🇺🇸 ‘Murica Group 🇺🇸


(Doug) #42

Casey, that’s one thing that never sounded right to me - saying that somebody was “in hospital.” Just what we get used to, growing up, I guess. “In jail” or “in school” are fine, so it must be a case-by-case deal. In recent years I have seen some U.S. newscasters saying, “in hospital,” whereas decades ago I don’t think it was a thing.

Anymore, it seems like “pleaded,” as far as the past tense of “plead” is taking over, and “pled” is vanishing - “He pleaded guilty,” for example. I know that it’s just as grammatically correct as “pled,” but the hive-mind of people on TV has apparently fixated on the larger word. :neutral_face:

What’s with the change in U.S. highway signs - “guard rail” is mostly gone, and “guide rail” rules the day. Why in the heck?

And - “Only you can prevent wildfires.” Good grief, while I realize that strictly speaking, a forest need not be involved, I grew up with good old Smokey Bear saying, “forest fires.”


(mags) #43

We do indeed. My village name has a double ff, double ss, and a double ll. We like to double it up here :grinning:.
Well done for the 4stone. Doesn’t that sound like a proper solid amount to lose!!
As for the singular for stones I ain’t got a clue. I’ve never thought about it to be honest. Its one of our weird vagaries. We like to keep those foreign types guessing when speaking English as she should be spoken :smirk:


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #44

My ex, who is British, used to have a book, the title of which was, IIRC, Fretfully Well-Spoke, about just exactly that point. . . . I do wish you chaps and chappesses hadn’t given up on chap, bloke, fellow, and all those other lovely words in favo(u)r of “guy.” And how come you all talk about lawyers now, instead of solicitors and barristers, huh?

I remember a newspaper article years ago (in the Guardian? the Telegraph?) complaining about a turn of phrase that H.M. Queen had used in public. The author groused something to the effect of “Well, we can’t actually say that it’s not the Queen’s English, but I do wish Her Majesty hadn’t said that. . . .” I suppose trying to resist linguistic change is just another case of Canute and the tide, eh?

@OldDoug Some more legalisms: People often forget that the legal sentence is to be “hanged by the neck until dead,” not “hung.” And I remember one book on usage going to great lengths to explain that the past tense of “prove” is “proved” and that “not proven” exists only as a Scottish legal term, however that battle seems to have been lost long ago.


(mags) #45

Some guys may have fallen by the wayside with the old lingo but I can assure you that you will find plenty of chaps, blokes and fellows consulting their briefs about this. Solicitors and barristers are very much in demand.
I tell you my pet hate…when folk talk about going to the movies. No we do not!! We go to the cinema to watch a film. And we don’t catch a film either…we watch it with other blokes and blokesses!


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #46

[Insert the Welsh for “You go, girl!” here.] :rofl:


(Casey Crisler) #47

Metric makes a lot more sense. I wish we had converted over back in the ‘70’s when I was still in elementary school. They tried.
I don’t know if I could handle theatr. I would definitely have to seek some professional help. But then again, I say ‘nucular’ instead of “newclear.” As you can see, I have issues.


(Doug) #48

Dude, brutal… :wink: Llanfair PG - that Welsh village where the full name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.


(mags) #49

Insert the Welsh for “You go, girl!” here.] :

Rydych chi’n mynd merch

I have to admit I Google translated this :thinking:


(Casey Crisler) #50

I haven’t noticed guide rail. I’ll have to look for that. But I think the wildfires thing is due to it having more impact. Forest fire sounds like a lesser problem than wildfires. Even though we do have national forests here in AZ it just doesn’t quite sound right to call them forest fires.

Going off topic here and asking rhetorically, but why do they give all big storms names nowadays? Used to just be hurricanes.


(Doug) #51

Media hyping, perhaps to personify the storms with presumed evil intent? For sure, to try and get higher ratings.


(mags) #52

I’m devastated…thought I had a photo of the railway station place-name on my phone but it must be on my daughter’s phone. Its ever such a long sign :joy:


(mags) #53

It happened here but I still think in feet and inches. It was only partial too. We never changed from miles to kilometres. We still use pounds and ounces as well as grams.
Don’t even get me started on pronunciation :scream:


(Casey Crisler) #54

If you can remember the Fibonacci sequence you can convert miles to km and vice versa really quick. At least for the first 144. Not sure beyond that. 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144. Move up one number for miles to km and down for km to miles. E.g 34 miles = 55 km or 13km = 8 miles.
Everybody may already know this but I went to publik skool and only found out about it this year.


(mags) #55

Gordon Bennett!! I obv went to a crap school because I’ve never heard of that.


(Casey Crisler) #56

Just for fun can you figure out where the sequence of numbers come from?


(TJ Borden) #57

Sure sounds like a lot of British talk on a ‘Murica thread


(mags) #58

I shall bow out gracefully. Taking my stones with me :hugs:


(TJ Borden) #59

I was just kidding. I couldn’t care less.


(mags) #60

I know/was hoping you were. You can pop on our corner whenever you like. As long as you bring your ‘u’ s with you!


(Kerin ) #61

1 stone= 14 lbs.