A co-worker asked me which "Englishcisms" I might use in the States. I had thought of some that I cannot quite remember. The only one that came to might was "fancy", in the meaning of "being attracted to a person". But it's a bit more than that: there are numerous women that I think are attractive that I don't really feel drawn to in that way. "Fancy" captures what we used to call "like like" in middle school. As in: "I know you like her, but do you like like here?"
Trying to remember other words...the obvious candidates are out: lorry (truck), jumper (sweater), boot (trunk), trainers (sneakers), maths (math), not to mention all the words with extra 'u's (labour, colour) or which have 's' instead of 'z' (any -ize word like compartmentalize).
But there are a few other Anglicisms that I think are worth using in the States - if only I could remember them.
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4 comments:
"Shag."
That's the word I was forgetting. Beats the hell out of any word with the same meaning used in the US.
"Bollocks" is pretty good, too, for both its usages.
Good post. I also like to hear the British talk. Everything seems to "sing." Their terms and dialects make conversation interesting.
Rubber, shirt, trousers = English
Eraser, vest, pants = US
Oh, yes, rubbers!
I'm sure many a poor English teacher visiting the US has suffered embarrassment when ordering rubbers for his school.
(In the US, "rubbers" could be galoshes, but these days mostly it just refers to condoms.)
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