This tag is for questions related to English as spoken in the isles of Britain and sometimes Ireland.
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Why English pronunciation differs so much from written language, compared to German?
Given that English is derived mostly from German, when Anglo-Saxons (German tribes) migrated to Britain, how do you explain that
although German has a strict correspondence between written language ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
What does a “man of leisure” do exactly? What is the definition and the connotation?
I watched the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit some weeks ago, and have happily remembered a question I had forgotten from it just now. In this dialogue, Mr. Clennam, a dashing and ...
6
votes
2answers
134 views
How did the practice of identifying an object after using a pronoun evolve?
While watching Barclay's Premier League matches on the Fox Soccer Channel, the announcers often identify an object by name immediately after using a pronoun. For example, in a match occuring right ...
6
votes
2answers
468 views
Would the “Cavendish drawl” be considered a dialect?
I was reading the biography Georgiana, by Amanda Foreman, and came across a description of what she calls the Cavendish drawl, an accent of sorts that was spoken by the Cavendish family. One blog ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
“Badly” versus “poorly”
I was saying to an American friend, "I pronounce still bad," which she said is a mistake, saying it should be poorly.
Well, I get that part, but when I asked if I can say badly, she said I ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
Do Americans say 'cheers' to mean 'thanks'?
I find myself these days saying 'cheers' all the time as a kind of mild form of 'thanks', and I heard it said a lot round here (Northamptonshire, England). It's not even a commoner thing, I'd say the ...
6
votes
5answers
276 views
Is to “tell off” a particularly British expression?
I'm translating a short story from Spanish into English. A small child says (literally):
Why don’t we knock?” I asked. “They’re gonna tell us off.”
(The Spanish is: Nos van a regañar.) I've ...
6
votes
2answers
577 views
Enquire and inquire
In British English I think these two words have different shades of meaning, but I couldn't articulate them. In American English I see inquire used where I would use "enquire".
Are there shades of ...
6
votes
4answers
498 views
Different Meanings of 'Jumper' (Transatlantic embarassment)
I'm originally from Wales, now living in the USA, and as the cold weather is approaching I'm determined, this year, to start using the word sweater to describe the item of clothing I'm wearing, as ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is it “knife” in the idiom, “Before you can say knife” though there are many shorter words than knife?
I saw the phrase, ‘before you can say Dow-Jones Index’ in the following sentence of JefferyArcher’s novel, “Not a penny more, Not a penny less.”
Scotland Yard’s Fraud Squad Detective Inspector, ...
6
votes
4answers
361 views
British slang for “being reassigned to the unsophisticated and remote regions or villages”
I am stumped in trying to remember the British expression used as a derogatory slant on being relegated, demoted, assigned to a lower position, reduced in rank, or (quite literally) being reassigned ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
6
votes
1answer
489 views
What would be the British English equivalent to “The Elements of Style”?
I've been referred to this book by a lot of people, but one of the basic "rules" that it mentions - making your language more "cut and dry", which seems to be more of a thing with American English, ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
What does “on a hiding to nothing” mean?
I watched a movie with English actors just the other day and came across this phrase in the dialogue. What does it mean, and who would typically use it?
EDIT: Sorry, I'm terrible about these ghost ...
6
votes
2answers
770 views
Using “to my mind”
English is not my native language.
I am curious about the usage of "to my mind".
Is it a British English phrase?
Is it used in American English?
Is it formal/informal?
I've found an interesting ...
6
votes
2answers
751 views
Meaning of “handbags” in the context of a fight
Apparently a tussle between two English footballers was described by an official spokesperson as
'I was there. There was no punches thrown. There was a lot of noise.
Samir was talking in French, ...
6
votes
4answers
152 views
Does the word “gentleman” retain the distinction “of leisurely lifestyle” anywhere in British English?
I've been watching a great deal many British period films lately, and having done so has made me grow acutely aware to the nuance of the word gentleman. Once upon a time, a gentleman wasn't just some ...
6
votes
3answers
312 views
Why are certain categories of words more likely to vary between British and American English?
There are certain groups of words that are much more likely to vary between British and American dialects of English.
terms relating to cars, trains and roads (boot/trunk, bonnet/hood, ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Why are you “reading” a particular subject at university?
I've always wondered why the verb "read" is used to basically mean "study" when describing somebody's university course. They might say:
I'm reading History at university.
And it might be said ...
6
votes
2answers
984 views
British upper-class pronunciation of words like “what” and “when”
More from the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House.
I've noticed in these sort of movies, when some very upper-class speakers talk, like the lawyer in the series, Mr. Tulkinghorn, they have ...
6
votes
2answers
334 views
Why do American and British English use different quotation marks?
American English uses double-quotes, while British English uses single-quotes:
"This is a quote."
'This is a quote.'
Why do we use different quotation marks? When did this difference ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is The Mall (Westminster, London) pronounced like mawl?
Why is The Mall pronounced differently even though it shares the same spelling as mall (shopping)?
6
votes
2answers
862 views
Dropped g's in upper-class 1930s Britain
‘Now take huntin'…’ ‘Oh, bull-fightin' — that's quite a different kettle of fish.…’ Italics bred italics. Dropped g's fell as thick as confetti.
(Jan Struther, Mrs Miniver, 1939; 4th chapter, ...
6
votes
2answers
599 views
Wedding invitations in British English
I'm an American calligrapher living in France, designing a suite of wedding invitations for a Spanish bride living in London! Complicated enough? I can't really go to the bride with questions ...
6
votes
1answer
185 views
“Dawkins'” or “Dawkins's” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?
I learned from school to use Dawkins', for example
That is ...
