Saturday, 29 September 2007

British Word Quiz

The first section is the British word, the second section is the American equivilant. See how many you can guess. We'll add as we discover more wonderful 'Brit-isms'.

  1. Dressing gown
  2. Lounge suit
  3. Boots
  4. Vest
  5. Anorak
  6. Trainers
  7. Jumper
  8. Purse
  9. Windcheater
  10. Bum bag
  11. Snog
  12. Quid
  13. Shilling
  14. Knackered
  15. Hoovering
  16. Jacket
  17. Biscuits
  18. Fairy Cakes
  19. Chips
  20. Crushed potatos
  21. Gammon
  22. Jelly
  23. Lollie
  24. Crisps
  25. Cupboard
  26. Lift
  27. Ex-directory
  28. Dual carriageway
  29. Bonnet
  30. Car park
  31. Boot
  32. Caravan
  33. Plaster
  34. Till
  35. Current Account
  36. Paying in slip
  37. Ironmonger
  38. Chemist
  39. Deposit Account
  40. Post Code
  41. Mobile
  42. Bespoke
  43. Torch
  44. Public School
  45. State School
  46. Loo

  1. Bathrobe
  2. Business suit
  3. Cleats, like for football or baseball
  4. Men's undershirt
  5. Parka
  6. What we call tennis or gym shoes
  7. Sweater
  8. Wallet
  9. Windbreaker
  10. Fanny pack
  11. Passionate kiss (we first heard it in Harry Potter)
  12. Slang for a pound currency
  13. Before 1971 12 pense, after 1971 5 pense, now no longer used
  14. Tired
  15. Vacuuming
  16. Baked potato
  17. Cookies
  18. Cupcakes
  19. French fries
  20. Mashed potatos
  21. Ham
  22. Jello
  23. Popsicle
  24. Potato chips
  25. Closet
  26. Elevator
  27. Unlisted phone number
  28. Divided highway
  29. Hood of your car
  30. Parking lot
  31. Trunk of your car
  32. Camper trailer that you tow behind your car
  33. Band Aid
  34. Cashier
  35. Checking Account
  36. Deposit slip for your bank account
  37. Hardware store
  38. Pharmacy
  39. Savings account
  40. Zip Code - but more precise, indicates a small area maybe 8-10 residences
  41. Cell phone
  42. Custom made items
  43. Flashlight
  44. Private School
  45. Public School
  46. Bathroom

As you see, sometimes just speaking "English" is not enough. And other times the word is identical but the British pronunciation is so different, it is initially unrecognizable. The other day my boss said "guacamole" and I had no idea what he said. It came out something like "goo-CAH-mole." But after a moment's pause and consideration of the context, I knew what he meant.

If you got them all right, please come live with us and translate. I'll buy the crisps and biscuits.

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