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Noticed more than ever on last weekend's trip to Blighty that you lot have joined us in Americanaland in that you now do your shopping in a 'store' rather than a 'shop'. Now I was always thought that the store was the dingy room at the back of the shop where they actually, y'know, stored stuff. Or, more precisely, the room where the lad went for a smoke while pretending to check whether they had any spare bogroll. This pretence at looking is annoying, by the way, but it is infinitely better than you asking if they have any spare stock and him, without listening, giving you the lazy-assed automaton reply 'everything we have is on the shelves', which makes you ask him why the fugg they built the huge fugging room out back so with the price of real estate.
What reminded me of all this is that I'm in a doctor's waiting room (knee injury - nothing serious) and as every person comes to the desk and does the 'morning, how are you?' routine their standard answer is 'I'm good'. What?
Are you? Are you 'good'? Are you well-behaved? Morally sound? A beacon of goodness in this bad, bad world? Well, nice to know, I'm sure. But are you well? That, after all, is more pertinent info and would be an appropriate answer to the question while we're at it.
Good! Californian Disney Ar$e-scutter! Away with you!
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
Least Favourite Americanisms on 20:24 - Nov 12 by BklynRanger
Oh yeah so he did. Sorry Fred - My ba...mistake. :)
We're only having a bubble anyway. I love living in Cali. What quiet areas of SW you mean Brooklyn? Some of those inland SW towns get crazy white power in places. I'm always a bit wary going too from from the coastal cities.
An American stops his SUV by the sidewalk, pops the trunk, takes his baggage through the lobby and gets the elevator to the apartment.
An Englishman parks his car next to the pavement, opens the boot, fetches his luggage from the boot. He then goes through reception and takes the lift to his apartment.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 20:57 - Nov 12 with 2725 views
Least Favourite Americanisms on 15:26 - Nov 12 by ngbqpr
'Hey' as a greeting at the start of a conversation - instead of a simple 'hi, 'alright?', or my old favourite, 'wothca'
Space - as in referring to a venue (eg club or bar) or an office as 'a great space'
You should only ever reach out if you're e member of the Four Tops
It's worse than that. It's "heyhowareya". Which contrary to all reason isn't actually a question. If you answer "fine thanks, how are you?" they look at you blankly.
On the subject of pronunciation, i'd add "Toosday" to the list. Its the day between Monday and Wednesday if you're wondering...
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 20:58 - Nov 12 with 2725 views
Least Favourite Americanisms on 20:33 - Nov 12 by itsbiga
We're only having a bubble anyway. I love living in Cali. What quiet areas of SW you mean Brooklyn? Some of those inland SW towns get crazy white power in places. I'm always a bit wary going too from from the coastal cities.
You should get into it mate - it's an exhilarating passtime!
I suppose the quickest answer would be around that Four Corners region and then Southwest and West from there. I'd love to get back to Utah - the areas around Canyonlands are stunning and really desolate. South West Colorado through to Durango is beautiful. I loved New Mexico - there are places two or three hours drive from Albuquerque where you'd think you're on the moon. Even the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is quieter and more spectacular than the South Rim and some interesting towns round there.
The places I actually know a bit better are mainly north and east of you: Some parts of northern Nevada are great - I love that 'Extraterrestrial Highway' and the scenes there. We camped in the carpark of a UFO-seekers bar in Rachel, NV - beautiful and odd place. Death Valley is great but you have to get away from the campgrounds, same with Joshua Tree. One of the bleakest places I've ever been through is Trona, CA - an epicly fcuked former mineral town outside Death Valley.
Then there's obviously all the parts that aren't lonely - Big Sur is beautiful if you find a quiet spot - El Capitan State Beach outside San Luis Obispo is probably my favourite campground on that coast (but expensive).
Anyway I could go on. I love it out there really.
What's it been like living in L.A.? I always think if I was going to move somewhere else in the Belly of the Great Satan I'd go to L.A. - I'd lead some sort of Tarrantinoesque life during the week, possibly working as a bailbondsman or somesuch and head out into the desert at the weekends. :)
[Post edited 12 Nov 2015 21:04]
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 21:01 - Nov 12 with 2723 views
'What's your beef'? About as loathsome as a dollop of Bisto that one. Worse if your're a vegetarian.
X Y Zee. No it's X Y Zed. Loads of kids in Ireland are now saying Zee in schools instead of dear old Zed. I'm off to form a 'say Zed' preservation society. Zee my arse!!
There aint half been some clever bastards.
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 21:06 - Nov 12 with 2711 views
Least Favourite Americanisms on 19:45 - Nov 12 by BklynRanger
I don't hate them, I have to say that. They have their good and bad points.
I do accept though that at least half of Americans have some of the most irritating ways of expressing themselves in the world. Even if spent the rest of my days doing an anthropological study of global communication I'm certain they'd make it into the top three no bother.
I've started to enjoy going to lonely parts of the South West in recent years, partly because the people you meet there don't talk like most of the Americans in big cities. Yes they might shoot you in the face in between mumbles but it's still better.
p.s. I can't stand plumy English accents either. They're usually fcuking loud as well and they're not afraid to mix a few Americanisms in with their 'yahs'..
[Post edited 12 Nov 2015 19:48]
Me old mate have you been to Arizona? I done a whole week there just taking in the old Indian burial grounds and the desert, of course I stood on the old Route 66 in the town of Williams and the Grand Canyon, the Canyon awesome as It is was littered in tourists so after a couple of hours I jumped in me hired car and fcked off back to the wilderness, a beautiful place to be on your own. You meet fabulous people when you get off the beaten track, Arizona is superb if you haven't been. Let me know when your'e back for a game and we'll hook up again.
