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From: iwm@icdoc.UUCP (Ian Moor)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Briticisms
Message-ID: <273@ivax.icdoc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Jan-86 17:26:16 EST
Article-I.D.: ivax.273
Posted: Wed Jan  8 17:26:16 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jan-86 06:03:19 EST
References: <2586@sunybcs.UUCP> <7300045@inmet.UUCP> <974@lsuc.UUCP> <760@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: iwm@icdoc.UUCP (Ian Moor)
Organization: Dept. of Computing, Imperial College, London, UK.
Lines: 32
Xpath: ukc eagle

In article <760@brl-tgr.ARPA> wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) writes:
>In article <974@lsuc.UUCP> msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) writes:
>>When I go to Britain I don't ask for the elevator, but the lift; I don't
>>ask for the subway (which means something else), but the underground.
>
>What does "subway" mean in Britain, then?
>

A subway is  a buried passage for crossing a busy road; I wonder how many
Americans have followed "subway ->" signs, gone down the steps and looked
all over for the ticket machines. To confuse things further an Underground
station often acts as a subway, with entries on both sides of the street.

The thing that most often confuses me is 
   British        American
  Shorts          (Bermuda) Shorts 
  Pants           (Jockey) Shorts

Do Americans call trousers with short legs pants ? or just those with long
legs.

What does "outback" mean in the US ? I heard of one Australian who
told an American "Our Vicar wears only shorts when he visits the outback"
and got a very odd reaction.-- 
Ian W Moor
  UUCP: seismo!mcvax!ukc!icdoc!iwm
  ARPA: iwm%icdoc@ucl                        
           
 Department of Computing   Whereat a great and far-off voice was heard, saying,
 Imperial College.         Poop-poop-poopy, and it was even so; and the days
 180 Queensgate            of Poopy Panda were long in the land.
 London SW7 Uk.