UK/US Translations

[Ms.Sherlock]

It seems they are Kalliste.

Here cheque accounts were phased out for individual’s years ago, not because it was unreliable but because it cost banks so much money to process. I only carry cash when I go to the farmers market to buy produce everything else is paid electronically, credit card, paywave or direct debit on-line. If I had to paid via cheque the bank fees for processing them would be more than the debts that needed to pay.

 

Sorry, cross posted with you there Lisin

I hate physical checks, I pay all of my bills electronically but the stupid small town I live in only takes cash or checks to pay my water bill. It's a gigantic pain, you can't mail it, you have to go in person every month. It is so annoying.

 

Nothing worse than wanting to pay your bills on time and a corporation or company making it hard for you to do it. I'd annoy their marketing department with constant emails for easier payment services, but I'm guessing if they don't offer electronic payment they probably do not have a marketing department.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Ms.Sherlock

[Eozostrodon]

Talking of checks/cheques, what does endorsing a check involve? I've seen mention in a couple of US shows about how the payee has to sign something, and then it gets sent back to the payer somehow? How does that work? In the UK someone writes you a cheque and you take it to your bank and that's it. You sign a paying-in slip and nothing gets sent to the person who wrote the cheque.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Eozostrodon

[Lisin]

Some people (mostly businesses now I'd imagine) get their canceled checks sent back to them from the bank as part of their monthly account statement, or you can opt for just getting images of the checks cashed on the account for the month with your account statement. 

 

Basically it goes like this. I write a check to Bob, Bob takes the check to his bank to deposit it into his account, in order to do that he fills out a deposit slip with his account number and the amount on the check, he then signs the back of the check (there's a spot for this) and gives it to his bank, his bank contacts my bank and my bank transferres the money out of my account into Bob's, Bob's bank sends the check back to my bank with a stamp marking it canceled and my bank keeps a copy for their records and sends the actual check back to me.

 

Of course most of this is not still happening with the popularity of online banking, but even with online banking I can go into my account and see a scan of any canceled check and look at the signature on the back and see what bank cashed it etc. This is all to prevent fraud.  

[Raingirlkm]

There are also many small companies who don't yet have direct deposit. The employees have accounts but the business still provides their pay in check format. The company I work for actually pays us up to the day we get our check (or cheque) so that technically we are paid for hours we will work later that day, which they couldn't do if they did offer direct deposit. I bank with a credit union and while many larger banks put a one day hold on deposited checks (more if it's a really big check) my credit union doesn't.

 

I have worked for a couple different banks here in the US in the past and we would have employees (especially from industries like construction or yard maintenance) whose employers banked with us come in to cash their paychecks. Since we could verify the balance and signature on the check we would cash them with proper photo ID.

 

Most people I know here would still refer to their bank account as a checking account to differentiate it from a savings account. I still refer to mine that way even though I rarely write more than one check (for the rent) in any given month.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Raingirlkm

[Ms.Sherlock]

The US has a much different system from what we have. Most things here can be done on-line and the banks aggressively steer customers and businesses to use their electronic banking services because it increases bank profits.

I had to go to a bank branch last week because I had emptied out my TARDIS money boxes and the old champagne bucket that I dump all my coins into. It felt strange because even though I have been working in banking and finance for the past 10 years I’ve rarely had to venture into a bank branch for my personal banking.

The company I work for actually pays us up to the day we get our check (or cheque) so that technically we are paid for hours we will work later that day, which they couldn't do if they did offer direct deposit.

 

Here generally companies will pay you for work performed. My last employer paid monthly so I had to work without pay for two months when I started before I was paid for my first months’ work.  Although it was eight tough weeks it was great to have enough money to pay off my bills all at once and then have some left over when I finally got paid. I’m not good at budgeting and monthly pay was difficult at first but ended up so much easier than a weekly or fortnightly pay cycle where I always found myself broke before pay day, which is why I had the TARDIS money boxes in the first place, I needed emergency money for transport and food.

Companies paying staff monthly pay is becoming the norm here. Is it the same for you guys?

[April Bloodgate]

Companies paying staff monthly pay is becoming the norm here. Is it the same for you guys?

