Annoying Americanisms

[Boss]

Got asked by a waitress in Vegas if we had Chorizo in Europe.

 

 

[stevebaby]

I'm not a fan of many of the poncey Americanisms used in restaurants or around cooking - appetisers and especially entrees are particularly annoying. Right up there though is the faux French pronunciation of the word herbs with the dropped letter H. Aaaarrrggghhh!!!

They can stick that particular one up their airy harses.

[Remmie]

I was in Marin, near San Francisco and was chatting to a local bird. She said she knew someone from where I lived and he was in the air force. I asked was he in the American air force or British and she said American. I asked if maybe he'd transferred to our air force and she said no he lives in and works for America. I said you do realise that I am English right, she said yeah and I asked where this guy lived. She said *some town I forget now* in New England. I said no I live in England, not New England. She didn't understand the difference until I said I lived in the same country as the Queen, where we drink cups of tea and eat fish and chips whereas her friend lived in a different part of the States. Oh, My, God, I am like, soooooo embarrassed.

 

Made my trip that. 

[Remmie]

When it comes to "erbs" is there anything worse than their pronunciation of Basil and Oregano?

[Jose Jones]

When it comes to "erbs" is there anything worse than their pronunciation of Basil and Oregano?

 

I don't mind oregano, doesn't sound too egregious.  Bayzul is terrible though.  The worst crime is calling aubergine "egg-plant" though.  It's like something a 2 year old would come up with.

[Jose Jones]

I can't be the only person who shrieks "Basil!" in a Sybil Fawlty voice everytime without fail when going to the shops for it?

[Paulie Dangerously]

Becky, look at her butt!

 

Lil Wayne 2011

That neg is on behalf of Sir mix-a -lot

[MokTheAfflicted]

Everything seems to need fixing.  "Fix me a drink",   "I'm gonna fix breakfast" 

 

And wtf is  that "Fire In The Hole" shite?

 

Fuck me, we lent them a language and look what they did to it.   Gobshites

[Remmie]

One that's creeping more and more into the English lexicon is using the word Mad to mean angry, as in I am mad at you. No, you are angry with me, mad refers to mental behaviour, not anger.

[Mustangt125]

For the record, they're called bouncy castles here as well, depending on their shapes I suppose. 

I've never heard of it called a moon bounce.

 

Also, the over-usage of "fixin" is more of a southern thing but it defo happens.  Things like "I'm fixin to go to the store in an hour" my uncle would say.  

[neko]

As always, it comes down to us Canadians to navigate our way between the two cultures and make the correct decision for all spelling and grammatical situations.

 

We are dominated by our neighbours to the south, but still cling to our European (English/French) heritage.

 

We tend to speak more clearly (which is why many successful US news anchors are Canadian), but can also spell a million times better than the average American.

 

My biggest annoyances are 'Warshington', 'ruff' (roof) and 'foy-er' (foy-ay)

[VladimirIlyich]

I have some US suppliers and they took us the Kentucky derby a few years ago asked if we had horse racing in the UK ??? I had to bite my tongue and just say yes and not "actually we had horse racing before your country as you know it even existed and this race we are at is actually named after the English equivalent"

 

On another occasion they asked me if we have whiskey in the UK

My Scots/Irish ancestry must be what is making me both angry and facepalming at the same time.

I think its Whisky if its Scotch/Scottish and Whiskey in Ireland,I am led to believe.

While we are on about faux Americanisms,its not a Gar-arge unless you are French. Its just a plain old Gar-age if you claim to be some kind of English speaker.

[cochyn]

I had a cream cheese bagel in NY recently (chive cream and egg bagel since you ask) only to be asked if I wanted 'box' with it.

"Nah, mate, It's OK in a wrapper, ta".

"Whit?"

"You know, the napkin you put around it?"

"...$3.50".

 

Turns out when he said 'box', he meant 'smoked salmon'. The clod. I mean, how do you arrive at 'box' as a new word for smoked salmon? Beggars belief.

[VladimirIlyich]

I had a cream cheese bagel in NY recently (chive cream and egg bagel since you ask) only to be asked if I wanted 'box' with it.

"Nah, mate, It's OK in a wrapper, ta".

"Whit?"

"You know, the napkin you put around it?"

