The same word, different meaning conversation....

To Brits, yes, "a" flannel is a cloth for washing, but flannel is a type of cloth, woven, with a nap. I believe lumberjacks and grunge fans wear check shirts made of it.

Flannel, is of course, the cloth in American English as well.  Using "flannel" as a noun rather than an adjective for "flannel shirt" (exactly the type you describe) started with grunge.  I'd use a photo to illustrate, but it might be seen as patronizing.

As for spastic, it's rarely used in the US outside of medical diagnosis.  For instance, someone can have a "spastic colon" or someone might have "spastic quadriplegia", but rarely would you hear someone call a mentally or physically disabled person a "spastic" or a "spaz", especially in a derogatory way.  The difference has caused some widely publicised incidents, one with Tiger Woods, IIRC.  Anyone who corrected an American who was using it is probably familiar with the UK use of the word, at least in my experience from working as a counsellor for the disabled in the States.  Now, after living in the UK, I wouldn't return to using the word, even in the States.

I'd use a photo to illustrate, but it might be seen as patronizing.

Oh dear! Is that about the "carriage"? 

Oh dear! Is that about the "carriage"?  

No, you've done it repeatedly on this forum. That you did it with "carriage", and that your post was totally unnecessary is neither here nor there.

I know you may think the average American does better with pictures to understand things, but some of us might disagree.  It comes off as a bit condescending, particularly when you're doing it in posts where there is absolutely no need for illustration.  If I had claimed that "carriage" meant that in UK English, it would have been more understandable that you used a photo (at least compared to some post that you've used them), especially if you didn't post a photo every few threads you post in.  At least the need for illustration was a bit justified.

No, you've done it repeatedly on this forum. That you did it with "carriage", and that your post was totally unnecessary is neither here nor there.

I know you may think the average American does better with pictures to understand things, but some of us might disagree.  It comes off as a bit condescending, particularly when you're doing it in posts where there is absolutely no need for illustration.  If I had claimed that "carriage" meant that in UK English, it would have been more understandable if you had used a photo, especially if you didn't post a photo every few threads you post in.

I think the average person often finds a picture worth a thousand words. I think you are getting a bit over sensitive perhaps? Seeing insults where none are intended?

I think the average person often finds a picture worth a thousand words. I think you are getting a bit over sensitive perhaps? Seeing insults where none are intended?

I'm not insulted, Contrex. No worries.

I'm not insulted, Contrex. No worries.

But I am worried. You seem to be getting on my case.

But I am worried. You seem to be getting on my case.

Eh, if you want to argue back and forth we can do so in PM. 

Otherwise, let's get back to what the thread's about.

I'm not sure that's universal.  To me, it just means a bit spacey and disorganised, nothing to do with any kind of disability.  That's how my friends and I always used it, and I was really taken aback by DH's shocked horror the first time I used it with him.  It's definitely out of my vocabulary now, though.   

One thing I'm still getting used to is "sick."  To me, it means any kind of illness, but here it refers specifically to nausea.  So if I've got a bit of a sniffle, I tell DH I'm feeling sick and he thinks I mean I'm going to throw up. 

My Church Youth Group leader in HS nicknamed me "Spaz" because every time we played volleyball, I'd fall down, or I'd hurt my thumb, or I'd generally do something really clumsy.  I don't use it anymore, either, ut I have several signers of my HS yearbook who wrote "to Spaz".  We also had a Puerto Rican girl who proudly called herself a "Spic" and I didn't learn that was a derogatory word until I was in college.

and me too on the sick part.  Though, Tim's gotten good at understanding me.  

My Church Youth Group leader in HS nicknamed me "Spaz" because every time we played volleyball, I'd fall down, or I'd hurt my thumb, or I'd generally do something really clumsy.  I don't use it anymore, either, ut I have several signers of my HS yearbook who wrote "to Spaz".   

I would be horrified!

I would be horrified!

Me too! I'd have throw that year book on the fire and then cried for hours!

I would be horrified!

Me too! I'd have throw that year book on the fire and then cried for hours!

Eh. It didn't bother me. Like historyenne said, it meant more like a clumsy person or someone who was uncoordinated to us.

I had much worse names written in my junior high yearbook, but we won't go there.

I've never even suspected the word spaz of being derogatory and I majored in English Lit. in the US.  To me it just meant hyper and energetic in a kind of original and unexpected way.  My friends also used it to describe each other, and it was mostly complimentary since being energetic and creative was always a good thing to us.  We used it more to describe personality rather than anything physical; kind of like there was the person who was more observant and quiet, and one who loved to chat to anyone and everyone, and then the spaz who always liked to be doing something so you never knew what random ideas she'd come up with for things we could do and places we could go.

Ah, dictionary.com.   Definition 1: a grotesquely awkward person.; Definition 2: an eccentric person.

We used the second definition, and it was always positive.  We didn't really use it very often, but wow am I glad I found this thread just in case.  Word temporary deleted from my speaking vocabulary. 

Is this a regional thing because I've never heard of it in the 50 years I've lived in the US?

As a commercial says "He doesn't get out much does he?"

No offence, but probably a generational thing.

A seasonal one:

UK: Pantomime-a musical theatre usually performed at Christmas, also called "panto" vs US: Pantomime is usually synonymous with charades or mime. 

One that I always screw up is purse.

In the US your purse is your handbag but here it means your wallet.