What a Brit would understand by "funky fanny"...
This week I want to discuss those words that are in use both sides of the Atlantic but have very different primary meanings, and all the confusion and merriment that can cause. Writers have to be particularly careful when writing for an international audience, because you don’t want to mention a character’s funky clothing (meaning hip and trendy), only to have those on the other side of the pond think you’re describing someone in stinking rags.
... and what an American would think
Fanny is another f word that causes Brits much amusement. Over here it’s a fairly vulgar term for the female genitals, so to hear Americans refer to their fannies or fanny packs always makes us chuckle. Especially if it’s a man doing so. Fanny packs are very much out of vogue over here and generally only spotted on American tourists, but when we do refer to them, we call them “bum bags”. And of course, a bum over in the States would be a tramp to us.
I blogged about clothing term confusion a long time ago here (there were comments, but they didn’t transfer over from LiveJournal), but can the rest of you think of any other words where the meaning gets lost in translation somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic? Or perhaps you live in another part of the world and are perplexed/amused by an American or Brit term? Do share!
Pud is another word that doesn’t translate! I was talking to an american friend about christmas pud, and how we (in the UK) pour brandy over it, stick a bit of holly in it and set it alight. I couldn’t understand why she was howling with laughter until she explained that pud is a slang word for pen1s!
LOL! That’s brilliant – I had no idea! You’ve put the most bizarre images in my head now
A Texan says he’s wearing khaki pants, and a Brit says he’s wearing cacky pants. They sound virtually identical when spoken, but while one’s wearing beige trousers the other’s shat himself.
In Britain, bangs are the sounds made by explosions or impacts, not the fringe of hair around the front of the head, and you’re more likely to see someone drinking a wifebeater than wearing one.
While it’s impossible for an American to wear a boob tube, it’s entirely possible for a Brit. Americans might wear court shoes for playing tennis, but they would be completely impractical for a Brit; conversely a Brit might wear pumps to play tennis, but an American never would. A Brit nothing but a jumper in public would be arrested for indecent exposure, but an American wouldn’t. British women and American men both might wear suspenders, but British men and American women wouldn’t (unless they were crossdressing). A Brit wears a mac as protection during inclement weather; an American generally has to protect a mac from the inclement weather.
Hah – lovely! Bangs is one of those terms that always gets me, even though I know exactly what is meant. It just sounds so odd to my ears. Thanks for all these, Jay
Pavement is one. In North America that generally means the stuff you put on roads, or a reference to the road. A sidewalk is what you walk on.
Jumpers always make me giggle because they are often used in reference to men and in NA they are pinafores, or where I grew up, a white tailed deer was called a jumper, for obvious reasons. Vests are not worn under your shirt, but over it (waistcoat).
Jay noted some good ones. For me a biscuit is like a scone, not a cookie/cracker. And further to pud/pudding (I’ve never heard it used as a slang for penis) but pudding is Jello pudding, chocolate, vanilla, caramel. It’s not a catch-all word for dessert. If someone says “I’ve got pudding” and brought out a pie or cake, we’d be very confused. Where’s the pudding? Chips can be confusing unless the word “fish” is attached. If someone says “Do you want chips for a snack” we assume you mean crisps.
To me fanny is a bum, get off your fanny and help me.
And seriously, fanny packs out of style here as well. LOL
Even in North America I have to be careful. My great-grandmother was from Scotland and my entire family has British roots so words that we took for granted, in part of where I was raised, can sometimes get looks. Rubbers are rubber boots, or Wellingtons I guess. Not condoms. Thongs are flip flops, not skimpy underwear. Pants are trousers, not underwear or panties. Oh I thought of ladder in your stocking, I think in the UK that means a hole in your pantyhose, here a ladder is … a ladder, a thing you climb on. The hole in your pantyhose is called a run. Which really doesn’t make much more sense than a ladder which at least looks like one.
I’m sure the proliferation of British m/m authors has helped educate the masses on our side of the pond.
Blimey, that’s a whole load more of them! I really didn’t know you don’t use the term ladder for runs in stockings. That’s another new thing I’ve learnt today – thanks Tam
I’ve been caught out by the different way we have of saying things – particularly where praise giving is concerned.
For instance I might say “That story is rather good”. Most Brits would understand that I was being enthusiastic and approving. An American would assume I was damning with faint praise. I’m trying to learn that if I want to give praise in a way that pleases I have to be on a really high note and Squee a lot.
God yes, you’re right. I guess we can come across as quite superior when really it’s just the way we all say things over here. The squeeing is a distictly un-Brit kind of behaviour. Must be more effusive in future!
My ex-mother-in-law, who came from Blackpool, used to say, “Keep your pecker up,” which amused me greatly. Is that term for “chin” still in use?
Hehe – good one. I think it’s mainly only used in that particular phrase now, but perhaps someone from up North can chip in and let us know?
Bonnet over here is an old fashioned women’s hat, not the hood of a car. Flat is not an apartment. Aubergine is a color, not eggplant. Your bin is our wastebasket.
Oh yes, and cars definitely don’t have hoods over here. The driver might be wearing one, though
Aubergine is a much nicer word than eggplant. I seriously think you guys should adopt that one. Just thought of another one – what we call rocket, you call something weird like argula.
When my daughter was young we used to watch Art Attack a lot and would always giggle over “bin liners” (garbage bags) “cello tape” (Scotch tape – even if not Scotch brand) and “PVC glue” (white glue or school glue).
Sellotape reminded me that in Australia, Durex used to be a sticky tape brand name. You really wouldn’t want to mix those up!
LOL! I had no idea. That’s brilliant! And no, like the holly stuck in a “pud” and then set on fire, I don’t think you’d want to wrap your privates in sellotape. Actually, there probably are some kinksters out there who’d do that for kicks
Sellotape is a brand over here too – on the BBC they had to call it sticky tape because they’re not allowed to promote brands. White glue does sound better than PVA, but then again, so many different glues are white!
“Standard” really puzzled me, at first, sexy person or manual transmission.
Hi Kym! Standard as a sexy person? I’m not sure I get that one – care to explain?
LOL. Great minds think alike, I was planning a blog post along these lines for the release of Lashing of Sauce!
Gosh, bum bags…I think I’ve still got one of those somewhere from when I used to car boot all my old stuff (these days it just goes to the charity shops).
Well here you go – you can mine the comments for those wonderful little nuggets!
Bum bags do have their uses, I suppose. I can see a market trader finding them useful as a money bag.
hi lil hows florida?
LOL
This is a riot and a half
I think you and the previous commenters hit all the ones I know of 
These words do make for some fun reading at times 
Don’t they just?! I love all those wonderful vocab differences. Makes the world a funnier place
Here’s a pretty good list:
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/british-american.htm
but they forgot to include “fag”.
Of course – how could we all forget “fag”, or even “faggot”, which to me means revolting offal meatball type things or bundles of kindling. Thanks for the link, Enny – there are some great ones on there! Hehe – they’ve spelt noughts and crosses wrong
“Spelt” is another one: for me, that means a certain type of medieval grain. If the whole thing’s confusing for you guys, image what it’s like for an ESL speaker
Oh yeah, we call that spelt over here too – the meaning should be pretty clear in context with that one, but I bet it’s an extra challenge when English isn’t your first language