21 Americanisms That British People Use All the Time
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- Growing up in England, I often heard or read well-intentioned concerns that "British English" was becoming Americanized (the implication being that this was a bad thing). But the truth is, America has been influencing the English-speaking world not for years or decades, but centuries. Here are 21 Americanisms that definitely made it to Britain.
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Cagey, in the northwest where I was raised, has come to mean acting un-forthcoming and/or deceptive and/or practicing avoidance. At least that is the way I've always heard it used.
Yes, a person or an animal could be said to be acting cagey. A suspect under interrogation, or an animal in the woods...😐An animal in the woods being interrogated would be VERY cagey. Neither one would need any familiarity with soccer to be considered cagey. 😁
Same in New England.
I disagree, to me (western US) "cagey" is a synonym for "clever" or "shrewd", I don't think it necessarily has a negative connotation.
@@pauldzim I agree with your disagreement. I've heard it used in that way as well! 😁
It's a negative term in the South too, same meaning: evasive, suspicious, and secretive.
That William Henry Harrison comment was definitely snort-worthy.
Indeed!!!
For those who aren’t so up on your history, he died on his 32nd day in office.
I knew he's famous for having the shortest term after dying soon after he was elected.
One I can't get over is the Brit use of 'scheme' as in support scheme/arrangement....for me growing up in the south (US), scheme is similar to scam - being an underhanded plot
being a new-englander, "scheme" is somewhere inbetween... something planned, but not necessarily underhanded. Often cunning or ambitiously shortsighted lol :P but sometimes the stars align and things work out
In Scotland it means the same as "projects" in America. In the sense of being goverment subsidised housing.
I always thought scam was a evolution of the word sham. I have no proof or evidence. It was just something I've always assumed.
The word “scheme” in British English means the equivalent of a “plan” - as in “pension scheme” v “retirement plan”. Americans have assigned a negative connotation.
I grew up in the south as well and we used phrases like 'paint scheme' or 'landscaping scheme'.
Another American word--cemetery. In the old days they just used the word graveyard or churchyard. It was in Boston Massachusets that they built the first public burial ground in the 1840's, and it was so beautifully landscaped that the word graveyard was considered too crude, so they came up with the word cemetery which was based on the Ancient Greek word for "sleeping place". By the way, visiting New Yorkers were so impressed with the beautiful landscaping of this place that it inspired them to create Central Park (except without the dead bodies).
I'm surprised Britain didn't make their own form of "staycation" with "holistay". XD
Holistay sounds like 1 of my made-up combos!!🤭
Holistay is GENIUS!
A domestic holiday would count
@@589steven That's not a portmanteau.
@@vh6307 Sounds like a good name for a new "brand name" pharmaceutical . IE: "Ask your doctor if Holistay is right for you. Do not use Holistay if you are allergic to Holistay or any random ingredient in Holistay......"
OK is used in more than English speaking countries. I'm pretty sure it's almost universal now. You'll hear "OK" in just about every foreign language film.
But there still people who will be offended if you fail to spell it "okay." Not at all sure why.
In Singapore it's pronounced OK'La
Yes absolutely as I'm discovering recently! I was just so bored of the English selections on Netflix and started watching Korean and Chinese comedies and dramas. Little did I know that English is sprinkled all over their natural conversations. Ok, what, and yes are pretty common. And it's pretty freaky that Korean pronunciations of "what" and "yes" sound so similar.
I have, while out and about overheard people talking among themselves, or on phones, rattling on in foreign languages, sprinkled with OK.(usually accompanied with a nod, making it clear that that OK, is the same as an American OK.
Judging by a number of contemporary Swedish, Danish and Norwegian TV shows, 'Okay' is now the single most common word in all of the Nordic languages.
I was surprised to find "scam" was as recent as the Sixties. It seems like an Twenties or Thirties kind of word.
Completely agree. My exact assumption
I agree. It sounds like a 30’s rat pack type of word.
Its from old waiter/bartender lingo.
It wasnt commonly used by the public until the 1960's but it was a code word used by servers long before that.
Its basically a shortened form of "Scamper" to describe someone who plans to sneak off before the check or tab arrives.
It was a word they could slip into an innocent sounding sentence to alert the person working the front door.
Once the general public picked up the term , it became useless as a code word.
BTW , if you're ever in a checkout line and someone asks the cashier "Have you seen Bob?" its the manager telling her to "Check the Bottom Of the Basket" for merchandise that wasnt placed on the counter.
A "scam" was a con game then.
