Different Meanings for Words

[hobish]

USians would say diapers, not nappies (although I would know what you meant).

I would use nappies but not USians. I don't know if that is a Europeanism that took off or what, but i don't know anyone who would ever say it except for poking fun, like saying 'Murican instead of American.

I'm just using "USAian" to make sure people know that I mean people from the United States.  "American" is a broader term.

I am not getting into that discussion again, just making it clear it is not universal in usage. To my eyes, even though it is not what you intend, it looks like you are repeatedly making a joke about the country's name. So to you "USian" is a specific term, but to me it is a jokey or derogatory one. Words being rude or not even in the same language is intranational as well as international. I'd hate for one of our Ehellions from overseas visit the US and use "USians" thinking it is appropriate everywhere, just like we might want to be careful about throwing around the word fannie in some places.

[Miss Vertigo]

Interesting! When I hear jumper, I think of these:



I wore one every school day for 7 years. I was so glad to get to 8th grade and switch to skirts!

That'd  be a pinafore dress on this side of the pond, if my hazy memories from my (very) dim and distant schooldays are correct

[Betelnut]

USians would say diapers, not nappies (although I would know what you meant).

I would use nappies but not USians. I don't know if that is a Europeanism that took off or what, but i don't know anyone who would ever say it except for poking fun, like saying 'Murican instead of American.

I'm just using "USAian" to make sure people know that I mean people from the United States.  "American" is a broader term.

I am not getting into that discussion again, just making it clear it is not universal in usage. To my eyes, even though it is not what you intend, it looks like you are repeatedly making a joke about the country's name. So to you "USian" is a specific term, but to me it is a jokey or derogatory one. Words being rude or not even in the same language is intranational as well as international. I'd hate for one of our Ehellions from overseas visit the US and use "USians" thinking it is appropriate everywhere, just like we might want to be careful about throwing around the word fannie in some places.

Oh I agree--I don't want to get into that discussion again either!  By my count, this would be at least the third time this issue has arisen!  I never thought about others thinking that it was a common term though.  Sorry about that:  Non-U.S. citizens out there take note:  "USAians" is not a commonly used term!  Don't use it!

For what is is worth though, I don't consider it a joke but just a quick way to say "Citizens of the United States."  Short hand, if you will.  I really can't even see how it would be considered derogatory but I guess that is in the eyes of the beholder.  As you can see by my flag, I am a "USAian" so no insult is intended to my own country.  In deference to this perception, I will start using another way to describe a person who lives/is a citizen of the United States since I don't really like "American."

[Ferrets]

That'd  be a pinafore dress on this side of the pond, if my hazy memories from my (very) dim and distant schooldays are correct

It was "pinafore dress" when I was at school, too; but I have also just remembered the more dated term "gymslip".

I may be one of the least girly females in existence, but I've always actually quite liked the old-fashioned gympslips/pinafores (made from wool thick enough to stop a bullet) of school uniforms in decades long past. They had a certain cachet about them, unlike the flimsy grey polycottoncrylipropylene articles I was subjected to in primary school.

(I do own a [woman's] pinafore dress, and occasionally wear it for work in colder weather. It's a gorgeous 1960s article in crimson corduroy. )

[baglady]

I think of overalls as these:

These I call coveralls:

At least, if they are worn for a grubby job such as repairing cars, they're called coveralls. The same style worn for play, or non-grubby work, is called a jumpsuit, but those have been out of fashion for some time.

I was well into my 40s before I learned that the word "dungarees" was of Indian origin and was not derived from "dung." Because back in the day, only farmers wore blue jeans, and farmers worked around ... dung.

[Miss Vertigo]

One thing to keep in mind about the Europe thing when talking about European spelling to mean British English is that many UK folks don't think of themselves as 'European'. There are many who do, of course, but I'd say that many UK folks, when talking about Europe, are referring to 'mainland Europe', ie, the land mass to the right of the English channel. Island mentality, perhaps, but there's still very much a feel of 'the UK and Europe' over here; a feeling of them being separate entities.

How do people from countries in mainland Europe think of themselves? Perhaps that's a topic for a different thread, but I'm curious.

