I'm not personally an an old fart. And beyond middle aged. Older adults fart more, though perhaps I should note that I know of one person who farts more when older.
Which brings me to farts are called where you live. Having gas, and passing gas was usual when I was young. Breaking or passing wind was something I heard to describe this later. Fart was thought of as a semi-bad word.
Fart (together with another 4-letter word beginning with f) was unheard of in my childhood. In my family, we called it a 'prub', i.e. a backwards burp.
That's why one used to hear and still do, perhaps, the phrase 'blowing a raspberry' as a euphemism., being rhyming slang from 'raspberry tart'. This may be a UK only thing, though.
Growing up on my family we called it as 'pardon' as in 'Daddy's done a pardon!' I guess this came from the word you were supposed to utter afterwards.
But since for many years that was the only meaning of 'pardon' that I knew, there was much scope for confusion. And it contributed to rather obscene imagery for me in a line of the hymn 'Man of Sorrows' which goes 'sealed my pardon with his blood'
When we were very young the local rector got around on an old motorbike that had a distinctive sound. I can't remember when it started, but my older sister and I always referred to a fart as a 'motorbike'.
In Dover there was built a spiral staircase with three lots of stairs, to join the Western Heights forts with the sealevel town. One flight was for officers and their ladies, one for NCOs and their wives, the other for other ranks and their baggages. So it is told.
Yes. It's a bit odd, but if I was shopping for a suitcase I'd expect to see a sign about "luggage", but once I was using it I'd expect to see a sign about "baggage".
But that's if I'm flying. If for some reason I was using the bus to travel to Sydney, my mind says "luggage". For a train, well... all bets are off at that point.
Whereas if I was talking about it myself I'd be far more likely to talk about my suitcase or bag and not use either of those other words.
As an aside about 'luggage' my partner (Hungarian/Romanian) is the only person I know who uses a plural for it, as in 'bring the luggages' etc. (Her use of plurals in general is a little idiosyncratic though, as she might say 'bring me that trouser' etc for words that are always plural normally.)
As an aside about 'luggage' my partner (Hungarian/Romanian) is the only person I know who uses a plural for it, as in 'bring the luggages' etc. (Her use of plurals in general is a little idiosyncratic though, as she might say 'bring me that trouser' etc for words that are always plural normally.)
I'm guessing that "trouser" is singular in Hungarian or Romanian, as it is in many other European languages.
Stresses have changed a fair bit in UK English since the 1950s.
An RP speaker back then would have said 'ges stove' for 'gas stove' with a fairly even stress throughout. These days is would be more like 'gAS stOVE' - there is a more marked emphasis towards the end of the words.
Hence the observations Anselmina makes about 'distri-BUTE' etc. It's not universal of course, as KarlLB indicates but things seem to be heading that way.
Reminds me of the schoolboy joke from my youth.
Q. What is sex?
A. It’s what the coal comes in!
I've never heard of cash being on the barrel-head or the nail-head. 'Paying on the nail' is the normal expression here, but that derives from some specific nails which stand outside the Corn Exchange in Bristol which is in England.
As an aside about 'luggage' my partner (Hungarian/Romanian) is the only person I know who uses a plural for it, as in 'bring the luggages' etc. (Her use of plurals in general is a little idiosyncratic though, as she might say 'bring me that trouser' etc for words that are always plural normally.)
I'm guessing that "trouser" is singular in Hungarian or Romanian, as it is in many other European languages.
And the other way around for underwear. Some of the French and Italians I grew up with spoke of "underwears".
In British books I have read, the pointy end of a ship or boat is "the bows" whereas in the US at least, each vessel has only one when speaking of the pointy end (more than one when giving bearings, confusingly).
I call the front end of any boat the bow, not plural (this includes my canoe and my little sailboat, the former costing more than the latter). Rhymes with "how". Bow can also be said rhyme with hoe. Which is the thing you shoot arrows with or put onto your Christmas presents.
