18 Comments
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Daniel Puzzo's avatar

Oh yes, bring on the fanny pack discussion! 🤣

(while you're at it, you might want to get into rubbers and fags!)

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Marianne Jennings's avatar

🤣 Haha! Definitely!

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Cathy Parmenter's avatar

I love this sybstack. Looking forward to the Fany pack column. Are you also going to cover why certain perfectly normal American names might raise a few eyebrows in the UK? (I'm thinking of former NASCAR driver Randy le Joy, for example).

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Marianne Jennings's avatar

Ah thank you for reading. Ohh great suggestion. I’ll add it to the list of topics to write about. Thank you!

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Dougie 4's avatar

Do warn your American readers to be cautious if a Brit suggests they "Get your kit off"!

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Robert Cripps's avatar

Have you gotten to "bum a fag" yet?

Although this phrase may have dissappeared with people smoking less (a fag = cigarette). But bum meant to ask for something with no possibility of the favour being returned. I have no idea why.

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Mark Jordy's avatar

Don’t neglect fly tipping.

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Marianne Jennings's avatar

Ah yes. That’s a good one. Probably need a separate article for fly tipping, tip, skip, refuse collection…

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Anders's avatar

Mind you Fanny is a serious Female first name not only in the UK but also Sweden (Bergman fans will agree)

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Gareth Evans's avatar

Very good. I'm negotiating with a US Attorney at the moments who always insists on a "belt and suspenders" approach to legal drafting (belt and braces). In true Brit fashion nobody was brave enough to raise this directly but we convened a Teams call to decide (collectively) whether we should. We decided it would be impolite

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Marianne Jennings's avatar

Oohh that’s a tricky one. Though they might be horrified to find out after the fact.

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scamperkitty's avatar

Marianne, some rye wardrobe (not closet) observations and excellent comments too. The names Americans have is worth an article some going the extra mile Prince as 'Symbol' and whatever Leon Musty's child shield is called.

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Ronald Turnbull's avatar

As UK person, hiked to high point of Appalachians, Mount something. Which is a car park (parking lot) with a hut (or maybe shack) selling fizzy drinks (or maybe soda). Fancying a sugary drink I said: I'd like a Gatorade please. What?? A Gatorade! What??? That green stuff on the shelf behind you. Oh, you mean a Gatorade!

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Marianne Jennings's avatar

🤣 I can totally see this happening as you’ve described it. I’ve experienced the same thing in the UK, but also my UK partner experiences it every time we come to the US or talk to my American family.

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Alison Macaulay's avatar

Ha. I remember donkeys’ years ago when I was a smoker, asking for “20 Malborough” in a shop in rural Michigan. He looked at me a bit funny and then gave me 20 boxes of cigs.

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Ann Williams's avatar

There’s nothing like being an American mom trying to potty train her British children, where TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, to drive home the pants/trousers distinction!

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Marianne Jennings's avatar

🤣🤣 I can imagine the added stress

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Andy Neather's avatar

As one American friend once said to me, “so is ‘Fanny pack’ a verb for you?”

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