6
votes
2answers
728 views
“Lambast” or “lambaste”
I looked up both lambast and lambaste in several dictionaries, but came up with no conclusions about which one is AE and which BE (if this distinction can ever be made). Moreover, the different ...
6
votes
1answer
178 views
Origin of “good'o”
Where did the Autralian or British expression good'o come from? What is the 'o part related to?
6
votes
0answers
321 views
“courgettes” vs. “zucchini” under a historical perspective
In this TimLymington's answer it is said:
Interestingly, there is another vegetable with the same identity problem; what the British call courgettes and the Americans zucchini.
What is the ...
5
votes
5answers
697 views
Differences between dialects
I'm Italian and I'm trying to improve my English, but I have some difficulty speaking with and understanding people of different countries.
For example when I study English in books it seems to be ...
5
votes
6answers
1k views
What is the closest alternative to “rubbish” in American English?
What is the replacement for "rubbish" in American English? I would think "crappy" but it seems a bit stronger than needed.
5
votes
3answers
780 views
Pronunciation of 'cos' (as in the mathematical term)
What is the correct pronunciation for the mathematical abbreviation 'cos' when it is not pronounced in its complete form 'cosine'? I pronounce it as 'k-aw-ss', but a couple of Canadian friends I have ...
5
votes
4answers
389 views
What is the name of this structure at kids playground?
We can usually find this structure at kids playgrounds. I want to know what it's called.
I've searched online but couldn't figure it out but fortunately found the image below.
5
votes
4answers
8k views
What does the British idiom “taking the piss” mean?
I most recently heard this in the context of a business deal:
Sorry gents, looks like we'll be taking the piss on that one.
I understood that the business had suffered a financial loss, although ...
5
votes
5answers
227 views
Does quoting in British or American English depend on the quoted or the audience?
If you are quoting/documenting the conversation between two people — one is British and one American — do you use a consistent approach directed towards your intended audience or switch to ...
5
votes
6answers
8k views
What is the origin of the saying, “faint heart never won fair lady”?
Having heard the phrase, "faint heart never won fair lady" for the third time in very short span, I'm determined to find out its origin. Unfortunately, when I Google, I'm getting a bunch of ...
5
votes
7answers
1k views
“Viewer discretion is advised”
This program contains material that
may be disturbing to some viewers.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Is that 100% correct English? This is the text shown before some TV programs. When I first ...
5
votes
2answers
409 views
What is the meaning, and origin, of the phrase “breaking windows with guineas”?
Regarding the phrase:
Breaking windows with guineas
What is its meaning, and origin?
The 'guineas' part of it might mean more to the British audience on this site than the others.
5
votes
2answers
460 views
Pronunciation of GUI in British English
I've heard a lot of Americans pronounce abbreviations like GUI as goo-ey. Is this the same with British English, or is it more common to spell out the word, like gee-you-eye?
5
votes
5answers
3k views
What does it mean to be “hard done by” - a phrase I heard from a Canadian friend
From the context of discussion, I took "hard done by" to mean "taken advantage unfair of" as in "He felt hard done by by former friends."
I had never heard the phrase before and have not heard it ...
5
votes
1answer
456 views
Is it true that the English have many words for hill?
I've heard it said that Eskimos have many words for snow and that the English have many words for hill. If so what are they?
5
votes
5answers
4k views
“Dear Professor” vs “Dear Mr”: differences between British and American usage
In British English, is it acceptable to address a professor as "Dear Professor X" when writing a formal or informal letter? Does it sound natural?
Why I am asking this question:
I was looking ...
5
votes
3answers
7k views
In British English, should it be “licensee” or “licencee”?
We all know that "license" in American English is "licence" in British English. But what about the person to whom the licence is given?
Various dictionaries show the 'c' version, e.g.:
...
5
votes
6answers
797 views
“tag question” vs. “question tag”
I've just read this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_question
So regarding this passage:
The term "question tag" is generally
preferred by British grammarians,
while their American ...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
Are these phrases too posh-sounding for conversational English?
I'm German, and I try to speak British English as best I can, it's the language I've learned at school, and I'm always trying to be consistent. However, much of my English vocabulary and phrasing I ...
5
votes
11answers
775 views
What should I call the English spoken in UK?
I have read that saying British English is too specific, and that I should say English English.
Is that true?
When I say British English, what do people think I am referring to?
5
votes
3answers
640 views
Difference in [ə] pronunciation at the end of a word in British and American English
I grew up speaking American English (San Diego to be specific). When I hear someone who speaks British English say a word that ends in [ə], like banana, I hear a weak but distinct 'r' sound attached ...
5
votes
2answers
449 views
When can “have” be used without “got”?
I read this article and now I'm confused when got can be omitted when using have.
Could this be explained in plain English without technical terms?
Is there a different usage in past tense?
5
votes
1answer
6k views
“In practise” or “In practice”
British English makes the distinction between 'practise' (verb) and 'practice' (noun).
Based on this, I would judge the following sentence as incorrect:
In practise, computers often crash.
...
5
votes
2answers
298 views
What is the meaning, history, and current popularity of “of a Monday” (or Tuesday, or Wednesday, etc.)?
I was watching a 1934 Hollywood film today and one of the characters used the phrase, Of a Tuesday. I know of a Y-day has been a common phrase in British English in relatively recent times and assume ...
5
votes
3answers
837 views
Is the phrase “all to c**k” considered profane?
I occasionally use the colloquialism "all to cock" to mean "disastrously wrong". I've always thought it a benign phrase, but recently I've wondered whether the use of the word "cock" in this situation ...
