Americanisms that will never, ever cross over into the UK

a lot of americanisms come in through business-speak.

'good looking out' is black american afaik (we also use 'hard' to say tough, if maybe not in the same way as scots et al. "he think he hard..."

Interesting. FWIW, I don't think I've ever heard "good lookin out" (or "suitcase" or "shitty" to mean drunk. I know "shitfaced" though.)

Gabbneb, you're really saying that the norm in America is to say "three forty-five" or "four fifteen?" I'm not sure I've heard those around here much at all.

yeah three forty five etc. is normal, my parents do the quarter past thing but not too many people my age and younger.
is the use of the word 'tin foil'(for aluminum foil) still common? This girl called me a grampa for using it, which was news to me.

'good looking out' is black american afaik

I say tin foil but the again I also do the quarter past thing as I said earlier. I guess at nearly 30 I'm not that young anymore so maybe that's why! Also, when i was in college in upstate NY, people said shitty to mean shitfaced all the time.

really? I don't know when or where I picked it up, but I had no idea! is it "black" enough that it would be kinda weird to hear a white guy using it?

heh the only reason i said afaik(which i wouldn't for millions of other black expressions) is because it seems it could easy be a regionalism that black folks happened to pick up.

Girl in my office just said "on the weekend". Still grates.

delicious

pizza

Why does saying "So Co" for "Southern Comfort" upset people so much? We Americans just like to nickname our liquor. It's a sign of affection.

Using "vacation" instead of "holiday". I think this is why the Go Gos were less successful than Madonna.

You have it all confused. A holiday is a special day that everyone gets off at once, except for a few people with really shitty jobs. A vacation is when you go somewhere special.

Americans don't say "going on holiday".

I know that! I'm an American! I was explaining this to you! Why are you confusing me! Are you a magician!

I found out long ago it's a long way down the holiday road.

Americans go to the hospital.

UK will never have PocketBooks

Americans go to the hospital.

If they can afford it lol amirite?

Why does saying "So Co" for "Southern Comfort" upset people so much? We Americans just like to nickname our liquor. It's a sign of affection.

-- Jenny, Thursday, 20 December 2007 19:43

The annoying mid-management mid-20s bracket have taken it upon themselves to rename South Congress Ave "the SoCo District." This, like "SoCo with Lime" annoys the shit out of me.

like, totes tubes, bro

California is not part of America, no matter what it looks like.

Handy explanation for one of the above items: in December of 1932, the Church of England officially sanctified the acts of taking time off work and drinking too much and annoying the people of the Mediterranean

Thus, quite literally: holy days

California is not part of America, no matter what it looks like.

I can attest to this whole-heartedly. Once you cross over into Nevada, you realize "Hey. This is what America is actually like!"

Americanism that will never cross over: that'll be 5 quid, m8

Argh, I can't stand 'regular' to mean 'normal' or 'medium' eg regular fries. Or 'he's just a regular kid'. What is it that happens regularly?? A person being described as regular would, to my family, mean something to do with the frequency of his bowel movements.

Using "vacation" instead of "holiday". I think this is why the Go Gos were less successful than Madonna.

-- Dewey B., Thursday, December 20, 2007 2:30 PM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Link

The Go-Gos were referring to going away on a trip (going on holiday); Madonna was referring to a day off ("just one day out of life", ie, a holiday).

Also, I would like to put forward the following as an Americanism that will never, ever cross over in the UK: "vacay."

you are lucky. that word has etched its way into everyone's lexicon somehow and it really, really bugs me.

a lot of x-posts: HA HA, p.p.! now that song is stuck in my head!

'commencement'

I'm unsure what Tom D's problem with "on the weekend" is, I can't remember a time we didn't use that in the UK.

Yeah and in any case, we say "over the weekend", not ON it.

at the weekend, tbh

i use all three, but 'on' seems the wrong-est

I don't remember starting this thread or any of my posts on it (/early_onset_alzheimers)

We had "Commencement" at Trinity College Dublin. Also OED on this:

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1876) VI. 259 By a statute of the universite of Oxenford‥he schal not spende at his comencement passynge þre þowsand of grootes turonens.
1587 W. Harrison Descr. Eng. (1877) ii. iii. i. 75 In Oxford this solemnitie is called an Act, but in Cambridge they vse the French word Commensement.
1593 T. Nashe Strange Newes 74 Shewe mee the Vniuersities hand and seale that thou art a Doctour sealed and deliuered in the presence of a whole Commensement.
1689 London Gaz. No. 2496/2 (Cambridge) An extraordinary Commencement being held on this signal Occasion, for conferring Degrees on persons of Worth in all Faculties.
1714 J. Ayliffe Antient & Present State Univ. Oxf. II. iii. i. 131 There is a general Commencement once every Year in all the Faculties of Learning, which is called the Act at Oxford, and the Commencement at Cambridge.
1858 D. Masson Life Milton I. 163 Three days before the close of the academic year‥there was held at Cambridge the great public ceremony of the ‘Commencement’.
1890 Academy 5 July 12/2 Dublin University‥The recipients of honorary degrees at the commencement are, etc.

"all that good stuff"

"oftentimes"

"different than"

I'm surpised at the number of baseball/American football expressions that have crossed over given that the vast majority of British people have no clue as to the rules of these games. I used "left field" myself in an email today and yet I have no idea why it means what it does.

ROBERT FROST'S poem LODGED

The rain to the wind said,
'You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged - though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.

"Lodged" -- to be flattened by wind and rain -- is not a UK usage (via sistrah becky, who encountered it in a movie last night and was startled and looked it up)

Ooh, that's a good one.

I don't think it's especially common in North America either?

Black Friday, that'll never cross over, we don't even have Thanksgiving

Indeed, a lot of the stuff mentioned itt has crossed over - I overheard someone talking about their sister's baby shower last week.

fucksgiving

as in zero fuckgiving

the one true holiday imo

the one true holiday imo

'Fratboy' doesn't have any equivalent. Or 'High School proms'. Or 'jock'. And for most people 'college' doesn't mean 'university'

High school proms have been here for a while now.

https://irishsheetmusicarchives.com/Sheet-Music/Sheet-Music-Image-Files/ifsl01237.jpg