Brit Speak: Garden of Sherbert & Evil

[random_monkey0_0]

No: HPFGUIDX 41066

Rosie:
> I'm not too clear on what a yard/backyard is. To me it sounds like 
more of a dry area for games, etc, not really grassy (might be 
wrong!). This isn't so common in Britain, I don't think. I'm guessing 
that in the US, "garden" specifically refers to an area where it *is* 
green, with plants, etc, as opposed to a yard? Whereas, in Britain, we 
just call anything around your house where stuff grows a garden, 
pretty much.
> 

In America, a yard is the grassy area around your house. A yard 
usually is part of the plot of land a house is on, and a large grassy 
area without buildings is a field (duh). A garden is a place where 
things other than grass, such as vegetables or flowers, are grown. 
Houses have a front yard and a back yard, which are both full of 
grass. Some houses have a side yard, which is a grassy area on the 
side of the house. So a yard is green, but a garden isn't, 
necessarily. (I do believe I've just confused myself! ^_^;)

> 
> bboy_mn wrote:
> > Anybody have any idea? As an American, I understood the 'sherbert
> > lemon' distiction but alway assumed 'Frizzing Wizzbees' was ice 
> cream
> > sherbert. ???????
> 
> Gulplum wrote:
> "Why?
> 
> I have a vague feeling you're confusing "sherbert" with "sorbet". Is 
> this confusion typical of the American market?"

rosie: 
> GulPlum, I think "sherbert" actually *is* the common term for what 
we call "sorbet" here, so it's not really confusion, just cultural 
difference. That's why Bboy would think it was the same.

Yes, they are considered the same here, unless you work in an ice 
cream store. ;-) The difference is usually in pronounciation- I always 
assumed sorbet was just a french pronunciation. 

rosie:
> Ok, I'm not sure how OT this is...feel free to email me off list if 
it is. Any more Americans/others want help with Britishisms? I find 
this really interesting (just been looking up what you guys know a 
jumper to be).

IMHO, this is a very cromulent topic. If we are to understand each 
other on this list, or to even understand the books well (that garden 
thing confused me too) we must know what we're talking about.
> Rosie
> ever confused by things like "study hall" :)

Ooh, may I? Study hall is where you take one period where you'd 
normally have a class and instead opt for free time. Usually, you sit 
in the library and whisper to your friends/pass notes while the 
teacher isn't working. In my school, this is an elective, but it's 
reccomended to take a class instead of study hall. From the way they 
show it on TV, other schools may have it as a requirement, or maybe 
there's just a lot of lazy students...

The Random Monkey, whs keboad isnworki
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