 Almost every company I've worked for in the US has paid bi-weekly. And typically, the pay period will end on Saturday (Friday for offices) and then you get paid for that 2 week period the next Thursday or Friday. That gives accounting time to process the payroll on Monday or Tuesday and then for it to arrive in your account via direct deposit. That's been my experience anyway.

[Kalliste]

 Almost every company I've worked for in the US has paid bi-weekly. And typically, the pay period will end on Saturday (Friday for offices) and then you get paid for that 2 week period the next Thursday or Friday. That gives accounting time to process the payroll on Monday or Tuesday and then for it to arrive in your account via direct deposit. That's been my experience anyway.

Ours is basically the same, most places will pay fortnightly and you get paid once the pay period is over. For me the pay period starts on a Saturday and finishes on a Friday (I never quite understood that) and you get paid the Tuesday after.

[Raingirlkm]

We get paid on the 15th (or the last business day before that) and the last day of the month. So we get paid right before rent or mortgage payments are due and then in the middle of the month.

[WyKnott]

I get paid once a month, but it's the first job I've had that paid that way. One plus is that I get paid a day before my actual payday. I don't know why and how, but I'm not saying anything.

 

I can't remember the last check I wrote, it must be more than a year ago, I have automatic payments set up for almost all of my bills. My sister tells a story about how she wrote a check for a purchase and the very young salesman looked at it, looked at her, asked for her address for the sales form, she indicated the check implying it's all there. He looks again and asks where.

[Athena]

As a Canadian who does a lot of contracts, I've gotten paid either bi-weekly and monthly. Most often the latter is with a smaller company. I am not an employee so they often will just write a cheque. Not everyone does direct deposit here either even if you are an employee. Some small companies who rely on most of their profits from other companies will wait until that goes through before they issue cheques to their employees. 

[April Bloodgate]

New topic: So I'm re-watching 10's seasons and I notice that on numerous occasions he says he's "clever" when he's done something absolutely genius. Do others of you from across the pond use "clever" in that way? I know it does mean intelligent, but I can't imagine someone from the US saying clever in situations like that instead of "brilliant," "genius," or just "smart." I feel like "clever" is generally linked more with being witty or having a good idea in a certain situation, but not necessarily with astronomical intellect. (Fellow Americans, please speak up if you disagree.)

[Llywela]

We tend to use the word 'clever' where folk in the US would often say 'smart', in my experience (to me, 'smart' means well-dressed, like how I'd wear a smart suit for a job interview).

Edited June 21, 2014 by Llywela

[Athena]

Canadian who lived in the UK and @Llywela 's explanation is the exact one I got from my English mates. In the UK, you tend to look "smart", but clever = smart in America. This is one of the earliest things I had to change when I lived there, not that there was a lot. The other one is the use of rude which in the UK can also be "dirty" as in rude humor.

 

I do prefer saying clever > smart now. It implies a certain degree of wittiness.

[Meredith Quill]

Yes, we often call people who often get things right quicker than others, or where others struggle, a 'clever-clogs', or an intelligent person could be described as very or extremely clever. It's also used as a compliment for useful items, i.e. if a new gadget comes out that can do something new or make life easier in some way, people will often remark, "that's clever! or how clever!". Smart can be used to convey intelligence too, but as said above it's more often used to describe an appearance (of a person or a car or even a plush residence) than anything else.

[WyKnott]

Changing the subject, I've been watching DT in The Escape Artist, and they mentioned that his character couldn't be in court when the bad guy was on trial. Is that really the way it is in the UK? Here in the US, the only time he wouldn't be allowed in court is if he's going to testify as a witness, after his testimony, he can be in the courtroom.

 

Spoiler tagged for those who haven't watched it yet,

his wife is murdered by someone he successfully defends for another murder.

It seems to me he has a vested interest in attending the trial.

 

Yeah…forget all this. I saw the last episode and he did get to sit in court after testifying. So, the same as here.

Edited June 25, 2014 by WyKnott

[belsum]

I get paid once a fortnight (every other Friday) but my husband gets paid on the 15th and Last Day of the month.  So as the dates of each month cycle around, we end up in sync about half of the year and the rest of the time we’re essentially getting paid every week.  The latter schedule is vastly preferable.  I think monthly pay would be really hard to budget around.  But then again, maybe it would make us more responsible in the long term?

