Which Dialect Of English Has The Most Idioms?

[PeaceBlondie]

I don't want to start a war between the Brits and the Yanks; those ended in 1814. However, here's a simple question: between the vocabularies of British and American English, which dialect has the most idiomatic terms that are not commonly used on the other side of the pond, even by well educated natives?

I was thinking about spanner, boot, windscreen, lift, lorry, amongst, whilst, shan't, and countless other Britishisms, and wondering whether we Americans have conjured up an equally long list of exclusively North American terms. By the way, I'm using the term dialect here in a semi-professional way to refer not to the differences in pronunciation (rhotic or non-rhotic) or spelling (rumour, rumor), but vocabulary that isn't common. Which dialect has more national words, spoken by educated natives, than the other? How many terms like clever and smart have distinctly different definitions?

[Loaded]

leave it our geezer, knock it on the barnet or you'll be brown bread

[aussiestyle1983]

I find in funny when a sepo (Yank) refers to something by a brand name, like how some refer to tissues as Kleenex or refer to toilet paper as charmin or cotton buds as q-tips, etc. I think it's kind of funny and it takes a while to get use to.

I guess the Dialect also depends on which part of the country you come from, so, antoher good question would be which yanks and which brits use the most idioms? And, are they worse than aussies when it comes to using idioms?

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, aussie1983. Another point is that when you start teaching EFL, you have to broaden your vocabulary. Another example is 'pisseth' which is in the King James Version for 'urinate,' and is not used by Americans to mean 'got drunk.' Do British or Australian EFL teachers already know their Americanisms? Eh, what's that aboot? Is it aboot a boot like a cowboy boot eh?

[Mid]

geeze , ow cum ya eft t stralians out ??

[Totster]

"fanny"

Now that's a word that will leave Brits bemused when used by Yanks..

totster

[Totster]

geeze , ow cum ya eft t stralians out ??

The aussies speak English.. ? well I never....

totster

[Loaded]

fag - can't beat rolling one around your lips and sucking slowly on it.

[Scott]

I'd have to vote for Australia as having the most "unusual" idioms. The media--especially films and television--have played a big role in spreading idioms around, thus, when I was first overseas, most British idioms I had at least heard.

Australia is a little more isolated, less populated and a lot of the actors and actresses that made it into internationally well-known films were in either British or American films and didn't bring a lot of the idioms in the international mainstream.

Then there are all those unusual creatures they refer to!

The first few times I was out with a couple of Australians, it took me some time (and questioning) as to what some of them meant. Fortunately, they are very patient people. I felt boring, since they knew all mine!

[roietjimmy]

Car "trunk" vs "boot"

Baby "Passifier" vs "dummy"

My first trip to Oz I heard someone say "He spat the dummy". Took me weeks to humble myself and ask what in the world it meant.

[aussiestyle1983]

I'd have to vote for Australia as having the most "unusual" idioms. The media--especially films and television--have played a big role in spreading idioms around, thus, when I was first overseas, most British idioms I had at least heard.

Australia is a little more isolated, less populated and a lot of the actors and actresses that made it into internationally well-known films were in either British or American films and didn't bring a lot of the idioms in the international mainstream.

Then there are all those unusual creatures they refer to!

The first few times I was out with a couple of Australians, it took me some time (and questioning) as to what some of them meant. Fortunately, they are very patient people. I felt boring, since they knew all mine!

Crikies mate!

One word I love to use is "slash" as in urinate.

[PeaceBlondie]

At last I understand the phrase, "he spat the dummy." I could see some guy spitting at a mannequin.

[JamieP]

Everybody should watch out for Americans driving on the pavement.

[Viceroy]

Ask your mate to jot them all down with his buckshee biro whilst you hoover the carpet in the parlour.

[Pink Mist]

I'd have to vote for Australia as having the most "unusual" idioms. The media--especially films and television--have played a big role in spreading idioms around, thus, when I was first overseas, most British idioms I had at least heard.

Australia is a little more isolated, less populated and a lot of the actors and actresses that made it into internationally well-known films were in either British or American films and didn't bring a lot of the idioms in the international mainstream.

Then there are all those unusual creatures they refer to!

The first few times I was out with a couple of Australians, it took me some time (and questioning) as to what some of them meant. Fortunately, they are very patient people. I felt boring, since they knew all mine!

Crikies mate!

One word I love to use is "slash" as in urinate.

"shake hands with the wife's best friend"

"point percy at the porcelain"

"shake the snake"

couldn't be simpler really

also love the way the poms refer to an ajustable spanner (or wrench for the septics) as a "Crescent" which is a brand name.

[Crossy]

also love the way the poms refer to an ajustable spanner (or wrench for the septics) as a "Crescent" which is a brand name.

