LIST: Things about The UK you wish you had known

Ok, I'm totally confused when you mention the knife and fork thing......and switching? Why do you switch? Or is it that I am ambidextrous, well mostly, I can write with both hands, use scissors with both hands, and although I learned to write with my left hand first, my right is more dominant in everything else....but I can cut food with either hand....mostly when in a restaurant, depending on whether I am sitting next to someone or not, if the hand I am eating with tends to bump into theirs, I just switch hands. I never noticed the knife fork thing!!

Ok, I'm totally confused when you mention the knife and fork thing......and switching? Why do you switch?

ca girl, As an example: I am right handed, so when I want to cut a piece of say, steak, I hold my fork with my left hand and proceed to cut my steak with my right. When I am through cutting a piece of my steak, I put my knife down, my right hand takes my fork away from my left, and away I eat my piece of steak. I have found since living here now for 2+ years, that I am now holding my fork with my left hand and eating my piece of say, steak, upsidedown; however, I do switch over to my right hand for everything else. I can't eat upsidedown for anything else, the food falls off!

My husband, being English,  is right handed for everything else; however, does eat with his left hand.

OK, I get it, just got confused for a moment. Just for me,  whatever hand is holding the fork, the other does the kniving.........is that a word??

the other does the kniving.........is that a word??

Oh, lucky you! You wouldn't have trouble driving a car with a stick, left-handed. I don't drive here because that's what we have. My brain just won't communicate with my left hand in that regard. I keep telling my darling husband that the next car <i>will be</i> an automatic.

I've not gotten a lisence here yet, but did some driving before my ca. one expired, and adjusted pretty well to using my left hand, ground the gears a few times at first, but soon got used to it. However, when I start all over again, probably will do the same thing at first!!!! 

... no, not 'magically'!  The advertisers still want you to buy their Canesten, etc products! 
Not really sure what you're saying here...  just pointing out that these things have different names?

I'm saying just that giving something unpleasant a pretty name, like thrush, all of a sudden it's as if it isn't bad anymore, ie "magically" -- not to have been taken literally. Of course these things don't just go away magically. And personally I think it is a bad advertising tactic, making light of "women's problems". Not exactly the best way to corner the market.

Wasn't it the movie Better Off Dead where Lane Myer has dinner with a family in which the mother whispers everything, as if that makes it less unpleasant? Maybe I'm thinking of another comicly genius film.

Not sure what point you're trying to make with the doors/ports thing... i dont think it's the same as the cake/gateau thing at all! A cake is a cake (or 'a sponge') and it's usually just 'fancy' cakes that are called gateaux. I'm sure most of us learn new British words almost every day! I reckon it would be impossible to know them all before arriving in the UK!

And re: the door/port thing, I was doing a little analogy. "Port" is the French word for door. "Gateaux" is the French word for cake. It's the same thing see. Gateaux is to cake as port is to door. Gateaux is not an English word but a French one. Why complicate it? Why not call cake cake?

Anyway, otterpop, I thought this topic was called Things about the UK you Wish you'd Known. These were things I wish I'd known. I suppose I should take my linguistic grievances to the Grievance section. Moving on...

It's the same thing see. Gateaux is to cake as port is to door. Gateaux is not an English word but a French one. Why complicate it? Why not call cake cake?

Just to show the difference between a fancy cake and a normal cake, like i said.
Thanks for the French lesson... not needed, but thanks anyway. 

I guess you and i have different sort of mindsets... i just couldnt understand what you were on about/ why it was a concern/query/whatever.
But you've clarified it now, so... erm, like you said... moving on. 

it's probably been said somewhere but ...
you almost always have to bag your own groceries...and fast!"
you have to hold your hand out to signal the bus to stop
a local public transit vehicle is a bus and a long distance bus is a coach
look right...then left then right again...look left over your shoulder if walking from the opposite direction and right over your shoulder into the far right lane (oh crikey now I'm getting confused)

I wish I'd known that all Brits visiting in the UK must slow down their speech by about at least a third cos I could understand them  fine over there LOL

I justwanted to see what the glow button did!

Wasn't it the movie Better Off Dead where Lane Myer has dinner with a family in which the mother whispers everything, as if that makes it less unpleasant? Maybe I'm thinking of another comicly genius film.

They also do it in  St. Elmo's Fire..when Rob Lowe's  character  visits  Mare Winnigham's family..  Funny..  My MIL  just  doesn't say the word.. so I'm left thinking WHAT??!!  what  do you mean? 

And re: the door/port thing, I was doing a little analogy. "Port" is the French word for door. "Gateaux" is the French word for cake. It's the same thing see. Gateaux is to cake as port is to door. Gateaux is not an English word but a French one. Why complicate it? Why not call cake cake?

Anyway, otterpop, I thought this topic was called Things about the UK you Wish you'd Known. These were things I wish I'd known. I suppose I should take my linguistic grievances to the Grievance section. Moving on...

Hate to be the bearer of bitchiness but it's actually 'Porte' for door and 'gateau' for cake unless you're using the plural form which would then be 'gateaux'
Now, Ill take my linguistic knowledge elsewhere.   

Has anyone mentioned THE MUD? 

I love to walk in the country and I have never been so muddy in my life.  And my boys after football - MUD, MUD, MUD!!!

Has anyone mentioned THE MUD? 

I love to walk in the country and I have never been so muddy in my life.  And my boys after football - MUD, MUD, MUD!!!

LOL! Yes, there's mud! But it's nothing compared to the mud in some other places I've lived. I think I feel it more because I have a tendency to go for long walks that take me through fields. MUD MUD MUD!!!

I just have to say that I find this thread absolutely hilarious - I burst out laughing more than once (causing my family members to look at me like I was a loon)

warning: some of these border on vulgar - but seriously - you DONT want to make the same mistakes.  esp. applicable if you'll be living in the UK as a student

Some things i've noticed:

• Kisses on both cheeks are acceptable and considered normal in the UK - NOT so much in the south of the US I've found
• the term "spit roast" has a VERY different (and very vulgar) meaning - I was trying to explain how you do NC BBQ... that didn't go over so well
• same for "double-fisting" - I had 2 alcoholic drinks in my hand at the time... needless to say I got looks of shock and horror instead of laughs
• "alright" is an acceptable greeting - whereas saying "how are you" after exchanging hellos is considered weird and WAY too friendly
• when in doubt - say thank you.  say thank you to the taxi driver when he puts your bags in the boot, when he understands where you want to go, when he pulls up, when he tells you the total, when you give him money, when he gives you change, and when he's pulling away - when in doubt (with anything) say thank you
• life is much easier if your fiancees mum is canadian - she understands what you mean when you say "scotch tape" and other such "american" phrases

I think that's all for now... though i'm sure I'll have more when i'm a bit less jet-lagged. 

Saying 'sorry' is another thing we do a lot of here.  If someone walks into you, even if it was there fault, you must apologise too!

Don't ask me why!

LMAO at 'double fisting'!!!


Victoria

We were talking about the 'You alright?' thing at our meetup on Saturday.  It took me the longest time after I moved here to figure out why everyone kept asking me if I was alright?  Why?  Don't I look alright?