Tagged Questions
2
votes
1answer
149 views
Why is there a difference in the adoption of “Kindergarten” in American and British English?
As someone living in the US, I've heard the term "Kindergarten" used quite frequently. However someone from the UK was mentioning to me that the term is really not used that much in British English. ...
1
vote
2answers
102 views
Losing bottles and bottling out
ODO's definition for bottle includes the following:
2 [mass noun] British informal the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous:
I lost my bottle completely and ran
...
3
votes
3answers
349 views
French Letters and condoms
Repartee (inexact quote) from a TV show:
Person A: Now, we're going to be getting some letters from French people.
Person B: It could be worse. You might be getting French letters.
(laughter)
...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
“Tabled”, US vs UK [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the meaning of the expression “We can table this”?
Here's an example snippet for some context.
Ann had an idea. We tabled her idea.
In the UK this means ...
4
votes
3answers
251 views
Etymology and meaning of the word “snog”
Having looked to urban dictionary, witionary, online etymology, dictionary.com, Wikipedia and wordfreaks.tribe.net, I have found a wide variance in the etymology and definition of the word snog. I ...
6
votes
4answers
503 views
“S'il vous plaît” = “If you please”?
In Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot detective stories, Poirot uses the phrase “if you please” a lot. Does this come from the French phrase “s’il vous plaît”?
-3
votes
1answer
84 views
Origin of “happen” [closed]
What is the origin of the word happen? If it comes from the word hap, what is the early usage of that word?
13
votes
2answers
740 views
“I'm on the brew”
A conversation between two Scots:
— What do you do for a living?
— I'm on the brew.
Assuming that I have the phrase right, what exactly does "on the brew" mean here? Based on the context, I ...
6
votes
4answers
501 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 ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
I'm British, so should I take a rain cheque?
I want to write the phrase "take a rain cheque" and am British.
Should I therefore use the British spelling of the word cheque, or respect the baseball origin of the phrase "rain check" and use the ...
5
votes
3answers
194 views
Is the expression “quote you happy” accepted English grammar? What is its history?
I'm editing a document written by someone who grew up in the UK, which contains the phrase "We'll quote you happy". That doesn't parse for me (I grew up in New Zealand), but a quick search about the ...
8
votes
5answers
412 views
Why do we use a French term for a currency-exchange office?
In British English and across Europe, the term Bureau(x) de change is used to describe what US English speakers would call a Currency Exchange or Foreign Exchange (office).
Why do we use a French ...
7
votes
8answers
1k views
“Skipping rope” vs. “jump rope”
Well it is summer time and I have to lose some weight so I have chosen the cardiovascular activity to do that jumping rope. While digging on some information I have asked myself a few questions:
Why ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
Trapezium/trapezoid — why are the US/UK definitions swapped around?
These are the US definitions...
Trapezoid — a 4-sided flat shape with straight sides that has a pair of opposite sides parallel.
Trapezium — a 4-sided flat shape with straight sides and NO parallel ...
2
votes
1answer
324 views
Convolve vs. convolute
I understand that for common usage these words have distinct meanings. However in mathematics there is a process called convolution, and sometimes you hear "you need to convolve X" and sometimes "you ...
3
votes
2answers
264 views
Is there a connection between shy (adj.) and shy (v.) meaning throw?
Most British people probably best recognise the colloquial meaning of shy from the traditional fairground throwing game called the coconut shy but it is also occasionally used in everyday English.
...
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.
9
votes
2answers
696 views
Where does the pejorative meaning of “shower” come from?
shower British informal
a group of people perceived as incompetent or worthless
I think this term is becoming obsolete. It's certainly not something I've heard in the street recently. The ...
3
votes
2answers
222 views
Etymology of “nutmeg”?
What's the etymology of the British informal usage of the word "nutmeg" as a verb to mean "kicking a ball through a player's legs", usually used in football? It doesn't seem to bear any relation to ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the etymology of the word “dinlo”?
dinlo n. stupid person; idiot
Suggested etymology from urban dictionary
a Romany (gypsy language) word that has been adopted widely by the east coast.
Sorry if this language offends but I ...
9
votes
3answers
3k views
Origin of “you lot” and other plural forms of “you”
I've often heard the phrase "you lot" in British programs on PBS, e.g. "Oi! You lot! Shift y'selves" or thereabouts, and have sometimes wondered about its origin and how it gained currency. It seems ...
6
votes
3answers
313 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 ...
5
votes
3answers
839 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
537 views
“Badger someone” [closed]
I've heard the expression "to badger someone" in British English usage, and not being able to find out about its origins, I wonder if it is also commonly used elsewhere, for example, in American ...
2
votes
1answer
226 views
What is the equivalent of “noughties” and “tweens” for 1900-1920? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
What is the name of the first decade in a century?
“nineteen-hundreds”
I have often heard the period between 2000-2010 called the "noughties", and the ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views
What's the origin of the word “geezer”?
From Oxford Dictionaries:
geezer noun
1. a man (British informal)
he strikes me as a decent geezer
2. an old man (North American informal , derogatory)
I think in British English ...
11
votes
2answers
854 views
Preventative vs. preventive
In this answer about the non-word disabilitated, the word preventative is compared (unfavourably, if my reading of the implication is correct) to preventive.
However, I have always used preventative, ...
10
votes
7answers
10k views
Is it true that “tuppence” refers to a woman's vagina in British English slang? If so, why?
I was looking up a definition online, as I often do, in this case the British slang word tuppence; I got the standard "a slang reference to a coin denomination" definition from Wikipedia, but stumbled ...
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
615 views
What is the meaning and etymology of the adjective “jammy”, of Yorkshire English?
What is the etymology of the adjective jammy? As in,
Thou art a jammy bugger!
I confess I've never seen the word before. When I looked it up, I found confusing etymologies: one source says it ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
What is a plausible etymology of “dosh”, a British slang word for money?
Neither Wikitionary nor The Online Etymology Dictionary seem to know anything.
10
votes
5answers
2k views
What is the etymology of “blackguard”? Does this British-sounding word have subtleties in its use?
The following is from My Fair Lady, where Eliza Doolittle's father, a man of working-class origins, is about to make his appearance. Prof. Higgins and Col. Pickering, our primary interlocutors in this ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
“Stick it in the boot.” “Er, don't you mean the trunk?”
Does anyone know the etymological history or the reason behind the different names that British and American speakers use to refer to the automobile's largest storage receptacle, or more plainly, the ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Etymology of 'slap-up'
Apparently this is a peculiarly British term, but we'll sometimes use the phrase 'slap-up' to mean 'excellent', as in:
That's a slap-up meal!
or
They held a slap-up do.
What's the origin ...
25
votes
6answers
10k views
“Oriented” vs. “orientated”
What are the origins of the word orientated?
As far as I know, the correct spelling is oriented and orientated is not an alternative spelling but an error that is in common use.
Is it for example ...
51
votes
6answers
2k views
How come 'ou' was reduced to 'o' in the US?
Americans write color and favorite, when others say colour and favourite. How/why did this happen?
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Why “ladybird”?
In case you don't know, in British English, the little red-with-black-spots insect is not called a "ladybug", as in North America, but a "ladybird".
This seems rather a poor act of classification, ...
25
votes
5answers
6k views
Is there a difference between “arse” and “ass”?
From a comment here, in frequent usage, arse and ass are often interchangeable when used to refer to buttocks or to a person of dubious charms. However, although “to arse about” has a vague connection ...
