50 Americanisms that piss off the Brits

[Bob The Mercenary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14201796

Maths? Really? Maths?

Also, I can't think of any force on Earth that could make me say "shopping trolley".

Though half these things aren't really Americanisms at all, just the result of a few really uptight people emailing a news site.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

Though half these things aren't really Americanisms at all, just the result of a few really uptight people emailing a news site.

In other words, the only sort of people who would email a news site about these things.

[Lumenskir]

Ever since I heard it on Top Gear, I've always used Maths instead of Math. It really is just fun to say.

All of the other ones though (at least, the ones that aren't normal grammar faffing) are just complaining about differences in slang. I also noticed none of them complained about how little we say cunt compared to them.

[Toastburner B]

I was expecting more complaints about our shunning of the letter "u".

[Loyal]

4. Using 24/7 rather than "24 hours, 7 days a week" or even just plain "all day, every day". Simon Ball, WorcesterReally? Here I was thinking internet Grammar Nazis were petty.

Like, when I read the topic title I was thinking this would just be a list of mostly dialect and colloquialisms (i.e. prefixing sentence clauses with "like"). Instead, half the list is people nitpicking about little syntax details and shorthands.

And this:22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, LondonI don't even know what this is supposed to mean. Is your issue with the word "train"? Perhaps with the word "station"? What makes this so very offensive to you?

Also, "maths" is a stupid word and anytime I hear it uttered it sounds like the person is being condescending or ironic. Casualty of culture, maybe, but I stand by it. "Math" or "mathematics," okay. "Maths," no.

[Eltargrim]

I was expecting more complaints about our shunning of the letter "u".

I hate you all with an undying passion for that.

[Lumenskir]

Also, "maths" is a stupid word and anytime I hear it uttered it sounds like the person is being condescending or ironic. Casualty of culture, maybe, but I stand by it. "Math" or "mathematics," okay. "Maths," no.
It helps if you pronounce it in all caps, like MATHS*. The 'S' gets its own syllable.

*See Also: SCIENCE.

[Doc ock rokc]

Wow I Never even heard of half of these and would personally punch some people in the mouth if they used some of them. The rest looks like Misinterpretations and just differences in culture. Hike as in to Hike up a price comes from the idea the you mostly HIKE UP A MOUNTAIN. and Season is named mostly due to shows filming in the summer then put out in the winter thus being in tune with the seasons.

[Amake]

Math is short for mathematic. There's no such thing as a mathematic. Do the maths!

Actually that sounded really stupid right now. I think I'll go on saying math.

Here (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hike)'s some interesting stuff about the word hike. Apparently we're dealing with two different words what have turned into one word and still has two different meanings.

Further, I'm happy I've never heard of anyone using the phrase "least worst option". Well, I was happy until I found out our Mr. Ayres has a profound dislike for it. Now I have heard it.

"It is what it is". Pity us. Michael Knapp, Chicago, US
Is there anything wrong here that I don't see or does Mr. Knapp just not approve of a tautology?

Is "physicality" a real word? Curtis, US
There is no such thing as a real word. They're all made up. But if you mean a word that's in the dictionary, yes it fucking is (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/physicality).

Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all "turn" 12 or 21 or 40?
If my choice is to say "I turn thirty-one this year" or "I celebrate my thirty-first birthday this year", I'll go with the one that has like 65% less words in it, thanks.

The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York
I honestly thought no one had used the word "fortnight" in the last 130 years at least. But alright, if you can make a compelling case to use this terribly obscure word with no obvious connection to the thing it means I may, no, I still don't see any reason to complain about people preferring to use a word that makes sense to them.

The most annoying Americanism is "a million and a half" when it is clearly one and a half million! A million and a half is 1,000,000.5 where one and a half million is 1,500,000. Gordon Brown, Coventry
One half is one half million if you're counting in millions. Context is important! Also why are you bitching if it's already clear that the amount they're getting at is 1.5 million and not one million and one half? The answer is bitch bitch bitch.

My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh
This one I don't get. Is "series" the word in English for a season of a TV series? That's going to get confusing.

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/immortalpictures/care.png
They do get to a point there at the end of the list though.

In conclusion I will share two gems of wisdom brought to you by some of Sweden's most respected linguists:
1. Language changes over time. Deal with it.
2. The only rule of grammar that actually matters is "Do people understand what you want to tell them?" If you got that, you're spanking to go!

[Lumenskir]

Math is short for mathematic. There's no such thing as a mathematic. Do the maths!

Actually that sounded really stupid right now. I think I'll go on saying math.
Again, just going from its usage on Top Gear, but it's usually "He's over there doing his maths" or otherwise not using a 'the.' At least, that's how I've been using it to annoy my friends.

I'm actually surprised that no one complained about how we say "I need to go to the hospital" rather than "I need to go to hospital," since that always gets me.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

If someone can find the addresses of these people I will go tot heir houses and punch them.

I fully stand by shunning the word "math". I'm all for evolution of language but in this case its "maths". "math" sounds dumb and doesn't make sense.

[Revising Ocelot]

Last I checked, I'm a Brit. My comments on a few of these:

4. Using 24/7 rather than "24 hours, 7 days a week" or even just plain "all day, every day". Simon Ball, Worcester

This guy is stupid.

5. The one I can't stand is "deplane", meaning to disembark an aircraft, used in the phrase "you will be able to deplane momentarily". TykeIntheHague, Den Haag, Holland

I think I've heard this one a few times. Sounds stupid to me, too.

8. Dare I even mention the fanny pack? Lisa, Red Deer, Canada

If anyone asks what's with this one, fanny is common English slang for the female lower extremities.

22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London

I don't understand what this guy is talking about either.

29. I'm a Brit living in New York. The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York

To Invisible Queen, fortnight is used pretty much exclusively here; from my personal experience at least.

36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London

Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

43. My pet hate is "winningest", used in the context "Michael Schumacher is the winningest driver of all time". I can feel the rage rising even using it here. Gayle, Nottingham

....what? I've never heard of that phrase, but I have to agree with this person as well.

46. I hear more and more people pronouncing the letter Z as "zee". Not happy about it! Ross, London

Eh. I can understand this one as I can't think of a single word where the first syllable is pronouced "zed", but likewise most words don't start with "zee" either. I'll stick with my zeds. Zeds are cool.

50. "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less" has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they're trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham

Agreed, but this isn't really an Americanism. Just plain stupidity.

[Bob The Mercenary]

....what? I've never heard of that phrase, but I have to agree with this person as well

If you ever turn on sports radio in the states, it is used pretty frequently. It does seem like a grammatically flawed word, but I think it's a great time saver when you can say "winningest coach" as opposed to "coach with the most wins", especially when comparing coaches, baseball openers and closers, etc...

[Arcanum]

winningest

This is a word? How is this a word?

*Searches Google*

OH DEAR GOD HUMANITY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU HOW IS THIS A WORD THAT EXISTS?!

Edit-

If you ever turn on sports radio in the states, it is used pretty frequently. It does seem like a grammatically flawed word, but I think it's a great time saver when you can say "winningest coach" as opposed to "coach with the most wins", especially when comparing coaches, baseball openers and closers, etc...

I just said "This is the winningest coach" and "This is the coach with the most wins" to myself several times. The time saved by saying "winningest" was negligible at best, and I feel dumb every time the word comes out of my mouth.

