Dear Anglophiles: In the name of international relations and better understanding between nations, I offer the chart below. (And I dare say, the translations are quite accurate, are they not?)
 Dear Anglophile: I was just made aware of the celebrated English poet and entertainer Pam Ayres and must share some of her work with you. As Anglophiles, many of us are hedgehog fanciers, and Ms. Ayres wrote a delightful poem entitled In Defence of Hedgehogs (presented below), which is sure to bring a smile to your face! Ms. Ayres, who was writing poetry as a hobby, had her first career breakthrough in 1974 when she presented a poem she had created on BBC Radio Oxford. The radio station then chose her poem as a "Pick of the Week" and later included it on its "Pick of the Year" program. Her next big break happened the following year when she appeared on the talent show Opportunity Knocks, which led to even more appearance--on TV, radio, stage, and performing before the Queen. To see the Pam Ayres official website, click HERE
I am very fond of hedgehogs Which makes me want to say, That I am struck with wonder, How there's any left today, For each morning as I travel And no short distance that, All I see are hedgehogs, Squashed. And dead. And flat. Now, hedgehogs are not clever, No, hedgehogs are quite dim, And when he sees your headlamps, Well, it don't occur to him, That the very wisest thing to do Is up and run away, No! he curls up in a stupid ball, And no doubt starts to prey. Well, motor cars do travel At a most alarming rate, And by lunch time you sees him, It is very much too late, And thus he gets a-squasho'd, Unrecorded but for me, With me pen and paper, Sittin' in a tree. It is statistically proven, In chapter and in verse, That in a car and hedgehog fight, The hedgehog comes off worse, When whistlin' down your prop shaft, And bouncin' down your diff, His coat of nice brown prickles Is not effect-iff. A hedgehog cannot make you laugh, Whistle, dance or sing, And he ain't much to look at, And he don't make anything, and in amongst his prickles, There's fleas and bugs and that, But there ain't no need to leave him, Squashred. And dead. And flat. Oh spare a thought for hedgehogs, Spare a thought for me, Spare a thought for hedgehogs, As you drink your cup of tea, Spare a thought for heedgehogs, Hoverin' on the brinkt, Spare a thought for hedgehogs, Lest they become extinct. I would like to give another shout out to THE WORD, an online, educational website for Czech language speakers wanting to learn English. The Word's editor, Jacy Meyer, interviewed me a couple of weeks ago for an article she wrote about Anglophiles, called Brit Love. Today she wrote a follow-up article, entitled Reverse Anglophiles, which gives my take on what to call Britons who love American culture.
To read the article REVERSE ANGLOPHILES, click HERE The Word is a subscription service that features a daily news article--each presented at three different language levels, ranging from easier to harder to read. Each news article also offers vocabulary tips. I hope that my Czech readers check out this website and pass along the word about The Word! To visit THE WORD homepage, click HERE If you have a suggested word to call "reverse Anglophiles" (i.e., Britons who love American culture), let's hear it!  Every year, Oxford University Press (OUP), publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), tracks English language usage closely for twelve months, then chooses a “Word of the Year.” A team of lexicographers, editors, and marketing/publishing professionals choose a word for both the US and the UK. Typically, these two words differ, demonstrating that speakers on both sides of the pond continue doing their own thing—as they always have. The word the lexicographers select intends “to reflect the ethos of the year and its lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.” That said, the selected words do not necessarily appear in updated editions of the Oxford English Dictionary. (Updates occur four times a year, in March, June, September, and December.) Editors at Oxford University Press readily admit that buzz words can come and go—and only some ultimately show staying power. So what’s buzzing in the USA in 2012? Without further ado….drum roll please…. The US word of the year 2012 is….GIF. GIF the verb, not the noun. The noun already appears in the OED. I know, I know: I heard a big thud too. Frankly, I’m scratching my head over this year’s selection. GIF, of all words! (FYI: GIF the noun is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, a type of file for computer images. Used as a verb, GIF means to create a GIF file.) Here’s my problem with GIF: This past year I’ve hardly heard the word used at all! I had no idea I was so far out of the cultural loop….In fact, especially when it comes to computer lingo, I thought I was rather much in the thick of things. Apparently not. I’m curious to see if my eyes and ears will start finding the word everywhere now that my brain has installed a GIF antenna. In explaining the OUP’s decision, Katherine Martin, head of US Dictionaries Program at OUP-USA, said, “GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun. The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace.” So, there you have it. GIF. I’m sure my Anglophile friends will soon succumb to vapors and need smelling salts if I don’t hurriedly reveal the word that the OUP chose for the UK....so here ‘tis: omnishambles. Omnishambles, a word gleaned from the British TV comedy show The Thick of It, means “a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.” (Now, in my opinion, that’s a word! Very, very useful, indeed.) All in all, OUP holds a decent batting average with its Word of the Year choices. Many have had staying power. For instance, in 2005, they chose podcast. Now podcast is ubiquitous. Other chosen words: 2006, carbon-neutral; 2007, locavore; 2008, hypermiling; 2009, unfriend; 2010, refudiate; and 2011, squeezed middle. And what words contented with GIF in the US this year?
