In a US meeting, if you table a topic it means to put it aside for discussion later, if at all. In the UK, it means put it up for discussion during the meeting, so the exact opposite.
Back in the 1980s I worked in the UK part of a large US multinational company. A British colleague was badly burned by this difference in meaning when some matter they urgently needed dealt with in a meeting on a business trip to the US wasn't discussed despite them having verified several times with the person organising the meeting that the matter would be "tabled".
I was going to stay with an American friend and he said he would get the cot ready for me to sleep on. I pictured the sort of thing a small child sleeps in.
Yes! Great example! Americans call babies' beds cribs. And if you're camping in a tent in the states you will often sleep on a cot (foldable canvas bed base)
The word comes from an Indian light easily carried bed called a khaat. An example of the effect the British Empire had on the English language. Interestingly, the pyjamas you might wear when in your cot, also originated in India.
Saloon car is a sedan - has an enclosed passenger compartment. Saloon (room) usually in a pub is a more comfortable area than the main bar. In the past it was the area where women were allowed, and possibly children. Not many places have a saloon now since mos pubs have been converted into eateries.
A saloon car has a distinctly separate boot or trunk like the US sedan. A hatchback has the boot/trunk incorporated and you access it by opening the rear door/hatch. We also have estate cars where the front looks like a saloon car but the back is extended behind the seats to give more stowge space. Then we have vans, people carriers, Chelsea tractors etc etc...
It wasn't unusual decades back for a pub to have both a saloon or lounge bar and a snug. The latter being a cosier and quieter smaller bar, usually separated by a wall and a door, often used by older people for a quiet chat and a drink together, especially after the advent of juke boxes in the 60s. In the long running British soap opera 'Coronation Street', the snug in the 'Rovers Return' pub back in the 60s was a side bar, where the three elderly ladies, Ena, Minnie and Martha would repair to for a quiet milk stout and a gossip about the folk in the other bar.
In old Victorian pubs there was a public bar and a saloon bar. In the public bar the beer was a penny less and the decor was more basic. The saloon bar would have upholstered seats and carpet. Saloon cars have a boot as against a hatch back.
A Saloon car is a Sedan in the US; similarly an Estate car is a Station Wagon in the US. FANNY pack v Bum bag , no wonder Brits laugh at Fanny packs !! A Rubber is for rubbing out written mistakes, makes perfect sense !
@@MagentaOtterTravels Remember that at least 80% of American words come from British English with the British meanings first. Even now in British schools the pupils will ask for a rubber to correct a written mistake, never ask for an eraser. Even the word Erased isn’t used much here except for discussing a deleted section in a book or similar.
My sister was showing an American friend around the supermarket, he saw 'fagots in gravy' in the frozen section and burst out laughing! My sister then proceeded to tell him the 'real meaning' of his mate Randi's name! This was 30 years of so ago and I don\t thiink he's been able to look that mate in the face since!
Saloon comes from the French word salon meaning a living or public room. It can be used to describe a room with a comfortable seating area in a pub or a living area on a yacht. We used to have saloon bars in most pubs but that is now a rather old fashioned term and is more usually called a lounge bar. Yes it’s also used to describe a car with a boot, I don’t really know why.
Brit here. Great list! In a pub, the 'Saloon Bar' is the room in the pub which used to be suitable for ladies to sit in and have a drink. It will definitely have tables, and possibly even upholstered bench seats. It wasn't exclusively for ladies, but the general tone of the room was more 'polite' and quiet. The rowdier men would choose 'The Bar' room. There would probably be tables here too, but a lot of th customers would stand around, leaning on the bar or against th walls. This is where the dart board would be, and the general tone might not be as suitable for the lady customer. A 'Saloon Car' in the earlier days of motoring would be a car with an enclosed passenger compartment, as opposed to the open cars that were common at first. The term was also used on the railways to denote an enclosed passenger car. I would like to propose another difference in usage to you: 'Quite' From what I've seen, an American telling you that "This couch is quite comfy!" would mean that it's a great couch, on which you can happily snuggle up. A Brit telling you the same sentence would definitely be 'damning it with faint praise'. We would describe a couch as 'quie comfy' if we were telling you that, although it had some elements of comfiness, we wouldn't really recommend it.
Very interesting context for saloon, thank you! I didn't know that nuance about "quite". Thanks for explaining. I absolutely love the phrase you used "damning it with faint praise". Just brilliant! LOL Cheers for the great comment. Dara
"Fresh" as meaning cold. This is one example of the British habit of "understatement for emphasis", as I call it. Where we use a lesser descriptor to indicate something more extreme, part of the British habit of politeness and restraint. Another example would be "a little nippy" meaning it's super cold, and "There's a bit of a breeze outside" means it's blowing a gale!
I’ve noticed Americans don’t seem to use the word reverse or reversing when related to cars, they say back-up, which we use when we back-up computer software or program.
That use of "cosy" as a euphemism for tiny is an abuse of the word by hotels, estate agents, landlords and the like. It is not the normal, everyday use of the word in the UK, which is similar to US usage. Note, however, the two uses are not opposites. A room can be both small and cosy in the usual sense. I think the technical term is orthogonal, not opposite, although a large, draughty hall would not be cosy. A saloon in terms of a drinking establishment, typically found in a pub, was a more comfortable, better appointed bar room, often with slightly higher prices. Alternatively called a lounge bar. Work clothes were not welcome. Where the workers went was the public bar, and was generally more raucous and that is where the fights were too. The bar in a hotel is often called the saloon too. Its use in pubs is a bit doubted. The word saloon itself is of French origins, with salon being a drawing room, and often denoted a place of educated and erudite discussion. Even mentioned by Sheridan Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. Also, I do not think either Americans or the British should go around telling each other how to use a word in their own country, just because one or the other comes from a one where it is used in an entirely different, and derogatory manner. Being sensitive when dealing with another country's usage whilst there is the important matter. For example, the British also use the word faggot for a particular type of meatball. Are we to be forbidden for using that? Are Americans to stop using the word fanny too? Nb. UA-cam flagged up my comment as probably containing a derogatory term, so it appears the US tech industry does not agree with me.
I have a good one for your collection: ENDORSEMENT. This can mean the exact opposite in American English to British English. A story goes that decades back when we had paper licences, a British motorist was stopped when driving in the USA and was asked for his driving licence. The policeman studied it and said "You must be a pretty good driver. It says here you've got three endorsements!" And let him off - much to the confusion of the British driver. In Britain an endorsement on your driving licence means a penalty issued for a road offence. In the USA it apparently means that someone has praised your performance in a certain area. A kind of recommendation.
In New Zealand an endorsement on your driver's licence is an extra qualification like you can get a T endorsement for self laying tracks, or an R endorsement to drive a vehicle with rollers, P endorsement meaning you can carry paying passengers, F for a forklift, etc.
The word fresh is a funny one here in the UK as it can mean different things depending on the context. Fresh can also mean smelly. You are smelling a bit fresh, or that field is smelling fresh means smelly or stinky
An aunt of mine went to live in the States and she took a job with a very early start, she was sharing an apartment with an American chap and so she wouldn't be late on her first day she asked the chap if he could "knock her up in the morning" it's a phrase we use a lot in Manchester and this American chap nearly choked on his supper. Obviously it means something entirely different in the States.
That is such a great phrase because I think that story has happened countless times! Since tourists often stay in B&Bs or small inns, that offer has been made to countless American visitors. And no, they did not want to be impregnated!! LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels. It comes from the days when a man would be paid to go round with a long stick to knock on people's bedroom windows and wake them up for work.
Saloon is a car with a boot (trunk) that doesn't have glass in it. if it's not a saloon, it's a 'hatchback' i.e. the trunk opens up like a back door with a window in it.
Haha, yes cosy is Estate Agent speak for small! It actually means the same as it does in the US. The word saloon is used mostly to refer to a type of car. A saloon bar is an old-fashioned term. I've never heard of the word 'fresh' used that way in the US either. Oh yes, that word for cigarettes is sometimes still used but I think many are aware of other connotations. Confession...I say "I'm good" all the time!! 🤣I never say "I'm down" though! 😅 Loved the examples you chose, Dara! Brilliant! 👍😁
I've noticed that the word 'handicap' is used quite freely in the US. In the UK I think many people would find it quite an old fashoined and derogatory way to refer to people with disabilities. I suspect if this word was used in the UK to refer to a 'handicapped parking space' the organisation might even be threatened under equalities legislation whereas in the US it is commonplace. This said British people would know what it means.
As a 59 year old American I can say that I've seen a big change in this regard. When I was a child, everyone called them "handicapped" parking spaces and "handicapped" bathroom stalls. But now it is considered rude to say that in the USA and people try to say "disabled". I can't believe that when I was little everyone also used the term "retarded". That is quite offensive now.
@@MagentaOtterTravelsthat’s interesting. I recall being quite surprised the term handicap was still used on signs in the US, at least when I was last there not too long ago. France also used the term still. I think it tends to often be associated with some very exclusionary old fashioned stereotypes over here. There is a social model of disability which separates the person from their disability - so it is society that creates the disability rather than the individual who has a disability/handicap. Referring to someone as a person with disabilities rather than being disabled tries to emphasise this separation. This is also the UN guidance Of course all of this is fluid and contested but generally the term handicap seems less visible in the UK.
@@djs98blue thank you for sharing all of this context. A very interesting discussion. We all have our challenges and limitations... just some are more visible than others.😉 It's best when we don't label people in a way where those limitations define them. 💖
The difference is that in UK small can be considered a good thing, especially for the purpose of heating costs. Obviously it depends on how many people will be living there.