[Fifthfiend]

Note to self: Say "I could care less" in front of someone who will immediately pedantically correct me, then after they do, say "Pardon me I hadn't finished, I was saying I could care less, if you weren't such a dweeb."

THEN: Steal lunch money, shove in locker, chest-bump my BROS.

OPTIONAL: Grunt.

[akaSM]

2. The next time someone tells you something is the "least worst option", tell them that their most best option is learning grammar. Mike Ayres, Bodmin, Cornwall

While this one may seem wrong, many of my test's correct answers are about this. In these cases, we don't look for the best answer because, all the answers are wrong/stupid and THERE IS a right answer but, it's not among the answers we're given >_>

15. What kind of word is "gotten"? It makes me shudder. Julie Marrs, Warrington

Wasn't this an actual word? :raise: IIRC "gotten" is the past participle form of got :raise:

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

This whole thing is the pettiest pile of mind numbing tedium I have ever witnessed. Seriously, my mind can't handle it! On saying that, a few things;

1) Yes, fortnight is a word, and yes, it is commonly used over here.

2) No I don't understand that guys problem with train station either. Maybe he's just a moron. Or he's never heard of a bus station to differentiate the two.

3) It's maths. Sorry, but it is, get used to it.

4) It's also Zed. We've discussed this here before. Zed is the name of the letter that makes the ZUH sound. It never makes a Zee sound.

[Bob The Mercenary]

I just said "This is the winningest coach" and "This is the coach with the most wins" to myself several times. The time saved by saying "winningest" was negligible at best, and I feel dumb every time the word comes out of my mouth.

It just seems to flow better during a broadcast and is, at least to me, much less annoying than hearing "with the most wins" over and over in succession. But I can completely understand people getting a little aggravated by it.

[Aerozord]

has anyone ever heard "deplane" ever being used? I do not know anyone that uses it, never heard an airport use it either.

Even if we did, then "deplane" would be the proper term because America, you know, invented air travel

Most of this article was less about grammar and more about being pretentious. The words are not wrong because they are wrong, they are wrong because they aren't the words they use.

[Amake]

While this one may seem wrong, many of my test's correct answers are about this. In these cases, we don't look for the best answer because, all the answers are wrong/stupid and THERE IS a right answer but, it's not among the answers we're given >_>
It's the least wrong or least bad option. Least worst implies there's a variable degree of worstness, which would be funny if you said worst, worster and worstest but when you say least worst it just sounds like you've confused the words worst and worse. And still using worse wrongly. In regards to the golden rule I mentioned before, when it comes to assigning things positive and negative qualities being creative really gets in the way of clear communication I think.

Zed in Sweden is called Zäta, which is nothing like how it's pronounced. Some letters are like that.

[Aerozord]

Oh and on the whole math vs maths thing

is math wrong? yes
is maths wrong? also yes

Its mathematics, both are abbreviations, and thus both are improper forms of the word.

[Bard The 5th LW]

I have never heard any human being anywhere say the word "winningest"

[Flarecobra]

has anyone ever heard "deplane" ever being used? I do not know anyone that uses it, never heard an airport use it either.


I heard it all the time. Mostly because I've been around planes a lot. Basically means the same thing as "Disembark", but in a loud place, "Deplane" was a bit clearer to hear.

[rpgdemon]

I can prove Maths is wrong.

1) Look at the word Mathematics.

2) Shorten the word. It becomes Math.

3) To get Maths, you have to chop out the middle bit, and then add the end, which is not how any word is shortened ever.

WAIT, PANTALOONS, PANTS.

[Lumenskir]

I just said "This is the winningest coach" and "This is the coach with the most wins" to myself several times. The time saved by saying "winningest" was negligible at best, and I feel dumb every time the word comes out of my mouth.
It's a sports jargon term that's fit for sports talk and generally only used for sports talk. Before you start complaining about it, as a little experiment, grab the nearest Monster Manual/Pile of anime DVDs/general nerd implements and make sure there aren't any terms in there that might not be appropriate for generalized conversation.
It's also Zed. We've discussed this here before. Zed is the name of the letter that makes the ZUH sound. It never makes a Zee sound.
http://www.african-safari-pictures.com/image-files/zebra-picture.jpg

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I've heard winningest a lot. It does sae time and flows easier

[Aerozord]

WAIT, PANTALOONS, PANTS.

even pantaloons makes no sense. Its a singular item, why is it plural, why is it called a pair?

[Amake]

I've so longed to see a pant some day, or perhaps a scissor.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

I can prove Maths is wrong.

1) Look at the word Mathematics.

2) Shorten the word. It becomes Math.

3) To get Maths, you have to chop out the middle bit, and then add the end, which is not how any word is shortened ever.

WAIT, PANTALOONS, PANTS.

Except for things like, mister = Mr, limited = ltd , is not = isn't. Ok so that last one is an abreviation of 2 words with an apostraphe linking the 2, but still, we do shorten words down and glue them together leaving out bits in the middle occasionally. Maybe it should be math's, but that would imply a possessing, "math is", which would also be wrong. Mathematics to me sounds more like it's implying a plural, as in performing multiple calculations and equations, hence the term maths.

Also my Oxford English tells me that "math" on its own is a noun, meaning "a mowing", as in aftermath. So math is its own unique word that has nothing to do with mathematics.



http://www.african-safari-pictures.com/image-files/zebra-picture.jpg

I'm sorry, but over hear we do not pronouce Zebra with 2 Es.

Also I really can't take spelling and pronounciation lessons from a country that spells aluminium without the second I. It's just wrong.

Oh and whilst I'm here, hamburgers are made of beef people, not ham, french fies are not french and are called chips, whilst crisps are, ya know, crispy, and football uses ones feet, not hands. These are the reasons I cannot take anything you say seriously.

[phil_]

Also I really can't take spelling and pronounciation lessons from a country that spells aluminium without the second I. It's just wrong.

Oh and whilst I'm here, hamburgers are made of beef people, not ham, and football uses ones feet, not hands. These are the reasons I cannot take anything you say seriously.Oh yeah? Well, if America isn't the greatest country in the world, how come we're #1?

[Flarecobra]

One thing I DO like though... was the sidebar in that article. Did anyone else read it?

[Lumenskir]

Oh and whilst I'm here, hamburgers are made of beef people, not ham, french fies are not french and are called chips, whilst crisps are, ya know, crispy, and football uses ones feet, not hands. These are the reasons I cannot take anything you say seriously.
I seem to have left my REAL WORD= wallet in my REAL WORD= gym bag and my duffle in the REAL WORD=trunk of my REAL WORD= truck, so..

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Oh yeah? Well, if America isn't the greatest country in the world, how come we're #1?

Of what exactly

I seem to have left my REAL WORD= wallet in my REAL WORD= gym bag and my duffle in the REAL WORD=trunk of my REAL WORD= truck, so..

Wow, that's your arguement, really? Listing a bunch of real words all of which actually make sense? Ok then.

[phil_]

Lumenskir, come on. Trucks have beds, not trunks. That's what makes it a truck.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

I seem to have left my REAL WORD= wallet in my REAL WORD= gym bag and my duffle in the REAL WORD=trunk of my REAL WORD= truck, so..

Not a problem, I have my wallet right here. So we can easily purchase this egg shaped sports object which is entirely not a ball, and proceed to play a game that barely involves the use of a foot.