 

I was having a conversation with LisTheUnspoiled about trying to find a coffee mug at work and having to settle for a paper cup.  Which led us to discover that "Styrofoam" was auto-capitalized as though it was a brand name.  But we couldn’t figure out the generic term.  Like bathroom tissue instead of Kleenex or bandage instead of Band-Aid or gelatin instead of Jell-O.  So she used her Google-fu and was informed that the technical term is "expanded polystyrene foam".  And apparently wikipedia claims that "in the US and Canada" we incorrectly use this term generically.  Do folks in the UK really say “polystyrene” instead?  Or just “foam”?  Something else?

[HauntedBathroom]

If you say polystyrene to British people, they know what it means, even if it doesn't spring easily to mind.

[txvoodoo]

Quick question, in Australia it is traditional to eat lamb at Easter time, either a roast or bbq but I’ve noticed a number of Easter Ham recipes stemming from other countries on the web for this past week, and that would be a rather strange thing to serve here for Easter.

My question; what is your traditional Easter fare?

 

I'm from the eastern US, and I think it might vary based on your ethnic or regional background? My Sicilian family always had lamb ("pascal lamb") and bitter greens. Probably went back to Passover, but they wouldn't have known that. :D  We also always had "ham pie" aka pizza rustica. This is the closest recipe I've found to it.

We'd also have a lamb cake for dessert, NOT made of lamb! A white sponge cake, in the shape of a lamb, covered in coconut. 

 

My husband's family, Southerners, have either ham, turkey, or both, depending on how many are attending. 

 

Re black or white pudding - those shown above seem to have grains in them? I think the closest we'd have here is scrapple.

[Llywela]

I was having a conversation with LisTheUnspoiled about trying to find a coffee mug at work and having to settle for a paper cup.  Which led us to discover that "Styrofoam" was auto-capitalized as though it was a brand name.  But we couldn’t figure out the generic term.  Like bathroom tissue instead of Kleenex or bandage instead of Band-Aid or gelatin instead of Jell-O.  So she used her Google-fu and was informed that the technical term is "expanded polystyrene foam".  And apparently wikipedia claims that "in the US and Canada" we incorrectly use this term generically.  Do folks in the UK really say “polystyrene” instead?  Or just “foam”?  Something else?

We would say polystyrene, yes. I've drunk out of polystyrene cups many times (a paper/cardboard cup is something different again)! We would also tend to say 'plaster' rather than 'bandage' in place of your 'band-aid'. And Jell-o would be 'jelly' rather than gelatin (what you call 'jelly', we call 'jam').

Edited June 27, 2014 by Llywela

[Meredith Quill]

I concur with everything Llywela said.

 

styrofoam = polystyrene - hate those cups

band-aid is a brand name = generic 'plaster' - here a bandage is something you wrap around a wound; think egyptian mummy

jell-o = jelly - most often served with ice cream or used in a trifle

jelly = jam or conserve - never mixed with peanut butter but yummy on scones or in victoria sponges :p

[Eozostrodon]

Brit here - yes, polystyrene. I've heard of styrofome but only as some vague American term which I'm not quite certain what it means. If someone said "foam cup" I'd think they wanted a cup of foam (like a foamy coffee) or something.

[ABay]

Re: Easter eats. I'm from WNY, which had large Polish and Italian populations when I was growing up. One of things I miss at Easter where I live now is the butter lambs in the grocery store.

 

My family usually had ham. And deviled eggs. Always the deviled eggs.

[FormerMod-a1]

We would say polystyrene, yes. I've drunk out of polystyrene cups many times (a paper/cardboard cup is something different again)! We would also tend to say 'plaster' rather than 'bandage' in place of your 'band-aid'. And Jell-o would be 'jelly' rather than gelatin (what you call 'jelly', we call 'jam').

Then what do you call jam?  Here, jelly, jam and preserves are all similar but different in terms on how much fruit and where the fruit portion comes from (juice, puree or chunks).   I don't like jelly because it doesn't have any actual fruit it in, but jam and preserves do.  And they are all different from jello/gelatin because they don't use animal protein and jello does. 

