June's OT Board Dictionary Launched (was Brittspeak)

[Tim Regan]

Hi All,

You're all forgetting my favourite: "fanny". In England it mild(ish) 
slang for vagina, while in the sates it's your behind. Soon after I 
moved to the USA, our charming and elderly next door neighbour said 
that he'd been tempted to shoot deer in the fanny to get them to 
move out of his yard. I was mortified.

Pronunciation is also key. I often arranged meetings with colleagues 
in the restaurant, only to be met by horrified looks as they thought 
I'd said the rest-room.

I'm English, and I've never called tobacco `snout'. I would have 
used the phrase "can I bum a fag off you" to mean "may I borrow a 
cigarette", but I've given up smoking now.

The public school thing is more complex. In England there are an 
elite set of private schools that are called public schools. They 
were public by the definition that held when they were formed. (E.g. 
Eton was founded in 1440, when the only other education would be in 
your castle or in a monastry!)

So what do American women call what we call suspenders – i.e. the 
things that hold up ladies stockings?

I cannot remember where I read this, but we use the term bangs too, 
but only for a horse's tail hair cut!

Cheers,

Dumbledad.