[mauve]

Except for things like, mister = Mr, limited = ltd , is not = isn't. Ok so that last one is an abreviation of 2 words with an apostraphe linking the 2, but still, we do shorten words down and glue them together leaving out bits in the middle occasionally. Maybe it should be math's, but that would imply a possessing, "math is", which would also be wrong. Mathematics to me sounds more like it's implying a plural, as in performing multiple calculations and equations, hence the term maths.

Also my Oxford English tells me that "math" on its own is a noun, meaning "a mowing", as in aftermath. So math is its own unique word that has nothing to do with mathematics.



I'm sorry, but over hear we do not pronouce Zebra with 2 Es.

Also I really can't take spelling and pronounciation lessons from a country that spells aluminium without the second I. It's just wrong.

Oh and whilst I'm here, hamburgers are made of beef people, not ham, french fies are not french and are called chips, whilst crisps are, ya know, crispy, and football uses ones feet, not hands. These are the reasons I cannot take anything you say seriously.
If I remember correctly, hamburgers are named after Hamburg, Germany, not after any ingredients. American football is, I presume, thusly named after the kickoff, in which the player uses his foot . Not sure, though. And no idea about why we call them french fries. Something about the way the potatoes are cut, maybe?

And if we're going to talk about inappropriately-named foods, let's talk about Britain and its Black Pudding, shall we? I'm fairly certain that a sausage made from animal blood does not qualify as any type of "pudding" whatsoever.Here, pudding refers to a specific type of dessert item of a soft, somewhat gelatinous consistancy. Across the Pond, the term is apparently used to describe anything vaguely edible, ranging from the aforementioned blood sausage to whatever the hell Christmas Pudding is. Some kind of cake, I think? I think "pudding" is a generic term for dessert, but... blood pudding, man. WTF.

[Lumenskir]

So we can easily purchase this egg shaped sports object which is entirely not a ball, and proceed to play a game that barely involves the use of a foot.
Look, just call it American rules football and save yourself the aneurysms. It seems to work fine with you guys and the Aussies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football).

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Look, just call it American rules football and save yourself the aneurysms. It seems to work fine with you guys and the Aussies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football).

Or lets just call it Handegg.

[Revising Ocelot]

Actually, most people over here also think Black Pudding is a freakshow.

Pudding's more of a catch-all term for dessert, yes. Not stuff like cheese and crackers, mind, but yogurts, jelly, ice cream, most stuff would count.

I completely forget what Christmas Pudding is made from, but you know what's worse? Mince pies. They're generally -not- made from mincemeat these days; not the stuff you'd buy from a supermarket, anyway.

[Krylo]

Oh and whilst I'm here, hamburgers are made of beef people, not ham, french fies are not french and are called chips, whilst crisps are, ya know, crispy, and football uses ones feet, not hands. These are the reasons I cannot take anything you say seriously.

The Belgium invented 'french' fries, and they called them frites, while the french kind of usurped them. Which became anglicized to 'fries.' Which became french fries.

The original creators did not call them chips, the English just renamed them. America merely anglicized the name. Which is a far lesser offense against the originating culture than coming up with a completely new name.

Further 'crisps' are an American invention and are called chips because they are fried chips of a potato. Further, as an American invention, what we call it is the correct name, any renaming is, by definition, incorrect.

A fry, or frite if you prefer, is not a 'chip' at all. It is a carefully sliced and/or diced potato. If you want to claim logical superiority you should call them 'slices' or 'dices', not chips.

Further, the car is an American invention, and you are all driving on the wrong side of the road.

[Lumenskir]

Err, not all (READ: correct) Americans believe the invention part (http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/auto.html), but the road part, I mean...


http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/drivemap.gif
The Sane Places are in Yellow.

[Krylo]

Eh, everything before the Model T was a piece of garbage, though, and completely unable to be reproduced in any large scale fashion.

I tend to forget all the protocars existed. Even the other American ones that are listed as 'first successful'.

[rpgdemon]

I'll give them Football vs Soccer, if only because it was originally called something association of Football, and we took the association to turn into Soccer, and they just shortened it to Football.

But our Football is the more interesting sport to watch, anyhow.

[Krylo]

I'll give them Football vs Soccer, if only because it was originally called something association of Football, and we took the association to turn into Soccer, and they just shortened it to Football.

But our Football is the more interesting sport to watch, anyhow.

No. They have all the bases there, really.

American Football is just Rugby for pussies, you see.

[POS Industries]

Also I really can't take spelling and pronounciation lessons from a country that spells aluminium without the second I. It's just wrong.
Humphry Davy, the man who named it, would disagree with you.

"Aluminium" was the creation of an anonymous literary journal contributor because he felt the proper term, aluminum, had a "less classical sound." This, naturally, is merely part of the tradition of English popular opinion being swayed not by trained experts, but rather publications written by incompetent boobs lacking in tangible sources and accountability.

And no, Americans aren't any better in that regard but shut up.

[Krylo]

And no, Americans aren't any better in that regard but shut up.

To be fair, we are when it comes to Language.

[Seil]

46. I hear more and more people pronouncing the letter Z as "zee". Not happy about it! Ross, London
Eh. I can understand this one as I can't think of a single word where the first syllable is pronouced "zed", but likewise most words don't start with "zee" either. I'll stick with my zeds. Zeds are cool.

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00977/SNN0112M-280_977614a.jpg

Zed?

[EVILNess]

No. They have all the bases there, really.

American Football is just Rugby for pussies, you see.

Err, no.

I can definitely see why people would say that since both sports have some similarities, but honestly Rugby is a bit less violent (At least on paper).

You see, in Rugby people only hit each other when one has the ball. In American Football, almost everyone on the field better be finding someone to smack. So there is collision while blocking in American Football, while in rugby, the equivalent is called "obstruction" and is illegal.

The styles of tackling are also very different.

In rugby, the object is to bring the player to the ground in order to force a turnover. In American Football the purpose of tackling is to not yield a single millimeter of turf to the opposition advance. Rugby is about possession and American Football is about territory.

In rugby, the tackler typically tries to wrap up around the upper legs, and drag the runner to ground. Sooner is better than later, but a few feet doesn't matter much.

In American Football, the tackler prefers a head-on collision, the hard plastic helmet connecting to the opponent's chest; a wrap up around the waist or lower subsequently follows, and then a drive backwards as far as the tackler can go to push back the advancing line. The very hard ground is the forceful end of what the defense hopes to be a very long trip on an American tackle.

Without a helmet, an American football player would not likely walk for very long in such an environment. In rugby, a tackler may not grab around the shoulders and neck (at least when the ref is looking, this leads back to the on paper thing I mentioned earlier).

In American Football, virtually any means of bringing the ball carrier to the ground is legal, so long as the facemask isn't grabbed. This broad interpretation of the tackling rule is the main difference in the two.

In rugby, a runner must absorb the impact of a tackler's flesh-and-bone shoulder and arm along with the variant inertial energy associated with the tackler's speed, mass and angle of attack. In American Football, a ball-carrier must absorb all these things, plus the impact of a hard, plastic helmet and shoulder pads behind the force of a tackler whose mass is often greater than his rugby counterpart.

By the way, there is little protection for most American football players between the sternum and the groin, which happens to comprise the precise target area of a American Football tackle.

Also, the pads are not the soft rubber found in rugby equipment. They are hard, reinforced plastic designed for the purpose of diffusing energy.

