h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When I was a little lad in Geordieland in the early 50's, we used to read American comics, without ever hearing American English spoken much. I remember for a little while we went round saying 'gee whiz', with the hard 'g', as in glee without the l. I think it was when an early Everly Brothers record that came out containing the phrase we realised we were saying it wrong, aw shucks!

That's interesting ... is this regional?

>>The Americans call sofas 'Chesterfields' don't they?<<

A Chesterfield is a very specific traditional settee named after named after the Earl of Chesterfield and is very British which is perhaps why U42 had Arthur and Ford, find themselves unexpectedly in the middle of a test match at Lords, sitting on a Chesterfield

Well thanks for furnishing me with that bit of information. You definately hear Chesterfield as a generic term for settee in the States, I suppose they think it sounds 'kinda classy'. I wouldn't expect the colonists to be any more discerning than that, what would you expect from the land of the La-Z-Boy?

"You definitely hear Chesterfield as a generic term for settee in the States"

I always thought that was more of a Canadian thing?

Yes, it was in Canada actually I heard it, but they're pretty much the same aren't they?

Nope, not the same. I live in the Southern United States, and have never heard a sofa or settee called a Chesterfield.

not even the very specific traditional settee named after the Earl of Chesterfield?

Well y'all guys'n gals would be sippin mint julep on the porch swing, ain't that so? Who in tarnation needs a goldarned Chesterfield anyways?

Come to think of it pardner, y'all could be smokin a Chesterfield! Ain't tht the truth? If you had a smoking Chesterfield in lil ole England you'd probably send for the fire brigade!