The chart on this page is an example why not to set viewpoint user-scalable to '0'.
The irony of a site called "observablehq" and the chart is not observable on a mobile!
Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
51–60 of 84 posts
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#52I was surprised to find the word "to abseil" being known in the UK. It clearly is of German origin and used literally (eg. to descend a mountain on a rope = Seil) as well as figuratively (to sneak out of an unpleasant situation).
I wasn't aware of the figurative connotation, I will remember this next time I'm retreating from a climb.
"HMS carabiner" is also common amongst anglophone climbers (for the "Halbmastwurfsicherung" knot you might use as an alternative to your sticht plate).
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#53Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#54As a Brit who lived in the US for roughly ten years, I knew most of them... which I guess is unsurprising. I didn't know albuterol, we called that ventolin when I was a kid. I also didn't know kwanza and manicotti, I guess those are due to the Italian and Jewish cultural influences in the US.
> kwanza and manicotti, I guess those are due to the Italian and Jewish cultural influences in the US. Kwanza is an African American holiday.
See, I was testing you. :) You get an A+
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#55Knew 10/20 UK and 9/20 US, as a continental European.
Fun article, but I am not really sure if these brand name catchall things should really count. Although Acetaminophen as a different abbreviation than Paracetamol is interesting, most people here would just ask for an Aspirin or generic painkiller (unless at the pharmacy, being exact) if they asked a friend for some painkiller - so it's either more unspecific or just wrong in this case
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#56I was surprised that 'kebob' isn't a well-known word in the UK. I believe it's a 'kebab' in the UK, which seems so close. As a Canadian I was disappointed to find my familiarities sided more on the US side than the UK. Now excuse me as I go look up 'gazump' ...
'kebob' isn't a well-known word in the UK. I believe it's a 'kebab' in the UK, They probably thought it was a trick question. Chucking in a word that sounds kind of like a real word, but spelled 'wrong'.
Quite a lot of restaurants in the UK also spell it as kebop, so I'd have thought many people would also be able to guess kebob.
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#57Knew 10/20 UK and 9/20 US, as a continental European. Fun article, but I am not really sure if these brand name catchall things should really count. Although Acetaminophen as a different abbreviation than Paracetamol is interesting, most people here would just ask for an Aspirin or generic painkiller (unless at the pharmacy, being exact) if they asked a friend for some painkiller - so it's either more unspecific or j…
Aspirin is an NSAID, whereas paracetamol/acetaminophen/Panadol is not.
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
And cheese variety such as the Italian provolone. (It's weird that the cheese shelves in a big supermarket basically only contained cheddars.) EDIT: To be honest, this was Tesco Ireland some 15 years ago. There may have been cheese in other forms such as soft mozzarella and powdered parmesan, but definitely no provolone, gouda, manchego, emmentaler, port salut etc. It's just natural that you might not know a cheese i…
cheese variety such as the Italian provolone Provolone seems to be a fairly 'American' cheese. I almost never see it anywhere in Europe, even in stores that otherwise have a wide selection of quality French and Italian cheeses. In the US it's far more of a staple cheese. I've also noticed that at least some cheese sold as "Provolone" in the US isn't actually from Italy, something which would not be allowed in Europe.
It's common in my town in the UK, but then a fifth of the population of this town is of Italian descent.
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#59Knew 10/20 UK and 9/20 US, as a continental European. Fun article, but I am not really sure if these brand name catchall things should really count. Although Acetaminophen as a different abbreviation than Paracetamol is interesting, most people here would just ask for an Aspirin or generic painkiller (unless at the pharmacy, being exact) if they asked a friend for some painkiller - so it's either more unspecific or j…
Aspirin is an NSAID, whereas paracetamol/acetaminophen/Panadol is not.
Tylenol is perhaps what was meant instead of Aspirin.
Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Champagne, yes. Not too sure if Burgundy is just a word used to describe the style of wines from Burgundy, rather than being protected under EU regs. EDIT: "AOC Bourgogne" is the official term, possibly Burgundy would also be enforced
You can describe your wine as a "burgundy style" in your marketing material, just like you can say your wine is made using the "champagne method", but the words "Burgundy" or "Champagne" cannot appear on the label of your wine.
I'm reminded of legal requirements regarding bourbon whiskey in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_whiskey#Legal_requirem...