# Termini che hanno una traduzione diversa in American English e in British English - PLEASE CONTRIBUTE!



## Paulfromitaly

> *Termine in italiano:* inquilino moroso*
> Termine in AmE: *delinquent tenant*
> Termine in BrE: *defaulting tenant/tenant in arrears


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## wildan1

Paulfromitaly said:


> AE: delinquent tenant


We do also say _tenant in arrears_, or _behind in [his] rent_


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## Paulfromitaly

wildan1 said:


> We do also say _tenant in arrears_, or _behind in [his] rent_



Thanks.
I'm pretty sure BrE speakers don't say _delinquent_ though


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## london calling

Paulfromitaly said:


> Thanks.
> I'm pretty sure BrE speakers don't say _delinquent_ though


Quite right, we don't.


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## london calling

Another difference which has just come out in another thread:

*Termine in italiano: placca da forno/teglia da forno (a bordi bassi) 
Termine in AmE: cookie sheet
Termine in BrE: baking tray*


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## curiosone

LC, non si dice anche "piastra da forno"?  Sono sicura di averlo letto, in qualche ricetta per biscotti.


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## aefrizzo

A proposito di *morosità.*
Confermo.
*Delinquent* *subscriber*: così mi sollecita l'amministrazione di una pubblicazione periodica USA. Avevo dimenticato di rinnovare l'abbonamento scaduto.


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## london calling

curiosone said:


> LC, non si dice anche "piastra da forno"?  Sono sicura di averlo letto, in qualche ricetta per biscotti.


I've heard that too.


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## CPA

curiosone said:


> LC, non si dice anche "piastra da forno"?  Sono sicura di averlo letto, in qualche ricetta per biscotti.



C'è chi usa anche la "leccarda" come piastra.


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## WordsWordWords

Hi london,

I can confirm "cookie sheet" for AmE, but look at this for some other terms as well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_pan


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## london calling

CPA said:


> C'è chi usa anche la "leccarda" come piastra.


That's different from a _baking tray/sheet_. A _leccarda_ is indeed a _piastra_, but it's the one that comes with the oven itself: it's like an extra shelf which slots inside it. It's meant to catch all the fat that runs off your chicken (or whatever) when you cook it on a spit.

As a matter of fact I'm not 100% sure what I'd call that in English....it's a bit like the bottom half of a grill pan, but it's not quite the same thing.


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## WordsWordWords

london calling said:


> That's different from a _baking tray/sheet_. A _leccarda_ is indeed a _piastra_, but it's the one that comes with the oven itself: it's like an extra shelf which slots inside it. It's meant to catch all the fat that runs off your chicken (or whatever) when you cook it on a spit.
> 
> As a matter of fact I'm not 100% sure what I'd call that in English....it's a bit like the bottom half of a grill pan, but it's not quite the same thing.




I would call this an "oven drip pan/tray", confirmed when I Googled it -- a lot of images came up identical to CPA's _leccarda_.

I don't use a spit in my oven but this pan sure is handy when my cake batter overflows as it bakes!


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## london calling

Sounds good, Words.


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## curiosone

I propose we amend this:*

Termine in italiano: placca o piastra da forno/teglia da forno (a bordi bassi) 
Termine in AmE: cookie sheet, baking sheet
Termine in BrE: baking tray, baking sheet  

*The _teglia da forno (a bordi bassi) _that I have (bought in Italy) is also a jelly-roll pan.  so perhaps (really getting _pignola_ here! ) I'd amend even further...

*Termine in italiano: placca o piastra da forno
Termine in AmE: cookie sheet, baking sheet
Termine in BrE: baking sheet

**Termine in italiano: teglia da forno (a bordi bassi) 
Termine in AmE: jelly roll pan
Termine in BrE: baking tray*


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## CPA

Do we have this one?

*Termine in italiano: *risvolto (dei pantaloni)
*Termine in AE: *cuff*
Termine in BrE: *turn-up


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## sound shift

Yes, we do, in an earlier thread: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2632254&page=4&highlight=cuff (the first mention occurs at post 67).


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## L'aura che tu respiri

verseau213 said:


> I'm probably chiming in late, but wanted to share because I've never heard anyone in my life call what is seen in the picture for "credenza" a buffet in the US. I've always called/heard it called a hutch, and when Googled it matches the pictures.



Ditto. We never use the word buffet for credenza!  For us buffet is only the cafeteria-style meal. We have a credenza which my wife and I call the sideboard (and we're both American).


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## chipulukusu

L'aura che tu respiri said:


> Ditto. We never use the word buffet for credenza!  For us buffet is only the cafeteria-style meal. We have a credenza which my wife and I call the sideboard (and we're both American).



Hi L'aura, this could also account for a BrE/AmE difference, as in England a _buffet_ is an all-you-can-eat meal (at least in Manchester, that is reknown as the world _buffet_ capital), which doesn't seem to exactly match your cafeteria-style meal.


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## L'aura che tu respiri

I did, indeed, mean the all-you-can-eat buffet. "Cafeteria-style" wasn't very exact.


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## london calling

L'aura che tu respiri said:


> Ditto. We never use the word buffet for credenza!  For us buffet is only the cafeteria-style meal. We have a credenza which my wife and I call the sideboard (and we're both American).


I'm from London and would never call a sideboard a buffet.


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## chipulukusu

L'aura che tu respiri said:


> I did, indeed, mean the all-you-can-eat buffet. "Cafeteria-style" wasn't very exact.



Ok L'aura, so no BrE/AmE difference here


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## Einstein

I _think _I've heard buffet used for a piece of furniture _in Italian_! Never in English.


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## PatsRule

Many stores in NYC use "buffet table" or "buffet cabinet" for a dining room sideboard/china cabinet
The hutch is the upper part, but you can buy one only with the bottom section.


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## london calling

PatsRule said:


> Many stores in NYC use "buffet table" or "buffet cabinet" for a dining room sideboard/china cabinet
> The hutch is the upper part, but you can buy one only with the bottom section.


That's what we're saying.  _Buffet _is used in AE (but not by everyone) and Italian to mean a _sideboard_ (credenza), but not in BE.


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## PatsRule

verseau213 said:


> I'm probably chiming in late, but wanted to share because I've never heard anyone in my life call what is seen in the picture for "credenza" a buffet in the US. I've always called/heard it called a hutch, and when Googled it matches the pictures.



I should have responded initially with your quote because it caused confusion  - just wanted to add that the hutch is the upper part


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## curiosone

*Termine in italiano:  spartitraffico
Termine in AE:  median, median strip
Termine in BrE:  central reservation

**Termine in italiano: superstrada                                              (anche : autostrada - se pagata)
Termine in AE:  highway, interstate or interstate highway (also :     turnpike, toll road - if paid)
Termine in BrE:  motorway                                                      (if paid **:**  toll road??)

**Termine in italiano: tangenziale
Termine in AE: expressway
Termine in BrE: ?*


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## london calling

curiosone said:


> *Termine in italiano:  spartitraffico
> Termine in AE:  median, median strip
> Termine in BrE:  central reservation
> 
> **Termine in italiano: superstrada                                              (anche : autostrada - se pagata). Ah, but some 'autostrade' are toll free, e.g. the Salerno - Reggio Calabria.
> Termine in AE:  highway, interstate or interstate highway (also :     turnpike, toll road - if paid)
> Termine in BrE:  motorway                                                      (if paid **:**  toll road??). We have toll roads/turnpikes, but none of them are motorways, as far as I can remember.
> 
> **Termine in italiano: tangenziale
> Termine in AE: expressway
> Termine in BrE: ring-road**
> *


** The London Orbital motorway (the M25) is also a ring road, however.


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## rrose17

Doesn't a ring road go around an urban area rather than through it? I think they call it that in the States as well.


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## joanvillafane

No, I don't think "ring road" is used in the States.  I know it as a "beltway."


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## rrose17

joanvillafane said:


> No, I don't think "ring road" is used in the States.  I know it as a "beltway."


Ah! Right you are. I have no idea what they call it here, or if they use the expression. But in any case I'd say expressway is not the same a ring road.


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## joanvillafane

I agree.  Expressway is just another word for highway here.


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## sound shift

*Termine in italiano: saliera
Termine in AmE: salt shaker
Termine in BrE: salt cellar
*


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## joanvillafane

Hi sound shift - are you saying that a salt celler (in BrE) has holes on top that shake like a salt shaker?  I always thought it referred to a container for salt, where you either spoon it out, or use your fingers to "pinch" it.


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## sound shift

Evening, joanvillafane,

Yes, salt cellars have holes and are for shaking in my BrE.


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## aefrizzo

joanvillafane said:


> .. are you saying that a salt celler (in BrE) has holes on top that shake like a salt shaker?  I always thought it referred to a container for salt, where you either spoon it out, or use your fingers to "pinch" it.


Ciao, ragazzi. Mi sembra che l'italiano "saliera", nel linguaggio comune, indichi entrambi gli oggetti (ricordate quella di Benvenuto Cellini). I macrobiotici propongono anche un "macina sale" da tavola, per il sale grosso (come per il pepe). Come lo chiamereste?


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## rrose17

aefrizzo said:


> Ciao, ragazzi. Mi sembra che l'italiano "saliera", nel linguaggio comune, indichi entrambi gli oggetti (ricordate quella di Benvenuto Cellini). I macrobiotici propongono anche un "macina sale" da tavola, per il sale grosso (come per il pepe). Come lo chiamereste?


A salt mill, I guess.


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## joanvillafane

A salt mill, I guess.  anche qui.