Hello, I have enjoyed watching your snazzy videos during my staycation. The timbre of your voice is soothing during my hangover. No more tequila nights with no chaser. Unless I'm feeling this way from being drunk on a ferris wheel or I got salmonella from the dinner I ate before drinking. I'm not trying to hassle you. I'm sure your radar is up against those trying to scam you. But there is no reason for you to be cagey. Okay what I really wanted to tell about was my blind date. We met up at the gym. She is a big fan of aerobics. I felt raggedy afterward and she belittled me for it. You can check my facebook for further details on my bender following my date.
Amazing!!
Were you able to invent all that from the the first go?
@@TD-np6ze my brain started ticking when I was finding relationships between words. Then I had to quickly re-watch the video and type to try and not miss any. I hope I haven't.
Well done! Bravo.
No.
Can you use it in a sentence? lol
I've really enjoyed your interesting look at everything America. I might not remember it all but I enjoy your interest in my homeland.
Hear, hear. Or, here, here? Anyway, I agree with you, Jennifer. 🇺🇸🇬🇧Rick/Joy
Hello was considered uncouth by Alexander Gram Bell. Who wanted Ahoy to be the way of answering the phone...
Gymnasium is from the Greek word γυμνός (gymnós), and it means NAKED. That's because in ancient Greece, olympic games were usually played that way.
pls don't give us any ideas
@@daveybernard1056 😊👍
@@notmyworld44 Joey, did ever hang around the gymnasium... ruclips.net/user/clipUgkxtMPPdt-FjgjzD8cgLligtsaTDBQJTBDR
Wait you already don't do that?
@@halamadruuid2380 No, because I'm 77 and don't look as good γυμνός as I used to.
"Hello" was primarily associated with answering the telephone for many years, telephone operators were known as "Hello girls" back in the day.
Alexander Graham Bell originally wanted us to answer with “Ahoy” or “ahoy ahoy”. Nowadays if I know who’s on the other end I usually answer with a “s’up?”. AGB must be rolling in his grave. 😅
@@dorismidge8762 Mister Burns answers his phone "Ahoy, ahoy?"
@@namelessone3339 yeah, that was a joke about how old he is.
That makes sense, because the French say Allo when answering the phone.
@@HankMeyer Yup. And he invested in companies like Congreves and Explosive Powders and Amalgamated Spats. The former makes me laugh to this day.
Hello from Florida, Lawrence! In reference to the word 'skinhead', as it is used in the military: The term is for the shaved head that the new male recruits get, usually on their first day in boot camp (i.e. training camp). When I was in the US Air Force in the late 1960's, we female recruits would soon begin to refer to the guys as 'pings' . Because, as their hair began to regrow, if it was very quiet and you were very close, you might be able to hear the sound of their hair springing forth from their scalp. Or so it was rumored.
Your heartbeat would be louder.
Crazy how language progresses/changes. When I was growing up in (what was left of the) punk scene in mid-90s, "skinheads" were the neo-nazi idiots that were doing it because we were in a rural area and they could. But damned if every single one of them didn't have a freshly shaven dome almost every day. Apparently it wasn't just in my area (from what I remember) but that was their thing. That's still how I associate "skinhead."
@@d34dR0d3n7 Yeah. Same here. The last big clutch of non-Nazi skinheads pretty much dropped off by 1982. Which is OK since the trend started in London and Manchester, England in 1968/9.
Be careful, some of the Barracks Bunnies might be Benny Boys.
My surprising one was how far back "okay" came from. Thank you for brightening my Friday afternoon! I look forward to your videos 🙂
Most people I know use beer as a chaser, so it's not necessarily non alcoholic
yes very common to have a beer as a chaser after drinking a bloody mary .
In Russia beer was considered a soft drink for a long time.
A chaser in the UK is a ‘short’ drunk after a beer. Eg a whiskey chaser. It’s certainly not nonalcoholic
"Hassle" is a nice word. I've used it all my life. "Don't hassle me." "Stop hassling me about this." "Don't hassle me right now." "Why are you hassling him like that?" "Sorry, I'm going to hassle you about this, until . . . " It's weaker than "harrass". Sometimes hassling people is warranted. Sometimes it's fairly normal given certain relationships. It also seems to convey a little shade of the word "hustle", probably because it sounds so similar. If someone is hassling you about or over something, sometimes they're trying to hustle you.
Verb: Don't hassle me.
Noun: My job is such a hassle.
I think that's it.
I tend to think of the word 'hassle' as another way to say 'pain in the ass' ... it's just politer and easier!
Very interesting didn’t ever think about where these words originated!