My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.
Least Favourite Americanisms on 21:06 - Nov 12 by ted_hendrix
Me old mate have you been to Arizona? I done a whole week there just taking in the old Indian burial grounds and the desert, of course I stood on the old Route 66 in the town of Williams and the Grand Canyon, the Canyon awesome as It is was littered in tourists so after a couple of hours I jumped in me hired car and fcked off back to the wilderness, a beautiful place to be on your own. You meet fabulous people when you get off the beaten track, Arizona is superb if you haven't been. Let me know when your'e back for a game and we'll hook up again.
Will do Ted, won't be back for a while I think - have to get my teeth fixed first. ($$$$)
I've been to Northern Arizona - to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Loved it. Very different scenery actually because it's higher - more like up in the mountains which we were surprised about, until you get into the canyon. Can't beat the wilderness can you?
This thread is starting to mirror my whole philosophy about America these days - plenty of annoying people but some spectacular stuff to see if you ignore them.
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 21:19 - Nov 12 with 2695 views
Least Favourite Americanisms on 21:01 - Nov 12 by Monahoop
'What's your beef'? About as loathsome as a dollop of Bisto that one. Worse if your're a vegetarian.
X Y Zee. No it's X Y Zed. Loads of kids in Ireland are now saying Zee in schools instead of dear old Zed. I'm off to form a 'say Zed' preservation society. Zee my arse!!
Least Favourite Americanisms on 20:58 - Nov 12 by BklynRanger
You should get into it mate - it's an exhilarating passtime!
I suppose the quickest answer would be around that Four Corners region and then Southwest and West from there. I'd love to get back to Utah - the areas around Canyonlands are stunning and really desolate. South West Colorado through to Durango is beautiful. I loved New Mexico - there are places two or three hours drive from Albuquerque where you'd think you're on the moon. Even the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is quieter and more spectacular than the South Rim and some interesting towns round there.
The places I actually know a bit better are mainly north and east of you: Some parts of northern Nevada are great - I love that 'Extraterrestrial Highway' and the scenes there. We camped in the carpark of a UFO-seekers bar in Rachel, NV - beautiful and odd place. Death Valley is great but you have to get away from the campgrounds, same with Joshua Tree. One of the bleakest places I've ever been through is Trona, CA - an epicly fcuked former mineral town outside Death Valley.
Then there's obviously all the parts that aren't lonely - Big Sur is beautiful if you find a quiet spot - El Capitan State Beach outside San Luis Obispo is probably my favourite campground on that coast (but expensive).
Anyway I could go on. I love it out there really.
What's it been like living in L.A.? I always think if I was going to move somewhere else in the Belly of the Great Satan I'd go to L.A. - I'd lead some sort of Tarrantinoesque life during the week, possibly working as a bailbondsman or somesuch and head out into the desert at the weekends. :)
[Post edited 12 Nov 2015 21:04]
I just looked up Trona on Google Maps. If the word desolate was coined before the foundation of Trona I would be surprised.
I've done a few drives around Death Valley and that area. Loved it. Sorry that I missed Trona, to be honest,
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
Least Favourite Americanisms on 21:01 - Nov 12 by Monahoop
'What's your beef'? About as loathsome as a dollop of Bisto that one. Worse if your're a vegetarian.
X Y Zee. No it's X Y Zed. Loads of kids in Ireland are now saying Zee in schools instead of dear old Zed. I'm off to form a 'say Zed' preservation society. Zee my arse!!
I was actually brought up saying Zee. I often wondered if I got it in primary school in England, in primary school in Ireland or watching Sesame Street (I'm doing the alphabet song in my head now...'x, y, zee and that's the end!').
Not in England by the sound of this thread.
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
Least Favourite Americanisms on 10:21 - Nov 12 by Antti_Heinola
And no Americanisms annoy me. Why would they? It's just a different way of saying something. Language is beautiful, in all its forms. Its diversity and richness and little foibles are what make it so wonderful. And if any of you disagree, feel free to reach out to me and I'll give you some Xanax so you can chill.
A bit late on this one, but sadly the spread of Americanisms is the opposite of diversity. Yanks saying one thing, us saying another, the Irish chipping in with "fillum" and so on, that's diversity for you. What is happening is that global US-based film, internet, TV and music industries are standardising US language across the world
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 23:21 - Nov 12 with 2584 views
I had a quick read and I was surprised to see no mention of the omission of the OFF when describing someone who is ''positively fuming '' Maybe it has not reached the shores of Blighty yet but my kids regularly say '' pissed'' instead of ''pissed off ''. It can get confusing for an old pissead from West London. eg ; Daughter 1 .'' My teacher was really pissed yesterday.''. Me . ''WTF? What in school time? He drives an all don't he?'' Daughter 1 . ?????? Daughter 2. ''She means angry Dad , not drunk!!''
edit;; That looks bad eh? In my defence Daughter 1 is 18 and Daughter 2 is 23
It was even used in the egregious manner by Data in TNG, whose speech is supposedly so correct that he won't use a contraction like 'I've' for 'I have'.
I was going to say that pissed for pissed off as well. Not that any of it really pisses me off but I've also noticed, on Judge Judy etc, the use of edgewise instead of edgeways and 'whenever' where a plain old 'when' would be correct. Not relating to the spoken word but the date thing of reversing the day and month is annoying so today is 11/12 rather than 12/11
[Post edited 13 Nov 2015 0:00]
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 07:34 - Nov 13 with 2509 views
Anyone who owns more than four pairs of trainers appearing in print talking about their "sneaker" addiction. You're from Brighton, you plum, not Brooklyn.
Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts
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Least Favourite Americanisms on 08:07 - Nov 13 with 2489 views
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