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## curiosone

joanvillafane said:
			
		

> No, I don't think "ring road" is used in the States. I know it as a "beltway." This is what I call an "expressway" or "interstate bypass."





joanvillafane said:


> I agree.  Expressway is just another word for highway here.
> "Highways" aren't always "expressways."



While I have heard of "_beltways_" (usually associated with huge cities like NYC), that isn't what we call them, where I come from.   What you would call a "_beltway_" (considered part of the interstate system, but existing only in the city) we call an "_expressway_" or "interstate bypass." 

Here's a link that explains how it works, down my way:  http://louisville.about.com/od/transportation/tp/louisvilleinterstates.htm

I agree however that "_expressway_" can also be another name for "_freeway_" or "_motorway_" ("Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane dividers, etc., for high-speed traffic")  A _highwa_y (unlike an _expressway_ or _motorway_ or _freeway_) doesn't always have limited access (with access ramps to enter/exit). The older _U.S. highways_ (for example U.S.60, that goes coast-to-coast across the U.S.) do not have limited access.  In the States there are also "_state highways_" which would be more like the "Via Emilia" which crosses northern Italy, or the "Adriatica" that goes (north-south) along the Adriatic Coast (going through towns along the way). _State highways_ (AmE) are probably about the same as "_highways_" in BrE.


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## ALEX1981X

curiosone said:


> *Termine in italiano:  spartitraffico
> Termine in AE:  median, median strip
> Termine in BrE:  central reservation
> 
> **Termine in italiano: superstrada                                              (anche : autostrada - se pagata)
> Termine in AE:  highway, interstate or interstate highway (also :     turnpike, toll road - if paid)
> Termine in BrE:  motorway                                                      (if paid **:**  toll road??)
> 
> **Termine in italiano: tangenziale
> Termine in AE: expressway
> Termine in BrE: ?*



As far as "spartitraffico" is concerned ,does *guardrail* exist? Is it used ??


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## chipulukusu

I don't know if London agrees, but _ring road _in the Uk, or in England at least, has two separate meanings. One is of course an orbital motorway that runs all around a city, as London said, like the M25 for London or the M60 for Manchester. The other is a circular system of roads inside a city and not very far from its centre. These are road that were not originally planned at this purpose but were designated later to form a circular path around the centre of the city, once the opportunity to limit the traffic inside the central areas became evident.
This is evident in Manchester, for example, where there is an external Ring Road (the M60) and an internal Ring Road made in part by a road built on purpose (Mancunian Way) but in greater part by preexisting roads (Trinity Way, Bridge Road, etc.).
I think this is tipical of _self-centric_ cities, cities that were free to expand around their own center, without being limited by a big river, like London or Rome, or by the seaside. Examples of this in Italy are Milan, Brescia, Bologna, and the circular system of roads around the centre of Brescia is exactly called "il ring".
I wonder how you call this internal circle of roads in the Usa.


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## wildan1

> While I have heard of "_beltways" (usually associated with huge cities like NYC), that isn't what we call them, where I come from. What you would call a "beltway" (considered part of the interstate system, but existing only in the city) we call an "expressway" or "interstate bypass."_


In AE _a beltway_ goes all the way around a city--there are beltways around Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD (like BE _ring road_), whereas _a bypass_ goes around a city or town, usually just on one side--so not exactly the same thing.

An _expressway_ (or _freeway_) is a limited-access road that is not a Federal highway (or _interstate_--usually it goes by an abbreviation starting with the letter_ I -- "I-70", "I-5"_, etc.)--otherwise I don't think they are different. Certainly not limited to being circular.


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## london calling

chipulukusu said:


> I don't know if London agrees, but _ring road _in the Uk, or in England at least, has two separate meanings. One is of course an orbital motorway that runs all around a city, as London said, like the M25 for London or the M60 for Manchester. The other is a circular system of road inside a city and not very far from its centre.


Of course I agree, Chip: that's what I meant when I said _** The London Orbital motorway (the M25) is *also* a ring road,_ given that Curiosone was looking for the BE translation of _tangenziale_. 

And let me ask you a question: Curiosone suggests that in Italian _superstrada_ and _autostrada_ are synonyms. I don't personally agree with that. As I said: 
*
Termine in italiano: superstrada (anche : autostrada - se pagata). Ah, but some 'autostrade' are toll free, e.g. the Salerno - Reggio Calabria. 
Termine in AE: highway, interstate or interstate highway (also : turnpike, toll road - if paid)
Termine in BrE: motorway (if paid : toll road??). We have toll roads/turnpikes, but none of them are motorways, as far as I can remember.
*
To me a _superstrada _(here's a photo of the 'Aurelia') is a dual carriageway (here's a photo of the N19 dual carriageway in the UK) and an _autostrada _is a motorway. In the UK we put an M before the number (e.g. the M25) to indicate a motorway, but there is one exception: parts of the A1, which links London to Edinburgh have been upgraded to motorway standard (I've seen it written A1M).

I also checked if we have to pay to use any motorways in the UK: we don't . There's something called the M6toll but it isn't part of the M6 itself (see here).

PS. A _circonvallazione_ as per King's definition is a 'bypass' or 'relief road' in BE.


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## King Crimson

> The other is a circular system of road inside a city and not very far from its centre



Chipu already provided an excellent explanation of what a ring road is in Italy but I would add that in the case of an inner ring road (that is, developing inside the city proper) it would be called circonvallazione rather than _tangenziale _(I would restrict use of this latter term to external ring roads). In Milan, which is a classic example of a city with a concentric layout (as opposed to Turin, for example, which has a grid plan), this is so true that there are two _circonvallazioni_, called _circonvallazione interna _and _circonvallazione esterna_.


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## Einstein

ALEX1981X said:


> As far as "spartitraffico" is concerned ,does *guardrail* exist? Is it used ??


Yes, it is used, more often as two separate words: *guard rail*. It refers specifically to the metal structure and not to the "spartitraffico" in general; I think that's clear to Italians.


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## chipulukusu

london calling said:


> Of course I agree, Chip: that's what I meant when I said _** The London Orbital motorway (the M25) is *also* a ring road,_ given that Curiosone was looking for the BE translation of _tangenziale_.
> 
> And let me ask you a question: Curiosone suggests that in Italian _superstrada_ and _autostrada_ are synonyms. I don't personally agree with that. As I said:
> *
> Termine in italiano: superstrada (anche : autostrada - se pagata). Ah, but some 'autostrade' are toll free, e.g. the Salerno - Reggio Calabria.
> Termine in AE: highway, interstate or interstate highway (also : turnpike, toll road - if paid)
> Termine in BrE: motorway (if paid : toll road??). We have toll roads/turnpikes, but none of them are motorways, as far as I can remember.
> *
> To me a _superstrada _(here's a photo of the 'Aurelia') is a dual carriageway (here's a photo of the N19 dual carriageway in the UK) and an _autostrada _is a motorway. In the UK we put an M before the number (e.g. the M25) to indicate a motorway, but there is one exception: parts of the A1, which links London to Edinburgh have been upgraded to motorway standard (I've seen it written A1M).
> 
> I also checked if we have to pay to use any motorways in the UK: we don't . There's something called the M6toll but it isn't part of the M6 itself (see here).
> 
> PS. A _circonvallazione_ as per King's definition is a 'bypass' or 'relief road' in BE.



Hi London, I also agree with you...  I am used to call _superstrada_ only a toll-free double carriageway road. A single carriageway road can't be called _superstrada _for me. A _superstrada_ is an _autostrada_ for which you don't pay a toll.
Single carriageway fast roads are rapidly increasingly in number because they represent a cheapest alternative to a preexisting _strada statale_ for skipping an urban centre going around it. I call these _tangenziali_, so I use this name no matter if they are single or double carriageway.
Single carriageway fast roads are also becoming popular for connecting different cities with less impact on territory than a superstrada or an autostrada. I call these _strade a scorrimento veloce.

EDIT: _And of Course King Crimson is right, inner ring roads are called _circonvallazioni _in Italy.


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## King Crimson

Seeing the latest addition by LC I'd like to expand on my previous post about _circonvallazioni_ (what a poetic subject): it is true that a _circonvallazione _is designed to reduce congestion in a built up area and therefore its original route should be located somewhere at the boundaries of a city/town (in Milan and other medieval towns this route ran all along city walls, hence the name _circonvallazione_), but it's also true that over time (and in Italy this means several centuries) this original path has been often gradually incorporated into steadily expanding urban areas (this is what happened also to the Milan's _circonvallazioni_), so that ultimately they have become ordinary city/town roads.
The end result is that the present-day meaning of _circonvallazione _still reflects its original intent (cp. the definition given by Treccani) but has also evolved to include specific thoroughfares running inside the city (especially around old city walls).


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## curiosone

london calling said:


> [/COLOR]Curiosone suggests that in Italian _superstrada_ and _autostrada_ are synonyms. I don't personally agree with that. As I said:
> *
> Termine in italiano: superstrada (anche : autostrada - se pagata). Ah, but some 'autostrade' are toll free, e.g. the Salerno - Reggio Calabria.
> Termine in AE: highway, interstate or interstate highway (also : turnpike, toll road - if paid)
> Termine in BrE: motorway (if paid : toll road??). We have toll roads/turnpikes, but none of them are motorways, as far as I can remember.
> *



Since this is the second time you state that I was suggesting something (that I wasn't), LC, I figure I'd better clarify.   To avoid confusion I should have written two different groups of terms, because the part in parenthesis referred ONLY to toll roads (which is why I put these words in parenthesis, specifying "pagata" or "paid" - to separate them from the other free-but-limited-access roads).  

