Word Nerds: Big Apple to Big Ben
A healthy portion of my reading and viewing interest involves British ones, (or UK, since I like a good go at Scottish stories), and while I can mostly figure out context, there are times when the chosen vernacular requires clarification.
As a subscriber to Dictionary. com (you should if you haven’t yet–it’s a must for bonafide Word Nerds) I daily get delivered, warm and fresh, new ways to look at words. Recently the focus for the day was how some words look the same but are either pronounced differently or mean something differently depending which country the story hails from. Viva la difference UK and USA.
Some choice examples:
American (Big Apple) British (Big Ben)
- football=soccer
- cotton candy=candyfloss
- apartment=flat
- french fries=chips
- cookie=biscuit
- cell phone=mobile
- parking lot=car park
- awesome=brilliant
Should the next time you read a PD James or tune in for a BBC show and if what the characters say leave you flummoxed, it’s hoped that you’ll be more on the uptake from getting the low down.
Pam Webb 