Dara, your posts are always entertaining and delivered so clearly and concisely. Thank you! btw My mother, who came from Suffolk in East Anglia would say "hommly" as meaning ugly or plain looking. .........and saloon cars in the uk would be sedans to Americans.
I find it to be incredibly disrespectful to be trying to push the world to view a word in a derogatory form and abolishing the original definition of a word as it only promotes the use of the word in the derogatory form. Promoting the use of a word in its original meaning is the way to eradicate the negative uses of a word.
I guess this is a light hearted and entertaining take on things. I am not sure she was serious. Anyhow, who can really abolish or eradicate a definition of a word? Meaning is fluid and highly emergent - operating far beyond the control of intention.
Ooh, this is a great topic! 🤗 I didn't know 'homely' meant 'ugly' over here! I always wondered about the 1970s song "Homely Girl" by the Chi-Lites. I thought it an odd title and just remember thinking that she was a girl who was happy staying at home! 🤣
When organising a work or school outing, someone would put a piece of paper on a notice board asking people who were interested to put their name "down" on the list. Saying, "I'm down," means that your name is already on the list for doing something.
A saloon in a UK pub is usually a room where ( mainly men ) play cards , dominoes , darts and usually use fruity language and chew the fat over things , it is also used as a luxurious large car
One thing I have noticed creeping into American vocabulary similar to "I'm good" for no is "I got you" for yes. Commonly when we went out to eat. Can I have a table for 4 would get the response "I got you"
I spent 18 years as a bus driver. In a bus, the saloon is the seating area of the bus. A double decker would refer to the upper saloon and lower saloon.
Hi Dara... here’s a good one... Lav or lavatory ... in the US it means a basin/sink... you’d never catch anyone in the UK wanting to wash their hands in a lav, which means toilet! Also whilst on the subject the word faucet... just isn’t used in the UK, it’s just a tap 🙂... hope you mention these in the next one. A fun vid as always, thanks.
@@MagentaOtterTravels Lav is definitely used for a sink or basin in the US, maybe it’s used as both over there then? As I work in the industry :). Looking forward to the next vid :)
@@AdiSneakerFreak In the UK, lavatory Basin is an old term for a large, deep wash basin, used maybe 70 or more years ago. Replaced in the trade by wash hand basin, which are smaller and holds less water.
@@frankmitchell3594 And interestingly, on visiting a couple of cathedrals here in the UK, I found the priests or monks 'lavatorium' - the communal hand-washing space for washing before meals. Therefore I think the US term more accurate.
7:40 - we also don't use the word 'bum' to mean cadge. I was watching a Flintstone cartoon many years ago and Fred said he'd bollocksed something up. I was like 'WHAT'?! That wasn't a polite word that was generally used in everyday conversations.
'Bollixed' was a word often used innocently in the US. In earlier years it would be 'balled up'. Try the film 'Forbidden Planet', for an example. 'Bollix' appears in many USTV series, such as in the original 'Lost in Space', as the name of an alien policeman; 'Officer Bollix'.
I thought Britons used "bum" as a verb to mean beg off of someone. Sorry I missed that nuance! I had never heard the term bollocks until I started visiting Britain. I guess that Flintstones episode when over my head ;-)
@MagentaOtterTravels 'Bum' is either used as a reference to what Americans call their butt, or as a derogatory adjective referring to the act of homosexual sex.
@@jacketrussell Americans don't use it in that second meaning... but some Americans know the first meaning. I don't often hear it used in the states though.
Yes erasers are called rubbers, but also condoms could be referred to as ‘rubber johnnies’, so the R word does have a connection. Also The India Rubber company and London Rubber Company were huge, they sold everything made of rubber from tyres to gloves.
Reading BTL it struck me that we in the UK also say we are 'Up for that' when someone asks if you want to do something, but if they then put up a notice and ask if you could put your name down and you already added your name, you say ' I am already down for that'!
What a fun video Dara! It’s been 28 years since I’ve been to the UK I haven’t heard anything. But in America I first heard.. “That’s Dope” meaning cool. I was shocked thinking they were talking about drugs😂😂😂~Cara
a Saloon is part of a Pub. there use to be 3 rooms in a Pub. the Saloon is the family room and Games room (darts, pool, cards). the Bar which was for over 18's and the Vault. the Vault was for men only, they could wear their dirty work clothes and tell equally as dirty jokes away from the women and children. a Saloon car is a long Hatchback/Estate car. hate to point out that "Fresh" in America can also mean "Cool". it is funny that "Fag" is seen as the bad part in "Bum a Fag". as in the UK, as "Bum" can be used to describe gay sex in the UK. something that literally means the opposite is the UK Bum Bag to the American Fanny Pack. even though they are the same item.
@@MagentaOtterTravels The Snug is the room in The Rovers Return where Ena Sharples, Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst hang out while drinking their milk stout. 😁
Saloon, as others have said, evolved from the French word salon, meaning a public meeting room or exhibition space. This by extension came to mean any enclosed space which was freely available, such as in a pub, thus ocean liners and yachts have saloons, and it also came to mean a railway carriage which was not sub-divided into separate compartments. In British English it also came to mean an enclosed motor car that did not have a partition between the chauffeur and the passengers (originally almost all enclosed cars were of course limousines). In the British bus industry, single decker buses are still often referred to as saloons, again in the sense that it is a shared space.
We enjoyed the differences Dara and Ian. While we worked with many people from different parts of the world in our careers I don't believe with anyone from the UK. So we really never had any friends from there either until YT. So this can of worms wasn't opened until recently. Though when you used the word "nippy" for cold or "fresh" I think we've heard that before from Julie and Lucy as having a different meaning too.
I would not say that cosy in Britain means "small and cramped". It actually means.- comfortable and warm', perhaps rather small. It is rather complimentary and not negative.
Haven’t watched this video yet but I have to tell you my husband and I just talked about “pet” vs. “stroke” for animals from one of your earlier videos! The wrong one here makes us giggle under our breath and the other one in Britain makes them giggle uncomfortably.😂😂
My mother was German, my father British. Soon after they married, they found themselves near a building site. My paternal grandparents were also present. My mother's English was not so good at that time and she often used German words when she didn't know the English. So, at the site, my mother spotted a large excavator that was covered in mud. 'Oh, look at that dirty great Bagger,' she said to her in-laws... You can imagine the rest.
Japanese and Chinese have that sort of twisted relationship similar to American English and British English. While we both use Chinese characters, some of the characters got transmitted wrong due to miscommunication. In fact, there was a Chinese comedienne whose schtick was to insist that the Japanese "change back" the meanings of the characters. Of course, the Japanese are used to using them that way and aren't about to change anything.
@@masudashizue777 that's very interesting! And sounds like a funny "schtick"! You must have lived in the US for a long time if you're picking up Yiddish 🤣
Hi Brit here, Homely I think is similar to Cozy, but without the 'small' connotation. We do use Homely as a derogatory term for a person normally female. Saloon, we use for a room that is nice/homely not cozy in the small sense. Such a room is often in a Pub, and is the up market bar, compared to the Public bar, there might also be a Lounge. A small comfortable bar is a Snug. Saloon is used similarly for a room on a train or ship. Saloon is also a style of car which I think US would call a sedan. A a Brit (maybe just a Londoner) a pacifier is a weapon, such as a hammer, so I always worry when an American talks about using a pacifier for their baby. Re: fresh - I think we use get fresh, but I'm not sure if we picked that up from US, it feels like 'Doris Day Film' vibe. But fresh to mean cold, yes normally about weather, I think early morning, but could be wrong, no idea why we use it, but there is a smell in the air when its 'fresh', it is different to just cold. My thoughts on Derogatory words is they are only insulting if they are intended to insult, not using the word you would naturally use because some Bigot would use it differently is giving in to bullying, so I will continue to use fag for cigarette and faggot for strange meat balls or bundle of wood for lighting a fire, it would be offensive not to. Erasers and Condoms were often made from rubber, I believe. In UK we use the term rubber to mean either, although a Condom is normally a 'Jonnie Rubber' or just 'Jonnie' (sorry may have spelt that wrongly). In UK we tend to use context more than seems to be the case in US, we use Glasses to mean both vessels for drinking from and items to help you see, if the context is unclear we might say drinking glasses or eye glasses, but would probably use spectacles (for clarity). Re: 'der Yuff', ours (UK) use 'I'm good', though usually 'I'm good, thanks' to mean 'No thanks', I think it implies 'at some other time I might say yes but not just now', I'm currently replete, I could be wrong. Re I'm down, I think is similar to I'm down with that, but I don't know. And the one that I find really difficult 'quite', in UK it is a modifier, I think it could be, if you need to rate something (AB&B for instance) where 1 is bad and 5 is great/wonderful/good, 4 might be quite good, where I think in US on that same scale a 6 would be 'quite good', once again I could be misunderstanding American. Interesting topic, well done.