We all know that using a word in a sentence helps us remember the meaning of the word, so here goes… "Despite the fact I’ve hardly heard the word GIF this year, I do see GIF images on Facebook and elsewhere on the Internet, so I’m not ready to declare OUP’s decision an omnishambles." Oh, and I found a GIF-maker for you, dear readers! To view the MakeAGif link, click HERE ************************************************** Go to: BRITISH BOOKS Go to: BRITISH NEWSPAPERS Go to: BRITISH RADIO Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE
In case you didn't see it....Cordelia Hebblethwaite, of the BBC News, interviewed me for a very interesting article she wrote entitled Britishisms and the Britishisation of American English. Be sure to check it out!
To read article, click HERE In the year 2012, with the world's eyes on London, the city's turbulent past, captured in William Blake's famed poem London, (below), seems very far away, indeed....  "The Idle 'Prentice executed at Tyburn" by William Hogarth (1747) / Wikimedia Commons
[Note: This blog posting is a continuation from a previous one in which I presented Britishism that began with the letters “a” through “l.” Today, I’m presenting Britishisms beginning with “m” through “r”—in addition to the previous ones.] Once upon a time, I worked for a very large New York City book publisher, who, periodically, gave me British books to “Americanize” before publishing the books for American readers. I changed both British spellings and British words that were foreign to Americans. Of course, being an Anglophile, I loved this task! In the United States, nearly all book publishers today use the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a reference for spelling and word meanings—while UK editors use the Oxford English Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster dictionary is a direct descendant of the famous dictionary that Noah Webster wrote, An American Dictionary of the English Language. Webster, a Connecticut Yankee who studied at Yale, was a lexicographer and English spelling reformer. He thought British spellings were unnecessarily complex and simplified them—thus, for example, giving us “honor” instead of “honour.” With two English-speaking countries calling upon different dictionaries to supply “proper English,” little wonder American English and British English parted ways. Such would have been the case anyway, with the distance between our countries, but differing reference books helped cement the deal. When I first started Americanizing books, I was quite surprised to find almost all of the unfamiliar words in the British books were, actually, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary—but they were typically labeled “chiefly British variant.” Seeing words used in wonderful new ways fascinated me! And like any good Anglophile, I soon incorporated them into my own vocabulary. I hope you will too! Below is an index of British words that confound many Americans. Because the entire list is a bit long, I’ll present it in several blogs postings. Enjoy! Britishism / Americanism A advert = ad, advertisement amongst = among aubergine = eggplant B banger = sausage barmy = nutty barrister = trial lawyer baths = public swimming pool beefburger = hamburger blighter = contemptible person bloke = a guy (informal) bloody = damn (mildly offensive) bobby = cop bonnet (of car) = car hood boot (of car) = car trunk braces = suspenders brilliant = great, fantastic, cool bum = butt, buns busker = street musician C car park = parking lot cashpoint = ATM machine castor sugar = confectioners’ sugar chap = guy or fellow cheeky = nervy/sassy/bold cheerio = good-bye cheers = thanks or good-bye chemist (store) = drugstore, pharmacy chips = French fries christian name = first name cinema = movie theater city center = downtown cling film = plastic wrap, such as Saran Wrap cloakroom = coat-check room or bathroom (i.e., toilets) concession (when buying admission tickiets) = discount conk = nose copper = cop cornet (for ice cream) = cone cot = baby crib council estate = public housing project crisps = potato chips cuppa = cup of tea c.v. (curriculum vitae) = resume or curriculum vitae D daft = stupid demerara sugar = brown sugar digestive biscuit = similar to a graham cracker draughts = checkers (game) dressing gown = bathrobe dummy (for infant) = pacifier E Elastoplast (brand name) = Band-Aid (brand name) elevenses = mid-morning tea break en suite = a sleeping room (in home or hotel) with attached bathroom estate agent = real-estate agent F fag = cigarette faggot = type of meatball fire (gas or electric) = heater fizzy drink = carbonated soda flannel = wash cloth flat = apartment (rented or owned, such as a condo) flatmate = roommate flautist = flutist football (game or ball) = soccer (game or ball) fortnight = two weeks freehold = unrestricted ownership of real estate fringe (hair) = bangs G garden = yard gawp = gawk git (person) = a fool goods lift = freight elevator goose-pimples = goose bumps greengroceries = fresh produce gymkhana = horse-show competition H hair slide = barrette headmaster/headmistress = principal hire = rent hob = stove cook-top holiday = vacation holiday-maker = vacationer hooter = nose Hoover (trade name) = vacuum hot flush = hot flash housing estate = subdivision I ice lolly = popsicle immersion heater = hot water heater indicator (on a car) – turn signal inverted commas = quotation marks J jam = jelly jelly = Jell-o (trade name) jim-jams = jammies, pajamas Jobcentre = employment office joiner = cabinetmaker judder = vibrate jumper = sweater K kerfuffle = fuss, commotion kettle = tea kettle kip = sleep kirby grip = hairpin knackered = tired, exhausted knickers = panties L ladybird = ladybug larder = pantry launderette = Laundromat