Britishisms (was Knight Bus)

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 18571

Joywitch wrote:
> 
> I want to thank Morag ENTHUSIASTICALLY for that extremely 
interesting 
> and informative post.  

Me too!

It has made me wonder:  Are there other 
> "Britishisms" in the books that we furriners are missing?  Aside 
> from, of course, the words like "jumper" that mean something 
> different.  I know that anyone who is not British wouldnt get the 
> fact that "Spellotape" is a joke on "Sellotape," which we Americans 
> call "Scotch Tape" -- I only know this because it was explained to 
> me.  What other "in-jokes" have we missed?

Literally 30 seconds before I got to Morag's post, I had sent a 
request to Neil and Doreen, the dynamite duo who bring us Strictly 
British (available, like so many wonderful things, on the Lexicon, 
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/strictly_british1.html), to add 
some of these things when they get the chance.  I even used Spellotape 
as my example, having gotten it only when I read the British ed. of 
book 1 (where we learn that Harry's glasses are held together with 
Sellotape.  I said AHA!).  Unlike terms such as "knickerbocker glory," 
which we =know= we don't understand, plays on words like this go right 
over our heads and we don't even know we missed them.

I just thought I'd post this here to put some gentle pressure on 
Doreen & Neil to help the poor beknighted (pun intended) non-Brits as 
soon as they get a free moment.

Amy Z

P.S. If you want to chime in with more Britishisms The Rest of Us 
Might Have Missed, send 'em to OT-Chatter

---------------------------------------------------
 Many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead.
                   -HP and the Chamber of Secrets
---------------------------------------------------