Thanks so much for your entertaining comment! Yes, "getting fresh" is very much a Doris Day era phrase. I'm sure no young people say that these days! I had no clue that a pacifier was a weapon! Wow! A couple other people mentioned the word "quite"... I was unaware of the nuanced difference, so that is very interesting to hear. Cheers! Dara
When you go down the pub, you might enter by one of two doors. One entrance would be signed Public Bar and the other Saloon Bar. The Public Bar is for the working men the drinks are cheaper and the decor would be relatively basic. In the next room the Saloon you’d find the middle class men and or couples. It’s not like this anymore and all booze is the same price most pubs are now open aspect. You’ll still find the sign Saloon Bar if you look close enough
We do use the words "cosy" and "fresh" in the same way you do, it's just that we have adopted some terms to have another meaning. Homely is used to mean someone, not ugly but rather bland looking, but in a nice, cosy way. We use "bijou" for "cramped" in estate agent speak as well. "Interesting" is used to not outright condemn but be diplomatic. For opposites we say "Couldn't care less" where Americans would say "Could care less". We also tend to find the community spirited attitude in our society is often described in a condemnatory way as "Socialist" or worse.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I didn't know about bijou! As for "could care less"... I really hope you watch next Friday's video because that is a phrase I discuss then! Cheers, Dara
We say "spit the dummy" when people get really cranky. When they are really going off they're having a "dummy spit". We use "fresh" the same way as the poms. Fag is a ciggie here too. We used to have a box of lollies, sweets, called Fags. They are white sugar sticks with a red tip - yes made to look like ciggies for kids. A couple of decades ago they changed the the name to Fads - under which they are still sold today. For the record I love Fads.
They still sell those sugar cigarettes?! I haven't seen those for over 40 years! When cigarette advertising was outlawed I think those were eliminated as well. It was considered way to encourage children to smoke! I've never heard of having a dummy spit, but that is hilarious!
@@MagentaOtterTravels that's why they were renamed Fads. There was another one I loved - Big Boss Cigars. Big caramel flavoured sticks. They are now... I don't know? I think Dynamite? Still sugary and tasty as though 😂😂😂
Your knickers get in a knot, mine get in a twist! Across my pond I can go to a coffee shop and expect coffee, sticky buns and tea and scones. If someone crosses the pond and comes visit a coffee shop here they get more than they bargained for. It's where you can legally buy and smoke 'pot'! They'll even teach you how to 'roll your own'. Coffee, ah yes many do serve coffee. Online one can find menus: Archive of cannabis menus for Prix d'Ami coffeeshop in Amsterdam! Love the analogies Dara. Spit the dummy = to loose control of one's temper: The phrase is recorded first in the1980s. It is usually used of an adult with the implication is that the behaviour described is childish, like a baby spitting out its dummy in a tantrum and refusing to be pacified. Have a great week. 🧡🇳🇱🙋♀🇳🇿👌
Yes, I avoid "coffee shops" in Amsterdam ;-) That is interesting about someone spitting out their dummy. I also just learned a new phrase that is similar... throwing their toys out of the pram! haha ... I may use that in a future video. I love it!
"cosy" means warm and comfortable as in the US, but generally also means small - but not necessarily cold or uncomfortable. A large house could never be described as cosy, but maybe there is a cosy little room within
When I was in Afghanistan with the Canadian army I worked at a British lead HQ. An American officer was posted there and I was helping him set up his office and he was looking for "erasers". When he was told that they were called "rubbers" by the Brits he did a double take!! There were several other things that didn't translate well so I said, "Don't worry, I'm Canadian, I speak both British and American, I'll translate!". Everyone laughed but it actually worked out!!
Yes, rubber has caused a shocked look many times I'm sure! I always enjoy hearing from Canadians and Aussies which terms and spellings they have adopted when the British and American versions are so different. Thanks for your comment! Dara
There's a scene in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, where Rita Skeeter takes Harry for an interview in a broom closet. 'My, this is cosy'. But said said in such a way it doesn't sound QUITE as bad as saying OMG this is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Dummy means an imitation, copy, or likeness of something used as a substitute. Consequently a baby's pacifier is called a dummy because it's an imitation teat. A ventriloquist's dummy is an imitation conversationalist. The use of the word dummy to mean a stupid person or a person who is habitually silent stems from the ventriloquist dummy.
In Australia we tend towards British usage of words although American spelling, pronunciations and definitions are becoming popular. I have even heard some younger Australians pronounce the letter Z (Zed), Zee. How times have changed.
Oh that is funny! Next week's video discusses American pronunciations that are creeping into Britain's younger generation. You'll have to tell me on Friday which of those are happening in Oz as well. Cheers! Dara
Cosy can mean: 'A warm, comfortable, place to be' or 'Gosh, this is a small room!'. It all depends on the tone of voice. Think of Donkey in Shrek, upon learning the swamp is Shriek's home. "Oh, it's amazing what you did on such a limited budget!"
The strangest thing I found about Americans when I visit the States is that they seem to think the UK is tiny. When an American asked me where I lived in the UK, and I said Bournemouth in Dorset, they then said is that near London to which I said not that far so they then asked me if I knew somebody called Michael (Smith or similar) as if we all live on the same street!
Well, in terms of land mass, they will think England is tiny in comparison to the USA. As for knowing people... Americans will do that whoever you are. You are from Ohio? Oh, do you know my best mate from elementary school? His name is Dave Smith and he lives in Ohio too!!
I read somewhere that in the States, the word used for an item often describes the outcome whereas in the UK, it describes physically what the item is. So: U.S. Pacifier (soothes the child - the result) U.K. Dummy (Dummy Teat - replicates the mother's breast - what the item actually is) U.S. Eraser (what it does) U.K. Rubber (what it's made from - rubber) Also, Saloon = Sedan 😉 Great video 👍
In Britain, bitter is a type of beer. In other countries, including (this from embarrassed experience) the US, it typically refers to Angustura bitters, of which a few drops are used to flavo(u)r other drinks. The barman thought I was a nutcase.@@MagentaOtterTravels
@@Tom-xy9yy ooooh! I know bitter as ale/beer... but now that you mention it, I have heard of the other usage as well. Not being a drinker, I've not had it myself. But I understand how that could be very confusing at an American bar! Lol
I got into trouble once in the USA for using a very british phrase, which would be quite harmless here, but got in the US git me offering an apology. I said , "The rain is falling in buckets and spades." Now it was pointed out to me that the word spades means something quite offensive which horrified me. I felt the need to explain that was a shovel, and typically, a child would use these items on the beach. I also felt need to double-check and typed the British words to Amazon, and it knew what results to return. It's proof we speak the language, but we don't.
Wow I didn't even know that offensive meaning for the word... I just looked it up!😳 It's funny that for building sandcastles at the beach you 🇬🇧 say "buckets & spades" and we 🇺🇸say "shovels & pails".🤣
Originalt a UK Saloon car is what I understand the USA calls a town car. It is not an estate car suv hot hatch or sports car. As a , building code official , no one now uses a saloon to describe any room in a house.
Dummy is a pacifier, a mannequin or a gentle name for doing something stupid or not knowing how to do something - similar to clot, nugget, plank, numpty or spanner.
Here's an opposite meaning that's not language, but superstition - black cats are considered unlucky in the US, but lucky in the UK. Regarding the list, pretty much all of these words actually have both meanings in the UK. Like 'homely' - a place being homely is a good thing as it reminds one of home, but a person being called homely is a wry way of saying they're unattractive, same as in the US. I think the idea is that someone who is ugly should stay home and not inflict themselves on the public 😂
@@AlastairjCarruthers that's interesting but I think they are still sometimes associated with witchcraft etc in the UK too. I also know that black cats take the longest to get adopted from cat sancturies. There is even a black cat appreciation society on Facebook. Apparently, it's partly superstition but also as they aren't easy to photograph for social media etc. Very sad.
Saloon is from the french salon. To be a usually large grand room Like a hotel lounge area..or Buckingham palace have salons... but we are aware and familiar with other uses.. hair salon.. EG. And US old west bar room..but our old victorian pubs had salons..you will still find the odd glass etched window with salon displayed meaning lounge bar.. lounge bar is where you'd go with your wife.and not to the tap room.thats for the men folk..
The meaning of this one seems to be being missed - 'I'm good thanks' is basically a short way of saying 'no thank you, I do not require that thing. My current status of not having that thing is satisfactory to me'. Variants include 'I'm fine' and 'I'm okay'. The speaker isn't describing themselves, they're saying that their current situation of not having the thing being offered is fine/okay/good/satisfactory.
I don’t like the whole modern usage of “I’m good” instead of “I’m okay”. To me they have totally different meanings. I’m not asking you for a personal moral judgment 😂
Several people mentioned Fanny. I definitely was aware of it being a controversial word we Americans should not say, but I didn't think of it as an "opposite" until British people watched this video! Lol
The meaning of the word fanny, is close but opposite in a way 😄. Another French comedian I heard once pointed out that we (at least in the US) say that an alarm went off -- when it clearly went ON.
I hadn't thought of fanny as an opposite, but several British viewers have mentioned that in the comment section so I think that's a good example too. Very funny about alarms! The French guy is right!🤣
Id like to add the word ‘cowboy’ which has connotations of frontier heritage in the U.S.A but in the UK means a bad tradesman likely to rip you off for poor workmanship. The Texan “Cowboy Taxis” would be avoided at all costs in the uk.
It's so interesting how language changes over time. I bet that young Americans only say couch now... but when I was little people said sofa a lot and even "davenport"! I haven't heard that term in years!
I remember watching `once upon a time in the west` and Jason Robards said to the female lead something like "should i happen to sneak up on you and pat you on the fanny" well well you couldnt say that anywhere in Britain or Ireland because it means the opposite. In US terminology of course it means the female back side but in Britain its most certainly the front side 🤣
Down meaning willing to go along with something is a bit odd. I think in the UK we'd say we were up for a laugh , meaning we're ready to have fun. The old Scottish format would be " Ah'm fair on fur an on cairy!" = I'm willing to have a bit of a carry on .
