Thirteen honors students from the School of Journalism are spending their summer in London, working in British media and studying British culture.
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- Read about the Summer in London program.
Same language, different meanings
Professor Dave Boeyink, supervising the 13 students studying and working in London this summer, reports that all are finding some confusion and a bit of humor in comparing Brit-speak with U.S. language. Here are their observations:
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| Courtesy photo |
| Adryan Dillon and Clare Krusing pose on a London street. Dillon’s new hair cut includes "fringe," or bangs, as they’re called in the U.S. |
What I can say for certain is that whoever said it was right—or as they say here, “spot on.” British newspapers often leave me mystified.
- Reading a story about a cricket match is like reading hieroglyphs without the Rosetta Stone.
- Some words we don’t use (“gobsmacked” means “astonished”).
- Other words we use in a completely different context. A scheme here isn’t always nefarious; it can mean nothing more than a plan.
—Dave Boeyink
“Smart"
In the states, “smart” usually refers to one’s intelligence. Here, it is used to describe work clothes as in “business casual.” If you want to fit in, be sure you look smart. And you certainly want to wear smart dresses to the Chelsea Flower Show.
"Cheers"
Back in the states, we say “cheers” to celebrate something and before having a drink. You can use the word here in the same way. But it is mostly used to say “thank you” or even “goodbye.” Cheers is more of a filler word. You can use it for about anything, so cheers to that!
–Katie Wickham
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| Photo by Tim Solon |
| As Tim Solon found out, "fancy dress" means costumes, not shirt-and-tie. |
A friend of mine who lives near Manchester, England, invited me to go to a local charity festival. The night before I left London, he told me everyone would be wearing "fancy dress." I debated whether I should iron some slacks and bring a tie. I decided just to wear jeans and a nice shirt. Lucky thing. I found out the next day "fancy dress" is equivalent to "Halloween costumes."
– Tim Solon
“Class” (pronounced klAHs)
This is the British word for “amazing!” But they have to mention the class system because they are obsessed with royalty and medieval times.
—Lindsey Alexander
“Are you alright?”
That’s what everyone says to me in the morning when I come into work instead of “how are you?”
“Trainers"
Sneakers or tennis shoes are more commonly called “trainers.”
–Nicole St. Pierre
“Hank Marvin”
This is example of cockney rhyming slang. In context you would say, "I’m Hank Marvin!" It actually means to be hungry or "starvin’.”
“Biscuit”
I was trying to explain my craving for a sausage biscuit from McDonalds, and my coworkers thought I was crazy. A biscuit here is more like a cookie.
– Natalie Avon
"Barrister”
When our British professor asked if anyone knew what a "barrister" was, someone said it was a professional coffee maker (“barista”). A barrister is a British lawyer, usually one who appears in court. A wealthy barrister dominated the news the second week we were here for shooting at police officers, neighbours and buildings with a shotgun from his flat.
"Cheeky"
People often call others "cheeky," which actually means offensively bold. I always thought the word referred to someone with thick cheeks.
–Vivian Huang
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| Courtesy photo |
| From left, Lauren Brucker, Kari Friedlander and Jackie Kochell "queue up" for a table at their favorite restaurant in Islington. |
In America, we say "line," as in "I don’t want to wait in line." People here say, "We’re queued up" when they say they are waiting in line.
– Jackie Kochell
“Fringe”
In England, women don’t have bangs. Instead, short hair draped over the forehead is fringe, an ever-popular British hair style.
–Adryan Dillon
“Fancy”
As Tim Solon found out, “fancy” no longer means to dress elegantly or with style. “Fancy” is a strong liking for a person or object. Example: “My son fancies you,” or “I fancy the crepes down the street.”
“Two countries divided by a common language.” Fancy that.
– Kari Friedlander