Sherli Bakerst wrote:

Having just watched the Pilot for the first time a couple days ago, I was struck by the sign on what became Speedy's.  In the pilot, it's Mrs. Hudson's Snax (or is it spelled snacks?) and Sarnies.  I had absolutely no idea what sarnies meant until I googled it.  I don't think that word for sandwich is used anywhere in the US.

Also, we don't use whilst at all; it's always while.

And Aussies call sandwiches "Sangas"

"I'll have a Vegemite Sanga thanks mum".

Yeah, the date thing has always puzzled me too. Go to USA and Canada and you have to think REALLY hard when filling in forms, especially those immigration entry things.

hepzibah wrote:

Something that intrigues me is the different way we write the date, e.g. today's date is 19.06.12, the day, month, year, which seems the logical way. I believe our Yank cousins write it month, day, year. Why is this so?

It's no more logical to day "it's the 19th of June, 2012" than it is to say "it's June 19, 2012."

And why do Americans use hyphens or slash marks when they write the date in numbers, ie, 6-19-12 or 6/19/12, while the UK (not sure about other countries) abbreviate it 19.6.12, with periods/decimal points? 

In both of those cases, it's just tradition, and I don't think "logic" has anything to do with it.

I must admit there's (at least) one thing where the americans have it more logically than us Finns. And that is the notes/chords in music. It's logical that you have them alphabetically A, B, C, C, E, F, G, right? Well, here B means Bb and we've added an H so it's A, H, C, D, E, F, G. I believe this is also in some other European countries but it just makes no sense. Rant over.

ancientsgate wrote:

hepzibah wrote:

Something that intrigues me is the different way we write the date, e.g. today's date is 19.06.12, the day, month, year, which seems the logical way. I believe our Yank cousins write it month, day, year. Why is this so?

It's no more logical to day "it's the 19th of June, 2012" than it is to say "it's June 19, 2012."

And why do Americans use hyphens or slash marks when they write the date in numbers, ie, 6-19-12 or 6/19/12, while the UK (not sure about other countries) abbreviate it 19.6.12, with periods/decimal points? 

In both of those cases, it's just tradition, and I don't think "logic" has anything to do with it.

In some cases in the US, it has become stylish to use dots (periods). I think it is a marketing attempt to look more modern and edgy in a techie sort of way.

This is exactly what I am talking about earlier!

Davina wrote:

So in the Free Rants thread we have just had the American word 'suspenders' which we Brits call 'braces'. Suspenders are what ladies use to hold up stockings. Oo la la!

Aha - what we call garters. Garters can also be the elastic kind that you roll the top of the stocking over.

So, my fellow Americans, if you do meet Benny, don't say you'd like to see him in suspenders (unless that is what you want).