Re the condom conundrum. I was once in the stationers and heard a man asking at the counter for some Durex. The assistant directed him to the chemist. Later when I moved to Australia I found their brand of sticky tape was Durex. Another time I went into HMV, my partner had asked me to get a particular album for him. I couldn't find it and had to ask. "Where can I find Lou Rawls?" I was redirected tot he Chemist as well. My partner got a kick up the backside for that joke.
@@MagentaOtterTravels Lou Rawls collaborated with Bill Withers and sang Lovely Day (longest held note) If you don't say his name carefully it might be thought you were asking for Loo Rolls!
"fresh" for weather - a lettuce in a fridge comes out fresh - a lettuce in the summer heat definitely AIN'T fresh! - but it is rarely used for really cold weather - that's "it's effing freezing outside!"
If traffic is described as "quite busy" in UK, it means it's not too bad. But in US it means it's dreadful. The only time UK uses 'quite' in that manner is if someone is described as being 'quite dead'.
Rubber. Rubber erasers are used to rub out mistakes. So rubber for the item and the material they’re made of and then rainboots and condoms were made of the material and called rubbers.
Princess Bride. Classic. Homely probably does mean a lot of the owners clutter left in the AirBnB. Cozy = Small. Saloon = Definitely a bar. Fresh = Young/Appealing. Getting fresh, yes we have that too. Ah yes “Fresh Out”, the understated way of saying very cold. I think B An F is still pretty shocking here too, unless your from 1970s London. The Fa word is pretty derogatory here unless you’re in a butchers. Arent they sheep brains? Why are rubbers called Johnny? 🧐 I’m down with that..
I dont see why we Brits ought to change the terminology _we've_ grown up with just to suit the fragility of visiting / easily offended Americans. Are Americans (/ US citizens) expected to alter _their_ *everyday language* to suit visiting British or European tourists etc?! No... Surely instead we can each learn from the other, whilst still retaining each of our cultural and historical languages, and both thus educate _and_ entertain each other, whilst widening our vocabularies. Each to their own, but remember the saying.. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." A Brit in America may try to adapt to "the American way" ...so, vice versa then, is surely preferential, and expected?! 🇺🇸👌🤔🏴❤️🇬🇧😊🖖
@@MagentaOtterTravels Maybe we should be asking the Americans to stop using fag their way… We've been using it to mean a cigarette for longer than they've used it as an insult to gay people.
Growing up in Ohio and Pennsylvania in the 70s, homely never meant ugly, just average looking. It wasn't til the last few years that I found that some younger Americans thought that it was ugly.
Erasers are called rubbers because originally they were made of rubber! And we call condoms rubbers or French letters here in the UK. I hate 'I'm good' as well. Younger Brits now use it in the conext you describe and also instead of 'I'm ok, thanks' or 'I'm very well'. Grrrrr!! Other 'new speak' I hate includes 'my bad' for 'my mistake' and asking a server 'Can I get a coffee or whatever' instead of 'Can I have...' Get andhave are two distinctly different verbs.
I have never heard of French letters... that is a new one for me! I discuss "my bad" and other irritating phrases next Friday. I hope you tune in for that video ;-) Cheers! Dara
@MagentaOtterTravels I was watching a video about how to speak American English correctly, (actually badly), when the woman called a bottle of cooking oil 'cruet'. 😲Cruet is only salt and pepper here. Never oil.
To provide some more confusion about the word “dummy”, the first use of that word I heard other than impugning someone’s intellect was referring to a type of train. The commuter trains operated by the Rock Island Railroad in Chicago acquired the nickname of “dummies”. The part of the railroad in a Chicago neighborhood runs down the middle of a street, as did rail vehicles that ran in Britain and the rest of Europe described next. Small steam locomotives built within a box-shaped body hauling small passenger coaches were used as public transport in congested areas. These trains I understand were also nicknamed (or maybe officially named “dummies”. A locomotive of that type is at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
In a US meeting, if you table a topic it means to put it aside for discussion later, if at all. In the UK, it means put it up for discussion during the meeting, so the exact opposite.
That is so funny! I wish I had known that one before filming this video. Excellent example! Cheers, Dara
Back in the 1980s I worked in the UK part of a large US multinational company.
A British colleague was badly burned by this difference in meaning when some matter they urgently needed dealt with in a meeting on a business trip to the US wasn't discussed despite them having verified several times with the person organising the meeting that the matter would be "tabled".
@@jeremybarker7577 oh my! I can totally see that happening!
I was going to stay with an American friend and he said he would get the cot ready for me to sleep on. I pictured the sort of thing a small child sleeps in.
Yes! Great example! Americans call babies' beds cribs. And if you're camping in a tent in the states you will often sleep on a cot (foldable canvas bed base)
@@MagentaOtterTravelswe’d just call that a folding bed or fold up bed or maybe, if in a tent, a camping bed
@@djs98blue In old sailing ships in the navy the captain's bed was referred to as a cot. ordinary seamen slept in hammocks strung across the cabins.
@@chrismackey9267 interesting - perhaps that's where the US use comes from then?
The word comes from an Indian light easily carried bed called a khaat. An example of the effect the British Empire had on the English language.
Interestingly, the pyjamas you might wear when in your cot, also originated in India.
Saloon car is a sedan - has an enclosed passenger compartment. Saloon (room) usually in a pub is a more comfortable area than the main bar. In the past it was the area where women were allowed, and possibly children. Not many places have a saloon now since mos pubs have been converted into eateries.
Thanks for explaining the context!
I think it came from the French word for sitting room/lounge, salon
@@fleuriebottle Can Confirm
A saloon car has a distinctly separate boot or trunk like the US sedan. A hatchback has the boot/trunk incorporated and you access it by opening the rear door/hatch. We also have estate cars where the front looks like a saloon car but the back is extended behind the seats to give more stowge space. Then we have vans, people carriers, Chelsea tractors etc etc...
It wasn't unusual decades back for a pub to have both a saloon or lounge bar and a snug. The latter being a cosier and quieter smaller bar, usually separated by a wall and a door, often used by older people for a quiet chat and a drink together, especially after the advent of juke boxes in the 60s. In the long running British soap opera 'Coronation Street', the snug in the 'Rovers Return' pub back in the 60s was a side bar, where the three elderly ladies, Ena, Minnie and Martha would repair to for a quiet milk stout and a gossip about the folk in the other bar.
In old Victorian pubs there was a public bar and a saloon bar. In the public bar the beer was a penny less and the decor was more basic. The saloon bar would have upholstered seats and carpet.
Saloon cars have a boot as against a hatch back.
Very interesting! I never knew about the saloon bar and the public bar before filming this video...
One that occurs to me is the American use of 'standing in line', whereas we'd simply say 'queue' (both as a noun and a verb)
We Americans do like to use more words and syllables to say the same thing! I give several examples of that at the end of this Friday's video 😉
A Saloon car is a Sedan in the US; similarly an Estate car is a Station Wagon in the US.
FANNY pack v Bum bag , no wonder Brits laugh at Fanny packs !!
A Rubber is for rubbing out written mistakes, makes perfect sense !
You mean an eraser is for erasing written mistakes? 🤔🤣
@@MagentaOtterTravels Remember that at least 80% of American words come from British English with the British meanings first. Even now in British schools the pupils will ask for a rubber to correct a written mistake, never ask for an eraser. Even the word Erased isn’t used much here except for discussing a deleted section in a book or similar.
My sister was showing an American friend around the supermarket, he saw 'fagots in gravy' in the frozen section and burst out laughing! My sister then proceeded to tell him the 'real meaning' of his mate Randi's name! This was 30 years of so ago and I don\t thiink he's been able to look that mate in the face since!
That's hilarious! I totally get it. Great example! Cheers, Dara
That's the problem nowadays context and meaning is often ignored by the people trying to police our speech.
I'm trying to ignore your context but your meaning keeps butting in.
Saloon comes from the French word salon meaning a living or public room. It can be used to describe a room with a comfortable seating area in a pub or a living area on a yacht. We used to have saloon bars in most pubs but that is now a rather old fashioned term and is more usually called a lounge bar. Yes it’s also used to describe a car with a boot, I don’t really know why.
Seems a very odd word for a car... I'd love to know that origin story!
Brit here. Great list!
In a pub, the 'Saloon Bar' is the room in the pub which used to be suitable for ladies to sit in and have a drink. It will definitely have tables, and possibly even upholstered bench seats. It wasn't exclusively for ladies, but the general tone of the room was more 'polite' and quiet. The rowdier men would choose 'The Bar' room. There would probably be tables here too, but a lot of th customers would stand around, leaning on the bar or against th walls. This is where the dart board would be, and the general tone might not be as suitable for the lady customer.
A 'Saloon Car' in the earlier days of motoring would be a car with an enclosed passenger compartment, as opposed to the open cars that were common at first. The term was also used on the railways to denote an enclosed passenger car.
I would like to propose another difference in usage to you: 'Quite'
From what I've seen, an American telling you that "This couch is quite comfy!" would mean that it's a great couch, on which you can happily snuggle up. A Brit telling you the same sentence would definitely be 'damning it with faint praise'. We would describe a couch as 'quie comfy' if we were telling you that, although it had some elements of comfiness, we wouldn't really recommend it.
Very interesting context for saloon, thank you!
