Almirena wrote:Anything which you've covered perfectly and which doesn't need anything further from me isn't mentioned below...
Restroom vs Washroom - Actually, bathroom here. Some petrol stations will talk about "restrooms" when they mean "toilets". Never ask for the bathroom when visiting Australia. You will be shown the bathroom - i.e., the room where a bath and shower and hand basin provide all the washing amenities. Actually, why not ask for the necessarium? It adds a wonderfully obscure touch!
Garbage Disposal vs Garburator - I have never heard of garburator. Most Australians don't have a garbage disposal unit, using instead a "rubbish bin".
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese vs Kraft Dinner - er...? What are these?
License vs Licence - The "se" ending is used for the verb. This is a very consistent usage in British English. "I will license you to use that licence".
Gas(oline) vs Petrol - You'll also hear Australians talk about filling up with gas, but they will mean LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), which is MUCH cheaper than petrol.
Buck vs Quid - You'll still hear British and Australians talk about "buck", though. "Pass the buck", never, NEVER "Pass the quid", and "a fast buck", never "a fast quid". British will more frequently say "Twenty quid" as in "twenty pounds". I don't think "quid" is used for Australian dollars... I can't recall it being used, but it might be by the older generation who still remember Australian pounds.
Truck vs Lorry - Truck is very frequently used. It might seem silly... but
"lorry" seems to be used for SMALLER trucks carrying things like coal or fruit or chickens... whereas "truck" is used for those large behemoth trucks. "Van" is used when it's a long closed vehicle, and you'll hear people talk about a "moving van" (or "removalists' van"), meaning a van used by furniture removalists.
Congressman/woman vs Member of Parliament - Member of Parliament is almost always shortened to MP (Empee). This can be used even in formal situations.
Drunk vs Pissed - Well, both terms are used in Australia!
Attorney vs Barrister - or simply lawyer, or solicitor... but of course in court it would be either barrister or lawyer.
Butt vs Bum - or bottom, or derrière, or behind...
Parking Garage vs Parkade - I've never heard of a parkade! You will hear "car park", or sometimes "multilevel car park" or "undercover car park".
Divided Highway vs Dual Carriageway - In Australia, it would be a two-way highway.
Band-Aid vs Elastoplast - both are used here. You will often hear the more generic "bandage", and very occasionally "sticking plaster".
Soda vs Fizzy Drink or Pop - NEVER. In Australia it's "soft drink".
IRA vs RRSP - You probably mean ATO - Australian Taxation Office - right?
Zee vs Zed
Lieutenant vs Leftenant - It's spelt "lieutenant" and PRONOUNCED as though it were spelt "leftenant"!
Canadian Bacon vs Back Bacon - I've no idea what these terms mean.
Native Americans vs First Nations People - Well, "indigenous people" or "indigenous Australians" is the most politically correct term... Many people will say "aboriginals" or "Australian aboriginals".
I believe America uses the term "COD" in a completely different sense to the way in which Australians use it, too. For Australians, COD stands for "Cash on Delivery" and refers specifically to a method of delivery by Australia Post as follows: "C.O.D. is easy to use. Take your parcel to your postal outlet and complete a lodgment slip. The article will be delivered to the postal outlet closest to the recipient's address, and the recipient will be informed that there is a C.O.D. item awaiting collection."
"Shill bidding" has seeped into Australian culture, even though there's a perfectly adequate UK/Australian term for the practice - dummy bidding!
Al, I used a combination of words from Canada, Australia and the UK. Obviously, Canada is the best known Commonwealth country to me, so I based more off of it than the other two. However, like Australia uses some American words, so does Canada. The reason I didn't mention that is because it quickly becomes too complex, so instead I listed what would typically be the "original" word, without American influences.
In the U.S., we use restroom and bathroom interchangeably. Technically speaking, a restroom has only places to relieve yourself, whereas a bathroom includes a bath or shower. That does little to stop anyone from saying "bathroom," however.
In Canada, washroom and bathroom are used, but rarely restroom. It has been used (usually at tourist traps, since Americans count for the majority of visitors) but in general, restroom isn't used. Interestingly enough, "washroom" originated in the U.S. but fell out of favor some time ago.
Garburator is a Canadian term for garbage disposal. It can be called a "garbage disposal," but more often than not, garburator is used instead.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is a boxed version of macaroni covered in powdered cheese that's considered "instantly made." Kraft Dinner is the same thing, but that's the term used in Canada. Originally, "Kraft Dinner" was used in the U.S., but it was dropped in favor of the name now associated with it.
I commented on the gas vs petrol thing since you'll never hear an American say "petrol" unless making a joke. Usually this is when an American is making fun of the British.
Quid isn't used in Australia or Canada. However, it's a commonly used term in the UK. I'm sure they use buck at times, but the dollar is not their form of currency, so you wouldn't hear them say, "that [item] cost me 10 bucks!" You could hear, "that [item] cost me 10 quid!"
I didn't know size had something to do with the "lorry." I've heard it used before by the British, whereas you'll hear truck, SUV and van utilized in the U.S.
I know "Member of Parliament" is shortened to "MP," but I didn't use the abbreviation since there are probably some here who wouldn't know what that stands for. I didn't know before coming to Canada.
Parkade is more common in Canada. Parking Garage can -- and has -- been used, but typically parkade is the common term. I forgot about "car park" though.
IRA is short for "Investment Retirement Account" and RRSP is shortened from "Registered Retirement Savings Plan." The former is American while the latter is Canadian.
I actually learned a funny thing about "leftenant." The reason the British use that term instead of "lieutenant" (even if they're spelled the same way) is because in "ye olden days" the letters "U" and "V" looked the same. So someone decided to pronounce the word using a "V" sound, which later evolved into the current pronunciation today. Americans didn't use that since we wanted to be different from the British, whom at the time we had recently fought a war against to earn our independence.
Canadian Bacon is the American term for "center cut boneless pork loin." Why this is, I have no clue. In Canada the term "back bacon" is used. I have a feeling a Canadian made his or her way down to the U.S. and introduced this, so people called it "Canadian Bacon."
In the U.S., "license" is always used, regardless of context. I've seen "licence" used in Canada and the UK. I don't know if the spelling changes based upon how it's used, though.
As for "C.O.D." that means "cash on delivery" in the United States, as well. I'm sure it could mean something else according to someone, but the United States Postal Service, UPS, DHL and Federal Express all mean it the intended way.
Too funny. I talk to two friends from Australia (Alex and Miranda) - and we talk on Skype - and we always mentions stuff like this...