This is how I SHOULD have written them (to avoid misinterpretation):
_(a) non a pagamento:_*
Termine in italiano: superstrada 
**Termine in AmE: highway, freeway, expressway, interstate or interstate highway*
**Termine in BrE: motorway 
**sometimes interstates are also toll roads, but not always (it depends on the state)

_(b) a pagamento:_
*Termine in italiano: **autostrada**
Termini (both in AmE and BrE, so not needed in the database) : **turnpike, toll road
*
...to which we may as well add:

_(a) circonvallazione esterno:_*
Termine in italiano: tangenziale
**Termine in AmE: beltway, by-pass, detour route*
*Termine in BrE: ring road 

*_(b) circonvallazione interno:
_*Termine in italiano: circonvallazione interna [a Bologna:  viali)
**Termine in AmE: ** *_[not sure it exists] - maybe "detour route"_
*Termine in BrE: relief road
*** I don't think we even have the concept of "circonvallazione interna" in the U.S.  Cities in the "New World" weren't originally Roman camps (like in Italy), and the "downtown" area doesn't necessarily correspond to a central point ("city centre" or "centro"). In Boston and Norfolk, the downtown areas are by the ocean.  New York's "downtown" is on an island (Manhattan).  As settlers moved west, they stopped wherever it looked like a good place to settle (often near a body of water).  My hometown (Louisville, which I'll only use as an example) was created because people travelling down the Ohio River had to stop and go around the falls.

Louisville's downtown area is on the Ohio River, which is the north boundary of the city (and state).  Here's a map that shows how the Interstates I-65 (north/south) and I-64 (east/west) cross near the river (and near the downtown).  What is called a "beltway" on the East Coast corresponds to our I-264 which is also called the Watterson Expressway (which is defined as "Louisville bypass Interstate").  I see nothing corresponding to a "circonvallazione interna."  I have provided a map so you can see how I-264 does actually go AROUND the city on 3 sides, here:  http://www.smart-traveler.info/map_of_louisville_ky_usa.html 

Hope it's clear now.


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## drcab

curiosone said:


> *Termine in italiano: superstrada                                              (anche : autostrada - se pagata)
> Termine in AE:  highway, interstate or interstate highway (also :     turnpike, toll road - if paid)
> Termine in BrE:  motorway                                                      (if paid **:**  toll road??)
> 
> **Termine in italiano: tangenziale
> Termine in AE: expressway
> Termine in BrE: ?*



Apart from bridges we have one toll motorway called simply the M6 (toll)  in BrE.

The nearest I get to tangenziale is perhaps usually a 'dual carriageway' and a single  carriageway but nonetheless fast road like the tangenziale at Brescia   is a 'trunk road'.


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## drcab

That would be a drip tray I think eg for catching goose fat if your oven has a spit...but not all our ovens do.


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## drcab

Sorry I forgot to quote "leccarda"


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## King Crimson

curiosone said:


> Since this is the second time you state that I was suggesting something (that I wasn't), LC, I figure I'd better clarify.  To avoid confusion I should have written two different groups of terms, because the part in parenthesis referred ONLY to toll roads (which is why I put these words in parenthesis, specifying "pagata" or "paid" - to separate them from the other free-but-limited-access roads).
> 
> This is how I SHOULD have written them (to avoid misinterpretation):
> _(a) non a pagamento:_*
> Termine in italiano: superstrada
> **Termine in AmE: highway, freeway, expressway, interstate or interstate highway*
> **Termine in BrE: motorway
> **sometimes interstates are also toll roads, but not always (it depends on the state)
> 
> _(b) a pagamento:_
> *Termine in italiano: **autostrada**
> Termini (both in AmE and BrE, so not needed in the database) : **turnpike, toll road
> *
> ...to which we may as well add:
> 
> _(a) circonvallazione esterno:_*
> Termine in italiano: tangenziale
> **Termine in AmE: beltway, by-pass, detour route*
> *Termine in BrE: ring road
> 
> *_(b) circonvallazione interno:
> _*Termine in italiano: circonvallazione interna [a Bologna: viali)
> **Termine in AmE: ** *_[not sure it exists] - maybe "detour route"_
> *Termine in BrE: relief road
> *** I don't think we even have the concept of "circonvallazione interna" in the U.S. Cities in the "New World" weren't originally Roman camps (like in Italy), and the "downtown" area doesn't necessarily correspond to a central point ("city centre" or "centro"). In Boston and Norfolk, the downtown areas are by the ocean. New York's "downtown" is on an island (Manhattan). As settlers moved west, they stopped wherever it looked like a good place to settle (often near a body of water). My hometown (Louisville, which I'll only use as an example) was created because people travelling down the Ohio River had to stop and go around the falls.
> 
> Louisville's downtown area is on the Ohio River, which is the north boundary of the city (and state). Here's a map that shows how the Interstates I-65 (north/south) and I-64 (east/west) cross near the river (and near the downtown). What is called a "beltway" on the East Coast corresponds to our I-264 which is also called the Watterson Expressway (which is defined as "Louisville bypass Interstate"). I see nothing corresponding to a "circonvallazione interna." I have provided a map so you can see how I-264 does actually go AROUND the city on 3 sides, here: http://www.smart-traveler.info/map_of_louisville_ky_usa.html
> 
> Hope it's clear now.



Hi curiosone, just a couple of minor comments:
- _circonvallazione _is of feminine gender, so it should be _circonvallazione esterna _(or _interna_)
- Cities built on Roman camps (like Turin, which I mentioned) actually have a street grid (much like most US cities), because Roman camps usually had that shape (_quadrilatero_). Milan, conversely, follows a radial pattern around the cathedral (Il Duomo)

I also agree that the concept of _circonvallazione interna _has no direct equivalent in the US.


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## curiosone

King Crimson said:


> Hi curiosone, just a couple of minor comments:
> - _circonvallazione _is of feminine gender, so it should be _circonvallazione esterna _(or _interna_) OOPS! *I mindslap myself for the careless typo*
> - Cities built on Roman camps (like Turin, which I mentioned) actually have a street grid (much like most US cities), because Roman camps usually had that shape (_quadrilatero_). Milan, conversely, follows a radial pattern around the cathedral (Il Duomo)  Here I must beg to differ.  NYC may have a street grid, and big cities manage to have (or attempt to have) some sort of grid in the downtown area, but most towns (and suburbs) have very few straight lines (or even patterns), in the States_ - as they weren't built around a cathedral or church or castle, and weren't surrounded by walls (the best most could do were to build forts).
> [When will people realize that NYC doesn't really represent America?__]_
> 
> I also agree that the concept of _circonvallazione interna _has no direct equivalent in the US.



Thanks for your comments, King. My comments are inserted above,.


----------



## london calling

drcab said:


> Apart from bridges we have one toll motorway called simply the M6 (toll)  in BrE.


See my post 357. The M6toll is not part of the M6 itself. And to me a dual carriageway is more a _superstrada_.

PS King, re. your post about _circonvallazioni _that have become more and more....urbanised. That's what's happened in London : The North Circular and the South Circular (here). (The number of times I've driven along the South Circular in Woolwich without really realising I was on it!)


----------



## King Crimson

Jo, from what I can read in the link you posted, the _(North/South) circulars _would appear to be an almost perfect equivalent of a _circonvallazione interna_. The fact is, this seems to be a very specific UK term and perhaps also in the UK may not mean much to non-Londoners, let alone people from other English-speaking countries. Or do you know that _circular _is used elsewhere with this meaning?

P.S. "...forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...". Don't know why, but I find it very amusing the idea of the inner part of an outer part. It's stupid, I know...


----------



## london calling

King, we don't use the word 'circular' to mean a _circonvallazione interna_: it's part of the name of the roads in London, that's all (which is why it's written with a capital 'C'). I wasn't suggesting it as another way of saying it, I was just saying that I know exactly what you mean when you say _circonvallazione interna _in Italian. I'd say that the South Circular and the North Circular were originally designed to be 'ring roads'/'relief roads' (BE).


----------



## King Crimson

I know, maybe it wasn't clear from my post but I was the one suggesting a possible similarity between the two terms, based on the description of the Circulars given by Wiki.
Anyway, guess I'll have to live with the fact that _circonvallazione interna_ has no acceptable translation...


----------



## chipulukusu

The interesting posts by Curio and KC about the shape of the cities remind me that many British cities are _polycentric_. From a plane sometimes they appear to have a structure which remind rose buds or something similar.
This brings to one of the toponyms for roads that intrigues me most: _Crescent_. I'm still nostalgic about living in a _Chicola Crescent _for a short period, in Africa, many years ago.
No matter how I try I can't find an Italian name for these crescent moon-shaped roads. Neither I know if this or another term is used for this kind of roads in the USA. A BrE/AmE difference here?


----------



## Teerex51

chipulukusu said:


> Neither *do * I know if this or another term is used for this kind of roads in the USA. A BrE/AmE difference here?



Hi Chip, while not as common as in the UK, the street suffix _crescent_ does exist in the US, too.  As for an Italian equivalent, I must confess I can't come up with one...


----------



## london calling

Teerex51 said:


> Hi Chip, while not as common as in the UK, the street suffix _crescent_ does exist in the US, too.  As for an Italian equivalent, I must confess I can't come up with one...


Here (English Only) they say it's rare in AE.


----------



## joanvillafane

Hi Jo - not so rare in communities where street names are signs of status - who would want to live on a Street, when you can live on a Lane, Circle, Crescent, Alley, Court, etc.