[RingTailedLemur]

"Spastic" or variants seem okay in the States, but is really really offensive in the UK.

I didn't know that until I told off an American for saying it on a board I moderate.

[Wonderflonium]

At least, if they are worn for a grubby job such as repairing cars, they're called coveralls. The same style worn for play, or non-grubby work, is called a jumpsuit, but those have been out of fashion for some time.

Sadly, those came back into fashion a few years ago and are still showing up in stores and on celebrities. I really don't understand wearing clothing that means you have to completely disrobe to use the restroom.

[bigozzy]

At least, if they are worn for a grubby job such as repairing cars, they're called coveralls. The same style worn for play, or non-grubby work, is called a jumpsuit, but those have been out of fashion for some time.

Sadly, those came back into fashion a few years ago and are still showing up in stores and on celebrities. I really don't understand wearing clothing that means you have to completely disrobe to use the restroom.

Takes me back to Dexy's Midnight Runners:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIzhA9HkK3c

Go to about 1 minute in to see all of the coveralls

[Thipu1]

Ah yes!  I'd almost forgotten about the jumpsuit!  I had two.  I probably wore each of them about 10 times and then gave them to charity. 

You didn't want to put one of those things on unless you were beyond confident that you wouldn't need to use the bathroom until you could get home and change clothes.  Doing so required unbuttoning the entire front, undoing the belt,  lowering the blouse part to around your knees right along with the pants while trying to keep the whole shebang off the restroom floor or falling into the toilet.  Oh, so not fun!! 

A hideous and cruel idea.  But they did look cute as long as you didn't have to pee!  Sadly, I am President of the Teeny Weeny Bladder Club.

Oh, yes.  The jumpsuit.  I have a funny story about that.

When Mr. Thipu and I were taking our first cruise, the jumpsuit was the height of fashion.  I had a red cotton one that I thought would be perfect for informal nights on ship.  It never got out of the closet. 

The first day out, I was taking an early morning walk on deck.  Members of the crew who were  washing down the decks were wearing almost exactly the same garment. 

So much for that!

[Hollanda]

"Spastic" or variants seem okay in the States, but is really really offensive in the UK.

I didn't know that until I told off an American for saying it on a board I moderate.

I really, truly hate that term. Ditto "*******". Yeah, you can tell the names I got called at school lol!!!

I didn't know it was OK in the States...

[RainhaDoTexugo]

"Spastic" or variants seem okay in the States, but is really really offensive in the UK.

I didn't know that until I told off an American for saying it on a board I moderate.

I really, truly hate that term. Ditto "*******". Yeah, you can tell the names I got called at school lol!!!

I didn't know it was OK in the States...

It's not, really.  Both words (assuming I'm right about the one that got asterisked) are controversial here, though it'll be some time, I think, before they're really fully removed from our vocabulary.  They're considered very un-PC.

[Miss Vertigo]

"Spastic" or variants seem okay in the States, but is really really offensive in the UK.

I didn't know that until I told off an American for saying it on a board I moderate.

I really, truly hate that term. Ditto "*******". Yeah, you can tell the names I got called at school lol!!!

I didn't know it was OK in the States...

In my experience, 'spastic' is one of those words here (UK) that's massively offensive unless it's reclaimed to empower or used (by the disability community itself) in a dark humour way. In the work I've been involved in with said disability community here, 'spaz' is a common reclaimed term, as is 'crip'.

'Retarded' and 'handicapped' though - they're off limits here and very un-PC, and I wince a bit when I see them used, but from what I see here and elsewhere I gather they're still in common usage in the US?

[RainhaDoTexugo]

Handicapped is used pretty commonly here by people who just don't know that it's un-PC now.  It's often used in reference to accommodations for disabled people - I hear about the handicapped (parking) spot, or the handicapped stall, but I rarely hear about a handicapped person. 

[hobish]

"Spastic" or variants seem okay in the States, but is really really offensive in the UK.

I didn't know that until I told off an American for saying it on a board I moderate.

I really, truly hate that term. Ditto "*******". Yeah, you can tell the names I got called at school lol!!!

I didn't know it was OK in the States...

Spastic = having spasms ... no? What is the connotation that makes it offensive? I have never heard of that being offensive before.