I didn't know that nuance about "quite". Thanks for explaining. I absolutely love the phrase you used "damning it with faint praise". Just brilliant! LOL
Cheers for the great comment. Dara
"Fresh" as meaning cold. This is one example of the British habit of "understatement for emphasis", as I call it. Where we use a lesser descriptor to indicate something more extreme, part of the British habit of politeness and restraint.
Another example would be "a little nippy" meaning it's super cold, and "There's a bit of a breeze outside" means it's blowing a gale!
There's also the meaning 'fresh air / out in the fresh air', which means 'not indoors in a 'fug' of dirty air.
Oh yes yes yes! I love the phrase "understatement for emphasis" in the spirit of politeness and restraint. Excellent explanation.
It amuses me when americans say "I could care less" when obviously they couldn't
Watch next Friday's video for that one 😉
I’ve noticed Americans don’t seem to use the word reverse or reversing when related to cars, they say back-up, which we use when we back-up computer software or program.
Yes we use back up in both cases. You're right... we back up our cars not reverse them.
A mannequin is also called a dummy, although again it's used in context so that both parties know what is being referred to.
And by extension, a dummy in pacifier terms is a false nipple.
That use of "cosy" as a euphemism for tiny is an abuse of the word by hotels, estate agents, landlords and the like. It is not the normal, everyday use of the word in the UK, which is similar to US usage. Note, however, the two uses are not opposites. A room can be both small and cosy in the usual sense.
I think the technical term is orthogonal, not opposite, although a large, draughty hall would not be cosy.
A saloon in terms of a drinking establishment, typically found in a pub, was a more comfortable, better appointed bar room, often with slightly higher prices. Alternatively called a lounge bar. Work clothes were not welcome. Where the workers went was the public bar, and was generally more raucous and that is where the fights were too. The bar in a hotel is often called the saloon too. Its use in pubs is a bit doubted.
The word saloon itself is of French origins, with salon being a drawing room, and often denoted a place of educated and erudite discussion. Even mentioned by Sheridan Cooper in The Big Bang Theory.
Also, I do not think either Americans or the British should go around telling each other how to use a word in their own country, just because one or the other comes from a one where it is used in an entirely different, and derogatory manner. Being sensitive when dealing with another country's usage whilst there is the important matter. For example, the British also use the word faggot for a particular type of meatball. Are we to be forbidden for using that? Are Americans to stop using the word fanny too?
Nb. UA-cam flagged up my comment as probably containing a derogatory term, so it appears the US tech industry does not agree with me.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
'cosy' is up there with 'quirky,' in estate-agent speak for 'places to run away from really fast.' But generally in UK English, 'cosy' is a positive.
I have a good one for your collection: ENDORSEMENT. This can mean the exact opposite in American English to British English. A story goes that decades back when we had paper licences, a British motorist was stopped when driving in the USA and was asked for his driving licence. The policeman studied it and said "You must be a pretty good driver. It says here you've got three endorsements!" And let him off - much to the confusion of the British driver.
In Britain an endorsement on your driving licence means a penalty issued for a road offence. In the USA it apparently means that someone has praised your performance in a certain area. A kind of recommendation.
That's an excellent example! I had no idea that endorsement was a bad thing, haha!
In New Zealand an endorsement on your driver's licence is an extra qualification like you can get a T endorsement for self laying tracks, or an R endorsement to drive a vehicle with rollers, P endorsement meaning you can carry paying passengers, F for a forklift, etc.
I still have a paper license 🤦♀️ god I feel old
(No endorsements though 😂😂)
@@susansmiles2242
I still have my little red booklet type licence from 1970.
@@susansmiles2242 What do you use when asked for photo ID?
The word fresh is a funny one here in the UK as it can mean different things depending on the context. Fresh can also mean smelly. You are smelling a bit fresh, or that field is smelling fresh means smelly or stinky
Wow, that is confusing!
An aunt of mine went to live in the States and she took a job with a very early start, she was sharing an apartment with an American chap and so she wouldn't be late on her first day she asked the chap if he could "knock her up in the morning" it's a phrase we use a lot in Manchester and this American chap nearly choked on his supper. Obviously it means something entirely different in the States.
ahahaha love that one..
That is such a great phrase because I think that story has happened countless times! Since tourists often stay in B&Bs or small inns, that offer has been made to countless American visitors. And no, they did not want to be impregnated!! LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels.
It comes from the days when a man would be paid to go round with a long stick to knock on people's bedroom windows and wake them up for work.
@@grahvis so funny! My how times have changed! Now we just ask Siri or Alexa to wake us up 🤣
Saloon is a car with a boot (trunk) that doesn't have glass in it. if it's not a saloon, it's a 'hatchback' i.e. the trunk opens up like a back door with a window in it.
Ah yes... in the states we call that a hatchback vs a sedan . Thanks for explaining! Cheers, Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels A sedan, or sedan chair, was a portable covered-in chair for one person carried on poles by two men , one for and one aft,
@@chrismackey9267 The 'sedan' being originally a private room.
Haha, yes cosy is Estate Agent speak for small! It actually means the same as it does in the US. The word saloon is used mostly to refer to a type of car. A saloon bar is an old-fashioned term. I've never heard of the word 'fresh' used that way in the US either. Oh yes, that word for cigarettes is sometimes still used but I think many are aware of other connotations. Confession...I say "I'm good" all the time!! 🤣I never say "I'm down" though! 😅 Loved the examples you chose, Dara! Brilliant! 👍😁
Julie, are you saying "I'm good" just so you can be hip with the American teens?
I've noticed that the word 'handicap' is used quite freely in the US. In the UK I think many people would find it quite an old fashoined and derogatory way to refer to people with disabilities. I suspect if this word was used in the UK to refer to a 'handicapped parking space' the organisation might even be threatened under equalities legislation whereas in the US it is commonplace. This said British people would know what it means.
The disabled people I know regard their difficulties exactly as a handicap, not a lack of ability.
As a 59 year old American I can say that I've seen a big change in this regard. When I was a child, everyone called them "handicapped" parking spaces and "handicapped" bathroom stalls. But now it is considered rude to say that in the USA and people try to say "disabled". I can't believe that when I was little everyone also used the term "retarded". That is quite offensive now.
@@MagentaOtterTravelsthat’s interesting. I recall being quite surprised the term handicap was still used on signs in the US, at least when I was last there not too long ago. France also used the term still. I think it tends to often be associated with some very exclusionary old fashioned stereotypes over here. There is a social model of disability which separates the person from their disability - so it is society that creates the disability rather than the individual who has a disability/handicap. Referring to someone as a person with disabilities rather than being disabled tries to emphasise this separation. This is also the UN guidance Of course all of this is fluid and contested but generally the term handicap seems less visible in the UK.
@@djs98blue thank you for sharing all of this context. A very interesting discussion. We all have our challenges and limitations... just some are more visible than others.😉
It's best when we don't label people in a way where those limitations define them. 💖
Fun differences Dara and Ian. Though I think cozy with a Z in realtor speak here in the US means tiny too.
Thanks, I appreciate hearing your perspective, Dave!
The difference is that in UK small can be considered a good thing, especially for the purpose of heating costs. Obviously it depends on how many people will be living there.
Dara, your posts are always entertaining and delivered so clearly and concisely. Thank you!
btw My mother, who came from Suffolk in East Anglia would say "hommly" as meaning ugly or plain looking.
.........and saloon cars in the uk would be sedans to Americans.
Thanks for your kind words! And sharing your perspective 🤗.
Cheers! Dara
I find it to be incredibly disrespectful to be trying to push the world to view a word in a derogatory form and abolishing the original definition of a word as it only promotes the use of the word in the derogatory form. Promoting the use of a word in its original meaning is the way to eradicate the negative uses of a word.
I guess this is a light hearted and entertaining take on things. I am not sure she was serious. Anyhow, who can really abolish or eradicate a definition of a word? Meaning is fluid and highly emergent - operating far beyond the control of intention.
@@djs98blue Americans seem to try.
Ooh, this is a great topic! 🤗 I didn't know 'homely' meant 'ugly' over here! I always wondered about the 1970s song "Homely Girl" by the Chi-Lites. I thought it an odd title and just remember thinking that she was a girl who was happy staying at home! 🤣
Me too! 😂
I have never heard of that song! Well, if you go visit an American friend's cabin, don't tell them it's homely!!! ;-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels ua-cam.com/video/yF2_7dCH9lU/v-deo.htmlsi=n9_re86wgQBskAgr. It was a big hit in the UK.
@@MagentaOtterTravels I remember the song and also at the same time a radio DJ explaining the meaning behind it ( to UK listeners).
When organising a work or school outing, someone would put a piece of paper on a notice board asking people who were interested to put their name "down" on the list.
Saying, "I'm down," means that your name is already on the list for doing something.
Thank you for that explanation! It makes a lot of sense but I didn't think of it like that. Cheers! Dara
A saloon in a UK pub is usually a room where ( mainly men ) play cards , dominoes , darts and usually use fruity language and chew the fat over things , it is also used as a luxurious large car
One thing I have noticed creeping into American vocabulary similar to "I'm good" for no is "I got you" for yes. Commonly when we went out to eat. Can I have a table for 4 would get the response "I got you"
Ah yes, I got you ;-)
I spent 18 years as a bus driver. In a bus, the saloon is the seating area of the bus. A double decker would refer to the upper saloon and lower saloon.
