Fishes and : Bumper Stickers

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "anne_t_squires" <tfaucette6387 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" <gbannister10@> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > Geoff:
> > The insurance statistics over here probably agree but there is a growing 
> > core of younger women drivers -often business professionals - who take 
> > to driving around very aggressively in small sports saloons.
> > 
> > Again, I was driving home last night on my way back from Cardiff doing 
> > about 60 mph on a straight stretch of road a mile or so from home when 
> > I was cut up by a woman driver in a big Audi saloon driving at about 75 
> > who then had to slow down abruptly approaching a series of curves; she 
> > obviously didn't know the road.
> > 
> > I not being sexist but merely making the point that young male drivers are 
> > not the only "accidents looking for somewhere to happen"on the roads over 
> > here.
> > :-)
> > 
> > Where's my tin hat?
> >
> 
> 
> Anne Squires:
> 
> My goodness, it is fascinating to me that there are so many differences between American English and British English.  Okay--- I have never ever heard a car referred to as a "saloon" before.  In fact I thought at first that you had mistyped "sedan" until I saw that you had actually written the word twice--- each time you were obviously referring to a type of car.  To me a "saloon" is an old fashioned word for bar.  It is a word I would expect to hear only in a Western, "I'm going to the saloon to find the man who shot my pa."

Geoff:
Common car terms in UK/US which differ.

saloon... sedan
estate car...  station wagon
manual gear change...  stick shift
petrol...  gasoline
boot...  trunk
bonnet...  hood

I hope I've got the US equivalents right.

And if you really want fun have a look at the thread on nearside/offside 
we had a few months ago where we apparently have a completely opposite 
interpretation.
:-(

Anne Squires:
> In the US drivers "cut you off" in traffic.  No one  "cuts you up"  unless that person is Jeffry Dahmer or Jack the Ripper. 

> Also, what in the world do you mean when you say, "Where's my tin hat?"  I tried googling that expression, but I couldn't find the meaning.

Geoff:
A tin hat refers to a steel helmet as worn by UK troops in two World Wars 
to protect them from flak etc.

If you head someone say something like "Where's my tin hat?" or "I think I 
need a tin hat" they are suggesting that they have said or done something
 which will create "flak" in their direction.

Anne Squires
> BTW, I think young people (teenagers) of both sexes have the most car accidents.  I don't have any proof or stats; it's just an overall impression I have.  What is the driving age in the UK?  In the US I think it varies from state to state.  In GA. you can get a permit at 15 and a license at 16.  

Geoff:
In the UK:
A light motor cycle up to 50cc.. 16
A small car..  17
A medium sized car..  18