ooops....

[boodie]

LOL how to confuse my American friends.. taken from an IRC chat this afternoon.



*me*..wasn't bad.. more work on my assignment, the BIG one, then realised I needed a rubber and do you know there isnt a single one in the house!

*J*..blinks and hugs

*me*..i have two children, both going to school and NO ONE has a rubber..

*J*..Well how old are they?

*me*..15 and 18 and they BOTH draw

*J*..noses.."Remember...I'm in America so people under 18 are not legally allowed to do the kind of stuff that would require rubbers"

*J*..is confused

*J*..What does drawing have to do with rubbers?

*J*..Do you mean an eraser?

*me*..LOL ooops, yes of course, we call them rubbers over here, rub things out 8-)

*J*..smirks.."Well here condoms are called rubbers"

*J*..So I was like..."Wait..why would you expect your kids to have them?"

*me*..giggles, sorry

Comments

[trede.livejournal.com]

After all these years he still hasn't fixed his LJ birthday date.

It's 20 August ^ ^

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

oooh BAD muggles!!

shall fix

[tursiae.livejournal.com]

Bloody yanks!

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

LOL

[ladyjaguar.livejournal.com]

Gad, but don't you just love language?

Heeheehee.

One thing I love about British English is the way locality names are spelled vs. the way they are pronounced, such as Chalmondely being pronounced "Chumley." Over here, we "bloody yanks" (grin) aren't quite so disrespectful of our vowels and consonants. Wewahitchka, a town name in Florida, is pronounced pretty much as it is spelled: Wee-wa-HITCH-ka.

(grinning, ducking, and running)

Another point of misunderstanding might be found in the British usage of the word "napkin" and the American usage. Generally, in American usage, we're talking about what a Brit would call a "serviette," and what over here is a "table napkin." (Of course there are also "sanitary napkins," which over here are usually referred to by a trade name used as a common noun (to the great chagrin, of course, of the manufacturers of the items). A "napkin," to a Brit, generally speaking, is a diaper. (At least, that's what I'm given to understand; correct me if I'm wrong. I know language changes over time, and this information is rather old, as am I (grin)).

Ain't language fun?

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

well, yes an no, usually called a nappy, we have cloth nappies and disposable nappies.



FWIW i call em a serviette too 8-)

Napkin is for more posh dining, where the waiter spreads it out on your lap for you.

[cynicaloptimist.livejournal.com]

A napkin is a posh serviette, usually cloth placed in your lap (or round your neck).

We call a diaper a nappy. As far as I'm aware, we Brits haven't called them 'napkins'in living memory except perhaps in very formal usage.

[mattdawolf.livejournal.com]

Uh, people under 18 here can fuck whenever the fuck they want ;)

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

thankj you dear for raising the tone 8-)

heh

[jakerzinc.livejournal.com]

now THIS is classy

Re: heh

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

only the best here 8-)

[ellobahn.livejournal.com]

I'm Canadian and I didn't get confused reading it ... heh

[dharawal.livejournal.com]

yes, but you're practically english 8-)

[fierceredhead.livejournal.com]

I guess I'll just sit out here in the cold since you don't want to add me back. *sniffs*