What do you call these sort of shoes?

I got the idea for this post from a forum I belong to (American Expats in the UK) and I thought it would be fun to put the question to my readers on my blog: What do you call these sort of shoes? What generic term do you (or did you) use for these shoes, and where are you from? Are they sneakers, tennies, tennis shoes....what? If you are from the states, what did/do you call them? I'm interested to see which states/regions use which terms. I called them tennis shoes (and sometimes I called them "tennies") and I'm from Minnesota. Since residing in England, I have learned to call them trainers. Wherever you're from (not just from the USA) what do you call them?

What do you call your evening meal?

In our house we have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I was living in Minnesota, we had breakfast, lunch and supper (sometimes called dinner). I've noticed that most of my English friends have breakfast, dinner and tea. Yes, they refer to their evening meal as tea. It's interesting how the name of the meal changes from country to country and even from house to house within each country. Also, there are specific differences in schools, regarding the name of the mid-day meal. For instance, in English schools, when children bring in their lunch, the teachers refer to it as packed lunch. If they have paid for their lunch time meal, then their meal is always referred to as school dinners. What do you call your mid-day meal? What do you call your evening meal? Is it dinner, supper or tea?

Fry's English Delight:(Part Two) Quotations

The second programme of Fry's English Delight on BBC Radio 4, about Quotations (their uses and misuses, and about those who compile quotation dictionaries) was broadcast on Monday (1 September 2008) but I just listened to it today via the BBC iPlayer. It's another fascinating programme about the English language, presented by Stephen Fry.

What did you say? American English vs British English

It's well-known that"England and America are two countries divided by a common language" but I wonder how many people realize that even the simplest words can have different meanings and be cause for confusion.

These are some examples:
anxious: Most Americans would use the word, anxious to mean they are eagerly looking forward to something whereas most Brits use the word to mean they are worried or dreading something.

Homely: in America homely refers to a person who is physically unattractive (ugly) whereas it has a completely different meaning in Britain where homely means down-to-earth and welcoming. A person and/or their home can be called homely and it's a compliment!

pavement: To Americans the pavement is the road surface while in England, the pavement is what you walk on (Americans call it the sidewalk).

There are also difference in spellings such ss pernickety (British spelling) and persnickety (American spelling)or titbit (British spelling) and tidbit (American spelling), hotchpotch (British spelling) or hodgepodge (American spelling).

Sometimes it's the preferred use of a word that is very noticeable:
Americans say almost, Brits say nearly
Americans say cute , Brits say lovely
Americans say awesome, Brits say brilliant
Americans say Good job!, Brits say Well done!
Americans say garbage, Brits say rubbish
Americans say faucet, Brits say tap
Americans say shopping cart, Brits say trolley
Americans say watch out as a warning, Brits say mind.

And completely different words that have different meanings:
A flashlight is called a torch in England.
A sweater is called a jumper.
A jumper is a type of dress in America but is a pinafore dress in England.An undershirt is a vest and a vest is a waistcoat.
Pants are trousers in England.
Underwear are called pants.
A headband is an Alice band.
Pigtails are called bunches and (hair) braids are plaits.
A barrette is a slide.
A stingy person would be called mean in England.
Pudding is dessert.
Paper towels are kitchen towels.
The principal is called the headmaster or headmistress.
The substitute teacher is called the supply teacher.
A wrench is a spanner.
A wading pool is called a paddling pool in England.
To knock on wood for luck, is touch wood in England.

When speaking about sports in England such as bowling, you need to specify that you mean ten-pin bowling, not lawn bowls, since both types of bowling are popular. And to add to the confusion most Americans would assume a Brit means ice-hockey not field hockey when a Brit talks about hockey.

To be "kitted out" means to be dressed in the appropriate outfit. To be "vetted" means to be checked out before you are hired for a job.

When referring to buildings, the first floor in America is the same as the ground floor but in Britain, the first floor is what Americans call the second floor!

Sometimes it's the use of popular brand names that are used as everyday words. For instance, the Brits refer to vacuuming as "hoovering" and ball point pens are called a "biro", and clear sticky tape is called "sellotape" (Americans call it "scotch tape"). Another example of a brand name used for an everyday product in America is "Saran wrap" which the Brits call cling film. A plaster is called a Band-aid in America.

There are some very British expressions that don't mean anything to Americans such as a "nosy parker" which is just another name for a nosy person. To "suss out" someone or something, means to figure out. A "row" (rymes with cow) is an argument. Workers hired to do building work and who botch the job and don't do the work they are hired for are referred to as "cowboys". A fortnight is another word for two weeks (fourteen nights).

Is it any wonder that sometimes there is a moment of confusion or wild misunderstandings from Americans in Britain and vice versa, from Brits in the USA?