Because of the pads, I find the force used in American Football tackling tends to be less restrained by the fear of injury. I have seen plenty of crazy rugby tacklers, but they will rarely throw their careers (and possibly lives) away by running face-first into a head-on collision with a sprinting ball-carrier.

I would also like to point out that when a rugby playeri about to be tackled, he can pass the ball. Now, this isn't a certain way to avoid a tackle, but in theory, it moves play away from him.

In American Football, all play ends when and where the ball runner is crushed, no one passes the ball in American football but the quarterback.

Also, the idea of Forward Passing, which is a center strategy in American Football, is illegal in Rugby.

They are different sports, with superficial similarities, and if you tried to play Rugby like you were playing American Football, then you would probably be not only breaking the rules, but also probably seriously hurt. They are separate games, and honestly it's like comparing Baseball and Hockey.

[Krylo]

Err, no.

I can definitely see why people would say that since both sports have some similarities, but honestly Rugby is a bit less violent (At least on paper).

You see, in Rugby people only hit each other when one has the ball. In American Football, almost everyone on the field better be finding someone to smack. So there is collision while blocking in American Football, while in rugby, the equivalent is called "obstruction" and is illegal.

The styles of tackling are also very different.

In rugby, the object is to bring the player to the ground in order to force a turnover. In American Football the purpose of tackling is to not yield a single millimeter of turf to the opposition advance. Rugby is about possession and American Football is about territory.

In rugby, the tackler typically tries to wrap up around the upper legs, and drag the runner to ground. Sooner is better than later, but a few feet doesn't matter much.

In American Football, the tackler prefers a head-on collision, the hard plastic helmet connecting to the opponent's chest; a wrap up around the waist or lower subsequently follows, and then a drive backwards as far as the tackler can go to push back the advancing line. The very hard ground is the forceful end of what the defense hopes to be a very long trip on an American tackle.

Without a helmet, an American football player would not likely walk for very long in such an environment. In rugby, a tackler may not grab around the shoulders and neck (at least when the ref is looking, this leads back to the on paper thing I mentioned earlier).

In American Football, virtually any means of bringing the ball carrier to the ground is legal, so long as the facemask isn't grabbed. This broad interpretation of the tackling rule is the main difference in the two.

In rugby, a runner must absorb the impact of a tackler's flesh-and-bone shoulder and arm along with the variant inertial energy associated with the tackler's speed, mass and angle of attack. In American Football, a ball-carrier must absorb all these things, plus the impact of a hard, plastic helmet and shoulder pads behind the force of a tackler whose mass is often greater than his rugby counterpart.

By the way, there is little protection for most American football players between the sternum and the groin, which happens to comprise the precise target area of a American Football tackle.

Also, the pads are not the soft rubber found in rugby equipment. They are hard, reinforced plastic designed for the purpose of diffusing energy.

Because of the pads, I find the force used in American Football tackling tends to be less restrained by the fear of injury. I have seen plenty of crazy rugby tacklers, but they will rarely throw their careers (and possibly lives) away by running face-first into a head-on collision with a sprinting ball-carrier.

I would also like to point out that when a rugby playeri about to be tackled, he can pass the ball. Now, this isn't a certain way to avoid a tackle, but in theory, it moves play away from him.

In American Football, all play ends when and where the ball runner is crushed, no one passes the ball in American football but the quarterback.

Also, the idea of Forward Passing, which is a center strategy in American Football, is illegal in Rugby.

They are different sports, with superficial similarities, and if you tried to play Rugby like you were playing American Football, then you would probably be not only breaking the rules, but also probably seriously hurt. They are separate games, and honestly it's like comparing Baseball and Hockey.

Short Version: The only real difference is there's no forward passing in Rugby and their rules are designed so people don't murder each other as they aren't wearing pads.

THUS they are just like baseball and hockey, which have no similarities whatsoever other than a stick.

[EVILNess]

Short Version: The only real difference is there's no forward passing in Rugby and their rules are designed so people don't murder each other as they aren't wearing pads.
Actually, what I was going for was more to dispel the idea that most Americans have that because there are no pads Rugby is barbaric, and the equally absurd notion that Europeans have that because gridiron footballers have pads on that makes them sissies.

EDIT: You are also vastly over simplifying the whole thing. One is a game of possession and the other is a game of territory. They are such different games it shows how little people know before they open their mouths.
THUS they are just like baseball and hockey, which have no similarities whatsoever other than a stick.

Yes, because I totally said that in my half a page discourse on the general misconceptions of the violence levels in Rugby and Football and other stupid comparisons.

[pochercoaster]

How can anyone give a fuck about most of these? Maybe these people were too busy mailing in their pet peeves to news websites instead of going out and interacting with people because their unnecessary pedantry pisses off everyone they come into contact with.

7. I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano". What ever happened to a medium sized coffee? Marcus Edwards, Hurst Green

An americano is espresso topped with hot water, so named because pansy Americans can't drink straight espresso like italians. Unless there's some hoity toity coffee shops that call a regularly brewed coffee an americano, except how the heck do you order an americano if that's what you call your coffee? Or, alternatively, they only make espresso based drinks and thus they don't serve regular coffee, in which case an americano is an approximation of a regular coffee.

I'm going to imagine that this is one of those customers that has a regular order but actually has no idea what their regular order is.

31. "Hike" a price. Does that mean people who do that are hikers? No, hikers are ramblers! M Holloway, Accrington

Some of these people just seem plain adverse to metaphor.

17. "Bangs" for a fringe of the hair. Philip Hall, Nottingham

Seriously?

Hwæt! Wé Gárdena in géardagum
þéodcyninga þrym gefrúnon
hú ðá æþelingas ellen fremedon.

I trust everyone who has complained about Americanisms creeping in to the English language will have no trouble understanding the above. That's what English looked like around 1,300 years ago.

Language evolves.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

How can anyone give a fuck about most of these? Maybe these people were too busy mailing in their pet peeves to news websites instead of going out and interacting with people because their unnecessary pedantry pisses off everyone they come into contact with.



So...
What are you doing posting on a forum instead of going out and interacting with people?

[Krylo]

You are also vastly over simplifying the whole thing. One is a game of possession and the other is a game of territory. They are such different games it shows how little people know before they open their mouths.Have you ever heard of tongue in cheek?

Yes, because I totally said that in my half a page discourse on the general misconceptions of the violence levels in Rugby and Football and other stupid comparisons.

They are separate games, and honestly it's like comparing Baseball and Hockey.

I am giving you the eye now.

[Aerozord]

if in two different geographic locations the same language is spoken but no oversight is forced upon them then the languages will diverge into two new languages. Its how we got English in the first place. Though if you absolutely have to choose one specific dialect, then it would be American English. Its simply more prevalent in the world.

After all its clearly so omnipresent British feel the need to post an entire news article about its use.

[edit] oh and look, all sports are just an excuse for men to chase after balls and play with sticks. Its very Fruedian

[pochercoaster]

So...
What are you doing posting on a forum instead of going out and interacting with people?

It's 11:30pm on a worknight. Also, I skipped over the debate you guys were having, and forgot to qualify that my vitriol wasn't directed towards any posters on this site.

[EVILNess]

I am giving you the eye now.

Why is that comment giving you such a hard time?

The games are so different it's stupid to compare them. LIKE COMPARING BASEBALL AND HOCKEY.

Is that better for you?

