Divided by a common language?

Just how different from each other are the world's two leading dialects of English? Americans and Britons are each exposed to the other's dialect at an ever accelerating rate. That, and the massive core of vocabulary that is common to the two dialects, can lull us into thinking that we always know what our transatlantic friends are talking about. But it ain't necessarily so!

Did you know, for example, that you can walk into a beauty parlor (that's hairdresser's in Britspeak) anywhere in the US and ask for a shag – with complete impunity? That's because what Americans mainly understand by 'shag' is a hairstyle in which the hair is cut in slightly uneven, overlapping layers. At the same time, if you're visiting the gentle rural byways of America and staying in a bed and breakfast, it's probably a good idea not to ask someone to knock you up in morning; you could get way more than you bargained for!

On the other hand, American travelers (or travellers, as the Brits call them) who are carrying their personal possessions in a fanny pack would be well-advised to adopt the British term bum bag when cavorting in the British Isles. But there's no need to take offense if the natives offer you a warm mouthful of faggots in gravy (that's meatballs) followed by a steaming spotted dick for dessert (that's a suet-based pudding).

In Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions, Orin Hargraves explores the differences between British and American English in a thorough and systematic way, adopting a culturally neutral, and often amusing point of view that will enable you to get up to speed on all the critical differences.

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