Wow, I had no idea that a saloon was part of a bus too! That's really interesting. Cheers! Dara
At least they don't combine homely and dummy together! 🤣🤣
Yes that would be bad 😉🤣
You left a really bad joke open here, but I tactically steered clear! 🤣🤣@@MagentaOtterTravels
@@TravelingTramps thanks for that 😉
Hi Dara... here’s a good one... Lav or lavatory ... in the US it means a basin/sink... you’d never catch anyone in the UK wanting to wash their hands in a lav, which means toilet! Also whilst on the subject the word faucet... just isn’t used in the UK, it’s just a tap 🙂... hope you mention these in the next one. A fun vid as always, thanks.
I think lav in the US means toilet... mostly used on airplanes. I actually mention faucet in next Friday's video!
Thanks for your comment! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Lav is definitely used for a sink or basin in the US, maybe it’s used as both over there then? As I work in the industry :). Looking forward to the next vid :)
@@AdiSneakerFreak In the UK, lavatory Basin is an old term for a large, deep wash basin, used maybe 70 or more years ago. Replaced in the trade by wash hand basin, which are smaller and holds less water.
@@AdiSneakerFreak cheers!
@@frankmitchell3594 And interestingly, on visiting a couple of cathedrals here in the UK, I found the priests or monks 'lavatorium' - the communal hand-washing space for washing before meals. Therefore I think the US term more accurate.
Thanks, Magenta. Very interesting lesson. 👏
Thanks for watching! Cheers, Dara
7:40 - we also don't use the word 'bum' to mean cadge.
I was watching a Flintstone cartoon many years ago and Fred said he'd bollocksed something up. I was like 'WHAT'?! That wasn't a polite word that was generally used in everyday conversations.
'Bollixed' was a word often used innocently in the US.
In earlier years it would be 'balled up'. Try the film 'Forbidden Planet', for an example.
'Bollix' appears in many USTV series, such as in the original 'Lost in Space', as the name of an alien policeman; 'Officer Bollix'.
I thought Britons used "bum" as a verb to mean beg off of someone. Sorry I missed that nuance!
I had never heard the term bollocks until I started visiting Britain. I guess that Flintstones episode when over my head ;-)
@MagentaOtterTravels
'Bum' is either used as a reference to what Americans call their butt, or as a derogatory adjective referring to the act of homosexual sex.
@@jacketrussell Americans don't use it in that second meaning... but some Americans know the first meaning. I don't often hear it used in the states though.
Yes erasers are called rubbers, but also condoms could be referred to as ‘rubber johnnies’, so the R word does have a connection. Also The India Rubber company and London Rubber Company were huge, they sold everything made of rubber from tyres to gloves.
Reading BTL it struck me that we in the UK also say we are 'Up for that' when someone asks if you want to do something, but if they then put up a notice and ask if you could put your name down and you already added your name, you say ' I am already down for that'!
Yes, we are down and up at the same time! How confusing for people learning English LOL!
Cozy does have a connotation of small and sometimes is used as a backhanded compliment based on that.
What a fun video Dara! It’s been 28 years since I’ve been to the UK I haven’t heard anything. But in America I first heard..
“That’s Dope” meaning cool. I was shocked thinking they were talking about drugs😂😂😂~Cara
Yes, dope is such a strange word! Like in the 70's when teens started saying bad to mean good! haha
a Saloon is part of a Pub. there use to be 3 rooms in a Pub. the Saloon is the family room and Games room (darts, pool, cards). the Bar which was for over 18's and the Vault. the Vault was for men only, they could wear their dirty work clothes and tell equally as dirty jokes away from the women and children.
a Saloon car is a long Hatchback/Estate car.
hate to point out that "Fresh" in America can also mean "Cool".
it is funny that "Fag" is seen as the bad part in "Bum a Fag". as in the UK, as "Bum" can be used to describe gay sex in the UK.
something that literally means the opposite is the UK Bum Bag to the American Fanny Pack. even though they are the same item.
Good examples! Very interesting about the pub rooms! What about snug?
Yes, both bum and fag are problematic!!😮
@@MagentaOtterTravels The Snug is the room in The Rovers Return where Ena Sharples, Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst hang out while drinking their milk stout. 😁
Saloon, as others have said, evolved from the French word salon, meaning a public meeting room or exhibition space. This by extension came to mean any enclosed space which was freely available, such as in a pub, thus ocean liners and yachts have saloons, and it also came to mean a railway carriage which was not sub-divided into separate compartments. In British English it also came to mean an enclosed motor car that did not have a partition between the chauffeur and the passengers (originally almost all enclosed cars were of course limousines). In the British bus industry, single decker buses are still often referred to as saloons, again in the sense that it is a shared space.
Thanks for explaining that so clearly! It makes sense to me now ;-) Cheers, Dara
I found walking on the pavement a lot more dangerous in the US than it is in the UK. Fortunately, no injuries were incurred.
lol yes indeed!
@gerrymccartney3561 You were lucky to find a pavement. As soon as you go 5 feet outside the town centre in Burlington IA the pavement disappears.
Someone told me to use the sidewalk when that happens.@@Poliss95
@@gerrymccartney3561 They don't have one of those either. 😁
@@Poliss95 Oh dear! Watch out for the pot holes.
We enjoyed the differences Dara and Ian. While we worked with many people from different parts of the world in our careers I don't believe with anyone from the UK. So we really never had any friends from there either until YT. So this can of worms wasn't opened until recently. Though when you used the word "nippy" for cold or "fresh" I think we've heard that before from Julie and Lucy as having a different meaning too.
Yes we both have lots of new British friends now thanks to YT! 🇺🇸🩷🇬🇧
Not forgetting localisms, we have a word for the light level just before dusk, " dimpsey "
'Gloaming' elsewhere, as well.
oh yes, I think that was in my Devon dialect video. I had forgotten about that one!
Great word!
I would not say that cosy in Britain means "small and cramped". It actually means.- comfortable and warm', perhaps rather small. It is rather complimentary and not negative.
@valeriedavidson2785 It's a term estate agents use to make a tiny house sound cute.
You can't erase what you didn't contain!
🤣🤣
Haven’t watched this video yet but I have to tell you my husband and I just talked about “pet” vs. “stroke” for animals from one of your earlier videos! The wrong one here makes us giggle under our breath and the other one in Britain makes them giggle uncomfortably.😂😂
lol it's funny how different perceptions can be!
My mother was German, my father British. Soon after they married, they found themselves near a building site. My paternal grandparents were also present. My mother's English was not so good at that time and she often used German words when she didn't know the English. So, at the site, my mother spotted a large excavator that was covered in mud. 'Oh, look at that dirty great Bagger,' she said to her in-laws... You can imagine the rest.
Oh my, that is a funny story! Bugger is not a word that we use in the US, but I can imagine how that phrase went over to the British family members!!
Japanese and Chinese have that sort of twisted relationship similar to American English and British English. While we both use Chinese characters, some of the characters got transmitted wrong due to miscommunication. In fact, there was a Chinese comedienne whose schtick was to insist that the Japanese "change back" the meanings of the characters. Of course, the Japanese are used to using them that way and aren't about to change anything.
@@masudashizue777 that's very interesting! And sounds like a funny "schtick"! You must have lived in the US for a long time if you're picking up Yiddish 🤣
Hi Brit here,
Homely I think is similar to Cozy, but without the 'small' connotation.
We do use Homely as a derogatory term for a person normally female.
Saloon, we use for a room that is nice/homely not cozy in the small sense. Such a room is often in a Pub, and is the up market bar, compared to the Public bar, there might also be a Lounge. A small comfortable bar is a Snug.
Saloon is used similarly for a room on a train or ship.
Saloon is also a style of car which I think US would call a sedan.
A a Brit (maybe just a Londoner) a pacifier is a weapon, such as a hammer, so I always worry when an American talks about using a pacifier for their baby.
Re: fresh - I think we use get fresh, but I'm not sure if we picked that up from US, it feels like 'Doris Day Film' vibe.
But fresh to mean cold, yes normally about weather, I think early morning, but could be wrong, no idea why we use it, but there is a smell in the air when its 'fresh', it is different to just cold.
My thoughts on Derogatory words is they are only insulting if they are intended to insult, not using the word you would naturally use because some Bigot would use it differently is giving in to bullying, so I will continue to use fag for cigarette and faggot for strange meat balls or bundle of wood for lighting a fire, it would be offensive not to.
Erasers and Condoms were often made from rubber, I believe. In UK we use the term rubber to mean either, although a Condom is normally a 'Jonnie Rubber' or just 'Jonnie' (sorry may have spelt that wrongly). In UK we tend to use context more than seems to be the case in US, we use Glasses to mean both vessels for drinking from and items to help you see, if the context is unclear we might say drinking glasses or eye glasses, but would probably use spectacles (for clarity).
Re: 'der Yuff', ours (UK) use 'I'm good', though usually 'I'm good, thanks' to mean 'No thanks', I think it implies 'at some other time I might say yes but not just now', I'm currently replete, I could be wrong.
Re I'm down, I think is similar to I'm down with that, but I don't know.
And the one that I find really difficult 'quite', in UK it is a modifier, I think it could be, if you need to rate something (AB&B for instance) where 1 is bad and 5 is great/wonderful/good, 4 might be quite good, where I think in US on that same scale a 6 would be 'quite good', once again I could be misunderstanding American.
Interesting topic, well done.
Thanks so much for your entertaining comment!
Yes, "getting fresh" is very much a Doris Day era phrase. I'm sure no young people say that these days!
I had no clue that a pacifier was a weapon! Wow!