[phil_]

17. "Bangs" for a fringe of the hair. Philip Hall, Nottingham Seriously?I am also curious as to what this person thinks bangs should be called. I think he just didn't know there was a word for it, and decided that it must be some stupid American thing, having a name for stuff.

He is a disappointing Phil.

[rpgdemon]

On the coffee note: Would he prefer that he's forced to order in Italian? I don' get starbucks.

Incidentally, I had a really decent meal there, when I was incredibly hungry and they were the only place open. I didn't know they had real food.

[Krylo]

Why is that comment giving you such a hard time?

The games are so different it's stupid to compare them. LIKE COMPARING BASEBALL AND HOCKEY.

Is that better for you?

And I pointed out that was wrong, because baseball and hockey have nothing in common and the only differences between rugby and football can be drawn right to the logistics of a game that involves putting a ball on the other side of the field and not killing anyone with and without pads, while hockey and baseball aren't even similar.

You then said that you never compared the two (edit: comparing hockey to baseball and comparing rugby to football).

And thus I gave you the eye.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Read the page and the conclusion I came to: buncha buttmads with too much to bitch about.

[Magus]

From what I gather they are mad about these words because their fellow Britons are using them all the time. So...are they really American words anymore? Not just straight-up English words, hmmm?

At least that is the only theory I can come up with for why they decided to pick on American English instead of the crazy gibberish they speak in Australia.

[The SSB Intern]

I ain't* apologizing for any Americanisms until Britain owns up for the Harry Potter movies. Or at the very least, they should be subjected to the hordes of American adolescents butchering the phrase "bloody hell" for nearly a decade.




*Yes, I used "ain't" while talking about language. Firefox is cool with it, so I am too.

[Aerozord]

*Yes, I used "ain't" while talking about language. Firefox is cool with it, so I am too.

really? so tell me, what exactly is it a contraction of?

[Krylo]

It's a contraction of am not, is not, and are not. It is multifunctional. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain%27t)

In that sentence, it is obviously being used as a contraction for 'am not.'

[Magus]

"Ain't" isn't standard English but I don't have a problem using it in day to day conversation. I just wouldn't put it in an essay or outside of the dialogue of a story I was writing.

Okay, I was looking more closely at this list and I just have to point this out:

"42. Period instead of full stop. Stuart Oliver, Sunderland"

HEY STEWIE WHAT'S THAT PUNCTUATION MARK RIGHT AFTER THE WORD STOP THERE OH IT'S A PERIOD MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET OUT OF THE TELEGRAPH PHASE AND INTO THE 21ST CENTURY WHERE WE COMMUNICATE USING DEVICES WHICH HAVE PUNCTUATION INCORPORATED INTO THEIR SYSTEMS INSTEAD OF MORSE CODE ALRIGHTY THEN

Some of these don't even make any sense. No one calls restaurants "eateries" over here so blaming that on Americans makes little sense. It kind of sounds like one of those silly words Brits would use!

EDIT: As for "zee" being pronounced "zed" over there, literally no one in this entire country knew that until Shaun of the Dead premiered here. I could have gone on never knowing that someone in another country completely mispronounces the letter z.

Just because you pronounce zebra wrong doesn't mean we all have to change our ways to suit you. Heck, try saying oregano, Britons!

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Aerozord]

isn't restaurant French anyways? While we primarily speak English we use a wide variety of languages in our daily lives.

[Magus]

After the invasion of 1066 English was like half French loan words, yeah.

Here's another one I don't understand:

"48. "I got it for free" is a pet hate. You got it "free" not "for free". You don't get something cheap and say you got it "for cheap" do you? Mark Jones, Plymouth"

...yes, sometimes we say "I got it for cheap". TAKE THAT BRITONS. In any case, grammatically one should say "I got it for nothing" not just removing "for" which is actually even less grammatical, Brits. Good job there!

"40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" - when the English (and more correct) version was always "that'll teach you". What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London"

This would be annoying!...if, again, anybody over here said it. Perhaps there are certain dialects where this is more common, like in the south? I'm as confused as them.

"47. To "medal" instead of to win a medal. Sets my teeth on edge with a vengeance. Helen, Martock, Somerset"

ABSOLUTELY NO ONE OVER HERE HAS EVER SAID THIS. WHO IS DOUBLE CHECKING THESE?

"20. "A half hour" instead of "half an hour". EJB, Devon"

Again, I like how his response to what he perceives as a grammatical error...is to recommend another grammatical error? Grammatically, one would have to say "a half of an hour", EJB.

But in fact the Americanism is not ungrammatical at all! EJB just can't spell! It is spelled "half-hour". HEY LOOK IT'S NOT UNGRAMMATICAL AT ALL NOW GO BACK TO YOUR TEA AND CRUMPETS

[phil_]

Once I finish reading it and I let _mike read it, I'm going to speak almost entirely in "Grapes of Wrath" quotes. I hope some Brit hears me and his ears explode from AMERICAN.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Re the rugby vs american football-
sure rugby has all these rules but when you are at the bottom of the ruck basically none of them apply because the ref can't see shit. Eye gouging, testacle ripping, stomping with your feet were all pretty common. They're cleaning the game up a lot and its much cleaner than it was 20 years ago but you stil gt plenty cases of the ruck coming apart and people with mysterious injuries at the bottom.
But what it means is you get a lot more niggling injuries - more cuts and tears than smashes that you would get from American football.
And you have no armour. People get tacked at fullspeed and thrown to the ground in rugby too and professional rugby players look really small on tv but in real life they are mountains of muscle.
Also they don't get to take rest every 10 seconds. Its run around for 40 full minutes, take a 5 minute break, run around for another 40 minutes.
Humphry Davy, the man who named it, would disagree with you.

"Aluminium" was the creation of an anonymous literary journal contributor because he felt the proper term, aluminum, had a "less classical sound." This, naturally, is merely part of the tradition of English popular opinion being swayed not by trained experts, but rather publications written by incompetent boobs lacking in tangible sources and accountability.

And no, Americans aren't any better in that regard but shut up.

Do you stil call things aqua fortis and fixed ammonium salt and chemical red?
This is a scientific term so its historical name doesn't matter because historical people were stupid. IUPAC calls it aluminium so that's what you should go by.

[Magus]

Do you stil call things aqua fortis and fixed ammonium salt and chemical red?


No, but I have the feeling British people do!

As for Aluminum, it has one less syllable so it is a superior spelling. We Americans don't truck with your foreign commie nomenclature systems. IUPAC can suck it.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Why don't you just call it Al then.

[Magus]

Why not? Context would solve any confusions. Good idea.

[Amake]

If I remember correctly, hamburgers are named after Hamburg, Germany, not after any ingredients. American football is, I presume, thusly named after the kickoff, in which the player uses his foot . Not sure, though. I heard it's because the thing is a foot long. It still has more in common with an egg than a ball though, I don't know how they justify that. I'm with the "let's call it handegg" crowd because, you know, there already was that game where you kick a ball with your feet that's been played since we started walking on two legs and I don't get why they had to copy the name for a sport that has absolutely nothing in common with football except being focused on an object with a shape.

Re. aluminium (Swedish spelling), it makes a crappy bodyguard, so why don't we just call it tin foil.

[synkr0nized]

Oh, hey, a language thread.







I hate everyone.