Since this countries 13 original states were British colonies first.
@Gill Getter - Word origins are listed with the definition in the dictionary.
I'm from Pittsburgh and started to watch cricket. One game had an Irish announcer. He mentioned that the ball was rather "slippy" because of the rain. Well we say "slippy", so I was astonished. Maybe all those Irish immigrants that came to Pittsburgh brought that with them.
My dad was born in the 1930s and uses the word "snazzy" quite a bit. As a result, I sometimes use it myself. It must not have been universally used back in the day, as sometimes people laugh at my use of the word. And foreigners, at least those from non-English speaking countries, mostly haven't heard the word and I have to explain it to them.
There's no other word possible for a British-built Lotus Esprit which can turn into a submarine
My Mom used it too. She's close to your Dad's age. (Pretty snazzy tie you got there Jr.)
> 3:54
My dad was born in the 1930s I was born in 1959 I always used the word snazzy, but I never picked it up from my dad I picked it up from people my age. I even knew hippy's who said snazzy.
I use snazzy often enough as a compliment, I turned 40 this year. I've also, in the US, heard sharp used as an alternative.
9:06 "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny.
When the government fear the people, there is liberty."
- Thomas Jefferson
So what’s our rating on the “Jeffscale” at present?
@@Heavywall70 About an 8+ so far on the scale of Freedom to Tyranny.
We're living under the bootheel of an installed regime right now.
The results of the election were overturned by massive electronic, as well as the traditional Democrat fraud. The latter of which we the people easily overcame in the last election.
@@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER What about when the Russians put the orange clown trump in office.
So let's all think about this for a second. Because of this video just now, it's suddenly bothering me.
Jefferson is on the 2 dollar bill, but also the 5 cent piece.
Washington is on the 1 dollar bill but also the 25 cent piece.
Lincoln is on the 5 dollar bill but also the 1 cent piece.
Did nobody coordinate any of this? Are the dollar people forbidden from talking to the coin people? This is outrageous and I demand restitution. I shall call up my congressman now, screaming. I won't use any words. I will just scream at whoever answers the phone there. Because this is all just wrong and confusing and we really shouldn't have to put up with it.
Or as Churchill would say, This is an insult up with which I will not put!
Who's with me? I'll take your silence as consent. Or should I take it as violence? This is all very confusing and you all need to stop.
@@whiteowl4097 That is a Demoncrat invention. Based on the fact that THEY were actually conspiring with Russians to concoct a false story about Trump and a prostitute.
Democrats ALWAYS falsely accuse others of that which they know themselves to be exclusively guilty.
It is a part of the Saul Alinsky "Rules For Radicals" book that, along with evil Karl Marx's "Das Kapital", are their unholy books which they follow religiously.
Try again!
Don't know if you read your comments but thanks for giving me a shout out in this video mate! 😎
I thought "hangover" was first a Victorian word to describe the seated option for sleeping in English dos houses. If you could not afford to pay for a wooden sleeping box on the floor, you could buy a space on a bench and lean your back against the wall, sideways against the people beside you and to keep people from falling forward, they would "hang" their arms "over" a shared rope attached to the wall. This option came to be known as a hangover and came to be associated with the inebriated hangover sleepers and the condition they would be in when they woke up.
Somewhat related, Americans often order whiskey with a beer chaser rather than a non-alcoholic chaser. This explains alot.
I thought so too and so I went on a hunt right now and found and article that says the term was being used for alcohol prior to the Victorian era.
@@owlivdejong5086 Thanks for your catch. I looked at a fact check Website and it claimed that my original suggestion was FALSE. In the 19th century, "hangover" meant unfinished business from a meaning or aftereffects. Later, 1904 was the first recorded use as aftereffects of alcohol. They claim that there was no association with Victorian doss-house hang-overs or two-penny-hang-overs. I had heard about the Victorian doss-house connection from a British TV program called Victorian Slum House. So I don't feel too bad about my error. There is always more to learn. Have a great day.
@@eileencarroll6418 Was a dos house like a really old Internet cafe where they used really, really old computers?
@@beenaplumber8379 😄
Whiskey with beer chaser is called a boilermaker.
Your transition to Sally Jessy Raphaël is coming along nicely.
I don't want to belittle the fact that belittle was my biggest surprise.
Is 'bebig' a word?
@@AtomicSquirrelHunter I won't begrudge you the question, but let's not belabor the point.
@@HermanVonPetri you're on fire tonight!
@@AtomicSquirrelHunter Everybody knows it's "embiggen".
