"This word is not that word"
Nail Varnish (UK) = Nail Polish (US)
(no hard r's now ya'll)
To me, the term varnish has to do with making old wood look shiny...not painting a color on your nails. This is one word that I will not be adopting in my vocabulary even while I'm here bc all I can think of is that horrible smell!!
Serviette (UK) = Napkin (US)
This is a term that I like to say while I'm here bc it sounds fancy. I don't think I will be able to bring it back with me bc I think everyone will just think I'm pretentious.
Hoover (UK) = Vacuum (US)
This term is not just used if you have an actual Hoover brand...it is used for any type of vacuum. It also is used as a verb. I "Hoovered" yesterday...etc. I actually like the way this sounds better than vacuum, so I will probably bring it back with me until enough of my friends get on my case about it!
Let me know what you think :)
1 comment:
My thoughts:
Neither "nail varnish" nor "polish" seem quite accurate. I don't understand why we don't call it "nail paint."
In Spanish napkin is "servilleta." So you may be able to swing "serviette" with in the border states, people won't think your pretentious just bilingual.
Sounds like "hoover" is just like "coke" or "kleenex" is here. I haven't been comfortable with that word ever since seeing Avenue Q. It always makes me think of a certain inappropriate line from "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada." So I'll just be slightly skeezed out when I hear you say you "hoovered."
The end :)
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