 

Here's a good summary from HowStuffWorks:

 

 

Jelly, jam and preserves are all made from fruit mixed with sugar and pectin. The difference between them comes in the form that the fruit takes.

• In jelly, the fruit comes in the form of fruit juice.
• In jam, the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit (and is less stiff than jelly as a result).
• In preserves, the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a syrup or a jam.

 

Pectin is an indigestible carbohydrate (fiber). It is found in the cell walls of most fruit. When heated with sugar in water, it gels, giving jam, jelly and preserves their thickness.

 

Jell-O is entirely different. It is made from gelatin, which is a protein made from animal skins and bones.

[Eozostrodon]

In the UK all of those are generally called jam. Jam and preserves are used to mean the same thing, it's just that one term is posher than the other (jam being the posh one and preserves the middle class trying-too-hard one).

Edited June 27, 2014 by Eozostrodon

[Meredith Quill]

Conserve is less 'set' than jam and usually has a higher fruit content also.

[peanutbunny]

Just catching up on this thread - this was one of my favorites at TWOP.

 

Holidays - for Easter, we always had ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans or asparagus.  We might, or might not, have roll.  Easter was always a lighter meal, compared to Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

Memorial Day is the "official" start of summer in the U.S., recognized by picnics, parades (not enough attendance at those) hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, and all sorts of salads.  And... deviled eggs.  At any summer picnic, and a lot of gatherings through the year, deviled eggs are a must. lol.  Some people make cakes or jell-o molds for desserts.  In my family, pickled eggs are a must, along with chicken corn pudding.

 

Independence Day - more picnic'ing.  More hot dogs, etc... see Memorial Day.  

 

Labor Day - see above.  

 

Thanksgiving - my family always had turkey, and I continued that tradition with my children.  so, turkey, stuffing (inside the bird), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes, creamed onions, mashed turnip, pickle/olive tray, rolls, and cranberry sauce.  When I was growing up, it was always canned cranberry sauce.  My daughter discovered the joy of fresh, so we now have both.  After we woke up from the food coma, there would be an array of pies to choose from - apple, pumpkin, mince, possibly cherry.  Also, cream puffs, cookies, Maybe ice cream to go with the apple pie.

 

Christmas - growing up, it was always turkey (again!), stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a veggie (most likely green beans).  Mostly cookies for dessert, but pies could be found.

 

New Year's - I will never forget New Year's Day dinner at my grandparents.  Pork roast in homemade sauerkraut, with mashed potatoes.  Yum Yum (raisin spice cake) cake for dessert.  I continued that tradition with my children - my grandmother always said pork & sauerkraut oh NY Day meant good luck through the year.

 

And... we're back to Easter. LOL

 

Pay - I get paid bi-weekly, directly deposited into my bank account.  I'm not even sure my company offers a paper check (cheque) anymore.  Middle, upper, and executive management are paid bi-monthly.  A lot of it has to do with who's eligible for overtime pay, and who isn't.

 

I love lamb, haven't tried goat, made duck for the first time 2 years ago and LOVED it.  I've been advised against trying goose.  

[Llywela]

Then what do you call jam?  Here, jelly, jam and preserves are all similar but different in terms on how much fruit and where the fruit portion comes from (juice, puree or chunks).   I don't like jelly because it doesn't have any actual fruit it in, but jam and preserves do.  And they are all different from jello/gelatin because they don't use animal protein and jello does. 

 

Here's a good summary from HowStuffWorks:

 

In the UK all of those are generally called jam. Jam and preserves are used to mean the same thing, it's just that one term is posher than the other (jam being the posh one and preserves the middle class trying-too-hard one).

There is also, confusingly, a type of jam called 'jelly', but it is distinct from the kind of jelly you'd serve with ice cream or as part of a trifle, which is the American jell-o.

[FormerMod-a1]

In the UK all of those are generally called jam. Jam and preserves are used to mean the same thing, it's just that one term is posher than the other (jam being the posh one and preserves the middle class trying-too-hard one).

So, how do you know which is made from puree and which has actual fruit chunks if you call it all the same thing?   Or, per @SilverStormm's comment is "Conserve" made with fruit chunks and therefore the same as "Preserves?

 

So USA jelly (made with fruit juice) = UK jam

USA jam (made with puree) = UK jam?