A couple other people mentioned the word "quite"... I was unaware of the nuanced difference, so that is very interesting to hear.
Cheers! Dara
When you go down the pub, you might enter by one of two doors. One entrance would be signed Public Bar and the other Saloon Bar.
The Public Bar is for the working men the drinks are cheaper and the decor would be relatively basic. In the next room the Saloon you’d find the middle class men and or couples. It’s not like this anymore and all booze is the same price most pubs are now open aspect. You’ll still find the sign Saloon Bar if you look close enough
That is so interesting! I never knew about that. Cheers for that! Dara
Spot on. (I hope that statement is not ambiguous!)The word "Fresh " was thought provoking.
I may be confused by spot on... but it doesn't help that I have covid brain at the mo...
We do use the words "cosy" and "fresh" in the same way you do, it's just that we have adopted some terms to have another meaning. Homely is used to mean someone, not ugly but rather bland looking, but in a nice, cosy way. We use "bijou" for "cramped" in estate agent speak as well. "Interesting" is used to not outright condemn but be diplomatic.
For opposites we say "Couldn't care less" where Americans would say "Could care less". We also tend to find the community spirited attitude in our society is often described in a condemnatory way as "Socialist" or worse.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I didn't know about bijou!
As for "could care less"... I really hope you watch next Friday's video because that is a phrase I discuss then! Cheers, Dara
We say "spit the dummy" when people get really cranky. When they are really going off they're having a "dummy spit".
We use "fresh" the same way as the poms.
Fag is a ciggie here too. We used to have a box of lollies, sweets, called Fags. They are white sugar sticks with a red tip - yes made to look like ciggies for kids. A couple of decades ago they changed the the name to Fads - under which they are still sold today. For the record I love Fads.
They still sell those sugar cigarettes?! I haven't seen those for over 40 years! When cigarette advertising was outlawed I think those were eliminated as well. It was considered way to encourage children to smoke!
I've never heard of having a dummy spit, but that is hilarious!
@@MagentaOtterTravels that's why they were renamed Fads. There was another one I loved - Big Boss Cigars. Big caramel flavoured sticks. They are now... I don't know? I think Dynamite? Still sugary and tasty as though 😂😂😂
@@ShaneNixonFamily you must have a sweet tooth, my friend!
@@MagentaOtterTravels 😂
Your knickers get in a knot, mine get in a twist! Across my pond I can go to a coffee shop and expect coffee, sticky buns and tea and scones. If someone crosses the pond and comes visit a coffee shop here they get more than they bargained for. It's where you can legally buy and smoke 'pot'! They'll even teach you how to 'roll your own'. Coffee, ah yes many do serve coffee. Online one can find menus: Archive of cannabis menus for Prix d'Ami coffeeshop in Amsterdam! Love the analogies Dara. Spit the dummy = to loose control of one's temper: The phrase is recorded first in the1980s. It is usually used of an adult with the implication is that the behaviour described is childish, like a baby spitting out its dummy in a tantrum and refusing to be pacified. Have a great week. 🧡🇳🇱🙋♀🇳🇿👌
Yes, I avoid "coffee shops" in Amsterdam ;-)
That is interesting about someone spitting out their dummy. I also just learned a new phrase that is similar... throwing their toys out of the pram! haha ... I may use that in a future video. I love it!
"cosy" means warm and comfortable as in the US, but generally also means small - but not necessarily cold or uncomfortable. A large house could never be described as cosy, but maybe there is a cosy little room within
Good distinction! 👍
😂 In my family we say “I’m good” all the time!😂
I caught myself saying it today!!! It's very infectious...
It really means “I’m all set”
When I was in Afghanistan with the Canadian army I worked at a British lead HQ. An American officer was posted there and I was helping him set up his office and he was looking for "erasers". When he was told that they were called "rubbers" by the Brits he did a double take!! There were several other things that didn't translate well so I said, "Don't worry, I'm Canadian, I speak both British and American, I'll translate!". Everyone laughed but it actually worked out!!
Yes, rubber has caused a shocked look many times I'm sure! I always enjoy hearing from Canadians and Aussies which terms and spellings they have adopted when the British and American versions are so different. Thanks for your comment! Dara
There's a scene in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, where Rita Skeeter takes Harry for an interview in a broom closet. 'My, this is cosy'. But said said in such a way it doesn't sound QUITE as bad as saying OMG this is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Haha, you get extra bonus points for quoting Harry Potter!
Cheers! Dara
When people say "I'm good," I can't help but think to myself, "so how good are you?" In a silly way, of course.
Precisely!
Dummy means an imitation, copy, or likeness of something used as a substitute. Consequently a baby's pacifier is called a dummy because it's an imitation teat. A ventriloquist's dummy is an imitation conversationalist. The use of the word dummy to mean a stupid person or a person who is habitually silent stems from the ventriloquist dummy.
Good explanation! Cheers!
In Australia we tend towards British usage of words although American spelling, pronunciations and definitions are becoming popular. I have even heard some younger Australians pronounce the letter Z (Zed), Zee. How times have changed.
Oh that is funny! Next week's video discusses American pronunciations that are creeping into Britain's younger generation. You'll have to tell me on Friday which of those are happening in Oz as well. Cheers! Dara
Cosy can mean: 'A warm, comfortable, place to be' or 'Gosh, this is a small room!'. It all depends on the tone of voice. Think of Donkey in Shrek, upon learning the swamp is Shriek's home. "Oh, it's amazing what you did on such a limited budget!"
You get extra bonus points for quoting Shrek!
Onions have layers, parfaits have layers, ogres have layers.
And in the morning, I'm making WAFFLES! :-)
The strangest thing I found about Americans when I visit the States is that they seem to think the UK is tiny. When an American asked me where I lived in the UK, and I said Bournemouth in Dorset, they then said is that near London to which I said not that far so they then asked me if I knew somebody called Michael (Smith or similar) as if we all live on the same street!
Well, in terms of land mass, they will think England is tiny in comparison to the USA. As for knowing people... Americans will do that whoever you are. You are from Ohio? Oh, do you know my best mate from elementary school? His name is Dave Smith and he lives in Ohio too!!
Tesco stores in the USA traded as ‘fresh & easy’ but they didn’t do well, all of them closed down.
I read somewhere that in the States, the word used for an item often describes the outcome whereas in the UK, it describes physically what the item is. So:
U.S. Pacifier (soothes the child - the result)
U.K. Dummy (Dummy Teat - replicates the mother's breast - what the item actually is)
U.S. Eraser (what it does)
U.K. Rubber (what it's made from - rubber)
Also, Saloon = Sedan 😉
Great video 👍
Very interesting! Cheers for that! Dara
Regarding the word dummy, I recently submitted a review for new slip-in shoes, I commented on the ‘dummy laces’ no need to tie anything or bend down.
Haha, that's interesting!
Americans say " can you BRING me to work" when asking for a lift. We say " can you TAKE me to work ".
That very phrase is discussed in next week's video! I hope you tune in on Friday ;-) Cheers! Dara
Bring means coming towards. Take means going away to so if going TO work you would Take me. Coming home from work you would Bring me back
We also say a fresh start, meaning a new beginning often after a bad time.
When I checked into a hotel for the first time in London, the guy at reception asked me what time he should "knock me up" in the morning. I'm female.
@@tinaowens3772 i'm sure that was very shocking! Lol 😂
Totally agree with the 'I'm good' thing. Have you ever gone to a bar and asked for a pint of bitter?
well, no I haven't because I don't drink... but why do you ask?
In Britain, bitter is a type of beer. In other countries, including (this from embarrassed experience) the US, it typically refers to Angustura bitters, of which a few drops are used to flavo(u)r other drinks. The barman thought I was a nutcase.@@MagentaOtterTravels
@@Tom-xy9yy ooooh! I know bitter as ale/beer... but now that you mention it, I have heard of the other usage as well. Not being a drinker, I've not had it myself. But I understand how that could be very confusing at an American bar! Lol
I got into trouble once in the USA for using a very british phrase, which would be quite harmless here, but got in the US git me offering an apology.
I said , "The rain is falling in buckets and spades." Now it was pointed out to me that the word spades means something quite offensive which horrified me. I felt the need to explain that was a shovel, and typically, a child would use these items on the beach. I also felt need to double-check and typed the British words to Amazon, and it knew what results to return.
It's proof we speak the language, but we don't.
Wow I didn't even know that offensive meaning for the word... I just looked it up!😳
It's funny that for building sandcastles at the beach you 🇬🇧 say "buckets & spades" and we 🇺🇸say "shovels & pails".🤣
Originalt a UK Saloon car is what I understand the USA calls a town car. It is not an estate car suv hot hatch or sports car.
As a , building code official , no one now uses a saloon to describe any room in a house.
Cheers for that!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Do you know what a 'shooting brake' is? 😁
I think quite a few British people wouldn’t know what a shooting brake is either!
Dummy is a pacifier, a mannequin or a gentle name for doing something stupid or not knowing how to do something - similar to clot, nugget, plank, numpty or spanner.
Here's an opposite meaning that's not language, but superstition - black cats are considered unlucky in the US, but lucky in the UK.
Regarding the list, pretty much all of these words actually have both meanings in the UK. Like 'homely' - a place being homely is a good thing as it reminds one of home, but a person being called homely is a wry way of saying they're unattractive, same as in the US. I think the idea is that someone who is ugly should stay home and not inflict themselves on the public 😂
Wow, I didn't know that black cats were lucky in Britain!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yep. Also in Ireland, Germany and Japan
@@AlastairjCarruthers that's interesting but I think they are still sometimes associated with witchcraft etc in the UK too. I also know that black cats take the longest to get adopted from cat sancturies. There is even a black cat appreciation society on Facebook. Apparently, it's partly superstition but also as they aren't easy to photograph for social media etc. Very sad.
