart, what the fuck

If you hadn't explained it, I wouldn't have understood "shitty" or "suitcase" in this context. I also don't live in Montana, though.

people in england have been saying 'what's up' meaning 'hello' for ages.

Just "A'right?" as a greeting sounds v strange to me, yes -- I think of it as a Keef thing. Um, on second thought tho, the whole "a'ight?" thing belies any American claim of strangeness.

totally! people say it ALL THE TIME - "you all right then?" - i'm like, why shouldn't i be? do i look hung over or something?

I wouldn't say it myself. "How's it going" or "How's things" are more likely.

Haha Tracer perhaps the subtext is "you are British / in the UK, are you coping okay."

"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you're Welsh."

The "Alright?" thing got my wife all the time. She's used to it now.

What does "what's up?" mean in America? I've always used it to mean "what's the matter?", but it seems to mean "what's going on?".

I definitely use it in both contexts, but the latter, more "American" one feels... dated. Like, HI MY NAMES THE 90S

Surely you're thinking of "what up."

the 'sup?' lolcat is concerned for your wellbeing

Way upthread xp to Nabisco: I think "Herb" is not just a nerdy-sounding name but a reference to a Burger King campaign in the mid-80s, isn't it? A nerdy guy who had never eaten a Burger King burger and yet hung out at Burger Kings across America, waiting to be spotted?

Yes, that's what I was told re Burger King + "Herb".

A'right?" as a greeting sounds v strange to me, yes

This was still strange to me after living in England for two years because when it's said a response is not always required - it's kind of just like hello. I couldn't get that through my head and always tried to respond which seemed awkward.

The correct response is just to say "alright" back!

does anyone else find it slightly bizarre when US media talks about "the City" wrt London?

maybe they're saying "the city" and I'm hearing "the City"

"Paris, France", "London, England", The London Times. Mind you, the British Open has taken off... it should just be called The Open.

'the times of london', please.

Ha ha, right

What does "what's up?" mean in America? I've always used it to mean "what's the matter?", but it seems to mean "what's going on?".

I definitely use it in both contexts, but the latter, more "American" one feels... dated. Like, HI MY NAMES THE 90S

http://www.vinyltap.co.uk/gallery/4n/4nonbbbfm6520401144471140.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/29/66852555_b3e94f7b47.jpg

Coolin'

"Paris, France", "London, England", The London Times. Mind you, the British Open has taken off... it should just be called The Open.

In the company where I work, which is American, we have to give the name of the country after every city we name, unless it's in the U.S. But London is in Great Britain, not England (I don't know why).

http://qntm.org/files/uk/uk.gif

"what's up" is an exact, though not literal, translation of "que pasa"

"Darn Tooting"

http://www.cowfish.org.uk/tubestations/Tooting%20Broadway.jpg

(xxp) Ireland's not in the British Isles tho?

Are you mad?

Well, it's not, it's not British

Or "British", if you prefer

Geographical not political sense.

Even then?