----------



## london calling

joanvillafane said:


> Hi Jo - not so rare in communities where street names are signs of status - who would want to live on a Street, when you can live on a Lane, Circle, Crescent, Alley, Court, etc.


Hee hee! Point taken, Jo. 

I can't think of anything in Italian which would render 'Crescent' in a street name either, however.


----------



## sound shift

joanvillafane said:


> Hi Jo - not so rare in communities where street names are signs of status - who would want to live on a Street, when you can live on a Lane, Circle, Crescent, Alley, Court, etc.


Hmmm ... Street names might be signs of status in the minds of some individuals, but whole communities? No. The names are in any case given by developers; the public has to take what's on offer. Lanes pass through areas that are, or were originally, rural, while "street" implies 'urban', so "lane" is not a street for the status-conscious.


----------



## joanvillafane

Well, I big to differ with you about "Lane" being rural, sound shift.  Developers here get very creative with names, and I'm speaking about what you might call a suburban area here.  As for "originally rural" I guess that applies to just about everywhere, depending on how far back you go!


----------



## chipulukusu

london calling said:


> Here (English Only) they say it's rare in AE.



Thank you London, I didn't think to check on _English Only_, in fact...

And Joan, you are right, I'd love to have a chance to live on a _Crescent_ again... It sounds so posh and exclusive!


----------



## curiosone

> Hmmm ... Street names might be signs of status in the minds of some individuals, but whole communities?



While technically residential suburban neighborhoods ("quartieri") of cities, let's not forget the "gated communities" that have become so popular in recent years, both as a status symbol and also for greater protection/surveillance.  In Florida they're the equivalent of New York apartment buildings with a doorman (the ritzy ones with a view of Central Park) - except on a neighborhood scale.


----------



## King Crimson

*Termine in italiano:* inciucio
*Termine in AmE*: back-room deal
*Termine in BrE*: (backstairs) stitch-up

See also this thread for more information.


----------



## drcab

WordsWordWords said:


> From post #285:
> 
> 
> For me, today "specs" has taken on a different meaning entirely >> an abbreviation for "*specifications*" for example in a technical context but probably others as well. I would not use "specs" at all as having to do with "eyeglasses".



Eyeglasses in  BrE is the old word for telescope so very unlikely to be used for specs, I think.


----------



## drcab

Tegs said:


> pinafore is a dress you wear over a blouse



To me, an older Brit, a pinafore is simply an apron.  A pinafore dress is worn over a blouse or sweater and the school versions were  a pleated gabardine type of pinafore dress called gymslips and nothing to do with gym.



Einstein said:


> This is one that came to mind so I looked it up in the database:
> *
> Termine in italiano: *maglione*
> Termine in AmE: *sweater*
> Termine in BrE: *jumper
> 
> 
> 
> There are quite a lot of words around. In BrE the oldest word was "jersey" (haven't heard it for years!). But it was replaced by "pullover", which I see isn't included above. Does that sound very old to other Brits? "Jumper", on the other hand, is something I've always heard women say, while men continued to say "pullover".
> "Sweater" to me is an alternative in BrE too; I don't find it strictly AmE.



To me a pullover is one worn over a shirt, usually by the gentlemen but not always, while a jumper is mostly a feminine garment, a sweater more casual in style that one might wear with jeans, and jersey (like guernsey) is a very particular traditional style of fisherman's pullover.

Is there a list of ones already discussed?

Where /how does one post new ones please?

On the database  list I see asilo nido as creche for BrE , whereas I always say day nursery and use creche just for ones in one's place of work funded by employers.


----------



## k in the desert

King Crimson said:


> *Termine in italiano:* inciucio
> *Termine in AmE*: back-room deal
> *Termine in BrE*: (backstairs) stitch-up
> 
> See also this thread for more information.



In certain situations, you could say, "with a wink and a nod."


----------



## curiosone

IT: stagionato (referring to cheese)
AmE: aged
BrE: matured

IT: piccante (referring to cheese)
AmE: sharp (also extra-sharp, if "molto forte")
BrE: extra-matured (? )


----------



## CPA

curiosone said:


> IT: stagionato (referring to cheese)
> AmE: aged
> BrE: matured
> 
> IT: piccante (referring to cheese)
> AmE: sharp (also extra-sharp, if "molto forte")
> BrE: extra-matured (? )



I may be mixing memories (not being partial to cheese), but I vaguely remember my father talking about "ripe" and "high". However, he was referring to Stilton, which he considered fit to eat when it walked in on its own legs. 

No connection with Parmesan or grana, of course, and "piccante" points to something like "caciotta al peperoncino" rather than "extra-matured". I'd call a pecorino romano "saporito" or "strong".


----------



## curiosone

"Gorgonzola piccante" does not contain "peperoncino".  I invite you to check this discussion: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=9365 
The question is not how to use "stagionato" or "piccante" (which is for Italians to clarify), but how to translate these terms into English.  And since AE and BE speakers seem to differ on how they would translate them, I think this is the place to clarify (and eventually add extra terms to the AmE or BrE lists of terms).


----------



## k in the desert

Ripe can be used to denote a mature cheese, but as CPA mentions, it can also refer to a pungent cheese, often in unflattering terms, such as when it is used to describe a particularly piquant body odor.
Piquant is also used to describe a sharp, tangy cheese and has positive connotations in reference to cheese.


----------



## wildan1

k in the desert said:


> Ripe can be used to denote a mature cheese, but as CPA mentions, it can also refer to a pungent cheese, often in unflattering terms, such as when it is used to describe a particularly piquant body odor.


When _ripe_ becomes an unflattering quality as to its odor, whether for a cheese or other things, it is usually called _smelly_ in AE. Cheese, dirty clothes, feet, etc. all can become _smelly_ and there's no doubt about their unpleasantness!

Go one step farther and you reach _putrid_...

Does any of this really qualify for a BE/AE distinction?


----------



## curiosone

If you had taken the time to read the discussion whose link I posted in post #387, you'd realize that AE and BE natives have already agreed that "sharp" and "aged" are AE terms used in North America (USA and Canada), whereas in BE they say "mature" and "extra-mature".  If anyone wishes to add any other words/synonoms (which also translate "stagionato" or "piccante" as used in Italian, with specific reference to cheese) I invite them to re-write my list and ADD the terms that they feel are missing.  This does not exclude terms used in both AE and BE (we already have a BE/AE distinction).


----------



## chipulukusu

Certainly the process through which cheese becomes _piccante_ is maturation, and it has nothing to do with it being spicy or added with chili. _Extra_-_Matured _has its sense therefore, but if we consider a typical Italian formaggio piccante, which is _provolone piccante_, we see that it becomes _piccante_ in maybe only six months, while other cheese does not in three or four times as much time.
I think _sharp _or _piquant_ as they say in the US gives more the idea of this kind of cheese, which naturally does not require to mature too much to become _piccante. _I think a cheese similar to _provolone piccante, _though more acid-tasting could be _Cheddar Cheese_, and I find a bit strange that in the UK they don't find a way to call it _sharp _or _tasty_ before calling it _mature_.
In the area of England that I know better we can also find _Cheshire Cheese _but I find this decisely more acid than sharp.


----------



## curiosone

Cheddar cheese becomes sharper in taste with aging;  a young cheddar can have a mild flavour, and is in fact called "mild cheddar" in AE.  So if "sharp" in AE is "piccante" in Italian, "mild" would (I suppose) be "dolce."  I'm not sure whether "mild" (referring to cheese) is   said the same way, in BE.


----------



## sound shift

Yes, "mild cheese" would be understood by a BE speaker.


----------



## chipulukusu

curiosone said:


> Cheddar cheese becomes sharper in taste with aging;  a young cheddar can have a mild flavour, and is in fact called "mild cheddar" in AE.  So if "sharp" in AE is "piccante" in Italian, "mild" would (I suppose) be "dolce."  I'm not sure whether "mild" (referring to cheese) is   said the same way, in BE.



Got it! _Provolone dolce_ and _provolone piccante_ is exactly how we call the two variants, _mild _and _sharp _.
I didn't know about _mild cheddar_, but this is on account of my limited experience with British cheese. But I have made enough experience to say that we Italians make a big mistake snobbing British cheese.


----------



## curiosone

*Termine in italiano:  *gamberetto*
Termine in AmE:   **shrimp  (both singular and plural)
Termine in BrE:  shimp (singular) / shrimps (plural) 

Termine in italiano:  *gambero*
Termine in AmE:  * shrimp (both in singular and plural)*
Termine in BrE:  *prawn

*Termine in italiano:  *gamberone*
Termine in AmE:   *jumbo shrimp (singular or plural)*
Termine in BrE:  *king prawn, tiger prawn

There was a distinction made here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1439458  (on page 2)
...stating that "king prawns" correspond to "gamberoni" and "tiger prawns" correspond to "mazzancolle", but I was unable to find "mazzancolle" (or even "mazzancolla") in the WRF or Oxford dictionaries.  So I wonder if "mazzancolle" is dialect.


----------



## k in the desert

I don't claim to be an expert on seafood, but we also use "prawn" in American English.  Perhaps someone else can weigh in on the distinction, but it would be a larger shrimp. My impression is that it's a certain type of shrimp-like crustacean.


----------



## london calling

curiosone said:


> There was a distinction made here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1439458  (on page 2)
> ...stating that "king prawns" correspond to "gamberoni" and "tiger prawns" correspond to "mazzancolle", but I was unable to find "mazzancolle" (or even "mazzancolla") in the WRF or Oxford dictionaries.  So I wonder if "mazzancolle" is dialect.