@@AtomicSquirrelHunter if you give any attention to the millennials and younger, there are no limitations. Shakespeare and the KJV scribes would roll in their graves. But then again, do we really care. Lol
I love, when I visit the UK, the response to "a nice day, yes?"...many reply "isn't it". Charming...
Regarding Norwich Connecticut (as mentioned in the bit on "hello"), that's another of those place-names whose pronunciation has been altered in its journey across the pond. We pronounce it here as "Nor-witch". Though, given that I'm also a transplant from England (albeit over 50 years ago), I still have a tendency to think that "Norrich" sounds much better.
Them Noreaster people pronounce a lot of stuff really weird.
And how is Rhode Island an island? I mean, there are a couple islands in the bay but none of them are called "Rhode". Providence, the capial, is definitely not on an island, so what gives?
This is all a scam I tells ya.
@@protorhinocerator142 technically, the name of the state, until a couple of years ago, was "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ". They dropped the Plantations a couple of years ago, but I think they're still working through all of the stationery. 😅
(From Aquidneck Island, one "of the islands in the bay")
More Americans now pronounce Norwich correctly thanks to premier league coverage 😁
My question to you is: Is there a -wich in the UK that isn't pronounced 1) dropping the -w sound and 2) continuing with the previous consonant instead.? As an Amer., we got hammered in the borderlands arriving in Keswick one night at the local hotel, for pronouncing it the 'American' way. That certainly wasn't correct, i.e., Kes-wick, the hotel owner wanted us to know...
@@davidbeatty3540 Greenwich. It's pronounced Grennitch.
The entire world's time system is based on this place.
So this is why I kept finding the word "Hullo" in the book series of The Ranger's Apprentice - a story that takes place in a variation of medieval England 🤗
I was rather stunned to learn that "Okay" was as old as that. I always thought it was some army abbreviation like "snafu" (situation normal all 'fouled' up). Great video. Thanks!
The Bible "Translations" have OKAY in them. You can see modern updates to suit the cult.
I knew that it was old, but I didn't know that it was an American thing until like a year ago. I always thought it was British. That must make it the most ubiquitous American import ever....considering that pretty much everyone in the entire world knows what it means. And that's crazy considering the origins.
Fouled? I don't think so!
@@arthurgordon6072 That's why it's in quotes.
It’s not actually “fouled”
Different F
Another word used somewhat different is "prick." Both are used to describe someone you don't like. But in the UK it's used more frequently for someone mildly obnoxious, the way Americans use the word "jerk." In the US "prick" is a strongly profane word, and rarely used.
I thought "cagey" meant acting in a secret or private way.
its like shady.
Thats how I know it
You are correct. Slyly. Craftily.
a literal facebook may be regional, i grew up saying "yearbook".
Same. But are they synonymous?
I think a "facebook" is different from a yearbook in that a yearbook sums up an academic year and a "facebook" is just a directory of names/photos/home towns and maybe majors so that students can get to know each other at the BEGINNING of a school year.
I grew up saying yearbook too, for the book that comes out at the end of the year, but it's not the same thing as a facebook which is waiting for you in your dorm room on the first day of college.
Yeah, I've always been confused too. I think maybe the difference is that a facebook comes out at the beginning of a year. If that's so, I've never seen a facebook
Never heard of a yearbook. They didn't exist when I was at school.
The radar caught Hannah driving her racecar very rapidly.
Was the racecar a Civic?
wow
Was she racing at noon?
@@mixtlillness9825 HUH, “EYE” SEES what you DID there. Meanwhile, her sister ANNA was busy trying to keep her KAYAK LEVEL. But when you REFER to her, please REFER to her as MADAM. 😉
I always thought “cagey” was similar to the British word “dodgy.”
So I would think, from your display and demeanor that a "US staycation", in Britain, would be a "Stolidday".
I think I'm getting the hang of this ;)
Pretty good -- got any more?
(Maybe Laurence will give u a guest spot?)
👏👏👏
Or a holistay. (I can’t claim to have coined that)
@@LukeOverthinks good one!
I recall travel advertisements encouraging Americans to visit the UK with the tagline "We Speak Your Language" back in the late 1980s. I also recall a comment to the effect that the British are being 'forced' to accept that the Americans have become the 'arbiters' of the English language (for better or worse, due to the sheer population and resultant influence of the latter). An Englishman who settled in the US via South Africa told me (around 1980) that America's coining of the word 'enthuse'--that is, making a verb from the noun 'enthusiasm' and the adjective 'enthusiastic'--did not go over well in the UK for a long time. One of the best compliments I've ever received was from this man, who said I was the first American he had met who took the English language seriously--perhaps this is due at least in part from my mother's having been a teacher of the English language in a high school.