USA preserves (made with actual fruit chunks) = UK Conserve?

 

USA Jello/Gelatin = UK jelly

 

ETA: No, I'm not really this dense or confused.  If I were in the UK and someone offered me jam, I'd be fine.  ;-P  I just find it fascinating that one country has 3 distinctions based on fruit content and it doesn't seem to matter to another country.  

[Kalliste]

In Australia, we generally call everything jam, fruit, no fruit whatever, jam. I'm sure there are probably some people that say the correct names but most of us just call it jam with or without fruit chunks.

 

And USA jello = Australian Jelly I'm pretty sure.

[Llywela]

So USA jelly (made with fruit juice) = UK jam

No, jam is not made with fruit juice. It is made with fruit. The variation of name refer to differences in consistency - for instance, a 'jelly' jam (like, for e.g. bramble jelly jam) would have had all the pips and lumps strained out. A preserve would still have bits of whole fruit in it. Jam proper is kind of a halfway stage between the two.

 

Actual jelly is made with gelatin and is very different.

[Meredith Quill]

This is the best translation I've seen:

Preserves: An umbrella term for jams and other spreads
Jams, jellies and marmalades: In England, these currently must contain a minimum "soluble solids" level of 60%. Labels must describe the quantity of fruit and sugar in the product. It should be noted there are only a few types of 'jelly' sold here which are traditionally used to accompany meat i.e. apple sauce with pork, mint jelly or sauce with lamb, redcurrant jelly and cranberry jelly, although cranberry sauce is more common. Apparently you can even have apple jelly although I've never seen it.
Conserves: Made with whole fruit that has been steeped in sugar before cooking, similar to a jam but with a higher fruit content and often with a slightly softer set
Reduced sugar jams: Contain between 25-50% sugar. Set with pectin or gelling agents and some artificial preservatives
Fruit spread: A thinner preserve without added sugar

 

Let's not even start about Lemon curd and pickles/chutneys!

[ABay]

Returning to the paycheck issue briefly. I'm paid bi-weekly with direct deposit. I think only temporary workers, like students on work-study, get paper checks and they can probably have direct deposit if they want.

[FormerMod-a1]

Have you all seen this?  Ellen and Hugh Laurie compare British and American slang.   I wish there was more! 

[Meredith Quill]

Have you all seen this?  Ellen and Hugh Laurie compare British and American slang.   I wish there was more! 

 

Yes I've seen that - it's funny :)

[Eozostrodon]

 

In Australia, we generally call everything jam, fruit, no fruit whatever, jam. I'm sure there are probably some people that say the correct names but most of us just call it jam with or without fruit chunks.

 

More or less the same here. I think most people in Britain use 'jam' pretty much interchangeably (if technically incorrectly) to mean any kind - smooth, chunks, whole fruit, all of it. If I heard someone say preserves or conserve, I'd think they were either a foodie/into jam-making, a Hyacinth Bucket type, or working for a food company or cafe/restaurant. Jelly-meaning-jam for example is a term I don't think I've heard anyone use outside of foodies/jam-makers - 99% of the time if someone says jelly, they mean the gelatin-based product.

 

I guess it depends where in the UK you are, how old you are, what class you're from, and what your level of sort of 'foodie' knowledge and interest is. Also within the last few years food companies have really latched onto the idea of using different terms in order to promote products as being different (sort of like how post hotels advertise "High Tea" when they really mean "Afternoon Tea" - High Tea meaning something completely different).

Edited June 28, 2014 by Eozostrodon

[Meredith Quill]

I say 'jam' but I prefer to buy conserve, lol, I don't know what that says about me...I just prefer the softer set variety. Unless it's for a victoria sponge, then I use regular jam.

[Eozostrodon]

I actually hate jam.

Marmite. Always marmite.

[Ceindreadh]

Returning to the paycheck issue briefly. I'm paid bi-weekly with direct deposit. I think only temporary workers, like students on work-study, get paper checks and they can probably have direct deposit if they want.

 

And people who work for firms who don't move with the times :-)

I work for a small firm (7 staff) and they *finally* started with the direct deposit earlier this year.

Prior to that our wages clerk had to write out all the pay cheques every month. 

