[HPFGU-OTChatter] Bonnets & boots

[Neil Ward]

Amanda Lewanski commented:

<<<Wow, this is Amanda,caught in your format. This is another favorite, car
bonnets and car boots. Seems like the British "dress" their cars, and our
terms put them more as utilitarian conveyances--hood and trunk. Anyone know
how this particular difference originated? Since our countries were well
separated when automobiles became the norm? Is it a carryover of horse-drawn
terminology? >>>

I think I had my settings on html rather than plain text, which is how you
became trapped in my evil lair...glad you enjoyed the experience!

I'm not sure I can thrown much light on this bonnet, apart from noting,
rather obviously, that hood and bonnet are associated with the "head" of the
car and boot and trunk with its "rear" or "foot".   It seems that the UK
cars wear gaily-decorated bonnets and skip around holding hands while the US
cars wear hoods, take rasping breaths and suck the joy out of your life.

Amanda, thanks for asking about the Brits on the list.  We've had so many
rail problems of late and some horrendous accidents.  The one in Yorkshire
seems to have been due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, but, still,
it's a shock  You always pray no one you know has been hurt

The worst thing about being involved with a list like this is that people
can disappear and you may never know whether they just got bored with the
group or suffered something less pleasant.  If a list member got killed in a
train crash, for example, I'm afraid we'd be the last to hear about it.  For
this reason, I always appreciate it when people say they aren't going to be
around for a while... so we don't worry.

Neil

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