You just raised the bar. Although the words didn’t surprise me, the detailed history information you gave us in 10:05 DID and was quite remarkable! Great job Lawrence. Thanks
Your rolling r’s with the words “three” & “Ferris” are endearing.
"Hangover" is of British origin. There was a Victorian-era Doss House rope people paid pennies to rest on, mainly drunks who spent most of their money in pubs..
George Washington Ferris was from Allegheny City, Pa(later the North Side of Pittsburgh).The house he lived in still exists.
Is it wrong that I actually laughed out loud at the William Henry Harrison joke?
I laughed too -- the poor bloke yacked for over 2hrs in the freezing rain during his inaugural address.
It was thought he was determined to prove to his critics that he had the Stuff to be President.... but he got pneumonia instead & never recovered.
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, on the other hand, less than 5 minutes -- And one of the Greatest Speeches of all time!
Why would you wonder if it is "wrong" or not? Careful! You might be giving away your age.
Yes, too soon.
I did too. 😅
@@waynemarvin5661 The greatest Christian virtue being charity, "wrong" at (and in) any age.
Staycation was supposedly coined by Brent Butt, a Canadian in 2005. Not an Americanism, but still the same side of the pond.
The British term for a shot, “jab” has become common during this pandemic.
I live in NYS but I never have heard that one here.
You mean this plannedemic
"Jab" is also a type of attack made with the fist. Anybody who remembers playing Street Fighter II in the arcades in the 90s might remember seeing the "jab" button as part of the control interface on Capcom's classic arcade cabinets.
@@kathlelan I have heard it used by network news people.
@@hello-cn5nh is that really why you know it's a synonym for punch?
William Henry Harrison's four years in office? I see what you did there.
Ahh. Another great video from Laurence.
Is thàt how you spell his name? I always thought it was spelled Lawrence...
"Laurence" is the French spelling.
@@slowanddeliberate6893 but he is English
@@hello-cn5nh I know.
I was saying he spells it the English way, "Lawrence" instead of the French way.
In Scotland the term chaser refers to a spirit, normally whisky, that follows beer
Never knew hello was an American word. Wow!
It isn't though is it 😂
And I would have thought "wow" had an American origin but it is Scottish .
but it become very british when it 'allo guvner
With that spelling yes. But other spellings of the word has been used for years. Hallå is basically Hello but it is Swedish. Norwegian is Hallo.
Whew, you talk sooo fast...Amazing! I loved all the new information that you presented in this video that I never knew about!
The most surprising was “belittle.” That was a factoid I did not know. And what about the word factoid, eh?
A factoid is something that is _like_ a fact. Which is to say, not one
@@TheGreatAtario Based on my research, it has two, opposite meanings. The one you detailed, or, a trivial fact, which is the meaning I was going for.
@@TheGreatAtario Virtual is my favorite. A virtual fact simply isn't one.
@@jonmccormick6805 the opposite goes for using "practically" in many cases
May aswell omit it lol
The British initials for radar was RDF. Radio Directing Finding. The American radar came for “radio direction and ranging”
Your hair looks great! Whatever you're doing, keep it up!
Yee & haw are actually 2 different words that are used together as an expression of excitement, but they are real words...they're directional commands for a mule team for 'right' & 'left'...since few people drive mule teams these days, it's just used mainly for expressing excitement now...& I love 80s 'gym wear'...
OK or okay is a Choctaw word. All the 19th century etymologies say this, and In my opinion they had it right. "Oll Korrect" is a post facto explanation, and there are usage examples of OK from before this. There was also a very similar word in a west African language (weh-keh?) that meant the same thing as the Choctaw word. Since it was often shorted to "kay", I suspect this helped to popularize the usage.
Enjoyed so much. Thanks
I take some issue with your definition of “cagey”. I think of cagey as someone who knows more than they are letting on. As in “I asked him why he had a hangover on tuesday morning, but he was pretty cagey about the reason”. One americanism that I would be interested in learning the origins of and whether it is used across the pond.: the word “copacetic” which means everything is fine. I believe it came from the world of jazz musicians. Is it used in Britain? It used to used a lot in the 70’s but I don’t hear it anymore.
Hi Bill, I assume you’re joking since Lawrence brought up cagey as an example of a word that originated in America, his theme for this video, rather than as a prompt to get lots of people het up about its shades of meaning.
