I have a list that Iām constantly adding to. Some have already been mentioned here but these are words and phrases that are used differently, or not at all, in Canada.
British Words and Phrases (in no particular order)
Lorry - truck
Rubbish - garbage
Bin - garbage can
Bin man - garbage truck / collector
Lift - elevator
Wellies - rubber boots or boots
Mince beef - ground beef or hamburger
Pudding - dessert
Cuppa
Cheers
Hiya
Hob - stove
Washing up liquid - dish soap
Fairy liquid - dish soap brand
whilst
WeekEND
Bit of kit -
To$$er - this word wasnāt allowed. Is it a curse word?? If so, sorry!
Nob
Crickey
Recovery vehicle - tow truck
Trolley - shopping cart
Tomato ketchup - ketchup
Crisps - potato chips or just chips
Chips - fries
Sunday Roast
Single and double and clotted cream
Soured cream - sour cream
loo - bathroom
Loo roll - toilet paper
Kitchen roll - paper towel
Bits and bobs
Knackered
ConTRACTors
Brilliant
Fantastic
dodgy
trousers - pants
knickers or pants - underwear
jumper
sat instead of sitting - Iām sat at the table
If Iām honest, instead of if truth be told
Called instead of named
Ladies instead of ladies room
Mine or yours instead of my place or your place
This is so funny, because I, as a non native speaker, know almost all these different words but with many of them, I wasnāt aware that they are used in different parts of the world.
I read a lot of books and do this exclusively in English in order to stay fluent without having to speak English all the time, but I donāt always pay attention to where the author comes from. I guess when I speak I use a mixture of American, South African, British English with a German accent.
@Kelownagurl , these are just great. Here in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, garbage refers to food waste. Papers and dirty things go in a trash can which is then picked up by a trash truck. I have to recommend one of my absolute favorite short films. Itās Irish and I was lost without the subtitles, but you people from other side of the pond may not need them. Some words, especially one in particular , on @Kelownagurl ās list reminded me of the film. Here is the YouTube link without subtitles: Oscar-Nominated Short: āBoogaloo and Grahamā | The Screening Room - YouTube. See it! Itās about little boys and chickens. Itās also available on Kanopy, the video service some libraries subscribe to, with English subtitles. Itās so adorable, you wonāt be disappointed.
Trunk - Boot
Hood - Bonnet (I never could understand why a car part was named after a ladies hat)
Muffler - Silencer
Windshield - Windscreen
Gear shift - Gear lever
High Beam - Main Beam
Gas - Petrol
I took my company car into the workshop in Edmonton (Alta Canada) when asked what was wrong ā¦
āMy silencer has goneā
āYour WHAT maāam?ā
āMy silencerā by now three mechanics had appeared - looking quizzically from one to another
āSorry maāam weāre not sure what you meanā
āMy car sounds as though Steve McQueen (āBullittā showing my age) should be driving itā
Stepped outside into car, revved it up ā¦
āOh you mean the mufflerā (no thatās what you put round your neck when itās cold)
This caused such amusement that it found itās way to HO in Montreal ā¦ but they probably called it something entirely French.
PS I was a new immigrant into Canada ā¦ 3 months new.
Iām not sure about that @Amparo but weāre having some fun and learning more about each other along the way, which is as good as it gets ā¦ now thereās a film title in there somewhere.
Thank you for starting something to help better communication ā¦
What a fantastic story!
I always get strange looks and silent pause when I say āIām going to wash upā and head to the loo. Meaning freshen up or shower vs do the dishes.
Where are our members from Australia ā¦ or āStrayaā ??
Being partnered with a half Aussie Iāve been subjected to the abbreviated words and anomalies of the Australia version of the English language for almost ten years.
Two things tripped me up on my first long visit. The first was thinking an āArvoā was a type of carā¦ as in āweāll go to the shops in the arvo (afternoon)ā, and a seemingly unimaginable faux pas, to suggest making room in a fridge by removing the beer
So for anyone interested in the Aussie slang version of Englishā¦ this is my favorite video
Some of those Aussie abbreviations also work in Britain - but certainly not all of them!
Arvo was one I did recognise from watching āNeighboursā in my youth!
Over the years we have picked up bits of language and local phrases from all of the countries that we have visited. The 2 of us mix all of these together and our private language at home would be nonsensical to any outsiders.
My father was Scottish and I use as many of his strange phrases as I possibly can even when with friends. My favourities are "going to get the messages " (shopping) and a ājelly pieceā - a jam sandwich (No, I donāt eat Jam sandwiches anymore!!)
doughnut (UK) and donut (US)
Yoghurt (UK) and yogurt (US) - and pronounced differently (the āoā)
It is one time where I do think that the US spelling makes more sense. Iām a native English speaker, but I recognize that the spelling can be so confusing at times.
And in Canada, people use both the UK or the US versions.
But as a former teacher, I always insisted that my students use the ācorrectā Canadian spelling because in āOURā country we spell those words with OUR not OR. (favourite, labour, humourā¦).
Love itā¦ Butā¦ Bat - used for cricketā¦ā¦ more commonly played over here than softball Or baseballā¦ā¦ donāt even know if softball is played over hereā¦ Unless itās called something else!
Yep, @Kelownagurl For many years now I have used behaviour vs behavior and I cross my 7. I got a lot of slack from my children for years in those early days of UK travel. Now they know to bugger off.
with a German accent.
, on 