Interesting, I must come from the wrong part of the UK as I've NEVER heard an adjustable spanner referred to as a 'Crescent' although I have come across Crescent branded tools (part of the Cooper tools range).

Add to the mix the differing pronunciations that actually change the meaning, like 'route', 'routing' or 'router' i.e.:-

In the UK 'route' is pronounced as 'root' which has a somewhat different meaning in Oz (nothing to do with trees) So referring to 'rooting' with a 'Cisco rooter' can cause some, er, confusion

Of course we must then consider 'router' when pronounced 'rowter' in the UK is a device for cutting slots in wood.

Arrgghhh, do we share a busted language or what?

EDIT According to that repository of all knowledge (Wikipedia) a Crescent (wrench) is an American term

Edited July 29, 2007 by Crossy

[PeaceBlondie]

Indeed, chrome-plated adjustable hand wrenches are almost always called crescent by Americans, regardless of brand name. We do similar brand naming for Scotch tape, Kotex, Kleenex, velcro, and other things that are generic rather than the brand itself. We might even drop the upper case, which of course we call a capital letter. My Brit friend said the other night that due to Hollywood, the British probably are more familiar with Americanisms, than vice versa.

[Pink Mist]

also love the way the poms refer to an ajustable spanner (or wrench for the septics) as a "Crescent" which is a brand name.

Interesting, I must come from the wrong part of the UK as I've NEVER heard an adjustable spanner referred to as a 'Crescent' although I have come across Crescent branded tools (part of the Cooper tools range).

Add to the mix the differing pronunciations that actually change the meaning, like 'route', 'routing' or 'router' i.e.:-

In the UK 'route' is pronounced as 'root' which has a somewhat different meaning in Oz (nothing to do with trees) So referring to 'rooting' with a 'Cisco rooter' can cause some, er, confusion

Of course we must then consider 'router' when pronounced 'rowter' in the UK is a device for cutting slots in wood.

Arrgghhh, do we share a busted language or what?

EDIT According to that repository of all knowledge (Wikipedia) a Crescent (wrench) is an American term

all the pommy sparkies I have worked with have called them crescents, and multigrips are polygrips (they arnt made of plastic)

[JamieP]

all the pommy sparkies I have worked with have called them crescents, and multigrips are polygrips (they arnt made of plastic)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly

[Pink Mist]

all the pommy sparkies I have worked with have called them crescents, and multigrips are polygrips (they arnt made of plastic)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly

I dont care what wikepeda says, the poms I have worked with have referred to a shifter as such

[jasreeve17]

To answer the OP's question whilst not wishing to add logic to the discussion...

... the older the language the more idioms, and other strange linguistic elements, would have been added. Thus, British English would, logically, contain more.

With recent(ish) global media communication trends (Films and Microsoft) the US is more clearing displaying theirs. That doesn't mean that they have more though.

[roietjimmy]

Period.....Full Stop

[Xangsamhua]

Friend of mine once wanted to compliment his American hostess. Told her her house was very "homely". Couldn't understand the strange look he got.

[page449]

I had never heard 'take the piss' until associating with British people in Thailand and after years I'm still confused. Does the protagonist take the piss out of the victim or does the victim take the piss from the protagonist? Just when I think I've got it someone uses it in the opposite context. Confused Yank

[jasreeve17]

<deleted>, dogs <deleted> and donkeys <deleted>.

Do any of the non Brits know which one is the higest praise and which one is the lowest?

[PeaceBlondie]

I don't know <deleted> from Bohemians, but British-born actress Elizabeth Taylor liked to say "Balls!" And the American secretary of state who was born in Eastern Europe accused a diplomat at the United Nations of not having "cojones"!

[captainstabbin]

This reminds me (as a brit) of when I moved to the US. I had been there (Florida) for a few months when my friend from the UK joined me and we decided to drive down to the Keys for a holiday. Tired after an 18-hour drive, I reported to the poolside bar after check-in and, along with ordering a beer, asked the astonished barman/bar-steward/bartender if he could:

"knock me up a club sandwich or something"

This being a perfectly acceptable turn of phrase in the mother tongue

Edited July 29, 2007 by captainstabbin

[PeaceBlondie]

captainstabbin, further south in Key West, you'd have gotten beat up by asking them to knock you up some fags....

[captainstabbin]

captainstabbin, further south in Key West, you'd have gotten beat up by asking them to knock you up some fags....

I actually was in Key West, but you see, in UK to 'knock up' can be used for the verb 'make', so unlikely with regards to fags

[jasreeve17]

Just last week I was explaining to some students (mature ones of course) about smoking a fag...

One student understood very well because he was the dog's <deleted>.

Another didn't understand at all, but he is a bit of a donkey's <deleted>.

A couple of students thought that I was talking a load of <deleted>, and they were probably correct.