View Full Version : Same word, different meaning
racz_jay25
01/25/08, 12:57 AM
Are there any words that mean completely different things in various parts of the world?
There certainly are, and this can cause both confusion and embarrassment. One well-known example is rubber: in British English this often means ‘an eraser’, in American English it is often ‘a condom’. In South Africa, robot is the standard name for a set of traffic lights, a globe is an electric light bulb, and a packet is a shopping bag. Walking on the pavement is safe in Britain (where it means the paved area reserved for pedestrians) but fatal in North America (where it means the paved surface of a road)!
An extreme example is the term Dolly Varden (named for a character in Charles Dickens’s Barnaby Rudge): a Dolly Varden is a frilly dress or a large elaborate hat in Britain, a type of trout in North America, a cake in the shape of a doll wearing a crinoline dress in Australia, and a draped dressing-table in South Africa!
www.askoxford.com
trailblazerstravelntours
03/14/08, 12:04 AM
whoa!!!
trunk: boot; flashlight: torch; faggot: a kind of food. america: britain
Are there any words that mean completely different things in various parts of the world?
There certainly are, and this can cause both confusion and embarrassment. One well-known example is rubber: in British English this often means ‘an eraser’, in American English it is often ‘a condom’. In South Africa, robot is the standard name for a set of traffic lights, a globe is an electric light bulb, and a packet is a shopping bag. Walking on the pavement is safe in Britain (where it means the paved area reserved for pedestrians) but fatal in North America (where it means the paved surface of a road)!
An extreme example is the term Dolly Varden (named for a character in Charles Dickens’s Barnaby Rudge): a Dolly Varden is a frilly dress or a large elaborate hat in Britain, a type of trout in North America, a cake in the shape of a doll wearing a crinoline dress in Australia, and a draped dressing-table in South Africa!
www.askoxford.com
WOW!!! :thanks:
a flat can mean an apartment or a tire out of air.
Stefan1979
07/30/10, 06:16 PM
Dear racz_jay25,
dear all
I need more words like these (especially American English vs. British English) for an essay. Is there a list available? I already did some research but wasn't really successful.
Best wishes Stefan
PS: I also like your examples of South Africa English vs. British English - I didn't know that!
Are there any words that mean completely different things in various parts of the world?
There certainly are, and this can cause both confusion and embarrassment. One well-known example is rubber: in British English this often means ‘an eraser’, in American English it is often ‘a condom’. In South Africa, robot is the standard name for a set of traffic lights, a globe is an electric light bulb, and a packet is a shopping bag. Walking on the pavement is safe in Britain (where it means the paved area reserved for pedestrians) but fatal in North America (where it means the paved surface of a road)!
An extreme example is the term Dolly Varden (named for a character in Charles Dickens’s Barnaby Rudge): a Dolly Varden is a frilly dress or a large elaborate hat in Britain, a type of trout in North America, a cake in the shape of a doll wearing a crinoline dress in Australia, and a draped dressing-table in South Africa!
www.askoxford.com (http://www.askoxford.com)
q_sharon
07/30/10, 09:34 PM
Dear racz_jay25,
dear all
I need more words like these (especially American English vs. British English) for an essay. Is there a list available? I already did some research but wasn't really successful.
Best wishes Stefan
PS: I also like your examples of South Africa English vs. British English - I didn't know that!
Please refer to ctivnan's post entitled Janus words.:Bunny Smiley 6088:
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