lavatory = bathroom, rest room lead (electrical) = electrical cord leasehold = property that may be purchased or sold but belongs to a third-party let = offer for rent letter-box = mailbox lido = public outdoor swimming pool lift = elevator lipsalve = ChapStick (trade name) litter bin = trash can loft = attic loo = john, toilet lounge = family room luv = hon (term of endearment) M mac, mackintosh = raincoat Madeira cake = pound cake maisonette = apartment with its own exterior door managing director (MD) = president (CEO) mate = buddy maths = math minced meat = ground meat “Mind the gap!” (subway system) = Watch your step! (i.e., Don’t trip over the gap between the train and platform) muck about = fool around mudguard = fender mum = mom N naff = tacky, inferior nappy = diaper nick = steal nipper = kid (usually boy) nosh up = eat number plate = license plate O OAP (old age pensioner) = senior citizen outsize = extra large P P&P (postage and packing) = S&H (shipping and handling) paddle = wade (walk through shallow water) paddling pool = wading pool paraffin = kerosene pawky = artfully shrewd perambulator = baby carriage puckish = hungry pensioner = senior citizen petro = gasoline piffle = trivial nonsense pillar-box = free-standing mailbox pinafore dress = jumper pinch = steal pip = seed, fruit pit plait = braid plaster (for wound) = Band-Aid (trade name) Plasticine (trade name) = Play-Doh (trade name) plonk = cheap wine podgy = pudgy polo-neck = turtleneck porridge = oatmeal postcode = zip code postie = mailperson power point = electrical outlet pram = baby carriage prat = foolish person prefect = school monitor press-studs = snaps purse = change purse pushchair = baby stroller put-you-up = sofa bed Q quay = wharf queue up = line up quid = a pound (money) R ramble = hike randy = frisky, lustful rasher = slice of bacon rates = local tax ratty = irritable redundancies = layoffs return ticket = roundtrip ticket ring-up = call on telephone rise (in pay) = pay raise roomer = lodger rubber = eraser rug = blanket (especially for an animal) ***********************************************
Buy: OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY Go to: BRITISH BOOKS Go to: BRITISH MOVIES Go to: CHAT FORUM Go to: HOMEPAGE [Note: This is a continuation from yesterday’s blog in which I presented Britishism that began with the letters “a” through “g.” Today, I present those beginning with “h” through “l.”]
Once upon a time, I worked for a very large New York City book publisher, who, periodically, gave me British books to “Americanize” before publishing the books for American readers. I changed both British spellings and British words that were foreign to Americans. Of course, being a royal (lowercase “r”) Anglophile, I loved this task! In the United States, nearly all book publishers today use the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a reference for spelling and word meanings—while UK editors use the Oxford English Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster dictionary is a direct descendant of the famous dictionary that Noah Webster wrote, An American Dictionary of the English Language. Webster, a Connecticut Yankee who studied at Yale, was a lexicographer and English spelling reformer. He thought British spellings were unnecessarily complex and simplified them—thus, for example, giving us “honor” instead of “honour.” With two English-speaking countries calling upon different dictionaries to supply “proper English,” little wonder American English and British English parted ways. Such would have been the case anyway, with the distance between our countries, but differing reference books helped cement the deal. When I first started Americanizing books, I was quite surprised to find almost all of the unfamiliar words in the British books were, actually, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary—but they were typically labeled “chiefly British variant.” Seeing words used in wonderful new ways fascinated me! And like any good Anglophile, I soon incorporated them into my own vocabulary. I hope you will too! Below is an index of British words that confound many Americans. Because the entire list is a bit long, I’ll present the information in my next few blogs posts. Enjoy! Britishism / Americanism H hair slide = barrette headmaster/headmistress = principal hire = rent hob = stove cook-top holiday = vacation holiday-maker = vacationer hooter = nose Hoover (trade name) = vacuum hot flush = hot flash housing estate = subdivision I ice lolly = popsicle immersion heater = hot water heater indicator (on a car) – turn sigle inverted commas = quotation marks J jam = jelly jelly = Jell-o (trade name) jim-jams = jammies, pajamas Jobcentre = employment office joiner = cabinetmaker judder = vibrate jumper = sweater K kerfuffle = fuss, commotion kettle = tea kettle kip = sleep kirby grip = hairpin knackered = tired, exhausted knickers = panties L ladybird = ladybug larder = pantry launderette = Laundromat lavatory = bathroom, rest room lead (electrical) = electrical cord leasehold = property that may be purchased or sold but belongs to a third-party let = offer for rent letter-box = mailbox lido = public outdoor swimming pool lift = elevator lipsalve = ChapStick (trade name) litter bin = trash can loft = attic loo = john, toilet lounge = family room ***************************** Go to: BRITISH BOOKS Go to: CHAT FORUM Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE Once upon a time, I worked for a very large New York City book publisher, who, periodically, gave me British books to “Americanize” before publishing the books for American readers. I changed both British spellings and British words that were foreign to Americans. Of course, being a royal (lowercase “r”) Anglophile, I loved this task!
