Americanisms that will never, ever cross over into the UK

This confusion is all just a matter of Ireland being grouchy about imperialism, though, right? Cuz the objection doesn't seem to have much merit any other way, per the way I've always understood this:

- coherent group of islands = British Isles / Britain
- the biggest island among them = Great Britain

So the Irish grouchiness seems based on allowing the "Great Britain" designation to turn the people on it into the "British," as opposed to the Irish, until eventually Irish people are like "fuck no we're not part of Britain" -- i.e., kinda mussing up the political/geographical senses of the word and rolling them together? But of course at present the UK doesn't claim full ownership of the "Britain" word -- it's "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and miscellaneous islands)," isn't it?

Beanies.

Nah, I'm thinking of something else. Besides beanie really means a smaller, usually more rigid, hat. Rather than the knit ones which can roll down past your ears.

Granted, it would be annoying if your island were not THAT much smaller than the next one, and history was still like "this one is GREAT Britain, and they are going to come take all your stuff and call you savages, but don't worry, you're part of Britain too!"

I HAVE HEARD PLENTY OF AMERICANS USE THE WORD TOQUE TO REFER TO A SPECIFIC TYPE OF WINTER HATS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toque

also used: toboggan, which i had no idea what was being referred to the first time someone accused me of wearing one.

Canadian variant
Main article: tuque
In Canadian English, "toque" is also a common alternative spelling of tuque (IPA: (tuk)), a knit woollen winter hat, originally worn by French-Canadians but now a staple of the Canadian winter wardrobe. This "fashion" originated when coureurs des bois kept their woollen nightcaps on for warmth during cold winter days. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary regards the use of toque for this hat to be assimilated from the etymologically unrelated French word tuque

i.e. there's something very canadian about that word

I have only ever heard "toque" from Canadians and then actually it was pronounced "tuke". We called knit winter hats uh stocking caps? Or just winter hats. XP yes!

lol cold people

I had no idea "twat" could rhyme with "fat," I've actually corrected someone who said it that way

"you fackin' twat"
"i think you mean 'twot', my good sir"

-- That one guy that quit, Friday, June 29, 2007 12:55 PM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

I don't get British humor

toque is also used colloquially to refer to chefs themselves, i.e. "Top Toque"

'beanie' has come to encompass almost every type of knit hat in the last maybe 15 years in my neck of the woods.

SHUT UP ABOUT THE CHEF HATS

Nabisco's basically right about the Britain thing, except, you know, "grouchiness" is kind of understating it. Given the history and all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beanie

vindication never felt so comfy

It would work better if people had ever used the term "British" to refer to all the people of the whole island group -- which we can't really do now, since there's no good alternative form for people from the UK. (UKer? Great Britisher and/or Northern Irelander and/or Miscellaneous Non-Irish British Islander?)

I know it's pedantic but I'm referring to a knitter's/seamstress definition of hat styles.

I'm going insane b/c I can't remember the name I'm thinking of.

It would totally be fun to refer to someone as "Great British," though.

pejorative sense etc.

vindication never felt so comfy

I still don't trust an Angeleno when it comes to winter hats, though.

vindication never felt so comfy

That would make a great tagline for a movie.

x-post: My folks are from the upper Midwest and this is how they referred to it.

The best Canadaism that will never catch on anywhere (but wish it would) is when Canucks tell you about their drinking last night and mention "my head hurts, I had 9 beer last night". That refusal to pluralize beer to beers is so charming.

The island of Ireland is geographically part of the British Isles. I'm stunned that so many people, particularly British people who went to school here, don't know this.

That Irish Republicans don't wish to be associated with the word British is neither here nor there. There are many Brits who don't want to be associated with the word European but changing continents to suit ones political will is a bit tricky*.

*Isreal in Eurovision/European football doesn't count

xpost Is it because Canadians are surrounded by moose and deer?

Maybe they actually mean "9 deer"

gabbneb's diagram:8080

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

yes, yes, yes...but what did Bugs Bunny mean when he munched on a carrot and said "nyyyyaaaahhhhh.... what's up doc?"? Was he asking what was the matter, or was he saying what's happening, or was he just saying hello? THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

oooooo nice

*Isreal in Eurovision/European football doesn't count

They're not in Europe!!!!

(This is a passionate argument held around May time every year in our house)

What Canadians are saying "9 beer?"

I think I used to say that or something... but I stopped at some point, and I'm not sure why. That's so strange. It must have been a Bruce/Toronto/etc thing because I don't think I ever said it in Ott or Mtl.

xpost

The drunk ones.

They're not in Europe!!!!

That was my point, they're the exception that proves the rule, um, along with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and all these other "new" countries that now play "European" football.

.but what did Bugs Bunny mean when he munched on a carrot and said "nyyyyaaaahhhhh.... what's up doc?

this is key but the question never seemed to solicit a response other than "I'll tell YOU what's up!" which puts us back to square one.

or sometimes "I'll tell you 'WHAT'S UP'!", similarly unhelpful.

Onimo, I was agreeing with you. But I was referring to far more important issue of the Eurovision Song Contest. Never mind your football.

(It's a bit like if the people of the big island called Hawaii took over the other islands and were dicks to everyone and then eventually Maui got its independence and started saying "WTF, we are not nor have we ever been part of any so-called 'Hawaiian Islands.'")

This confusion is all just a matter of Ireland being grouchy about imperialism, though, right? Cuz the objection doesn't seem to have much merit any other way, per the way I've always understood this:

- coherent group of islands = British Isles / Britain
- the biggest island among them = Great Britain

So the Irish grouchiness seems based on allowing the "Great Britain" designation to turn the people on it into the "British," as opposed to the Irish, until eventually Irish people are like "fuck no we're not part of Britain" -- i.e., kinda mussing up the political/geographical senses of the word and rolling them together? But of course at present the UK doesn't claim full ownership of the "Britain" word -- it's "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and miscellaneous islands)," isn't it?

-- nabisco, Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:08 AM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

'britain' comes from the part of these isles that were colonized by the romans, so you can imagine celts (i am one) not being so keen to subscribe to it. the notion that there are nonpolitical 'geographical' terms is rubbish. it's only coherent if you want it to be -- canada and the USA are coherent, no?

the uk doesn't explicitly claim ownership of 'britain' but an irishman would never call themselves 'british'. because the union is breaking up anyway that word is going out of style on the mainland too.

canada and the USA are coherent, no?

Yes, and it's called North America BWAHAHAHAHHHAAAA

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/bugs.jpg

xpost

Umm yes Canada / US / Mexico are a coherent landmass collectively called "the continent of North America" !!!??

I mean I follow your point about geographical names having a political dimension, but I'm just saying the Irish objection here would seem to have a lot more to do with the words Britain and British lying with the GB people, not some kind of claim that their land is somehow not a part of the same collective island chain.

(I guess this would seem less weird if they had a term they used to refer to the island chain -- I mean, what do Irish topographers call it?)

Along with the fact that "Americans" generally only refers to citizens of the United States and not other residents of North or South America, there's the weird issue that some Spanish-speakers refer to citizens of the United States as "norteamericanos," even if they, too, technically live in North America.

because the union is breaking up anyway that word is going out of style on the mainland too.

Ah, the mainland.

I feel like all this geographical chat has hijacked the fun word-swapping thread.

yeah shit got mad boring

Yes, I'm so confused. And also still can't of think of the hat name I had in mind.

Don't worry about it, Ms. M, it's North West Europeantown.

Now I want to know the hat name too.

I'm thinking perhaps it doesn't really exist and I'm just losing my mind.

ms misery: skully or skull cap?