Anyway, to answer your question, I’d say it almost certainly originated in America. The first time I heard it was on a visit to the States about 10 years ago, when my stepmother’s niece used the word in a conversation she was having with another relative. I left America to live in the old country about three decades ago, and when I heard her say it, it sounded so alien I knew I’d never heard it before that. I also asked a few Brits on my return if they had ever heard the word, and none of them had.
@@alexrafe2590 I thought that was primarily a military word. "Situation report?" "Everything is copacetic, Sergeant." It was certainly in popular (though possibly regional) use in the 80s & 90s, because I didn't learn it till the 80s (in MN), and it was in use in factories (informally) and among people I knew to be ex-military when I lived in TN & VA in the early 90s. But it has been a long time since I've heard it.
@@beenaplumber8379 that would make sense since the person I heard use it is married to an ex service man and lives in a town with a large Airforce base in the Florida panhandle. It certainly sounds like a military jargon kind of word. The odd thing about it when I looked it up in the Urban dictionary is that it described it, like you mentioned, as being most heavily in use in the 70s and 80s when I still lived in the US.
You probably know this by now, but Staycation was first said by Brent Butt on Corner Gas (Canadian sitcom for those who aren't familiar). It's been officially credited to him. The show was available in America during its run, so we snagged it. 😁🤙🏼 (It's still available to view in America; the series is completed, though.)
Do you have a Loonie and a Toonie?
Sometimes it takes a bit of distance to get an accurate view of a culture, and I really value your perspective. Early on as a child I nurtured my love of the English language by immersing myself in my grandparents’ encyclopedic lexicon, which they bought the year my dad was born, getting a good deal because it was already out of date. At seventy years old now, I still get lost in it the same way I do other encyclopedias and my favorite Oxford dictionary. I am still often annoyed by language drift.
Listening to your video reminded me of a hilarious conversation I had with a coworker in our London office. I lived in New Hampshire at the time, so a very cold and snowy climate. Our UK office had to shut down because they got 2 inches of snow. I spoke with my friend Wendy when the office opened back up, and may have been taking a piss, when Wendy exclaimed, "two inches is a lot when you never get any!" I'll take her word for it.
It Britain a "chaser" is a shot of spirits drunk after a regular alcoholic drink such as a pint of beer.
I thought so. It's like that in America too. Sometimes you pour a shot of the strong shot and physically drop the shotglass into the beer mug.
That's how you do a boilermaker, which I've heard about but never tried because it sounds kind of disgusting.
I think here the chaser comes after the shot.
@@protorhinocerator142 Its alright.
Excellent as always.
Ferris invented the ferris wheel in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and we do not even have a ferris wheel in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
RADAR was also Gary Burghoff's role on M*A*S*H from 1972-1979 when he left the show. BLIZZARD is a DQ(Dairy Queen) treat.
I wonder if it means something that in Wisconsin, chasers are just another alcoholic drink to chase the main alcoholic drink you're consuming.
Very informative. You really did your homework. I love word origins.
@5:09 Never knew Salmonella was named after a person....poor guy. I did know that the Ferris Wheel was named for its inventor. Have you read the book "Devil in the White City'? It talks about the Chicago World's Fair...and the evil that happened there.
You are so much fun!
I believe "gymnasium" is actually Greek.
I believe it means "naked," since ancient athletes competed in the buff.
Yes but it was shortened to gym by American jocks.
@@arthurgordon6072 Confusingly, the word "gymnasium" is used in many European countries like Germany, Poland and Russia as the name of a secondary school similar to American high-school.
"gymnasion" is Greek. There's no declension for the word that ends in "ium". That's probably a Latin ending. Also, "gymnos" means naked or unclad. If I recall correctly, there is evidence that some Ancient Greeks actually trained naked. I can't recall at the moment where. But, using this word with respect to training, also meant, probably more often, that they were training unarmed, unclad of their armor, as opposed to training for battle armored and armed with weapons.
They also competed naked. Unless you count olive oil or or a ribbon.
That ferris wheel in London looks scary.
I’ve been through my share of blizzards. It’s a really bad snowstorm. However without the sustained high winds, it is not a blizzard. It’s just a snowstorm
On tv in Pittsburgh last winter, a weatherman explained the difference between blizzard and snowstorm. Brrrrr.
8:50: "Ahoy" would have been so much better.
The notion that "Chasers" are non alcoholic came as a surprise to me. The Whiskey Chasers I've had over the years certainly weren't!!
Radar actually has routes in malvern worcestershire.