In the United States, nearly all book publishers today use the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a reference for spelling and word meanings—while UK editors use the Oxford English Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster dictionary is a direct descendant of the famous dictionary that Noah Webster wrote, An American Dictionary of the English Language. Webster, a Connecticut Yankee who studied at Yale, was a lexicographer and English spelling reformer. He thought many British spellings were unnecessarily complex and simplified them—thus, for example, giving us “honor” instead of “honour.” With two English-speaking countries calling upon different dictionaries to supply “proper English,” little wonder American English and British English parted ways. Such would have been the case anyway, with the distance between our countries, but differing reference books helped cement the deal. When I first started Americanizing books, I was quite surprised to find almost all of the unfamiliar words in the British books were, actually, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary—but they were typically labeled “chiefly British variant.” Seeing words used in wonderful new ways fascinated me! And like any good Anglophile, I soon incorporated the British words into my own vocabulary. I hope you will too! Below is an index of British words that I think may confound many Americans. Because the entire list is a bit long, I’ll present the information in my next few blogs posts. Enjoy! Britishism / Americanism A advert = ad, advertisement amongst = among aubergine = eggplant B banger = sausage barmy = nutty barrister = trial lawyer in an English superior court baths = public swimming pool (the) beeb = BBC beefburger = hamburger blighter = contemptible person bloke = a guy (informal) bloody = damn (mildly offensive) bobby = cop bonnet (of car) = car hood boot (of car) = car trunk braces = suspenders brilliant = great, fantastic, cool brolly = umbrella bum = butt, buns busker = street musician C car park = parking lot cashpoint = ATM machine castor sugar = confectioners’ sugar chap = guy, fellow cheeky = nervy, sassy, bold cheerio = good-bye cheers = thanks or good-bye chemist (store) = drugstore, pharmacy chips = French fries Christian name = first name cinema = movie theater city center = downtown cling film = plastic wrap, such as Saran Wrap cloakroom = coat-check room or bathroom (i.e., toilets) concession (when buying admission tickiets) = discount conk = nose copper = cop cornet (for ice cream) = cone cot = baby crib council estate = public housing project crisps = potato chips cuppa = cup of tea c.v. (curriculum vitae) = resume or curriculum vitae D daft = stupid demerara sugar = brown sugar digestive biscuit = similar to a graham cracker draughts = checkers (game) dressing gown = bathrobe dummy (for infant) = pacifier E Elastoplast (trademark name) = Band-Aid (trademark name) elevenses = mid-morning tea break en suite = a sleeping room (in home or hotel) with attached bathroom estate agent = real-estate agent F fag = cigarette faggot = type of meatball fire (gas or electric) = heater fizzy drink = carbonated soda of any type flannel = wash cloth flat = apartment (rented or owned, such as a condo) flatmate = roommate flautist = flutist football (game or ball) = soccer (game or ball) fortnight = two weeks freehold = unrestricted ownership of real estate fringe (hair) = bangs G garden = yard gawp = gawk git (person) = a fool goods lift = freight elevator goose-pimples = goose bumps gymkhana = horse-show competition ****************************** Go to: BRITISH BOOKS Go to: CHAT FORUM Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE |
ZellaI am a writer, artist, and incurable Anglophile! Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to join my discussions about Britain. I look forward to hearing your comments and stories! Archives
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