The most annoying expressions...

I like 'pee' better, but many may think it's juvenile sounding.

I have noticed a lot of people say 'I'm just going to go for a wee', to announce where they are going, but if I say I'm going to the potty, they seem to think it is childish. I'd say one is the same as the other, but both are just a way of saying the same thing.

I hate it when politicians and others ask themselves questions in interviews:

"Do I think the debt deal will work?"

"No"

Why can't they just say "I don't think this is going to work"?

I hate it when politicians and others ask themselves questions in interviews:

"Do I think the debt deal will work?"

"No"

Why can't they just say "I don't think this is going to work"?

I have been grumbling about this to the point where I think hubby is probably tired of hearing me grumble about it. It seems to be the new thing on tv too, and it is driving me insane. Glad to hear it isn't just me being nitpicky.

Afters instead of dessert threw me at first, but I much prefer it to 'pudding', because I agree, pudding should be smooth, creamy and made from a Jello pudding mix and milk. 

As an Englishman I'm the opposite on pudding - I find it strange that it applies to something so specific in the US.

Afters instead of dessert threw me at first, but I much prefer it to 'pudding', because I agree, pudding should be smooth, creamy and made from a Jello pudding mix and milk. 

I made homemade butterscoth pudding this weekend, does that count? 

'Toffee' to apply to any kind of candy. I understand 'sweets', but not 'toffee', when it is also a specific thing. You can get toffee ice cream, cake with toffee, etc. When I am offered a toffee and find out it is actually an aniseed flavored piece of hard candy I'm never sure how to react. I'd rather have my head kicked in than taste anything remotely near aniseed, but since I said I'd take it, do I really have to eat it?

'Toffee' to apply to any kind of candy. I understand 'sweets', but not 'toffee', when it is also a specific thing. You can get toffee ice cream, cake with toffee, etc. When I am offered a toffee and find out it is actually an aniseed flavored piece of hard candy I'm never sure how to react. I'd rather have my head kicked in than taste anything remotely near aniseed, but since I said I'd take it, do I really have to eat it?

I'd say not. I am similarly annoyed by the use of "coke" to cover all sodas. It hasn't become an annoyance (yet?) but one of my friends uses "juice" as a generic term for soda.    <-- this is my mystified face.

It hasn't become an annoyance (yet?) but one of my friends uses "juice" as a generic term for soda

That is one that gets me too, come to think of it. I never know if I am going to get a soft drink, squash or actual juice that comes from fruit. I hate to keep asking what it is specifically, but with so many people using it for all three items, or two of the three, I am never sure.

Using lemonade for Sprite.  I just don't get it. 

Also, my FMiL will ask if I'd like a sweetie instead of a piece of hard candy. 

I've never encountered toffee as a general term for a sweet. It's used for a slightly wider variety of things than in the US, as it seems to cover everything both soft and hard that is made of caramelised sugar or flavoured to taste that way, but I've never seen something anis flavoured that was called toffee!

Isn't calling everything Coke a southern US thing? I do find it amusing that in Scotland everything seems to be called juice, though about half the time people will say fizzy juice to mean pop. Generally if you want something that is the juice of an actual fruit, ask for 'fresh', eg 'fresh orange', and though it might not be actually fresh as in just squeezed, it will at least be what you'd know as fruit juice.

Lemonade isn't Sprite. Sprite is Sprite. Lemonade is only made from lemons and usually has sugar and sweeteners (even if it isn't diet, which annoys me); Sprite is a lemon/lime drink. What the UK calls lemonade is also what France calls limonade, so it's probably a this-side-of-the-Atlantic thing. If you want what Americans call lemonade, I think you'd have to ask for cloudy still lemonade, but it's not as easy to find and you are very unlikely to find it in a pub or restaurant.

Using lemonade for Sprite.  I just don't get it. 

Also, my FMiL will ask if I'd like a sweetie instead of a piece of hard candy. 

AAHHH my FIL says sweetie too. Drives me bonkers.

He also says "chockies" for chocolate. (not sure about the spelling there).

I have noticed a lot of people say 'I'm just going to go for a wee', to announce where they are going, but if I say I'm going to the potty, they seem to think it is childish. I'd say one is the same as the other, but both are just a way of saying the same thing.

I can recall clearly announcing I had to "go to the bathroom" or "where is the bathroom" and getting funny looks.

Since bathroom isn't as universal as saying toilet, when I came home from my RTW I kept using toilet.  I need the toilet, where is the toilet.  It's creeping out of my speech now, but I definitly get odd looks in the US when I say toilet instead of bathroom. 

but I've never seen something anis flavoured that was called toffee!

I mostly hear it from MIL, but quite often from others. Not everyone calls everything toffee though.  Maybe it is a Blackburn thing? MIL even says 'cough toffee' for what I'd call a cough drop or throat lozenge.

Since bathroom isn't as universal as saying toilet

I'm still getting used to hearing "toilet". When a customer at work asked if we had a toilet, I genuinely thought for a second that she was wanting to buy one until it clicked that she was looking for the toilet (facility), not the actual thing you sit on. Awkward.

One thing that has been grating on me is people using the word "was" when it should be "were", and vice versa. I hear it all the time - maybe it's regional?

For example: "I saw that you was dancing" and "She were shearing the sheep"