You say tomato ...

[Isabella Thorne]

I was just thinking about the different words we use in different countries that mean the same thing ...

Canada = washroom
America = bathroom

Canada = highway
America = freeway
Germany = autobahn

Canada = french fries
Britain = chips

Canada = chips
Britain = crisps

i know there must be so many more ...
____________________________________
I always give myself away as a Canadian in the U.S. when I ask, "Where is the washroom?" Some people aren't sure what I am referring to ...

 

[*bratcat*]

 

[Shy Tall Guy]

Canada - creek
US - crik

Canada - roof
US - ruf

Canada - crAyon (hard A)
US - Crahn

lol...those are the ones my kids get a kick out of...

US - Canuck
Canuckian - Eh?

 

[Calamity Jane]

I must be Canadian

Canada - creek
US - crik

Canada - roof
US - ruf

Canada - crAyon (hard A)
US - Crahn

lol...those are the ones my kids get a kick out of...

I try NEVER to say crik... i know my house has a roof, and they're CRAYons dammit.

However...

in the US we stand IN line... my Canadian friends stand ON line
Ummm... I know we say napkin... what's the canadian word?
trunk (of a car)...boot

I say Highway too... never freeway.
Isn't the autobahn more like our interstate system rather than a simple highway?

 

[estevie]

me: gums
my husband: gums (pronounced gooms)

me: people
my husband:birds

to me, hillbillies are from another country! lmao!

No offence to the hillbillies on board, i married one!

 

[shadowsource]

It's regional -

The only "Canadian" expression that you listed, and that I don't use, is washroom, and I'm a lifelong upstate NYer/NYC person.

 

[Mischka]

*bratcat*

Egads, woman, what part of the US are you referring to?! I sound downright Canadian judging from your list.

 

[Guest]

Re: I must be Canadian

in the US we stand IN line... my Canadian friends stand ON line

we stand in line ... i've never been on line ...

oooooh that reminds me of another one ... in Britain they stand in a "queue" or "queue up" ... i think the Aussies do that too ...

we use napkins ... but sometimes we call them serviettes ... is that what ya mean, hon?

ha ha ... shadowsource ... see i told you about the washroom thing ... it makes us stick out like a sore thumb ... lol ... no seriously ..

 

[Isabella Thorne]

ooops ... i did it again ...

... sorry that was me ...

and i meant to say that i never stand on line ... of course i have been on line ... i am on line now ... ha ha

 

[Calamity Jane]

Yes... serviettes. What a funny word.

 

[OUTSIDER]

I was just thinking about the different words we use in different countries that mean the same thing ...

Canada = washroom
America = bathroom

Canada = highway
America = freeway
Germany = autobahn
Britain= Motorway

Canada = french fries
Britain = chips

Canada = chips
Britain = crisps

America= Cookies
Britain= Biscuits

America= Ass
Britain= Arse

America= Hood
Britain= Bonnet

America= Trunk
Britain= Boot

America= Gasolene
Britain= Petrol

America= VCR
Britain= Video

America= Jerking off/jerk
Britain= Wanking/wanker

i know there must be so many more ...
____________________________________
I always give myself away as a Canadian in the U.S. when I ask, "Where is the washroom?" Some people aren't sure what I am referring to ...

 

[Rambling Rose]

aye but...

do you find yourself picking up expressions and using them when they are regionally unfamiliar? I have so many friends in the UK and I am a natural mimic. I was on the phone one night with one of them, and a neighbor stopped by and he overheard me speaking in what he said was a completely different language (I'm southern )!

All this time he thought I was an expatriated Brit! LOL

(and I have NEVER said crahn...what the heck is that?)

 

[Isabella Thorne]

hey those are good ones Outsider ...

also i thought Brits used the word "bum" instead of "ass" ... and they use it in an erotic sense ... in Canada when we say "bum", it is more like a "cutesy" word for children ...

 

[OUTSIDER]

Yes... serviettes. What a funny word.

Serviettes are what posh people call napkins and if your at home it's a bit of kitchen roll

Actually Serviettes are what my mum called disposable napkins.



Ooooo there's another USA= mom, UK= mum.

 

[OUTSIDER]

hey those are good ones Outsider ...

also i thought Brits used the word "bum" instead of "ass" ... and they use it in an erotic sense ... in Canada when we say "bum", it is more like a "cutesy" word for children ...

Bum is another word for arse, you would use it instead of arse when you wanted to use a softer word, like you might say "I fell over and landed on my bum" (really posh people would say bottom) it's the kind of word you can use in front of the children

 

[shadowsource]

Serviette is French

for napkin.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

posh people?

ahhhhhh there is another one of your Brit expressions ....

we are not posh ... we are ... hey WTF are we then? refined? well-mannered? ... we don't really have a word for "posh" i don't think ...

 

[Calamity Jane]

Serviettes are what posh people call napkins and if your at home it's a bit of kitchen roll

Hmmm... never thought of Bill as 'posh'. His family decided he'd been in the US too long when he was home a while back and asked where the napkins were. I like the 'bit of kitchen roll'... especially since my idea of napkins is a paper towel off the roll.

 

[Rambling Rose]

we don't really have a word for "posh" i don't think ...

fancy shmancy?

 

[sigh]

the more i read this thread, the more it seems the canadians and americans are pretty much alike...

it's those darn brits that have it goofed up

and they act like they invented the language too...

 

[Calamity Jane]

posh people?

ahhhhhh there is another one of your Brit expressions ....

we are not posh ... we are ... hey WTF are we then? refined? well-mannered? ... we don't really have a word for "posh" i don't think ...

posh='uppercrust'?

I dunno... i'm just po white trash

 

[OUTSIDER]

Posh is an acronym it stands for "Port Out Starboard Home" and it come's from the days of great cruising ship's, the rich would have a cabin on the Port side when leaving Britain and would have a Starboard side cabin when they came back.

 

[Isabella Thorne]

hey wasn't that one of the Spice Girls ...

Posh Spice?

 

[OUTSIDER]

hey wasn't that one of the Spice Girls ...

Posh Spice?

The worst case of mis-labeling ever made.

 

[nasty]

LOL

Canada=Blue
Japanese=Brue