Thread: Tell me about America...

A few words to the wise

- Fags are homosexuals, not cigarettes

- over there, 3rd, 4th and even 5th generation immigrants are still the nationality of their long dead relatives - if anyone asks your nationility, you're a viking, or possibly a roman

- a subway is a train, not a sandwich

Anglo-Saxon, surely.

And we get the slang. Most shows on TV are American nowadays.

For better or worse.

Let me answer some of these:

• We do say goodbye on the phone. Atleast most people I know.
• As for me, I love English men. A lot of girls I know do too. It's the accents. They're a bit orgasmic.
• Working up higher is cool.

Originally Posted by Adam

Do you always hang up the phone without saying good bye?

No one I know hangs up without saying goodbye. Sometimes it's even "buh-bye" too, instead of the formal "good-bye".

Originally Posted by Adam

When you work in a big office, why is it always seen to be better to work higher up in the building?

I don't know about this one. I've never worked in a high-rise building, or known anyone who has, so I'm not sure. I kinda don't think that's the case though - usually different departments are located on different floors, so you may be the head of your department but not necessarily higher up altitude-wise.

Originally Posted by Adam

Do American girls REALLY love English men?

YES we do.

Originally Posted by Adam

Do you really only ever drink light beer? Or is that a roumer? Also, why does everyone tell me Americans get drunk really easily, again is this a roumer or fact?

I don't know that all Americans drink light beer, but a lot do just drink American beer, which is like piss-water, imo - well except for Sam Adams. The only reason most people drink American beer is that its cheap. Everyone I know who is serious about beer won't touch American beer. If you're gonna drink beer, at least drink the good stuff - any good beer is imported either from Europe or Canada.

Originally Posted by Ynot

A few words to the wise

- Fags are homosexuals, not cigarettes

Yes! Great point! Don't go asking someone for a fag because you may end up at a gay bar.

Originally Posted by Ynot

- over there, 3rd, 4th and even 5th generation immigrants are still the nationality of their long dead relatives - if anyone asks your nationility, you're a viking, or possibly a roman

Very true. Everyone is proud if they have relatives from Europe and will often refer to themselves as such. For example, my hubby's grandparents came from Ireland and he will tell anyone who listens that he is Irish, even though he is American by everyone else's standards.

Originally Posted by Ynot

- a subway is a train, not a sandwich

Yes, a "subway" is a train, and a "sub" is a sandwich (or underwater craft, depending on the context in which you are using it )


If I think of anything else important to add, I surely will!

in soviet russia CAR WASHES YOU!!!

but seriously dont go around asking for a fag or somone will laugh at you or you might end up in a gay bar

1) hmmm most people say bye on the phone, my boyfriend doesn't sometimes that's just how he is. I guess i say bye kinda mean. i don't mean to though. but for the most part most people say bye.
2) i have no idea about the office building thing, i don't work in an office.
3) Yeah a lot of girls love English men. I love their cute little accents it's so cute! haha
4) hmmm not everyone drinks light beer. i could see americans getting drunk easily. but i'm not sure.

I thought english charm worked on all women?

Cool thanks guys

Especially looking forward to my visit - I don't smoke though so luckily I wont be asking for and fags lol. My friend is a stand up comedian, and I saw him joking with this American once, how translation is someties lost, and he was saying:

Pissed:
You mean angry, we mean drunk

Wasted:
You mean murdered, we mean drunk

Wrecked:
You mean distroyed, we mean drunk

Mullered:
Not covered in yoghurt, drunk!

lol

Waster can also be substituted for drunk I believe. But I'm basing that on here in Canada, but I've heard Americans say it quite often too.

Being wasted means the same here.

I saw something interesting about Americans having different personal spaces to Europeans (and British in particular). I think they have...bigger? Smaller? Not sure. I'm sure it's on wikipedia somewheres.

I've always wondered why no one says goodbye on the phone in movies or television. I think it's just to tighten the pace of the story. I've also noticed that every time someone makes a date with someone else, they forget to set a time and/or place to meet. Or if the guy wants to pick up the girl at a specific time, it's always ok:

"Wanna catch a movie?"
"Sure!"
"Great! Pick you up at 7!" -- walks out the door.

But it IS true that all of our phone numbers start with 555. No, really!

I think its to save screen time, but considered, I don't always say goodbye on the phone. Most of the time my convos on the phone are like that,

"Hey Kev, wanna hang out?"
"Sure thing"
"Sweet, come on over!"
"Be right there"
*click*

Most of the time my phone conversations can't even be considered conversations because they don't last anymore than 30 seconds.