It isn't dialect: see this, from Wikipedia. And here (marinespecies.org) is what it's called in English, I quote: 

triplegrooved shrimp/tiger shrimp/striped shrimp/prawn/camarote prawn


----------



## curiosone

k in the desert said:


> I don't claim to be an expert on seafood, but we also use "prawn" in American English.  Perhaps someone else can weigh in on the distinction, but it would be a larger shrimp. My impression is that it's a certain type of shrimp-like crustacean.



I imagine Las Vegas is a lot more international/sophisticated than Kentucky (not a difficult thing to accomplish - we have other talents and charms ), or maybe the term "prawn" has been imported since I emigrated (there has been much mingling of AmE and BrE through television and cinema, in recent years), because when I first heard the word I wasn't quite sure what it meant.  But then (as I said earlier) Kentucky isn't famous for its seafood restaurants (unless we're talking about fried catfish and hushpuppies).

But as Ron said in post #18 of the thread I shared earlier, "prawn" may be understood, but most North Americans (in Canada as well as the U.S.) use the terms "shrimp" or "jumbo shrimp".


----------



## k in the desert

curiosone said:


> I imagine Las Vegas is a lot more international/sophisticated than Kentucky (not a difficult thing to accomplish - we have other talents and charms ), or maybe the term "prawn" has been imported since I emigrated (there has been much mingling of AmE and BrE through television and cinema, in recent years), because when I first heard the word I wasn't quite sure what it meant.  But then (as I said earlier) Kentucky isn't famous for its seafood restaurants (unless we're talking about fried catfish and hushpuppies).
> 
> But as Ron said in post #18 of the thread I shared earlier, "prawn" may be understood, but most North Americans (in Canada as well as the U.S.) use the terms "shrimp" or "jumbo shrimp".



Actually, I grew up in New Jersey, which certainly is more international, but I wouldn't knock a good hush puppy.  I couldn't get enough of those tasty morsels on my first trip down south.  You're right using the word "sophisticated" in this context though, as when I first started to hear "prawn" coming into use, I wasn't sure if people were talking about some sort of a cross between a shrimp and a crayfish (crawdad in Kentucky?) or it was just a pretentious word for shrimp.

It would be nice to hear from someone in the seafood industry as I often have the impression that a prawn is a specific type of crustacean.  You see it in upscale fish markets and on the menu of higher-end fish restaurants where they give the provenance of every species of seafood on the menu.  But as mentioned above, in everyday situations most Americans use "shrimp" and "jumbo shrimp."


----------



## curiosone

london calling said:


> It isn't dialect: see this, from Wikipedia. And here (marinespecies.org) is what it's called in English, I quote:
> 
> triplegrooved shrimp/tiger shrimp/striped shrimp/prawn/camarote prawn



The problem I have with the English translation (and here we're digging deeper into BrE, as even k in the desert agrees with me that "_prawn_" is a to be considered a "sophisticated" word in AmE, so not "of the people") is that "_prawn_" is used to translate both "_gambero_" and "_mazzancolla_". Oh well, maybe in NYC (or Miami) they make a distinction, and serve "tiger shrimp" or "striped shrimp" or "tiger prawns" in their fancier seafood restaurants.  In Louisiana they're more likely to give them a French or Cajun name.


----------



## wildan1

As far as restaurant or food marketing language goes, _jumbo shrimp _has always been used in AE, but _prawn_ is now is entering the American vocabulary to mean the same thing. It's an up-market word that I think that only has appeared here in the past 10-15 years.


----------



## curiosone

I remember when I first went to London, and discovered "zucchini" (AmE) were called "courgettes" (BrE), and "eggplant" (AmE) was called "ambourgine" (BrE).  Since as far as I was concerned, both words were French, at first I thought maybe it was "posh" restaurant language  - which is evidently what "prawn" is, in AmE. 

_[I still wonder why Brits have kept so many French words in their English - is it considered more "chic" or something?]_


----------



## joanvillafane

isn't it "aubergine" - that's popping up on menus here, too.


----------



## curiosone

joanvillafane said:


> isn't it "aubergine" - that's popping up on menus here, too.



Good grief.  Well Americans also say "pasta" and "ciao" now, too.  When I was little, the only Italian words I knew were: "pizza, mamma mia, and spaghetti."


----------



## Einstein

curiosone said:


> I remember when I first went to London, and discovered "zucchini" (AmE) were called "courgettes" (BrE), and "eggplant" (AmE) was called "ambourgine" (BrE).  Since as far as I was concerned, both words were French, at first I thought maybe it was "posh" restaurant language  - which is evidently what "prawn" is, in AmE.
> 
> _[I still wonder why Brits have kept so many French words in their English - is it considered more "chic" or something?]_


Hi curio
But "zucchini" (a distortion of the Italian plural) is as un-English as "courgette"! And I've never understood why the Americans say "eggplant" for something that neither looks nor tastes like an egg! "Aubergine" and "courgette" were not traditionally part of British cuisine (now _there's _a pretentious French word, where we could easily say "cooking" or "cookery"), so only those who were a bit cosmopolitan knew these vegetables anyway, and therefore their names, but I think that's history now.
The British tend to adopt French words because France is nearby, while the Americans are more likely to adopt words from the main immigrant populations: Italian, Spanish and Yiddish.
We should also consider that the entire English language was born as a fusion between Anglo-Saxon and Norman French, so the presence of words of French origin shouldn't surprise us.

*However*... yes, there _is _a certain reverence for French words, particularly ones adopted more recently, often mispronounced and with a changed meaning - like English words for the Italians. But I wouldn't include "courgette" and "aubergine" among these; they're the only names for these vegetables in BE.


----------



## curiosone

Einstein said:


> Hi curio
> But "zucchini" (a distortion of the Italian plural) is as un-English as "courgette"! And I've never understood why the Americans say "eggplant" for something that neither looks nor tastes like an egg! "Aubergine" and "courgette" were not traditionally part of British cuisine (now _there's _a pretentious French word, where we could easily say "cooking" or "cookery"), so only those who were a bit cosmopolitan knew these vegetables anyway, and therefore their names, but I think that's history now.
> The British tend to adopt French words because France is nearby, while the Americans are more likely to adopt words from the main immigrant populations: Italian, Spanish and Yiddish.
> We should also consider that the entire English language was born as a fusion between Anglo-Saxon and Norman French, so the presence of words of French origin shouldn't surprise us.
> 
> *However*... yes, there _is _a certain reverence for French words, particularly ones adopted more recently, often mispronounced and with a changed meaning - like English words for the Italians. But I wouldn't include "courgette" and "aubergine" among these; they're the only names for these vegetables in BE.



I'm aware of all that you're saying about why there is so much French in the English language (my Latin teacher once told me that 90% of all English words could be traced back to Latin origins, and gave much credit for that to the Norman Conquest).  

Regarding the origin of "_zucchini_", it was evidently introduced to North America by Italian immigrants, so (in the tradition of the English language - look at all the Indian words that crept into the language through the British Empire!) the word was simply added "as is" (admittedly a mistake was made in "transcription", but the word was probably learned orally, and a lot of the really poor (early) Italian imigrants were illiterate).  But it's also simply considered a variety of "_summer squash_" (_squash_ being a word learned from Native Americans ).

The "_eggplant_" is also a Mediterrean import (I don't know if from Italian or Greek immigrants).  Since this vegetable often has an oval (egg-like) shape, I suspect that the name was coined by farmers referring to "that plant that makes eggs", adding "plant" to distinguish it from hen eggs. 

I beg to differ with your statement about the main immigrant populations being Italian, Spanish, and Yiddish.  If you're referring to non-English-speaking immigrants, you're forgetting quite a few other major ethnic groups (starting with Germans).  I suggest you take a look at this chart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.svg 
...and at this history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_immigration_to_the_United_States

...and for the sake of "_par condicio_" here's something I found about immigration and ethnic diversity in Canada: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-010-x/99-010-x2011001-eng.cfm#a3


----------



## sound shift

*Termine in italiano:* contenitore per raccogliere l'acqua piovana
*Termine in AE: *rain barrel
*Termine in BE: *water butt


----------



## Paulfromitaly

*Termine in italiano:* fiala
*Termine in AE: *vial
*Termine in BE:* phial/vial


----------



## curiosone

The following are not so much translating differences, as differences in how things are written (in the individual countries)

(for postal addresses)
*Termine in italiano: * provincia  
*Termine in AE:* state 
*Termine in BE: *county

Another difference I have noted (which seems to have caused some confusion among Italians) is how different countries refer to themselves (and how they are governed) - using the term "country" and "state" differently. 

*Termine in italiano: *republic, nazione, paese
*Termine in AE:  *federal republic (of states), country ("United States")*Termine in BE:  *monarchy, State of the Commonwealth (or "the Commonwealth"), "United Kingdom" (made up of countries)
_
BE natives are kindly requested to correct my BE terminology, and/or add to it._


----------



## Einstein

Well, as you say, these are not so much translating differences; I'd say they're geographical, rather than linguistic. In the UK we have counties, but I would never dream of calling a state of the USA a county. And, after all, American states too are divided into counties. A Canadian "province" is more or less equivalent to the American "state", but I wouldn't translate it as anything but "provincia", even though the Italian "provincia" is something completely different. And we certainly use the word "state" in the UK, to mean the official, political structure of the country.
I think all the differences in the use of "state", "nation" or "country" could be discussed in the English Only forum. After all, both Americans and British refer to the British (or Swedish, Belgian etc.) state as a monarchy and both refer to Germany as a federal republic. And the respective Italian translations are "monarchia" and "repubblica federale".
One source of confusion in translation is in the use of "state"; in the USA the "state police" means not the federal police, while in Italy "polizia di stato" means the national, not local, police.
In the USA a "public school" is a non-private school, while in Britain we say "state school", because a "public school" is actually an elite private school, called "public" for historical reasons. This could be defined as an AE/BE difference, but careful, because only certain British schools are called "public schools".