Saloon is from the french salon.
To be a usually large grand room
Like a hotel lounge area..or Buckingham palace have salons... but we are aware and familiar with other uses.. hair salon.. EG.
And US old west bar room..but our old victorian pubs had salons..you will still find the odd glass etched window with salon displayed meaning lounge bar.. lounge bar is where you'd go with your wife.and not to the tap room.thats for the men folk..
I've learnt so much about historical customs in pubs from reading the comments on this video. Cheers! Dara
I agree with you about "I'm good", it sounds very boastful.
It's a bit irksome to older folks like me 😉
The meaning of this one seems to be being missed - 'I'm good thanks' is basically a short way of saying 'no thank you, I do not require that thing. My current status of not having that thing is satisfactory to me'.
Variants include 'I'm fine' and 'I'm okay'. The speaker isn't describing themselves, they're saying that their current situation of not having the thing being offered is fine/okay/good/satisfactory.
I don’t like the whole modern usage of “I’m good” instead of “I’m okay”. To me they have totally different meanings. I’m not asking you for a personal moral judgment 😂
I can't believe no one has yet mentioned "fanny pack". As a Brit, I would call it a bum bag, as the first word has a whole other meaning here.....
Several people mentioned Fanny. I definitely was aware of it being a controversial word we Americans should not say, but I didn't think of it as an "opposite" until British people watched this video! Lol
We say dummy instead of pacifier, because it is short for a dummy or imitation nipple.
Interesting! I never thought of it that way. Like a crash test dummy is an imitation person...
@@MagentaOtterTravelsI believe it was originally a dummy teat.
@@rikmoran3963 definitely, that makes sense
Cozy does mean comfortable in the UK but recently it has come to mean small.
The meaning of the word fanny, is close but opposite in a way 😄.
Another French comedian I heard once pointed out that we (at least in the US) say that an alarm went off -- when it clearly went ON.
I hadn't thought of fanny as an opposite, but several British viewers have mentioned that in the comment section so I think that's a good example too.
Very funny about alarms! The French guy is right!🤣
Id like to add the word ‘cowboy’ which has connotations of frontier heritage in the U.S.A but in the UK means a bad tradesman likely to rip you off for poor workmanship.
The Texan “Cowboy Taxis” would be avoided at all costs in the uk.
Oh, that is a good one! Cheers for that!
Saloon in the UK salon meaning a sitting room/living room but I think it’s a bit outdated. It used to be common in the US
It's so interesting how language changes over time. I bet that young Americans only say couch now... but when I was little people said sofa a lot and even "davenport"! I haven't heard that term in years!
I remember watching `once upon a time in the west` and Jason Robards said to the female lead something like "should i happen to sneak up on you and pat you on the fanny" well well you couldnt say that anywhere in Britain or Ireland because it means the opposite. In US terminology of course it means the female back side but in Britain its most certainly the front side 🤣
Oh my goodness, that is a very scandalous line! I have decided I need to do a follow up video of all the opposite words I missed when I did this one!
Down meaning willing to go along with something is a bit odd. I think in the UK we'd say we were up for a laugh , meaning we're ready to have fun. The old Scottish format would be " Ah'm fair on fur an on cairy!" = I'm willing to have a bit of a carry on .
Glad you translated that because I would not have understood that Scottish phrase! Sounds like a good one ;-)
Salon …french for room….Saloon car is sedan….a hairdresser always has a hair salon…getting fresh can be an overture to a person..
We also have that meaning of "fresh" though it's a bit archaic and not used much anymore.
Cosy = the woolen cover put over a teapot. Tea-cosy is the most common version.
Oh yes, I love tea cosies! I forgot about that when I was filming this video. Good reminder ;-)
Re the condom conundrum. I was once in the stationers and heard a man asking at the counter for some Durex. The assistant directed him to the chemist. Later when I moved to Australia I found their brand of sticky tape was Durex. Another time I went into HMV, my partner had asked me to get a particular album for him. I couldn't find it and had to ask. "Where can I find Lou Rawls?" I was redirected tot he Chemist as well. My partner got a kick up the backside for that joke.
That Durex thing is very funny!!
But I don't get the Lou Rawls joke... maybe it's my covid brain?
@@MagentaOtterTravels Lou Rawls collaborated with Bill Withers and sang Lovely Day (longest held note) If you don't say his name carefully it might be thought you were asking for Loo Rolls!
@@Lily-Bravo oh that is funny!!! I know who Lou was but didn't make the connection to toilet paper! 🤣🤣
"fresh" for weather - a lettuce in a fridge comes out fresh - a lettuce in the summer heat definitely AIN'T fresh! - but it is rarely used for really cold weather - that's "it's effing freezing outside!"
Thanks for clarifying! Cheers, Dara
"Fresh" is really as opposed to humid, not understatement for brass monkeys.
The word table means the opposite. In British English you table a proposal to advance it. In American English you are trying to discard it
Really? I had no idea! That is an excellent example!
Cheers for that! Dara
If traffic is described as "quite busy" in UK, it means it's not too bad. But in US it means it's dreadful.
The only time UK uses 'quite' in that manner is if someone is described as being 'quite dead'.
Oh that's funny! In a dark British humour kind of way 🤣
Rubber. Rubber erasers are used to rub out mistakes. So rubber for the item and the material they’re made of and then rainboots and condoms were made of the material and called rubbers.
That's right! I remember galoshes being called rubbers as well about 50 years ago. I hadn't thought of that in ages...
Princess Bride. Classic. Homely probably does mean a lot of the owners clutter left in the AirBnB. Cozy = Small. Saloon = Definitely a bar. Fresh = Young/Appealing. Getting fresh, yes we have that too. Ah yes “Fresh Out”, the understated way of saying very cold. I think B An F is still pretty shocking here too, unless your from 1970s London. The Fa word is pretty derogatory here unless you’re in a butchers. Arent they sheep brains? Why are rubbers called Johnny? 🧐 I’m down with that..
I don't know why Brits call rubbers Johnny... I had not heard that one before!
Yeah, I love Princess Bride! XX
I dont see why we Brits ought to change the terminology _we've_ grown up with just to suit the fragility of visiting / easily offended Americans.
Are Americans (/ US citizens) expected to alter _their_ *everyday language* to suit visiting British or European tourists etc?! No... Surely instead we can each learn from the other, whilst still retaining each of our cultural and historical languages, and both thus educate _and_ entertain each other, whilst widening our vocabularies.
Each to their own, but remember the saying..
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
A Brit in America may try to adapt to "the American way" ...so, vice versa then, is surely preferential, and expected?! 🇺🇸👌🤔🏴❤️🇬🇧😊🖖
I don't recall telling Britons to abandon using words they've used all their life except for fag. Are you referring to another example?
@@MagentaOtterTravels Maybe we should be asking the Americans to stop using fag their way… We've been using it to mean a cigarette for longer than they've used it as an insult to gay people.
Growing up in Ohio and Pennsylvania in the 70s, homely never meant ugly, just average looking. It wasn't til the last few years that I found that some younger Americans thought that it was ugly.
It's interesting how the meanings of words evolves constantly overtime!
@@MagentaOtterTravels The meanings stay the same, sometimes new meanings are added for some people.
Erasers are called rubbers because originally they were made of rubber! And we call condoms rubbers or French letters here in the UK.
I hate 'I'm good' as well. Younger Brits now use it in the conext you describe and also instead of 'I'm ok, thanks' or 'I'm very well'. Grrrrr!!
Other 'new speak' I hate includes 'my bad' for 'my mistake' and asking a server 'Can I get a coffee or whatever' instead of 'Can I have...' Get andhave are two distinctly different verbs.
I have never heard of French letters... that is a new one for me!
I discuss "my bad" and other irritating phrases next Friday. I hope you tune in for that video ;-) Cheers! Dara
@MagentaOtterTravels I was watching a video about how to speak American English correctly, (actually badly), when the woman called a bottle of cooking oil 'cruet'. 😲Cruet is only salt and pepper here. Never oil.
That is so strange! Cruet is a term younger Americans would probably not know at all. But I think of it as an oil dispenser
In the U.S., you talk about fanny packs, if you called it that in the UK, it reaaly would mean the opposite 🙂
Yes, I didn't think of that as an opposite, but several Britons have mentioned that one ;-)
MOT gets to 11K in the next week? We're down!
No no I don't expect that!
Princess Bride? Inconceivable!!
I love that movie!!!
To provide some more confusion about the word “dummy”, the first use of that word I heard other than impugning someone’s intellect was referring to a type of train.
The commuter trains operated by the Rock Island Railroad in Chicago acquired the nickname of “dummies”. The part of the railroad in a Chicago neighborhood runs down the middle of a street, as did rail vehicles that ran in Britain and the rest of Europe described next.
Small steam locomotives built within a box-shaped body hauling small passenger coaches were used as public transport in congested areas. These trains I understand were also nicknamed (or maybe officially named “dummies”.
A locomotive of that type is at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Oh wow, I had no idea that dummies were also trains! Thanks for that! Dara
I knew a girl from Oregon who thought Pips was anatomical and Madam was an insult.
Funny how we have such different ideas depending on where we grow up!