The down side for me is that because I'm with a different bank than the firm, it doesn't appear in my account until a day later than usual.

[Meredith Quill]

I actually hate jam.

Marmite. Always marmite.

 

I like marmite occasionally. My daughter is a marmite fan and loves those marmite cheese bites that come in a net bag like Babybels.

 

Does the US have Marmite? I know Australia has Vegemite, which is the same or similar? What about Branston pickle? British food stores excepted - I mean generally. When I was in the US a number of years ago and asked for Branston pickle in a supermarket (again my daughter loved it), it was like I was speaking a foreign lanuage lol.

[Kalliste]

I like marmite occasionally. My daughter is a marmite fan and loves those marmite cheese bites that come in a net bag like Babybels.

 

Does the US have Marmite? I know Australia has Vegemite, which is the same or similar? What about Branston pickle? British food stores excepted - I mean generally. When I was in the US a number of years ago and asked for Branston pickle in a supermarket (again my daughter loved it), it was like I was speaking a foreign lanuage lol.

I was going to say we have Marmite in Australia, but according to wikipedia what we consider marmite is different to the british version:

 

A version with a different flavour[2] has been manufactured in New Zealand since 1919. This is the only product sold as Marmite in Australasia and the Pacific, whereas elsewhere in the world the British version predominates.

 

I remember eating marmite as a kid, although could never deal with vegemite, now I don't really eat either.

[ParadoxLost]

I know Australia has Vegemite, which is the same or similar?

 

I had no idea what that was.  Looked it up and apparently Men at Work had a song with that in it.  I always thought it was "a bit of my sandwich" not "vegemite sandwich".  So I'm pretty sure Americans don't have Marmite or Vegemite.

[Meredith Quill]

Lol I loved that song. Well at least you will be singing the correct lyric in future :p

 

Reminds me of an ex bf whose little sister used to sing along to the old song, Sugar Sugar by The Archies, The lyric went:

Sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

 

She heard:

Sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me on a one man mule

 

Which she belted out at the top of her voice, she was only about 9 or 10 though lol.

[FormerMod-a1]

That song is the whole reason I know what Vegemite is! 

[dalek]

@SliverStormm - I haven't been able to find Branston Pickle here in the DC area in the US, and I've been looking.  Had some for the first time when I was in the UK last year and loved the stuff.

 

I've been rewatching some of my Sylvester McCoy dvds recently, and I have a question - what Ace uses the expression "Gordon Bennett!" what is it supposed to mean?

[Eozostrodon]

It's just a general expression of surprise. Like saying, "Oh my God!" There are various stories about the origin of this phrase.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gordon-bennett.html

 

Incidentally the link mentions "blimey" being an abbreviation for 'God blind me.' My grandmother was punished as a child for saying blimey because it was considered sacriligious. As an adult she said it all the time!

Edited June 29, 2014 by Eozostrodon

[Meredith Quill]

@dalek

 

What @Eozostrodon said lol. Replacement for 'flipping hell/heck' or similar type exclamations.

 

I didn't even know why we say GB - thank god for the internet to explain such trivia to us all.

[mledawn]

I had assumed Gordon Bennett was Cockney rhyming slang so interesting to know it's not!

[lambertman]

So I'm pretty sure Americans don't have Marmite or Vegemite.

 

Both are readily available here in specialty shops. I have a small jar of vegemite that I've been working on for about a decade :)

Edited June 30, 2014 by lambertman

[Meredith Quill]

Both are readily available here in specialty shops. I have a small jar of vegemite that I've been working on for about a decade :)

 

Eeek, that's worrying....

[WyKnott]

 

Does the US have Marmite? I know Australia has Vegemite, which is the same or similar? What about Branston pickle? British food stores excepted - I mean generally. When I was in the US a number of years ago and asked for Branston pickle in a supermarket (again my daughter loved it), it was like I was speaking a foreign lanuage lol.

 

You can find marmite, vegemite and Branston Pickles in some specialty stores in the US. I'm not sure a supermarket would carry it unless there was a large community of ex-pats in the area. Cost Plus World Markets and Fresh and Easy carry them. You can also find other stuff, like treacle, HP Sauce and Flakes there.

Edited July 1, 2014 by WyKnott