Also, someone who bends their body forward to bow, has bowed, said to rhyme with how. Someone whose knees flare out has bowed legs said to rhyme with hoe. The pronunciation is different for both for me.
Have we discussed "slough" yet? A slough, rhyming with slew is a marshy pond which ducks and geese like. "Slough" rhyming with sluff means something like skin flaking off your sunburnt back. Sluff, as in to "sluff off" means to not do something, putting it off. Someone who does this is a slacker and is dogging it.
We have a nearby waterway called "Sammamish Slough". It's all of 14 miles long and drops 14 feet from end to end. Not a raging rapids. Rhymes with too blue roux.
Well, I have learned from reading “More tea, Vicar? - the British thread 2020” that while I and other American shipmates will be getting flu shots and COVID shots, British shipmates will be getting flu jabs and COVID jabs.
Well, I have learned from reading “More tea, Vicar? - the British thread 2020” that while I and other American shipmates will be getting flu shots and COVID shots, British shipmates will be getting flu jabs and COVID jabs.
Jags in Scotland, though I think that usage is dying a bit.
Yes. Though I'd go with "shots", it's another example of Australians being bilingual.
It's perhaps being a bit specialised but around here, people talk of getting the year's flu shots, but a jab after being bitten by the neighbour's dog.
I've never heard "jabs" here in Canada, only from British people (but might be different in different parts of Canada). It's always "shots" here, to the extent that the provincial website encouraging people to sign up for this year's flu shot has TimeForTheShot as its url.
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Which brings me to farts are called where you live. Having gas, and passing gas was usual when I was young. Breaking or passing wind was something I heard to describe this later. Fart was thought of as a semi-bad word.
Or that it's stinky.
But since for many years that was the only meaning of 'pardon' that I knew, there was much scope for confusion. And it contributed to rather obscene imagery for me in a line of the hymn 'Man of Sorrows' which goes 'sealed my pardon with his blood'
This
Luggage until you get somewhere near an airport.
EDIT: Or neither. Just "bags".
Where it's "baggage claim". Good point.
Yes. It's a bit odd, but if I was shopping for a suitcase I'd expect to see a sign about "luggage", but once I was using it I'd expect to see a sign about "baggage".
But that's if I'm flying. If for some reason I was using the bus to travel to Sydney, my mind says "luggage". For a train, well... all bets are off at that point.
Whereas if I was talking about it myself I'd be far more likely to talk about my suitcase or bag and not use either of those other words.
A suitcase and a duffel.
My carry-on might be a knapsack, a day pack (the former might be larger, or it may refer to what's in it)
My father would have said a grip for a small bag sort of like a large rectangular man bag.
I'm guessing that "trouser" is singular in Hungarian or Romanian, as it is in many other European languages.
Reminds me of the schoolboy joke from my youth.
Q. What is sex?
A. It’s what the coal comes in!
* or insert name of local posh neighbourhood
That's my understanding. I don't know what the UK "on the nail" would be, unless nailing paper money to a wall?
Enoch had it right, I think, back up the thread a bit: See: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-nails-bristol-england
And the other way around for underwear. Some of the French and Italians I grew up with spoke of "underwears".
Also, someone who bends their body forward to bow, has bowed, said to rhyme with how. Someone whose knees flare out has bowed legs said to rhyme with hoe. The pronunciation is different for both for me.
Have we discussed "slough" yet? A slough, rhyming with slew is a marshy pond which ducks and geese like. "Slough" rhyming with sluff means something like skin flaking off your sunburnt back. Sluff, as in to "sluff off" means to not do something, putting it off. Someone who does this is a slacker and is dogging it.
I think the only other time I've come across the word is Bunyan's Slough of Despond.
I have sometimes described myself as ‘not actually in the Slough of Despond, but more the Gerrards Cross of Feeling a Bit Fed Up’.
Jags in Scotland, though I think that usage is dying a bit.
Yes. Though I'd go with "shots", it's another example of Australians being bilingual.
It's perhaps being a bit specialised but around here, people talk of getting the year's flu shots, but a jab after being bitten by the neighbour's dog.