"...$3.50".

 

Turns out when he said 'box', he meant 'smoked salmon'. The clod. I mean, how do you arrive at 'box' as a new word for smoked salmon? Beggars belief.

The euphemism for box I'm most familiar with does sometimes smell like fish.

[TheHowieLama]

That neg is on behalf of Sir mix-a -lot

Word - long and strong.

[neko]

I had a cream cheese bagel in NY recently (chive cream and egg bagel since you ask) only to be asked if I wanted 'box' with it.

"Nah, mate, It's OK in a wrapper, ta".

"Whit?"

"You know, the napkin you put around it?"

"...$3.50".

 

Turns out when he said 'box', he meant 'smoked salmon'. The clod. I mean, how do you arrive at 'box' as a new word for smoked salmon? Beggars belief.

 

Smoked salmon is often called 'Lox' here, not box.

 

Wiki says.... The word lox is derived from the Yiddish word for salmon, לאַקס (laks), which ultimately derives from the Indo-European word for salmon, laks.^[4] The word lox has cognates in numerous European languages that also derive from one of the Indo-European languages.

[cochyn]

Smoked salmon is often called 'Lox' here, not box.

 

Wiki says.... The word lox is derived from the Yiddish word for salmon, לאַקס (laks), which ultimately derives from the Indo-European word for salmon, laks.^[4] The word lox has cognates in numerous European languages that also derive from one of the Indo-European languages.

Ah, I may have misheard then..

 

Cheers, Poindexter!

[Remmie]

My Scots/Irish ancestry must be what is making me both angry and facepalming at the same time.

I think its Whisky if its Scotch/Scottish and Whiskey in Ireland,I am led to believe.

While we are on about faux Americanisms,its not a Gar-arge unless you are French. Its just a plain old Gar-age if you claim to be some kind of English speaker.

Well lar-dee-dar Mr Frenchman, ooh "garage" you say? I call it a car hole.

[Remmie]

Not sure if Americans say it or even most Canadians, but I saw a Canadian comedian who pronounced aspar-tame instead of aspar-ta-me. Neko, what say you?

[TheHowieLama]

I had a cream cheese bagel in NY recently (chive cream and egg bagel since you ask) only to be asked if I wanted 'box' with it.

"Nah, mate, It's OK in a wrapper, ta".

"Whit?"

"You know, the napkin you put around it?"

"...$3.50".

 

Turns out when he said 'box', he meant 'smoked salmon'. The clod. I mean, how do you arrive at 'box' as a new word for smoked salmon? Beggars belief.

 

So you are in the capital of bagels - and smoked salmon - or "box" as you call it, and you are annoyed.

[TheHowieLama]

Not sure if Americans say it or even most Canadians, but I saw a Canadian comedian who pronounced aspar-tame instead of aspar-ta-me. Neko, what say you?

 

Just say "excuse me" - Spanish is still the second language...

[neko]

Not sure if Americans say it or even most Canadians, but I saw a Canadian comedian who pronounced aspar-tame instead of aspar-ta-me. Neko, what say you?

Guilty, I suppose. Never use the stuff, so never say the word out loud.

 

Problem is there is no consistency in the english language (US vs UK) with syllables and when to add one and when not, and which ones to emphasize....too many examples to mention now, and I'm tired.

[Hand Shandy]

As always, it comes down to us Canadians to navigate our way between the two cultures and make the correct decision for all spelling and grammatical situations.

 

We are dominated by our neighbours to the south, but still cling to our European (English/French) heritage.

 

We tend to speak more clearly (which is why many successful US news anchors are Canadian), but can also spell a million times better than the average American.

 

My biggest annoyances are 'Warshington', 'ruff' (roof) and 'foy-er' (foy-ay)

I have one word for you...

 

Out.

 

What the fucking fuck do you people do to that word?

[Jose Jones]

Guilty, I suppose. Never use the stuff, so never say the word out loud.

 

Problem is there is no consistency in the english language (US vs UK) with syllables and when to add one and when not, and which ones to emphasize....too many examples to mention now, and I'm tired.

 

Do you go with courgette, due to the Anglo-French heritage in Canada?  Or zucchini, what with the creeping American (italian) influence?

[Remmie]

Yo-gurt