British vs. US spelling/phrases

[bluesqueak]

Richelle wrote:

<Snip>
> And then there are the UK phrases (same in US version).  What, 
pray tell, is a "load of waffle?"  Is that like saying something 
is "full of baloney?"  And is it just me, or is "mate" used a lot 
more in this book than in the other four?
>
>


A load of waffle isn't quite the same as 'full of baloney'. I 
*think* the baloney phrase means that the speech is complete 
nonsense. 'A load of waffle' means a lot of empty phrases, usually 
sounding good, but meaning nothing.

You can also have the phrase 'hidden amongst the waffle...' which 
usually means some very dangerous point has been slipped in amongst 
the empty phrases. The speaker will be hoping that everyone has 
switched off in boredom and won't actually notice the really 
important bit they just slipped in.

Mate *is* used a lot more - there was a bit of discussion of 'mate' 
on the main list, with people actually replying to each other's 
posts (what went wrong? [grin]). It's very common amongst adolescent 
boys/young men to call their friends 'mate' at the end of every 
sentence, it does spring up overnight, and even Brits find it 
*incredibly* annoying. 
;-)

Pip!Squeak