English speakers: What common words are said differently in your region?

[AGGAMEMNON66]

We used to call the channel changer "the converter" because in fact at one time it was a modulator/demodulator. My brother would call it "the tom-verker" when he was 3 or 4 years old.

I just assume calling it "the remote" is now universal.

Me and my chick just refer to it is ‘the controller’ or ‘remote’. It’s serious business when you refer to it as ‘the remote control’

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

Hardly

In the US it’s differentiated between Standard and Metric. And as someone who is equally familiar with both Standard is much simpler than Metric, especially when we’re talking about tools, screws, nuts, bolts and so on.

 

[therealdope]

In the US it’s differentiated between Standard and Metric. And as someone who is equally familiar with both Standard is much simpler than Metric, especially when we’re talking about tools, screws, nuts, bolts and so on.

"Imperial units" would be the term in every other place in the world. Other than machine tools, fastners, and spec'g: rounds, fillets, holes, threading, etc ... imperial just sucks. Just ask the rocket scientists at NASA who crashed the Mars lander.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

"Imperial units" would be the term in every other place in the world. Other than machine tools, fastners, and spec'g: rounds, fillets, holes, threading, etc ... imperial just sucks. Just ask the rocket scientists at NASA who crashed the Mars lander.

Simpler doesn’t mean better. Tho I think there’s arguments to be made for them having different strengths and weaknesses depending on the application. And that said, there is something to be said for simplicity. Many engineers/machinists I know prefer Standard, but are very familiar with both. And they are experts in their fields just like ‘NASA Rocket Scientists’ are in theirs.

 

[therealdope]

Simpler doesn’t mean better. Tho I think there’s arguments to be made for them having different strengths and weaknesses depending on the application. And that said, there is something to be said for simplicity. Many engineers/machinists I know prefer Standard, but are very familiar with both. And they are experts in their fields just like ‘NASA Rocket Scientists’ are in theirs.

I'm not disagreeing with you w.r.t to the machining/tooling that I listed. For everything else, Imperial absolutely sucks. THere is no way to scale anything from timy particles to the distance between galaxies. On top of that, you need to memorize arbitrary constants that are unrelated to each other. It's loony tunes.

THere are 3 countries that still use the Imperial system: the US, Liberia and Myanmar. That's it.

 

[IIIIIIII]

the one that always makes me laugh, is that english people say, "lorry", while we americans say, "truck". and of course, they say, "", while we say, "cigarettes".

 

[revoltub]

I too have never heard this and I've lived on the east coast all my life.

What about milk? A lot of people say 'melk' around here.

I say melk. I also call a creek a crick.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

I'm not disagreeing with you w.r.t to the machining/tooling that I listed. For everything else, Imperial absolutely sucks. THere is no way to scale anything from timy particles to the distance between galaxies. On top of that, you need to memorize arbitrary constants that are unrelated to each other. It's loony tunes.

THere are 3 countries that still use the Imperial system: the US, Liberia and Myanmar. That's it.

Like I said, there are applications for both. Metric also doesn’t work well with fractions (for example).


But as for other means of measurement that are further decimaled out and need to be more accurate (like the ones you’ve mentioned) I can see metric being the better choice. It depends on what you’re doing. Metric can be overkill for some applications.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

the one that always makes me laugh, is that english people say, "lorry", while we americans say, "truck". and of course, they say, "", while we say, "cigarettes".

‘Chicks’ are ‘birds’ over there. Small difference, but still

 

[minute bull]

What about milk? A lot of people say 'melk' around here.

You ever get "pellow" instead of pillow? My Canadian cousin does that. He's currently serving five to life for butchering "jalapeño."

 

[Deleted member 220895]

"Hello" in Minnesota translates to "fuck you, asshole" in Staton Island.

 

[MikeMcMann]

I thought this thread was about PRONUNCIATION.

As a Canadian whenever I go to the US they immediately out me as a Canadian based on how I say "About".

Apparently I say it like "A-Boot" which makes no sense based on how I hear it coming out of my mouth. it sounds to me like I say "A-Bout" just like how I hear american tv and movie actors pronounce the word.

But obviously I pronounce it different as US heads snap around when i say it and they immediately start making Canadian jokes.

 

[MikeMcMann]

We used to call the channel changer "the converter" because in fact at one time it was a modulator/demodulator. My brother would call it "the tom-verker" when he was 3 or 4 years old.

I just assume calling it "the remote" is now universal.

The 'converter' is a hold over from when TV added cable and you needed a cable converter box

to get the cable channels. at first those were all manual control and then the converter came with a 'converter remote' which imo hearkened in the end of society as we know it then and what we know now as the ADD generations. Once upon a time it was a real pain to change channels so you watched one show, commercials and all from front to to end. But now I am dating myself.

 

[therealdope]

The 'converter' is a hold over from when TV added cable and you needed a cable converter box

to get the cable channels. at first those were all manual control and then the converter came with a 'converter remote' which imo hearkened in the end of society as we know it then and what we know now as the ADD generations. Once upon a time it was a real pain to change channels so you watched one show, commercials and all from front to to end. But now I am dating myself.

Funny enough we had one like that^^ even in the mid 90s <insert your own 'you sound poor' joke> when I was still in school. We had an earlier version in the late 70s.

 

[NZbetterthanOZ]

New Zealand:
Shopping cart = trolley
Baby stroller = pram
Cigarette = durry
Take a piss = have a slash
Get drunk = get pissed
Fist fight = have a one out
Gay guy = poofter
Casual convo = having a yarn
Corner store = the dairy
Something tricky or difficult = cunty

 

[minute bull]

Apparently I say it like "A-Boot" which makes no sense based on how I hear it coming out of my mouth. it sounds to me like I say "A-Bout" just like how I hear american tv and movie actors pronounce the word.

It sounds like "a boat." Y'all up there goat tiny Canadian mooths, thet's the prooblim.

 

[Gracie Duran]

One that used to confuse me

Jam (UK) = Jelly (America)

Jelly (UK) = Jell-O (America)

 

[Organic Damage]

I say melk. I also call a creek a crick.

Before I read Neal Stephenson's REAMDE I had no idea crick was a thing.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Growing up in northern Ohio, my grandparents said tomorrow like "ta-more-uh," wash became "warsh." and mail like "mell."

Lived in far-eastern Pennsylvania (Lawrence county) for a time and people there had a weird, almost Canadian-meets-Amish inflection.

 

[Rimbaud82]

we call it a bap here