[Bob The Mercenary]

From what I gather they are mad about these words because their fellow Britons are using them all the time. So...are they really American words anymore? Not just straight-up English words, hmmm

I'm not sure whether A) the "Americanisms" are actually US creations slowly seeping into the British lexicon or B) they are simply the logical evolution of the English language as it becomes more streamlined. Which would mean that our version of English is actually maturing faster than their's. Though sometimes I struggle to call it "maturing" when we end up with words like octomom.

And hey look, octomom didn't even get autocorrected.

[edit] I've never had a problem with "lift" instead of "elevator" though.

[Satan's Onion]

And hey look, octomom didn't even get autocorrected.

I hate everyone.
.

[Revising Ocelot]

Wow, this thread became 50% more arrogant overnight.

[Terex4]

14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow
I can sympathize with this one if only because I cringe when people here call them "buggies".
40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" - when the English (and more correct) version was always "that'll teach you". What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London
I've never heard this used in any serious context. Pretty sure the phrase is meant to be used humorously.
44. My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh
Either this guy or his brother doesn't understand the proper use in this context.

[Bob The Mercenary]

Wow, this thread became 50% more arrogant overnight.

lolitrollu?

Heh, didn't mean to sound like a dick. Everyone knows this is just our new method of imperialism. Invasion via language.

[Krylo]

@Terex: In the UK a series is a season.

For instance Dr. Who hasn't had six seasons, it has had six series. And Dr. Who, itself, isn't a series. It is a programme.

[Revising Ocelot]

lolitrollu?

Heh, didn't mean to sound like a dick. Everyone knows this is just our new method of imperialism. Invasion via language.

Actually, my beef is more with Magus. Wasn't referring to you.

As to Krylo, my impression of the situation here is that we're using series still for 3-8 episode long... er... series, which is the usual length for Brit stuff. Things that tend to be of a much longer length, >15 episodes or so, get called seasons as they're more akin to US... er... seasons. They're not common here apart from, dundundun, US imports.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

@Terex: In the UK a series is a season.

For instance Dr. Who hasn't had six seasons, it has had six series. And Dr. Who, itself, isn't a series. It is a programme.

That sounds pretty stupid . Seasons in a series makes heaps more sense to me.

[pochercoaster]

On the coffee note: Would he prefer that he's forced to order in Italian? I don' get starbucks.

Incidentally, I had a really decent meal there, when I was incredibly hungry and they were the only place open. I didn't know they had real food.

Those terms were around before Starbucks and are actually the proper names for those drinks. Well, you could order espresso topped with hot water instead of saying americano, or 1/3rd espresso topped with 1/3rd hot milk and 1/3rd foam instead of cappuccino, or two shots of espresso topped with whipped cream instead of double con panna, but it's silly because these are their actual names.

However, Starbucks does misuse some of them, and replacing small/medium/large with short/tall/grande/venti is ridiculous. Small, medium and large means different things in different stores, so I just give up and order 12, 16, and 20 oz. And when I do people look at me funny. XD

...And maybe there is a place that calls its regular coffee "americano" but it's still correct because it refers to unconcentrated coffee. However, if someone gave shit to a customer for asking for a "coffee" instead of "americano" then they have issues. Given the snobbery in the coffee world it's totally possible.

[rpgdemon]

Those terms were around before Starbucks and are actually the proper names for those drinks. Well, you could order espresso topped with hot water instead of saying americano, or 1/3rd espresso topped with 1/3rd hot milk and 1/3rd foam instead of cappuccino, or two shots of espresso topped with whipped cream instead of double con panna, but it's silly because these are their actual names.

However, Starbucks does misuse some of them, and replacing small/medium/large with short/tall/grande/venti is ridiculous. Small, medium and large means different things in different stores, so I just give up and order 12, 16, and 20 oz. And when I do people look at me funny. XD

...And maybe there is a place that calls its regular coffee "americano" but it's still correct because it refers to unconcentrated coffee. However, if someone gave shit to a customer for asking for a "coffee" instead of "americano" then they have issues. Given the snobbery in the coffee world it's totally possible.

I'm talking solely about the short/tall/grande/venti thing. I don't know enough about Starbucks to know of anything else.

[Magus]

Wow, this thread became 50% more arrogant overnight.

Actually, my beef is more with Magus. Wasn't referring to you.


Is it okay if I pictured you with a funny mustache and a monocle popping out as you spewed tea and cried, "My word! The audacity of these Yanks!"?

EDIT: Also this thread has come full circle in that Brits are pissed at Yanks for being pissed at Brits being pissed at Yanks.

[Revising Ocelot]

Is it okay if I pictured you with a funny mustache and a monocle popping out as you spewed tea and cried, "My word! The audacity of these Yanks!"?


No, it's not OK. That's exactly the kind of arrogance I'm talking about which you've been spouting forth in other posts. You want to use old and extremely outdated stereotypes, try the "gingers have no soul" one. That's a lot more relevant.

[rpgdemon]

Being incredibly racist against gingers and committing hate crimes against them is Britain's thing, not America's.

[Malek]

I am also curious as to what this person thinks bangs should be called. I think he just didn't know there was a word for it, and decided that it must be some stupid American thing, having a name for stuff.

He is a disappointing Phil.

The guy does tell you what he thinks they should be called: "a fringe"

As for the others;
I thought the coffee one was more about the use of regular instead of medium for the size of the coffee, and the only thing I can think of for the train station one is that he prefers the term railway station.

[POS Industries]

IUPAC calls it aluminium so that's what you should go by.
The IUPAC has recognized both spellings as acceptable since 1993 and its internal publications tend to use them in roughly equal amounts.

So we'll go by whatever the hell we want to go by, thank you very much.

[Magus]

No, it's not OK. That's exactly the kind of arrogance I'm talking about which you've been spouting forth in other posts. You want to use old and extremely outdated stereotypes, try the "gingers have no soul" one. That's a lot more relevant.

My brother and sister are kind of soulless...

EDIT: Also I'm glad you picked up on the fact that everything I say is 100% serious 100% of the time, especially when I reply to things Smarty says or in response to a British article whose basic premise is "Americans are ruining the English language with their fanciful, lazy, inept drivel" despite pretty much only one of them being an actual paradox (the final one), with the rest simply being major differences in cultural metaphorical colloquialisms (i.e. "touch base" being a baseball metaphor, you quickly round the bases and touch them without spending a lot of time on one, much like you would do when you simply "touch base" with someone, you just say hello and ask how they are doing/check up on life and then get off the phone as opposed to having deep conversation with them), grammar "mistakes" that actually aren't mistakes, or phrases that Americans don't even use.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

The IUPAC has recognized both spellings as acceptable since 1993 and its internal publications tend to use them in roughly equal amounts.

So we'll go by whatever the hell we want to go by, thank you very much.

That's only because the Americans refuse to change their spelling and have all the money.
Aluminum is the variant, aluminium is the preferred version.
It's an outdated relic just like the mile and the gallon.

Also I'm not sure where that IUPAC uses roughly equal amounts come from cause I've done a little bit of work on alumina (aluminium oxide) and only about 10% of the papers I came across had it as aluminum and those were mostly older papers modern papers are pretty universally aluminum.

[Magus]

That's only because the Americans refuse to change their spelling and have all the money.
Aluminum is the variant, aluminium is the preferred version.
It's an outdated relic just like the mile and the gallon.

Also I'm not sure where that IUPAC uses roughly equal amounts come from cause I've done a little bit of work on alumina (aluminium oxide) and only about 10% of the papers I came across had it as aluminum and those were mostly older papers modern papers are pretty universally aluminum.