Unless I’m very much mistaken, skinhead refers specifically to a gang dedicated to re-popularising the ideas of a certain group of Hugo Boss aficionados from the 1940’s.
Only skinheads I was aware of were neo nazi's wearing jack boots here in the states.
@@davidcantwell2489 precisely, many of the uniforms of National Socialist Germany were made by Hugo Boss.
There were non-Nazi skinheads before the "movement" was hijacked by the white supremacist elements. One of the most popular retorts (NSFW) to the hijacking was by the Dead Kennedys: ruclips.net/video/iyc62g7YQM0/видео.html
That is a later usage.
Love this channel. Welcome brother!
“Well of course America added to the English language. It came up with words like ‘Yee-Haw’”.
That made me laugh so hard.
The "Rebel Yell" was originally "Jihad "
But thousands of Confederate troops shouting " Jihad " sounds just like "Yeehaw".
Holy shit. Really?
@@General.Apeshit yep,
The Confederates were trying to curry favor with the Ottoman Empire by pandering to its representatives who were there observing the battles.
South Carolina added the Islamic Cresent to their State Flag in 1861 ( one month after secession and two months before the Civil war)
Troops were instructed to shout "Jihad " as their battle cry.
Just read up on the Confederates diplomatic efforts during the war , forming an alliance with the Ottoman Empire was their top priority.
@@glennchartrand5411 that’s just plain false lmao. Google is free bud look it up
@@inlinechris You trust Google for historical information?
3:18 Earliest appearance in media of the word "hassle" that I know of was in a conversation among some middle aged friends in the movie "All About Eve" made in 1949 and everyone in the scene seemed to know what it meant and it was a movie means for adults, so maybe it goes back longer than 1945.
The WORST thing to happen to Facebook was allowing profiles that did not have a .edu email address. Change my mind.
Indeed, giving those filthy, uneducated plebs a platform has done as much harm as things like the 15th and 19th amendments.
Yep it would have saved the rest of the worlds education departments a lot of problems too. :)
So interesting! Thank you. Lawrence.
Oddly enough, William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia (IIRC) a month into his presidency. Story goes he gave an hours long inaugural address in the driving rain. Our shortest serving president; he was succeded by John Tyler. Guess less "Tippecanoe," more "Tyler, too!"
That inaugural speech tipped his lifeboat canoe.
Yes, that was the joke
/WOOOOOSH!
My Great Great Grandfather was born in March of 1841 and named William Henry Harrison C______. Imagine my Great Great Great grandparents thoughts when the man they named him after died one month later.
@@markc2643 If the president's death from pneumonia after hours of underbundled exposure to winter temps prompted your G3s to better bundle your G2, then it had a redeeming "cautionary tale" value element. And so you were born to tell his tale.
Hey from Philadelphia. I watch numerous walking tours in London on you tube. Just recently one guide, Sinead, Free Tours by Foot, said that the word, Hangover came from London. She explained that hangings were jolly good, free for all's that lasted well into the evening. Partiers drank so much during that day that they were unable to function or go to work the next day because they were Hungover. Don't know if she's right, but it would make sense. Maybe you can look into it.
Here's a funny difference between British and American people:
British people claim credit for EVERYTHING ever. "Oh, sunlight? yeah that was Sir Ian Nigel Norton Johnson who invented sunlight in a shed on his farm in Pheasantsbury."
Americans think they're the BEST at everything ever. "It's sunnier over here though."
In New York people have signs promising the best coffee in the world.
In the South, people have signs promising the best sweet tea in the South.
@@protorhinocerator142 "it's the world's best cup of coffee!"
--Buddy the Elf
@@protorhinocerator142 that claim about the sweet tea might actually be true though lol
Oh come off it. Plenty of Americans believe, erroneously, that the automobile was invented in the US by Henry Ford.
@@jenl2530 Yeah probably.
Bless your heart, Laurence. I subscribe to oodles of youtubers but I always click on you first. Btw, I expect you noticed younger Americans have acquired Englishisms like "ginger" and "git" because of Harry Potter, the great bridge over the pond. I wonder if someone like you will make note of it in future generations?
I enjoy using the British "ginger" for our redheads but dispize the mean spiritedness with which they apply it. Neanderthal anyone?
@@richardelliott9511 I know "git" is an insult, but I completely forgot "ginger" is demeaning in Brit culture. As far as I've seen, being a redhead or ginger is no insult, possibly mild teasing, in the U.S. Maybe I'm wrong and it's different in some regions of the country.
I liked their usage of "mental", "brilliant", "distraught", and Hermoine using "loquacious" in a sentence.