Edited (on 22 Dec. 2010) to add:
I've written about just some of the many differences between American English and British English. If you want to learn more about this fascinating subject, I recommend this excellent blog which is devoted to the subject:

Separated by a Common Language written by Lynne Murphy, an American linguist in England.

Fry's English Delight: a new series about language on BBC Radio 4

I enjoyed listening to this fascinating new BBC series today: English Delight, Stephen Fry's three-part series about the English language. If you missed it, you can listen again via the BBC iPlayer. It's very interesting especially if you enjoy learning about the origin of words in the English language. And for those of you who don't know who Stephen Fry is: The Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry- official website Stephen Fry Biography (via The British Council contemporarywriters site) Stephen Fry (via IMDb - The Internet Movie Database)

Should we give up on spelling correctly?

Time to give up on spelling, says academic For those who have always struggled to remember the exceptions to the “i” before “e” spelling rule: don’t bother. One university lecturer has become so fed up with correcting his students’ atrocious spelling that he has launched a crusade for the most common “variant spellings” - otherwise known as spelling mistakes - to be fully accepted into common usage. Instead of complaining about the state of education as he corrects the same spelling mistakes in undergraduate essays year after year, Ken Smith, a criminologist at Bucks New University, has a much simpler solution. “Either we go on beating ourselves and our students up over this problem, or we simply give everyone a break and accept these variant spellings as such,” he suggests today in an article in The Times Higher Education Supplement. (link via timesonline.co.uk) I think it's a dreadful idea! If we start accepting "variant spellings" on some words, where would we stop? The article also makes reference to the chairman of the Spelling Society: Dr Smith’s suggestion was warmly welcomed yesterday by Jack Bovill, chairman of the Spelling Society, which has advocated a simplified, more phonetic, approach to spelling since 1908. I have to say that I never knew there was a Spelling Society but I'm certainly not impressed with the society if this is their view! What do you think of the idea?

Words & phrases that I like

After posting about some words and phrases that I dislike, I thought I'd write about some words and phrases that I like: 1. "The whole kit and kaboodle" - This expression always makes me smile. It's an amusing way to say the whole amount or all of it. 2. "Cahoots" - This is another word that I find amusing to hear or to say. To be "in cahoots" means secret partnership or conspiring together. 3. "Picnic" - I love the sound of the word and saying it makes me think of a warm, lazy summer day outdoors with good food and good company. 4. "Serendipity" - The word sounds nice to say and the meaning of the word (when you accidentally discover something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely)is also pleasant to think about. 5. "Quirky" - This is another word that is fun to say and has a fun meaning. 6. "Puddle" - It makes me think of the delightful aspect of rain, when you see children aplashing and having fun. 7. "Skedaddle" - It may be rather an old-fashioned way to say "I'm going to leave now" but I like saying it. 8. "Bumblebee" - I like bees and I like the sound of their name. 9. "Bamboozled" - it sounds better than "cheated" or "tricked" and it's fun to say. 10. "Kerfuffle" - It's fun to say, and a lot nicer than saying a disturbance or a fight. 11. "Meander" - it's something I like to do and the word is fun to say. 12. "Pocket" - a simple word for a useful thing. Related posts from my blog: What do you call your evening meal? What did you say? American English vs British English Should we give up on spelling correctly? Words (and phrases) I dislike

Words (and phrases) I dislike

I got the idea for this post after reading a post titled, Words I Hate - Okay Make That 'Intensely Dislike', on Michelle Mitchell's blog, Scribbit.

Here are some of the words (and phrases) I dislike:

1. "Pissed" This is an ugly, vulgar word that so many people seem to use. It has a couple meanings - to be drunk, or to be very angry. "To take the piss" is a British slang expression meaning to tease or ridicule, and "Piss off" is a rude dismissal like saying "F___ off". And of course, piss is also a slang word for urine.

2. "I heart that" What? Why do people use the word, heart as a verb, instead of using perfectly good words such as like, adore, fancy, relish, etc.? It's not cute, it's not clever. It's just silly and ridiculous.

3. "My bad" I know it means, "My mistake" but why not say my mistake? It's still two words so it's not dfficult.

4. "Gifted" When did the word, 'gift' become a verb?

5. "Crap" I think we all know the meaning of this word. It doesn't sound nice in polite conversation and I just don't like the word.

6. "WAGs" An acronym for wives and girlfriends. This was started by lazy British journalists. I hate it - it's a pathetic and demeaning acronym.

7. "At the end of the day" I really, really dislike this expression. It's a useless phrase, devoid of any meaning.

I'm sure there are words and phrases that annoy you too. Go ahead - share them by posting in the comments or post them on your own blog and leave a link.