----------



## Anja.Ann

Hello everyone  

*Termine in italiano*: data di scadenza
*Termine in AE*: expiration date
*Termine in BE:* expiry date


----------



## King Crimson

As the WC fever is at its height these days I'm going to suggest a couple of football (or should I say soccer) related terms:

*Termine in italiano*: porta inviolata
*Termine in AE*: shut-out
*Termine in BE:* clean sheet

*Termine in italiano*: tuffo, caduta simulata
*Termine in AE*: flop
*Termine in BE:* dive


----------



## sound shift

"Pareggio a reti bianche" means a final score of 0-0, doesn't it?
"A clean sheet" means that _one _of the teams doesn't concede any goals. The result could be 0-0, but it could also be 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, etc. Managers will often say, "It was great to win and to keep a clean sheet."


----------



## King Crimson

sound shift said:


> "Pareggio a reti bianche" means a final score of 0-0, doesn't it?
> "A clean sheet" means that _one _of the teams doesn't concede any goals. The result could be 0-0, but it could also be 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, etc. Managers will often say, "It was great to win and to keep a clean sheet."



Thanks for pointing that out, in fact I should have written "porta inviolata" not "pareggio a reti inviolate" (which is a different thing, as you say).


----------



## Paulfromitaly

*Termine in italiano:* configurazione del terreno*
Termine in AmE: *lay of the land*
Termine in BrE: *lie of the land


----------



## rrose17

Question: _lay of the land_ is used almost always in a figurative sense to mean the general situation somewhere. Is "configurazione del terreno" used the same way?


----------



## Paulfromitaly

rrose17 said:


> Question: _lay of the land_ is used almost always in a figurative sense to mean the general situation somewhere. Is "configurazione del terreno" used the same way?



Good point: "configurazione del terreno" and I guess also "lie of the land" do mean the actual shape of the land.


----------



## sound shift

"Lie of the land" can be figurative too.


----------



## Einstein

The "lie of the land" is how the land lies, not lays. The lie-lay distinction in general is the same in AmE and BrE, although a lot of people on both sides of the Atlantic confuse the two verbs.
It may be that in this case "lay of the land" is considered correct by U.S. academics, but I'd need to be convinced. I wouldn't be surprised to hear "lay of the land" from BrE speakers too, but I wouldn't consider it correct, nor would I think it was an Americanism.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

Einstein said:


> The "lie of the land" is how the land lies, not lays.



That's obviously true, however while every dictionary states that "to lie" is intransitive and therefore one can only "lie on the bed" and not "lay on the bed", as some English speakers wrongly say,both the Oxford and the Cambridge dictionaries suggest that "lay of the land" is the AmE version of "lie of the land", without labelling it as incorrect.

It's been discussed here

Lay of the land or lie of the land?


----------



## Einstein

Hmm... Food for thought! It may well be that use over the years has established "lay of the land" as correct. I just wonder how many people who do understand the lie-lay distinction in general still find "lie of the land" wrong.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

Einstein said:


> I just wonder how many people who do understand the lie-lay distinction in general still find "lie of the land" wrong.



I guess you mean *lay* 

I,for one, think that from a logical point of view, "lie" should be the only correct option.
Having said that and according to the same logic I also find "pay rise" to be the only correct option, however we all know that AmE speakers do say "pay raise" and it must be considered correct nonetheless. 
In other words, "lay" and "raise" defy logic


----------



## CPA

Paulfromitaly said:


> In other words, "lay" and "raise" defy logic



Now that is _most_ refreshing.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

CPA said:


> Now that is _most_ refreshing.



I'm not an English native speaker so my opinions can be easily disregarded


----------



## CPA

Paulfromitaly said:


> I'm not an English native speaker so my opinions can be easily disregarded



Not in this case.


----------



## rrose17

Well I'll give you "lay" but not "raise" . When you ask your boss for a raise you want her to raise your salary/pay/compensation not rise it. True, your salary will rise in consequence, but raise makes perfect sense here, I would say.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

rrose17 said:


> Well I'll give you "lay" but not "raise" . When you ask your boss for a raise you want her to raise your salary/pay/compensation not rise it. True, your salary will rise in consequence, but raise makes perfect sense here, I would say.



There's one problem though: rise is a verb and a noun (so pay rise makes sense), raise is usually only a verb in BrE


----------



## johngiovanni

I am not sure whether this is correct, so please delete or correct as necessary.  (But please don't give me "the cold shoulder"!)
BE: soft verge / soft shoulder
AE: soft shoulder
Italian: banchina non transitabile


----------



## amatriciana

Here are a couple.*

Italiano:* Affittasi
*BrE:* To let (_For rent_ would be understood)
*AmE:* For rent (_To let_ wouldn't be understood)

*Italiano:* Maglietta/T-shirt senza maniche 
*BrE:*  Singlet. 
*AmE:* Tank top.


----------



## CPA

amatriciana said:


> *Italiano:* Maglietta/T-shirt senza maniche
> *BrE:*  Singlet.
> *AmE:* Tank top.



A maglietta in Italian is also called a canottiera, a singlet in BE is also called a vest, a vest in AE is what in BE is known as a waistcoat and in Italian a gilet.


----------



## rrose17

amatriciana said:


> *Italiano:* Affittasi
> *BrE:* To let (_For rent_ would be understood)
> *AmE:* For rent (_To let_ wouldn't be understood)
> 
> *Italiano:* Maglietta/T-shirt senza maniche
> *BrE:*  Singlet.
> *AmE:* Tank top.


I think "rooms to let" would sound old fashioned but understandable. Is that because I'm Canadian? But yes "for rent" is the expression used. To me a tank top is not the same as a singlet, which I think is more like a sleeveless undershirt, or more recently a "wife-beater". A tank top is a sleeveless t-shirt but not one necessarily worn under something else. Please correct me if I'm out to lunch.


----------



## johngiovanni

BE:  A moot point   (opinabile, discutibile)
AE:  A moot point   (irrilevante, accademico, ozioso)


----------



## wildan1

Einstein said:


> The "lie of the land" is how the land lies, not lays. The lie-lay distinction in general is the same in AmE and BrE, although a lot of people on both sides of the Atlantic confuse the two verbs.
> It may be that in this case "lay of the land" is considered correct by U.S. academics, but I'd need to be convinced. I wouldn't be surprised to hear "lay of the land" from BrE speakers too, but I wouldn't consider it correct, nor would I think it was an Americanism.


_Lay of the land_ is a common, but somewhat informally used, expression. And yes, it is more often used figuratively rather than literally. 

I doubt that academics would debate the grammatical or lexicological accuracy of an informal expression. It is a set phrase and uses _lay_ as a noun, so it is not conjugated.

Anyone saying _"lie" of the land _to an AE-speaker might well be misinterpreted--to me it sounds like a national untruth!


----------



## Einstein

So it seems that "lie of the land" in AmE is reduced to an insignificant minority. Interesting to know.

Paul (post #107), I did mean "lie"; I was referring to how Americans see the expression.


----------



## WordsWordWords

As an AmE speaker I would only say "lay of the land". I found this:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lay+of+the+land


----------



## amatriciana

In the context of an examination, the person who supervises the room
*Italiano: *sorvegliante
*Am E:* proctor
*Br E:* invigilator


----------



## rrose17

For what it's worth Canadians use the word invigilator as well.


----------



## johngiovanni

BE: anti-clockwise
AE: counter-clockwise
It: in senso antiorario

It: tetarella, ciuccio
BE: dummy
AE: pacifier

It: pannolini usa e getta
BE: disposable nappy
AE: disposable diaper


----------



## sound shift

*Termine in AmE*: garden-variety (adj)
*Termine in BrE*: common-or-garden (adj)
*Termine in italiano*: comune, ordinario
*
ADDED*


----------



## Paulfromitaly

sound shift said:


> *Termine in BrE*: common-or-garden (adj)


This is a new one on me! (I'd say bog-standard instead)

Does it have to be hyphenated?
The Cambridge dictionary doesn't add hyphens for example.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/it/dizionario/inglese/garden-variety


----------



## sound shift

It's a compound adjective, and they carry hyphens. I've seen it with hyphens and without: possibly some people see it as a set expression rather than a compound adjective. You'll probably hear "common or garden" (with or without hyphens, which of course can't be heard anyway) more from older speakers. That could explain why it's a new one on you.


----------



## Einstein

The expression "common or garden" comes from botany. We find the common (wild) variety and the garden (cultivated) variety of a plant. The two were originally put together humorously in the expression "common or garden", to mean "the common variety or the garden variety or whatever", in other words every kind. See HERE.
I might or might not use a hyphen in "common or garden", but would certainly not put one before "variety".


----------



## mikewhitcombe

Einstein said:


> Yes, it is used, more often as two separate words: *guard rail*. It refers specifically to the metal structure and not to the "spartitraffico" in general; I think that's clear to Italians.



Also known as "Armco Barriers", a generalised name taken from the original trademark owned by AK Steel.


----------



## sorry66

In British English, you can say, 'He has green fingers'. (It means that 'he has a knack for making plants grow and thrive')
I'm surprised to find that it's 'green thumb' for AE. Is that right?
I have no idea what it would be in Italian.


----------



## Necsus

In Italian is like in AE: "avere il pollice verde".