Says the guy from a country that still has a monarchy.

EDIT: To be serious for a moment, it's quite possible that IUPAC papers are modified with Americanized spellings when published in America, probably changing things like "colour" to "color" as well, or if an article is published by an American scientist it retains his spellings of various things. This would give the illusion that "half the papers use American spelling and half use British spelling" when in fact it is clearly standardized in the handbook, it's just that some of the scientists and their editors don't use the standardized spellings.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I don't know I get all my papers from the interwebnets. Man who knows where they are published anymore. But there is totally no way it's anywhere near 50/50.

It shoudl also be pointed out that IUPAC journals is a tiny fraction of the scientiifc literature. they only have about 2 journals.

But that's ok you dudes carry on with your alchemy. I hear you'll hit gold any day now.

[CABAL49]

But that's ok you dudes carry on with your alchemy. I hear you'll hit gold any day now.

I thought we figured that out already (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_transmutation)

Edit: While we are here, what the hell does "Bob's your uncle" mean? And why can't I understand anyone from Whales?

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Maybe if you got a secret sun in area 51

[Fifthfiend]

"gingers have no soul"

Ugh.

Can we not do ~ironic~ redhead-hate, here?

Also:

Can we just call them redheads?

[Flarecobra]

It's an outdated relic just like the mile and the gallon.


Which is funny, since I hear them used as measures in Britian all the time.

[Marc v4.0]

50. "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less" has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they're trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham

I use this very often, knowing full well that it means I care instead of not caring. I use it often because if I am discussing an issue or taking part in the discussion of an issue then I clearly care and I very well could care less.

I guess maybe Jon there is a great big fucking idiot, since this fact has occured to everyone who has heard me use the phrase -without me having to tell them-.

I still use "I couldn't care less", but only ever to end a topic I really do not care about.

[Fifthfiend]

Being incredibly racist against gingers and committing hate crimes against them is Britain's thing, not America's.

Also, too: "pakis"!

[Fifthfiend]

The other day my mom tried to tell me that the quarter of my background that's Irish might not be Irish but, instead, British.

I was like, fuck you mom, no.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Yeah that's a case of Britain and america both being retarded. Though gallon not so much, it basically litres outside of cars. Doesn't mean they are acceptable though.

[Marc v4.0]

Actually, I want to alter my previous statement about Jonathan.

All of these people are fucking idiots, and half this list is composed of things NO ONE says. Seriously, "medal" for "to win a medal"? They are making shit up!

[Aerozord]

Yeah that's a case of Britain and america both being retarded. Though gallon not so much, it basically litres outside of cars. Doesn't mean they are acceptable though.

but gallons, miles, etc IS the English System. If anything British should be complaining that their nation is using the incorrect metric system.

Thats the arrogance that annoys me

Britain uses a new word its because its better, anyone else does it and its because they are using the incorrect word.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

That's not what I'm complaining about though. I'm complaining about people NOT adapting which is pretty much the opposite of traditional complaints.

[Magus]

Yeah that's a case of Britain and america both being retarded. Though gallon not so much, it basically litres outside of cars. Doesn't mean they are acceptable though.

Americans buy milk by the gallon, quart, etc. too, but soda, juice, etc. by the liter. Maybe the agricultural industry is too set in its ways to update their scales.

The other day my mom tried to tell me that the quarter of my background that's Irish might not be Irish but, instead, British.

I was like, fuck you mom, no.

Well, literally all of the British isles has Celtic blood, just some places more than others. That is why Americans use the term "Scotch-", er, sorry, "Scots-Irish", both Scotland and Ireland just have more people with the recessive genes expressed than England. It is not paradoxical to lump them together when you are talking about American gene pools (which usually consist of every single European heritage one could think of, I am part Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, German, French, as well as Native American). Maybe we should just use the term "Celtic" to avoid annoying the Britons who contributed to that article, I dunno.

It's probably why people in America view the redhead hate in Britain as particularly ridiculous, since as far as we can tell happening to have brown hair doesn't mean that a hundred years ago one of your ancestors didn't have red hair, and the entire genetic make-up of England in particular is like a mish-mash of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, French, etc. genes. Obviously it grows out of England using people from Ireland as a second-class feudal work force and giving all the land to "English" overlords, when in fact to be a caucasian Englander is to be much like a caucasian American, to be pretty much every European heritage one could think of, including Scots-Irish.

It makes even less sense when you have families of people with darker hair and people with red hair all related to one another. Do some racist people in Britain look down on siblings who have red hair even though they have the same exact genes, it is just not expressed? Or is it just racists with lineages traced back hundreds of years with only dark hair expressed all written up on fancy scrolls or something? Even though more likely than not some ancestor in the past undoubtedly had red hair or blonde hair somewhere along the line?

[POS Industries]

That's only because the Americans refuse to change their spelling and have all the money.
And so much of that money came from being the driving force in scientific progress for several decades!

I mean, damn, you'd think inventing the airplane, building the first atomic bomb, creating the personal computer, putting all the men on the moon, and secretly developing and distributing crack cocaine and HIV would make us the scientific leaders of the world, but I guess some folks out in Europe gotta put an extra, wholly unnecessary letter into a word to feel better about themselves, right?

Also I'm not sure where that IUPAC uses roughly equal amounts come from cause I've done a little bit of work on alumina (aluminium oxide) and only about 10% of the papers I came across had it as aluminum and those were mostly older papers modern papers are pretty universally aluminum.
Based on a quick google search...

Number of IUPAC reports using "aluminum": (http://www.google.com/search?q=aluminum&sitesearch=iupac.org) 747

Number using "aluminium": (http://www.google.com/search?q=aluminum&sitesearch=iupac.org) 993

So, you are correct. It's not 50/50. It's 57/43. Not a huge difference, though.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Nah everyone mocks red haired people because it's the sign of dealings with Satan.

Also the airplane invention is another of your dubious invention claims!

And the bomb was only invented because you bought off all the Germans!

And you lost the space race! It is a space race not a moon race!

I'm totally surprised by that ratio though. Maybe I just read stuffy british journals. Or maybe our internet secretely adds in extra letters!

[Aerozord]

Nah everyone mocks red haired people because it's the sign of dealings with Satan.

like those demonic lefties

wait, then what about left-handed redheads :ohdear:

[Professor Smarmiarty]

It cancels out obviously.


Other things America invented:
Rocky
Dolphins with guns
Robot killers

That's a good record!

[PhoenixFlame]

"23. To put a list into alphabetical order is to "alphabetize it" - horrid! Chris Fackrell, York"

With a name like Fackrell, I'd hate the alphabet too.

[Magus]

There was another one on there, somebody complaining about the construct "deliverable" despite this being an extremely common grammatical construct, i.e. eatable, mailable, killable, etc. meaning "able to be delivered, eaten, mailed, killed", etc. I have the feeling even without American intervention British people would use words like those, it's just how the language works.

[POS Industries]

And you lost the space race! It is a space race not a moon race!
Everyone knows that the winner is determined by whoever's the first to plant their flag in something, and we're the only ones with our flag in something other than Earth.

And it was planted by a guy whose very name implies that he is strong of arm! Nobody's pulling that flag outta the moon ground, no sir!

[Fifthfiend]

Actually, I want to alter my previous statement about Jonathan.

All of these people are fucking idiots, and half this list is composed of things NO ONE says. Seriously, "medal" for "to win a medal"? They are making shit up!