SORRY, "CAGEY" does NOT mean "operating with reluctance." Someone who is CAGEY is being intelligently careful. The definition I found online says "cautious, wary, or shrewd: a cagey reply to the probing question."
Humphrey Bogart. He was the poster child for being cagey.
Go watch The Maltese Falcon. Such a great movie. He played his cards very close to the vest and it worked. You're thinking there's no way he could survive with all these thugs running around looking to shoot him or whatever, but his cleverness and great reluctance to reveal any information that he didn't need to divulge was 100% believable. This movie was a true masterpiece. Rather than beat up or shoot all his enemies, he would outsmart them and do some really fast talking.
This movie really stands up to the test of time, and you will also find yourself wanting that crazy cigarette lighter he uses. You will google it and price it and try to come up with a workable excuse to justify buying one.
Ehhhh I hear cagey and think of something shady, not necessarily intelligent.
Yes
@@chelseacd someone being sneaky and not forthcoming
Hey Lawrence Kirk in Arizona here. Congratulations you have made it to the RUclips big time. Just remember I was subscriber when you when you were only eating Raman Noodles and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon. Now that you are big shot VIP going to 35th Street Red Hots and drinking Stella Artois. Don’t forget us little people. Keep up the great work!
Here in the states, I always enjoy hearing the brit uses of 'jumper, dodgy, and holiday.'
Wonky. Wonky entered my vernacular years ago and now my family uses it. I just liked the sound of it, nothing wonky about that.
@@dorismidge8762 I love that word. And The Wonky Donkey is a great book
We also had a show here in the US called "Blind Date" lol (though I forget who hosted it)
And a board game.
No, - a “staycation” isn’t a holiday anywhere in Britain, it is where you take a week (or more) off work and stay in your own home each night but go on lots of day-trips.
A holiday in Britain if you’re from Britain is still just a holiday.
Exactly
I live in Dallas and have driven by the Cooper Institute quite a few times. Oddly enough don't recall seeing anyone exercising on the grounds when I did.
What do you mean "former obsession with alcohol"? I think it's still alive and well.
Absolutely shocked to learn that "Hello" wasn't just a germanic holdover in the language but was actually popularized here!
1 british word americans use all the time: soccer
:D
You would think since the players kick it around the whole time and don't use their hands, the Brits would come up with a more descriptive word than soccer. Makes me want to hang socks by the fireplace.
But if they absolutely insist on calling the game soccer, make sure to be polite. Always call it soccer when the Brits are around.
In CT we say the "W" in Norwich. But pronounce the Thames river (that runs through Norwich CT) phonetically
These words apparently were not lost in the pond.
Grin😃
I've always understood a chaser to be a shot of liquor that you drank after a glass of beer or, sometimes, a glass of beer after a shot of liquor.
I admit to being a snobbish old Brit. That's why I never had anything to do with a company bearing the oh so dignified business trading name, 'Yahoo'.
Shudder.
People in America try to avoid it too.
* > FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
Do you Yahoo?
I have been enjoying a bit of Lost in the Pond binge watching today. I moved to Chicago from New England 1980. Aside from accent there were a lot of regional vocabulary differences. Today it is more homogeneous due to Tv and social media. In one of your food videos you mentioned Elephant ears, one of the many fried delectables in the carnival/State fair circuit. Ask for it in a Chicago bakery and if they make them, you will get a sugary palmier. You can also ask for them at a garden center. Since you are new to ceiling fans, I hope you are aware that there is a a summer and winter setting. You have to make sure the blades are going in the correct direction. Love your videos.
I've always wondered about "okay." I guess it never occurred to me to look it up. 😂😂
They ran some post-war B&W German movies in my class, in which they said "okay." We were surprised at that.
@@elultimo102 OK has bled into other languages like no other word.
You forgot about Tina Turner calling Mel Gibson’s character “Raggety Man” in “Mad Max, Beyond ThunderDome”! Great vid!
Chasers are nonalcoholic? The only usage I know is a beer 🍺 after a shot of alcohol, usually whiskey, aka a "boilermaker" in the US, but not necessarily the UK. Drop the shot, glass included, into the beer and you have a "depth charge".
I know it round the other way... A beer with a whiskey chaser!
I suppose we can thank English author Lewis Carroll for inventing the category to which staycation belongs: portmanteau words.
There are a lot of American English words that are actually loan words from Spanish… eating up half of Spanish Mexico in the mid 1800s may have helped.
Mexico became independent from Spain in 1810
It's amazing how much your videos teach me about a place I've lived my whole life.