Literature The British English vs American English thread!

[mlp]

My old Texas granny used to say if she was going to be watching you closely "I'm gonna be on you like white on rice" --anyone heard that one?

I'm very familiar with that phrase, but I think it's one generally used mostly in the South.


"Over" rice/potatotoes/pasta/bed of greens, etc. is very common usage on menus, in food magazines, etc.

 

[FortyTwo]

My mom used the culinary "over" yesterday and I was about to go "there was a debate about this on the vegan forum I frequent!" But then I realized that would be really, really dorky, so I shut up.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Ive only ever heard it on US shows. On a Brit menu it might say 'Chicken served on a bed of vegetable rice' sounds cosy....

 

[Spang]

I put my food over plate and eat it over table (sometimes lap).

 

[ledboots]

Last night I made black bean chili and told my husband and son we were having chili 'over' rice. "Over?" They said simultaneously.

Then it degraded into my husband saying in a terrible French accent, "served on a steamed, pampered, king-sized bed of rice"...

 

[Pickle Juice]

Someone in my area is as great a fan of Ruth Rendell as I am. I think I am close to having read every one of her works in my local library, and so far every single book I have read has had the most annoying penciled-in edit marks, crossing out all the 'u's in words like colour, mould, etc., and crossing out whole words because they don't understand that the usage or sentence structure is proper UK English. How can you read that many books written by a British author and not pick up proper UK English? It makes me want to throw a wobbly every time I see a new pencil mark "correcting" a word that isn't a misspelling or a typo!

 

[SummerRain]

I guess that is why some British authors write in American English.

You should pencil in a remark back to them about it

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I'm thrown off every time I see someone post about a sachet of (food product).
I've only ever heard that called a packet.

To me, a sachet is a tiny bag filled with potpourri or something something else smelly, never a container for edibles.


Also, a pizza crust and foundation (makeup) are both called a "base?"

 

[Envy]

Also, a pizza crust and foundation (makeup) are both called a "base?"

Is it for people with acne?

 

[RabbitLuvr]

No.

 

[Alice-Bee]

I'm thrown off every time I see someone post about a sachet of (food product).
I've only ever heard that called a packet.

To me, a sachet is a tiny bag filled with potpourri or something something else smelly, never a container for edibles.


Also, a pizza crust and foundation (makeup) are both called a "base?"

Sachet is more like a little packet of salt.
Cant say Ive ever heard 'base' used alot for foundation :/
But yes, pizza base.

 

[Envy]

No.

Ya missed it.

Spoiler

the joke

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I'm thrown off every time I see someone post about a sachet of (food product).
I've only ever heard that called a packet.

To me, a sachet is a tiny bag filled with potpourri or something something else smelly, never a container for edibles.


Also, a pizza crust and foundation (makeup) are both called a "base?"

Sachet is more like a little packet of salt.
Cant say Ive ever heard 'base' used alot for foundation :/
But yes, pizza base.

Hmm, someone posted here recently about "sachets of porridge," which I would call "packets of oatmeal."

And I've read on makeup forums where UK persons talk about their "base" when discussing foundations.

Shrug.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

No.

Ya missed it.

Spoiler

the joke

Oh ok I see.

 

[Muggle]

Hmm, someone posted here recently about "sachets of porridge," which I would call "packets of oatmeal."

And I've read on makeup forums where UK persons talk about their "base" when discussing foundations.

Shrug.

For me a sachet of something holds one portion. Whereas a packet holds several portions. So looking in our cupboards, the sachets of porridge we have are 36g (yes, I just checked) whereas what I would call a packet of porridge (well, actually what's in the cupboard right now I would call a bag of porridge but packet would work as well) is 500g.

As for make-up, I don't wear it. Although I have heard people talk about their make-up base which is something they put on underneath their foundation. They also sometimes call them primers.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Ahh, here a packet is single-serve.

 

[FortyTwo]

Someone in my area is as great a fan of Ruth Rendell as I am. I think I am close to having read every one of her works in my local library, and so far every single book I have read has had the most annoying penciled-in edit marks, crossing out all the 'u's in words like colour, mould, etc., and crossing out whole words because they don't understand that the usage or sentence structure is proper UK English. How can you read that many books written by a British author and not pick up proper UK English? It makes me want to throw a wobbly every time I see a new pencil mark "correcting" a word that isn't a misspelling or a typo!

It would freak me out to see pencil marks in a library book anyway. I'd start erasing everything and wouldn't be able to enjoy the book because it'd become like a full-time job.

 

[Calliegirl]

Hmm, someone posted here recently about "sachets of porridge," which I would call "packets of oatmeal."

And I've read on makeup forums where UK persons talk about their "base" when discussing foundations.

Shrug.

If I had seen people talking about sachets of porridge, I would have been wondering why they want their clothes or drawers to smell like porridge.

 

[Joe]

They had a Doc Martin marathon on public TV the other night, and there were at least two expressions I could not find in the dictionary.

One had a woman trying to rebut something bad that was being said about Doc Martin. Anyone who would say that would be "a totey liar." At least, that is what the word sounded like and how it was spelled in the closed captioning. But I'm not finding it even in the online dictionaries.

Another scene involves a man presenting a woman he likes with a ring-box, as if he is presenting an engagement ring. She says something like, " I hope you're not going all pod-man on me." Again, the dictionaries online were no help with this.

 

[Alice-Bee]

I dont think those are British terms specifically.
Sounds like recently coined phrases perhaps?