At some point you have to fact that any word can be verbed at any time.

[Fifthfiend]

fact

This is now the new verb for "accept the fact".

DEAL W/ IT

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Everyone knows that the winner is determined by whoever's the first to plant their flag in something, and we're the only ones with our flag in something other than Earth.

And it was planted by a guy whose very name implies that he is strong of arm! Nobody's pulling that flag outta the moon ground, no sir!

You put the flag in the wrong place! It's on the moon not in space.
I declare the race to still be on!

How do you start by racing to space then end up on the moon instead? That's what happens when your country is started with Columbus

[Aerozord]

I do love how "sex" is now a verb, as in "I am going to sex you"

more entertaining if you know "to sex" has existed in english, but to mean "to identify the sex of an animal".

edit: there was a moon race and a space race. One to get to the moon, one to get to space. Russia won the space race, America won the moon race. Of course they won the space race thanks to not caring a whole lot about getting the cosmonauts back down

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Wikipedia has an article on space race but none on moon race- it redirects to moon landing. You pulling a classic Columbus- rewrite history, that's what I meant to do all along!

[POS Industries]

You put the flag in the wrong place! It's on the moon not in space.
It's the only thing up there to plant a flag on. I mean, if you want to just go out on a space walk and huck a flag into the void, go right ahead. It won't mean anything.

I declare the race to still be on!
Well, of course you do. You guys have never even had your own ride up there!

How do you start by racing to space then end up on the moon instead? That's what happens when your country is started with Columbus
...but he never set foot in my country.

And there were already people here.

Like, I'm descended from them and everything!

Wikipedia has an article on space race but none on moon race
There's a section right in there called "Kennedy launches the Moon Race"!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Pssh, like they count. Next you'll be telling me China had a vast, advanced and ancient empire before they were colonised.

And surely you could design some kind of super space flag which floats in one place. That would be acceptable.

[Magus]

At some point you have to fact that any word can be verbed at any time.

This is now the new verb for "accept the fact".

DEAL W/ IT

I literally read what you had written there as "face the fact that" because my mind simply could not grasp the verb form you had created.

The only current grammar thing I'm annoyed by is teenagers saying they are "going to prom" instead of saying "they are going to the prom". But I got used to it, and I don't think they'll start saying "going to mall" or "going to store" because I believe they consider the prom to be like, a celebration, like Mardi Gras. "I am going to Prom", i.e. an event, rather than a singular geographical place.

Or they are just lazy little jerks with poor grammar skills, I dunno. They certainly have demonstrated that to me in my teaching. So many ungrammatical sentences. Even from the seniors.

[Bob The Mercenary]

All of these people are fucking idiots, and half this list is composed of things NO ONE says. Seriously, "medal" for "to win a medal"? They are making shit up!

Am I the only one who listens to sports talk? xD

"He probably won't win, but we expect him to at least medal."
"The team has medaled in each of the last twelve Olympic games."

I hear these types of usages often.

[phil_]

Am I the only one who listens to sports talk? xD

"He probably won't win, but we expect him to at least medal."
"The team has medaled in each of the last twelve Olympic games."

I hear these types of usages often.Sorry, radio man. Some of us don't radio the radio all the radio.

[Bob The Mercenary]

Radio is now a verb.

[rpgdemon]

I've heard medal as a verb as well, and I think it's fine.

[Loyal]

I could understand if they were annoyed with nouns being used as verbs ("Beer me.") but that complaint seemed oddly specific.

[rpgdemon]

I don't get that. I've seen, "Beer me a question" as a thing, and how does that even?

[Aerozord]

So anyone else catch the irony, in an article (I use this term loosely) about "proper terminology", they use the word Americanism in the title?

[CABAL49]

The International Space Station has our flag on it in Space. Therefore we own Space and the Moon. Your welcome for the tides everyone.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

The International Space Station has our flag on it in Space.

And half of that station is Russian. And is currently manned by a Kazakstan team. Good job there!

[Marc v4.0]

Am I the only one who listens to sports talk? xD

"He probably won't win, but we expect him to at least medal."
"The team has medaled in each of the last twelve Olympic games."

I hear these types of usages often.

This is the second time sports talk has been brought up, so I am just going to assume that sports lingo was invented by total morons.

[Loyal]

This is the second time sports talk has been brought up, so I am just going to assume that sports lingo was invented by total morons.

Yes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxx8brWrcc) Pretty much.

[POS Industries]

And half of that station is Russian. And is currently manned by a Kazakstan team. Good job there!
Thank you! We own them now, too!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Haha, but no, you really don't (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/nasa_rsa.html). Russian still owns exactly half of the entire thing. The other half is evenly split between the European, Japanese, US and Canandian space agencies. You don't own shit.

[POS Industries]

We even own the website you linked!

[Aerozord]

what they should be complaining about (http://xkcd.com/919/)

[Magus]

I never understood why people were so embarrassed to say vagina they actually came up with a word that kind of sounds dirtier, frankly.

Or maybe it is just how the people saying it are saying it.

[Krylo]

Taint? 'Cause that's a technically incorrect usage of taint, as the taint is slang for the area of highly sensitive skin between the genitals and the anus. The perineum is the proper name.

Or Va-Jay-Jay from the alt-text? 'Cause va-jay-jay doesn't sound dirtier and is hilarious.

[Magus]

Oh, I know all about the taint. I'm an expert on taint and perineum and all that. I got a handle on the taint. I eat that kind of stuff for breakfast. It's the vajayjay I'm having a harder time getting into. When you elongate it is where it gets dirtier. When you elongate it and stick it into vajayjay, it just seems dirty as hell.





That is to say the jayjay part.

Plus get a sexy woman to say it. In a husky timbre.

[Aerozord]

I got a handle on the taint. I eat that kind of stuff for breakfast.

:raise:

[Archbio]

Va-jay-jay is the stupidest euphemism ever coined.

Fact.

[Satan's Onion]

Va-jay-jay is the stupidest euphemism ever coined.

Fact.

God, yes. It's so hard* to find a good term for these body parts in general that isn't somehow annoyingly stupid. (Not that you can't use the clinical terms for them, but there are some contexts in which that just doesn't work.)

My solution is to play it for laughs. That way you can at least salvage a chuckle out of his titanic purple-veined lance of silk-swathed steel journeying to the deepest depths of her wondrous coral cavern of pleasure and mystery.

*inb4 "that's what she said!"

[Aerozord]

Not that you can't use the clinical terms for them, but there are some contexts in which that just doesn't work.

I disagree with this assumption. Only time I can think of that it doesn't work is when you wouldn't use a cutesy term anyways. Can argue that it doesn't work around kids, but I frankly dont see the harm in letting them know the proper medical term for a body part

[Krylo]

God, yes. [ . . . ] annoyingly stupid.

[ . . . ]

My solution is to play it for laughs.

Exactly!

No one uses vajayjay seriously. They use it when they want to sound immature and stupid to play to a joke.

Jeez, guys, stop hating.

[Amake]

I like vaj. It has the potential to be the lady-equalient of cock; one syllable, kind of gets in your face with its straightforwardness, impossible to misunderstand, has a smooth sound as a nice counterpoint to the sharpness of cock.

[Magus]

Vaj reminds me more of say, prick, because they both have the beginning sound in there.

By the way Aerozord that whole post was an innuendo, what's up with just picking the one part of it? :D