London Translations

[bjarvis]

I knew about some words which needed translation between Canadia (and American) English and British English but a few caught me off guard. Sure, I knew lorrie is a truck, crisps are cookies and mates are friends. There were some surprises...

Signs in the subway aren't "exit," they're "way out." It's more descriptive and closer to spoken English than written form.

The road signs aren't "yield," they're "give way."

I'm accustomed to seeing "no loitering" signs in Canada and the US, but in the UK it's "do not alight here."

I'll add more as I recall them.

Comments

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Crisps are potato chips. Biscuits are cookies.

Welcome home =)

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

I was surprised at the use of "toilet". The last two times I was in London (as well as most of Europe), it was "W/C". Now I wonder if I'm just remembering this incorrectly.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

WC/Toilet are used interchangeably-ish. Toilet more commonly in public/semi-public places, where they aren't singletons.

"bathrooms" of course are rooms with actual baths/showers in them.

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do enjoy the distorted facial expressions that US tourists get when they ask in Europe (or Canada for that matter) for a "bathroom".