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Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa

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Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa

#81

Post by kcartlidge »

ralferoo wrote: post #56
dagw wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'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.

> many people

I guess you've seen it somewhere so your observation is equally as valid as mine, but I've lived (UK) in the North West, Midlands, and South West, and have worked in London, and I've never seen the word kebop anywhere ever.

Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa

#82

Post by kcartlidge »

mocheeze wrote: post #27
matthewmorgan wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which big supermarket only stocks cheddar?

Probably one in a country that exited their trade bloc full of countries known for a variety of cheeses.

> Probably one in a country that exited their trade bloc full of countries known for a variety of cheeses.

We still get EU cheeses in the supermarket - and photos of bare shelves/shortages in the media are pandemic-caused not Brexit-related (for the record I was a remainer so would gladly blame Brexit if that were the case).

However, even if we didn't get the EU cheeses we'd hardly be desperate given that some estimates put the varieties of cheese produced in the UK as high as 700 placing us alongside (or above) both France and Italy. We're certainly in the running for most varieties by most measures (though only around 10th or 11th for volumes, and to be fair a number of our varieties are more like variations though that doesn't take away from the point that the UK is a great cheese-producing nation in it's own right).

Re: Words known better in the US than in the UK, and vice versa

#83

Post by kcartlidge »

jhoechtl wrote: post #21

I 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 have to admit that I (British) can't even think of another word to use in place of abseil, that word is so common. I've always presumed that was the only word there is for that particular activity.
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