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

Soda pop is a very regional thing here in the UK.

In Liverpool (where I was born) we used 'pop' in general, but when being specific, we refer to its colour, for example cola is 'black', lemonade (which is actually more like your Sprite than proper lemonade) is 'white' and cream soda is 'green' (bizarrely cream soda is in fact green in Liverpool). For example "Er, ah'll ahv a bottil ah green, whack"

In Scotland, well the west anyway, we use the generic term 'ginger', presumably refering to ginger ale, for example "gonnae gies a boatul'uh ginger, big man?"

Here in the midlands a 'bottle of pop' is the little bottles of kiddy stuff- like Panda Pops. I think what you call cargo pants are what we call combats.

As for the dog- well, that's why he did it

Galaxy Babe asked:

>> UK: Cowboy firms {fly-by-night/shady characters}
USA: {?} <<

Fly-by-night and shady characters were quite popular expressions in the mid-20th century and most Americans would still recognise them. But 'rip-off artist' has become the new job title.

Trouble is that a market driven economy expects, nay demands, that crooks and petty thieves misrepresent their goods or services. From the housing-trades-people to Wall Street and Washington the motto is Buyer Beware. It used to be 'In God We Trust, Others Pay Cash'.

In fact, the Brit term 'cowboy' comes from the lazy and shiftless lifestyle of pioneer America when unreliable misfits and drifters wandered aimlessly around, following herds of cattle for pennies a day but would wander off at the drop of a sombrero. That's Mexican for Togue or chapeau.


~jwf~

And still on topic with a serious question:

US pump gas into the .... ?
UK pump petrol into the ... ?

No I don't mean:

US put gas in the car.
UK put petrol in the motor.

I mean what do they call the tank which holds the gasoline?

* off to put juice in my ride *

peace
~jwf~

UK - petrol tank? Can't think of anything else I would call it.

Liam.

Yep, I'd say petrol tank.

US/CDN - gas tank

OK, how about sports?

US- hockey (for icehockey), grass hockey, football, soccer, bowling

CDN-hockey/icehockey, grass hockey, Canadian or American football, soccer, bowling

UK- icehockey, ?,?,?,?

UK - Ice Hockey, Field hockey, American football, football, 10-pin bowling (as opposed to bowls, or field bowling, which the US has probably never heard of)

Yes over here it's called "Lawn Bowling" and exists at wealthier old folks homes and some high end leisure resorts. But it is scored like cruise ship type shuffleboard or ice curling - only, because the grass resists sliding, it is necessary to roll balls.

~jwf~

'nother one or two.

Highway, freeway, throughway, boulevard, mainstreet.

I know highstreet for mainstreet, but the others I don't know.

In the UK a highway refers to any road at all, just something you can travel down. In the US it is more specific I think.

Freeway = Motorway

Throughway = motorway too, by the looks of the dictionary definition

Boulevard = Avenue (I think, and not applicable all the time), also = Promenade, maybe.

Ste