----------



## london calling

Paulfromitaly said:


> This is a new one on me! (I'd say bog-standard instead).
> 
> http://dictionary.cambridge.org/it/dizionario/inglese/garden-variety


Ah, but common-or-garden doesn't mean bog standard. It simply means ordinary.


----------



## Benzene

_*Termine in AmE.............* crosswalk;
*Termine in BrE:..............*zebra crossing;
*Termine in italiano:........*attraversamento pedonale, strisce pedonali o zebre.

Bye,
*Benzene*
_


----------



## Einstein

Benzene said:


> _*Termine in BrE:..............*zebra crossing;_


This is the usual term, but the official one is "pedestrian crossing".


----------



## Paulfromitaly

london calling said:


> It simply means ordinary.


Doesn't "bog standard" mean "plain, ordinary" too?
It's more disapproving but I thought the meaning was similar..


----------



## sorry66

Paulfromitaly said:


> It's more disapproving but I thought the meaning was similar..


And therein lies the difference!


----------



## curiosone

sound shift said:


> *Termine in AmE*: garden-variety (adj)
> *Termine in BrE*: common-or-garden (adj)
> *Termine in italiano*: comune, ordinario



Hmmm...I'm not a botanist, but am a bit of a gardener, but I'd more likely use the terms Einstein suggested: wild/common or cultivated (though I'd understand "garden").  As an herb gardener, I translate "salvia comune" to "common sage " (I don't consider it 'wild' because I buy the plants, which aren't the same plants I find growing wild, in my neck of the Appennines).  I guess it's the same difference between wild fennel and cultivated (or garden) fennel.

My sister (a more experienced gardener than I) refers to the decorative, flowering variety of sage as "salvia" (in Italian), but calls 'sage' or 'common sage' the kind used in cooking.


----------



## sound shift

Yes, in a gardening context I'd be more likely to use the terms Einstein suggested - but "common-or-garden" is typically used in a non-gardening context, e.g. "It's common-or-garden printer paper; it's not really suitable for photos."


----------



## Benzene

_*Termine in AmE.............* remote learning;
*Termine in BrE:..............*distance learning;
*Termine in italiano:........*corso a distanza*.*_

_*Source: *http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/corso-a-distanza.3056958/

Bye,

*Benzene*_


----------



## curiosone

I'm not sure I've ever heard "remote learning".  I've always heard of "correspondance courses".

Nowadays I hear it called "e-learning" even in Italian.


----------



## Einstein

I think I've been away from the UK for too long to comment on "distance learning"; it sounds odd to me, but others can confirm/deny.

I find "correspondence course" an old term pre-dating the internet (I remember hearing it in the 1960s), with correspondence by ordinary mail/post. But again, I'n uninformed about today's terminology!


----------



## sorry66

Look up any university or college in the UK. They offer distance learning courses - how don't know how old the term is. 
Ah, the days of correspondence courses!


----------



## sorry66

All right (alright) ! (as a filler) AE
Right! (as a filler) BE
(especially at the beginning of a sentence proposing action) Right! Let's get started.
Va bene? In Italian?

I'm deducing this from the following thread (but as I never got a reply I can't be sure)
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/bando-alle-ciance.3058039/ post#5


----------



## Einstein

sorry66 said:


> All right (alright) ! (as a filler) AE
> Right! (as a filler) BE
> (especially at the beginning of a sentence proposing action) Right! Let's get started.
> Va bene? In Italian?
> 
> I'm deducing this from the following thread (but as I never got a reply I can't be sure)
> http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/bando-alle-ciance.3058039/ post#5


I'd say "Bene! Cominciamo."


----------



## MR1492

sorry66 said:


> All right (alright) ! (as a filler) AE
> Right! (as a filler) BE
> (especially at the beginning of a sentence proposing action) Right! Let's get started.
> Va bene? In Italian?
> 
> I'm deducing this from the following thread (but as I never got a reply I can't be sure)
> http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/bando-alle-ciance.3058039/ post#5



How about "_ecco_" ("there") and "_cioè_" ("actually") and "_allora_" (then).  On my last trip to Italy, I felt like "_allora_" was the new national word of the day!

Phil


----------



## Paulfromitaly

Thank you everybody for your contribution!

Please make sure you check the glossary before suggesting a new term, thank you.

*Termini che hanno una traduzione diversa in American English e in British English *


----------



## sound shift

*Termine in AmE*: autopsy
*Termine in BrE*: post-mortem
*Termine in italiano*: autopsia
*
ADDED*


----------



## curiosone

"All right (alright) ! (as a filler) AE
Right! (as a filler) BE"

I've been looking at this AE filler, and it occurs to me that I would more likely say "Ok! Let's get started" - which corresponds exactly to Einstein's "Bene! Cominciamo".


----------



## london calling

curiosone said:


> "All right (alright) ! (as a filler) AE
> Right! (as a filler) BE"
> 
> I've been looking at this AE filler, and it occurs to me that I would more likely say "Ok! Let's get started" - which corresponds exactly to Einstein's "Bene! Cominciamo".


Ah, but I'd say "Ok! Let's get started" too.


----------



## Einstein

*Termine in AmE*: flammable
*Termine in BrE*: inflammable
*Termine in italiano*: infiammabile


----------



## sorry66

@curiosone @LondonCalling

You haven't looked at the link provided (in fact, you contributed to it LC)
You say 'right' to cut through the chatter and get/insist on people's attention. Anyway, there does seem to be a difference - perhaps this isn't the best illustration of it.


----------



## curiosone

Einstein said:


> *Termine in AmE*: flammable
> *Termine in BrE*: inflammable
> *Termine in italiano*: infiammabile



I've always said "inflammable" in AE.


----------



## sound shift

BrE often uses "flammable" these days.


----------



## Einstein

I see, so there's cross-pollination! Then we can eliminate this item.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

*Termine in AmE*: crazy bone 
*Termine in BrE*: funny bone
*Termine in italiano*: punta del gomito


----------



## curiosone

*


Paulfromitaly said:



Termine in AmE: crazy bone
Termine in BrE: funny bone
Termine in italiano: punta del gomito
		
Click to expand...

*
I've always said 'funny bone' (in AmE). So maybe 'crazy bone' is only  AmE, but 'funny bone' is  used on both sides of the pond.

+ + +

*Termine in AmE*: to horse around
*Termine in BrE*: to arse around
*Termine in italiano*: cazzeggiare

n.b. "To fool around" (which means the same thing) is used in both BrE and AmE.


----------



## MR1492

curiosone said:


> I've always said 'funny bone' (in AmE). So maybe 'crazy bone' is only  AmE, but 'funny bone' is  used on both sides of the pond.



I will add my agreement with curiosone on this one.  Perhaps there are regional variations in AE but I don't remember hearing "crazy bone" much growing up but I do remember "funny bone."

Phil


----------



## Einstein

There are two explanations of the expression "funny bone".
1) Not a bone at all but a nerve (the ulnar nerve) that gives a "funny" sensation when you hit it.
2) It is a bone after all, the _humerus_, easily distorted to "humorous".
The nerve and the bone are near each other.

Take your pick, ladies and gentlemen!


----------



## sound shift

Einstein said:


> Take your pick, ladies and gentlemen!


Yeah. We've got a bone to pick.


----------



## london calling

curiosone said:


> I've always said 'funny bone' (in AmE). So maybe 'crazy bone' is only  AmE, but 'funny bone' is  used on both sides of the pond.
> 
> + + +
> 
> *Termine in AmE*: to horse around
> *Termine in BrE*: to arse around
> *Termine in italiano*: cazzeggiare
> 
> n.b. "To fool around" (which means the same thing) is used in both BrE and AmE.


I horse around as well, quite happily. Definitely not just AE. The Oxford dictionaries have it in both AE and BE, here.


----------



## sound shift

*Termine in AmE*: to mess around
*Termine in BrE:* to mess around; to mess about (Kenneth Williams: "Stop messing about!")
*Termine in italiano*: trastullarsi (according to one dictionary; don't know if this is right)


----------



## Paulfromitaly

sound shift said:


> *Termine in italiano*: trastullarsi (according to one dictionary; don't know if this is right)


While I wouldn't go as far as to say that trastullarsi is wrong (it'd have been perfectly fine 50 years ago) I'd suggest not using it because, lately, it has become a funny/not too rude synonymous with tossing


----------



## sound shift

Well, even though my Italian is far too non-existent rudimentary for me to even _consider _using that word, I'm going to thank you for the warning, Paul. So, instead of  "trastullarsi": "Giocare"? "Cazzeggiare"? "Gingillarsi"?
While we're on the subject of tossing, note that we see the same sort of difference between AmE  "fucking around" and BrE  "fucking about"/"fucking around" (figurative + literal).


----------



## Paulfromitaly

sound shift said:


> Paul. So, instead of  "trastullarsi": "Giocare"? "Cazzeggiare"? "Gingillarsi"?


Same problem with gingillarsi: you'd risk being misunderstood.
Cazzeggiare is the common term people use.


----------



## alsace1961

PatsRule said:


> Many stores in NYC use "buffet table" or "buffet cabinet" for a dining room sideboard/china cabinet
> The hutch is the upper part, but you can buy one only with the bottom section.



I am not sure it's really pertinent, because the thread is in the English-Italian forum (no French), but the word "buffet" is originally a French word for a sideboard that has NO upperpart. It is a low cupboard the which height is more or less that of a table and is therefore ideal to display food trays for self-service meals, which is the other meaning of the word buffet.  

