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From: campbell@maynard.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: American vs. British English
Message-ID: <480@maynard.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Nov-86 12:12:23 EST
Article-I.D.: maynard.480
Posted: Sat Nov 22 12:12:23 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Nov-86 04:19:36 EST
References: <200@acornrc.UUCP> <2366@ecsvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: campbell@maynard.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Organization: The Boston Software Works Inc., Maynard, MA
Lines: 20

Amusing British/American anecdote:

In American, a "rubber" is a condom.  In British, a "rubber" is what
Americans call an "eraser" -- a piece of rubber used to remove pencil
marks from paper.

Well, of course a British friend of mine, in an American classroom and
needing to erase something, raised his hand and asked "Does anyone
here have a rubber?" -- then wondered why everyone fell off their
chairs laughing.


My favorite Anglicism:  the shop that repairs body damage to a car
after an accident, in America blandly known as a "body shop", in Britain
is called "the panel beaters".  So much more descriptive!
-- 
Larry Campbell       MCI: LCAMPBELL          The Boston Software Works, Inc.
UUCP: {alliant,wjh12}!maynard!campbell      120 Fulton Street, Boston MA 02109
ARPA: campbell%maynard.uucp@harvisr.harvard.edu     (617) 367-6846
DOMAINIZED ADDRESS (for the adventurous): campbell@maynard.BSW.COM