Originally Posted by Adam

Pissed:
You mean angry, we mean drunk

Wasted:
You mean murdered, we mean drunk

Wrecked:
You mean distroyed, we mean drunk

Mullered:
Not covered in yoghurt, drunk!

lol

Yes, we say "wasted" to mean drunk too. There's a lot of slang for being drunk, lol.

And then you have the different terms for pop/soda/whatever. There's "soft drink" which is what restaurants usually call it; "pop" which is what midwesterns call it (i.e. word I use for it); "soda" not sure who calls it that; "coke" which is what southerners call it (even though it can be any type, they call everything "coke").

Oh and another important difference between England and U.S. - we drive on the RIGHT side of the road

You drive on the right, but we drive on the right side

The physical equivalent of corporate hierarchy isn't something nation-based, I think.

I mean, you have a tall building that houses everyone from janitors to executives.

Obviously, executives would never work in the basement, and, well, then why settle for being in the middle, where you could easily be interrupted by the "lesser" employees. >.>
Regular workers are in the middle and take up the majority of space.
And those that do the "dirty" work are left with the lowest floors and basement to call their own.

Originally Posted by Adam

You drive on the right, but we drive on the right side

HA! Keep telling yourself that

American beer tastes less like shit if it's light. Easier to down. It also seems like there aren't many young people that will just kick back with a few drinks. I do it all the time but most of my friends either don't drink or want to get wasted. Usually if I want to get drunk I'll just get coors light because I can drink 20+ in a night and never feel full.

Higher up in a building means your salary is more.

I say later on the phone.

I love european accents and hot european women. I know for scientific fact in the UK there are less attractive women than the US per capita but the ones that are hot are just that much more for their accent. French accents are my personal favorite, though.

Other words of wisdom: Don't say the N word even if our music constantly says it and wiggers (white people that pose as black people) use it when they're around other white people.
Weed is more expensive but really good stuff still shouldn't be over 50 an 8th.
Everyone knows what bollux and lifts are because of Harry Potter but we'll still laugh at your slang.

And burns, the West Coast calls it soda.

And here are our slang words for drunk:
Wasted
Fucked Up
Crunk (Kind of last year)
Stupid (as in "let's get stupid")
dumb (as in "go dumb!"
plastered

And high:
Stoned
Ripped
Roasted
Blazed

And on psyches:
Trippin bawls!
Fryin
Wiggin out

Originally Posted by Burns

HA! Keep telling yourself that

haha I can imagine you pulling the same face as the cat in your signature when you say that lol - You used to drive on the left as well you know, and only changed it to be different! Which in turn forced the Canadians to change too lol

The N thing is a situation here too, if not so much.

And we don't talk like Harry Potter.

Originally Posted by Adam

You used to drive on the left as well you know, and only changed it to be different! Which in turn forced the Canadians to change too lol

heh, nobody forced the Canadians to do anything - they just saw that driving on the right side makes SO much more sense, and being the smart Canadians that they are, they adopted the idea. I love Canadians


hmm what else can I tell you about America? I guess I'm not familiar with some of the differences between here and there so it's hard to pick them out.

OH I thought of one. Don't say you have to go to the "toilet" - that just sounds nasty. Say you have to go to the "bathroom" or "restroom".

lol @ restroom - you don't rest there I say bathroom too!

You say pants for trousers and fanny for bum - we say pants for underwear and a fanny, well thats a womans special place lmao!

Sulfur not sulpur?

Should you need to do any...um...chemistry...while...you're...over there...

Originally Posted by Adam

lol @ restroom - you don't rest there I say bathroom too!

oh ok, good - at least you've already got that one down!

Originally Posted by Adam

You say pants for trousers and fanny for bum - we say pants for underwear and a fanny, well thats a womans special place lmao!

haha @ fanny.

American terms = British terms
Pants/slacks = trousers. Some people call everything (including jeans) "pants", but I call everything except jeans "pants" and blue jeans are "jeans".
Butt = bum. "Fanny" and "Hiney" is only used by old women, lol
Sweater = jumper
Underwear = pants
Chips = crisps
French fries = chips
Cart = trolley
Fall = Autumn
Line = queue
Trunk = boot
Vacation = holiday
Math = maths
Chick = bird (refering to girls)
Washcloth = flannel
Sleep in = lie in
Mail = post
Snicker (laugh/giggle) = snigger
Flashlight = torch

Can't think of any more right now... but you probably already know all these anyway.

You Americans are so silly