But a "credenza" (crédence or vaisselier in French) is made up of a 2-door cabinet on top of which there is a narrower upper part, usually a glass case or an open set of shelves, so - at least in French - buffet would not be the correct translation for it.


----------



## london calling

alsace1961 said:


> I am not sure it's really pertinent, because the thread is in the English-Italian forum (no French), but the word "buffet" is originally a French word for a sideboard that has NO upperpart. It is a low cupboard the which height is more or less that of a table and is therefore ideal to display food trays for self-service meals, which is the other meaning of the word buffet.
> 
> But a "credenza" (crédence or vaisselier in French) is made up of a 2-door cabinet on top of which there is a narrower upper part, usually a glass case or an open set of shelves, so - at least in French - buffet would not be the correct translation for it.


It isn't pertinent because here we're talking about AE/BE differences. The fact that we use the word wrongly is irrelevant (in this context, of course: we could write reams about foreign words used wrongly in a number of  languages).


----------



## leonora1

london calling said:


> Quite right, we don't.


No, not in this context.
We use it more as a noun, e.g. Juvenile delinquents.



curiosone said:


> "Gorgonzola piccante" does not contain "peperoncino".  I invite you to check this discussion: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=9365
> The question is not how to use "stagionato" or "piccante" (which is for Italians to clarify), but how to translate these terms into English.  And since AE and BE speakers seem to differ on how they would translate them, I think this is the place to clarify (and eventually add extra terms to the AmE or BrE lists of terms).


No, there is gorgonzola dolce and gorgonzola piccante. .....'mild' and 'sharp'. 
There is a pecorino ( hard sheep's milk cheese) which does contain peperoncino.


----------



## london calling

leonora1 said:


> No, not in this context.
> We use it more as a noun, e.g. Juvenile delinquents.
> *I don't remember what we were talking about. What exactly is used more as a noun you mention here? Can you please quote the posts?*
> 
> 
> No, there is gorgonzola dolce and gorgonzola piccante. .....'mild' and 'sharp'.
> There is a pecorino ( hard sheep's milk cheese) which does contain peperoncino.


Not just_ pecorino_:  there are a number of cheeses they add chilli pepper to.


----------



## sorry66

Isn't that supposed to be 'fanny bag'!
A cot is what we'd call a baby's bed (the one with the bars round it); in the past it had other meanings.


----------



## Einstein

sorry66 said:


> Isn't that supposed to be 'fanny bag'!
> A cot is what we'd call a baby's bed (the one with the bars round it); in the past it had other meanings.


So to complete the reply, for _branda _we say "camp bed" in BrE too.

Fanny bag: yes, you're right s66. I'll leave further clarifications to others


----------



## sorry66

Or even 'fanny pack'! Let the Americans confirm it!


----------



## london calling

Surely some of these have already been  posted (biscuit/cookie, for example)?


----------



## King Crimson

giginho said:


> I've performed a search in this thread but I got no results, that's why I've added biscuit/cookie. If there's any term already posted, I'll remove it


 
Questo thread è solo un'aggiunta al file principale, giginho (qui, ci troverai la maggior parte dei termini che hai postato).


----------



## MR1492

sorry66 said:


> Or even 'fanny pack'! Let the Americans confirm it!



Yes, we use the term "fanny pack."

Phil


----------



## curiosone

london calling said:


> I horse around as well, quite happily. Definitely not just AE. The Oxford dictionaries have it in both AE and BE, here.



Hmmm.  The native BE speaker I spoke with about the proper translation of "cazzeggiare" wasn't familiar with "to horse around" (which was suggested to me by a Canadian friend).  But the BE translator is Scottish, so maybe the Scots don't use the expression... and maybe she didn't like to let go of her own translation of "to arse around" - even though I pointed out to her that it was BrE (not standard English).



sound shift said:


> While we're on the subject of tossing, note that we see the same sort of difference between AmE  "fucking around" and BrE  "fucking about"/"fucking around" (figurative + literal).



This is precisely why I posted a variant translation of "cazzeggiare" - because the Forum dictionary translates 'cazzeggiare' as "fucking around/about" which I think is far too   (even tho' 'cazzeggiare' is also a bit vulgar).


----------



## london calling

curiosone said:


> Hmmm.  The native BE speaker I spoke with about the proper translation of "cazzeggiare" wasn't familiar with "to horse around" (which was suggested to me by a Canadian friend).  But the BE translator is Scottish, so maybe the Scots don't use the expression... and maybe she didn't like to let go of her own translation of "to arse around" - even though I pointed out to her that it was BrE (not standard English).
> 
> 
> 
> This is precisely why I posted a variant translation of "cazzeggiare" - because the Forum dictionary translates 'cazzeggiare' as "fucking around/about" which I think is far too   (even tho' 'cazzeggiare' is also a bit vulgar).


_To fart around_ is another way of saying _arse around_. I'd say that translates _cazzeggiare_ better then to _fuck around/about_ (far to vulgar in my opinion too).


----------



## sorry66

I suppose 'mucking about' is too tame?


----------



## london calling

sorry66 said:


> I suppose 'mucking about' is too tame?


One of my favourites. Well, it certainly means the same as _to horse around_. Actually, I bet this is another AE/BE difference: I don't think Americans say 'to muck about', do they, Curiosone?


----------



## london calling

I don't think this in on the list yet. It means _sconnesso/frammentario/incompleto_ in both AE and BE, but there are two different meanings as well.

*Termine in AmE: *scrappy
*Termine in BrE: *scrappy
*Termine in italiano: *(BE): sciatto, disorganizzato.
*Termine in italiano: *(AE): litigioso/pieno di spirito.

Vedete anche questo thread (English Only).


----------



## london calling

allard01 said:


> That's obviously true, however while every dictionary states that "to lie" is intransitive and therefore one can only "lie on the bed" and not "lay on the bed", as some English speakers wrongly say,both the Oxford and the Cambridge dictionaries suggest that "lay of the land" is the AmE version of "lie of the land", without labelling it as incorrect.


What is true? Which post are you quoting?


----------



## sound shift

*Termine in AmE*: break-in period
*Termine in BrE*: running-in period
*Termine in italiano*: fase di rodaggio (auto)


----------



## Paulfromitaly

*Termine in AmE*: at full tilt
*Termine in BrE*: at full lick
*Termine in italiano*: a tutta velocità


----------



## sorry66

Paulfromitaly said:


> *Termine in AmE*: at full tilt
> *Termine in BrE*: at full lick


?
I'd say 'at full tilt'.


----------



## london calling

sorry66 said:


> ?
> I'd say 'at full tilt'.


So would I. I've never heard 'at full lick'.


----------



## sound shift

london calling said:


> So would I. I've never heard 'at full lick'.


Ditto and ditto. Could there be interference here from "at a good lick", I wonder?


----------



## sound shift

*Termine in AmE: *dormitory; "dorm"
*Termine in BrE:* hall of residence; "halls"
*Termine in italiano: *residenza universitaria


----------



## rrose17

It would appear that dorms have made their way into BE.


----------



## sound shift

Well, maybe - but the school in your link calls itself an "international school", so it may be using "dorm" as a favour to those potential pupils/students who are more familiar with AE. It would be interesting to know if any members who speak BE and are currently at university refer to that type of accommodation as a "dorm". In my day, it was unheard of.


----------



## rrose17

Just to add that I think "living in residence" is also used, in Canada at any rate, but I think in the U.S. too.


----------



## Einstein

I'm familiar with "dorm" in BrE, but referring to boarding school, not university.


----------



## MR1492

Interesting distinction, Einstein.  In the USA, we use "living in the dorms" to describe living in residence at a university or college.

Phil


----------



## sound shift

In BE, a dormitory is a big room containing rows of beds, without walls between them. This is suitable for the traditional type of youth hostel, for example, but not for a student's accommodation. That's why Einstein made the distinction that he made.


----------



## Einstein

sound shift said:


> In BE, a dormitory is a big room containing rows of beds, without walls between them. This is suitable for the traditional type of youth hostel, for example, but not for a student's accommodation. That's why Einstein made the distinction that he made.


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## rrose17

So that's a distinct difference, then. Not sure of the rest of Canada, but just to add that in Montreal, where we are blessed D) with four large universities and countless colleges I haven't really heard the word "dorms" or perhaps only said by American students, although it would be understood. We'd say "in residence". For example, there's a hotel downtown that was converted to a residence for students going to McGill.


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## Paulfromitaly

*Termine in AmE: *downspout
*Termine in BrE:* downpipe
*Termine in italiano: *pluviale


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## curiosone

london calling said:


> One of my favourites. Well, it certainly means the same as _to horse around_. Actually, I bet this is another AE/BE difference: I don't think Americans say 'to muck about', do they, Curiosone?




I only learned the term "mucking about" from reading British novels.


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## novizio

curiosone said:


> I only learned the term "mucking about" from reading British novels.



If you just switched "around" for "about" we often use "mucking around" , it's the "about" that smacks British.


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## Einstein

Yes, I see that the Americans use "about" only in the sense of "concerning/regarding" and not as a synonym of "around".


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## curiosone

novizio said:


> If you just switched "around" for "about" we often use "mucking around" , it's the "about" that smacks British.



I suppose Einstein's right, regarding "about" (BrE) versus "around" (AmE), but here I come from (horse country) "mucking" (or rather "mucking out") has a totally different (specific) meaning.


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## Einstein

curiosone said:


> where I come from (horse country) "mucking" (or rather "mucking out") has a totally different (specific) meaning.


Yes, "mucking out" (cleaning the stables) is BrE too. I'd never considered the similarity between "mucking out" and "mucking about" before... probably because I've never had a horse!


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