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

Not all that long ago, people in my industry called a female-to-female video or audio adapter a 'lesbian'. We now call it a 'barrel'.

Similarly we called large black, opaque curtains mostly used to create shade 'blacks'. We now call them 'solids' (I'm told it was to stop the use of the common phrase 'hang the blacks' but that could be apocryphal).

There are other examples but most involve overtly sexist or racist terms- have you experienced any?

My mother had a "cock" as well as hens. My neigbour has a "cockerel".

I've noticed that 'pussy' is seldom used now, replaced by 'pussy cat'.

Cue Mrs Slocombe montage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unmkX15AeN8



Deb

You can't say pussy cat on Noesis. The auto thing kicks in and calls it *censored*, from memory.

Yes Deb...Mrs Slocombe and her frequent mentions of pussy on the brilliant 'Are you being Served?' were a joy.

I still can't get over the Yanks calling a bum bag a fanny bag.

But they can't get over we Limeys calling an eraser a rubber.

No-one's died yet though that I'm aware of, when these things are spoken or written.

The 'Yanks' being everyone in North America then? You know, Canada, the US and Mexico ... Just trying to understand the Brit way of seeing the rest of the world.

A lot of British people of a certain age refer to anyone from the USA as a "yank". It seems that the nuances of the American Civil War passed them by.

Not really. We do call them "Shermans" too

I still call stage tabs 'blacks'. And I will be hanging several in due course.

B

"I still can't get over the Yanks calling a bum bag a fanny bag."



Be fair, Nick. Effers' statement (above) doesn't exclude Canada or Mexico... neither does she claim to speak for the Brits.

And 'fanny pack' seems to be more common in the USA and Canada (although the Canadians also use 'bum bags' according to Wiki). I think it highly unlikely that Mexicans would use either expression - they say 'cangurera', after the bouncy animal.

<>

You blackguard you! Next you'll be pulling on blacks for the performance!

You are correct, she didn't explicitly exclude anyone. 'Yanks' are indeed a term that we use as well, but only for them south of the 49th parallel. Something that is oft forgotten on this site is that a lot of ways and terms are common to them AND us. Not everything on this side of the pond is 'American' by the common expression, as seems to show up often enough to give me a twinge or two. My apologies.

hello, my name is fluffykerfuffle and i am an American
and i LIKE being called a yank
or yankee

its who i am

a part of a melting pot of a nation

Hello, FKF, I am Nick, I am a North American known as a Canadian. I appreciate being seen as a Canadian, a Canuck, or any other load of related terms

(Just imagine, calling a Scot or a person of Norn Irn or Wales, a 'Brit', just because they share a land-mass and common government. Wars would ensue)

Actually, I don't think they would being called a Brit. However, if you attempted to call them English...


Geggs

I remember being in Snowdonia ( that is Wales for those of you who are far away from Britain) and it raining,as normal for the area. I said 'Oh a typical English summer day...'


I got one of those 'looks' from my husband, him being actually Welsh etc.

I also remember my mum being in a shop and asking for dark brown wool. She used the 'n' word before the brown. I was apalled ( this was the seventies I guess) I told her she couldn't call it that anymore. But it's the name of a colour she replied, before I pulled her out into the street in embarassment.

>It seems that the nuances of the American Civil War passed them by.<

Well irony is always going to pass plenty by. But then I'm just a Limey bird. The lights are on but we're not always completely at home.

no actually you're fine effers
we are yanks, yankees
especially to the english

its kinda from a different war... wwII

the movies
the musicals
the 'over there' songs

Not sure if I can say it again, but my Granddad's nickname, and the name he was known by for nearly 90 years, even by his wife, was Darkie. Which I assume was due to dark hair and skin tone, my brother had a related nickname when he was at school (Paki) for the same reason. This was used by all his mates, even in front of teachers, although I don't know if it was used *by* teachers.

Cats are kitties now!

There were three Pauls in my class at secondary school - each of us quite likely to be caught staring blankly out of the window. In order for the teacher to make clear which of us was being addressed, we were named Paulus Niger, Paulus Nigrior and Paulus Nigerrimus - based on the darkness of our hair. I was merely Paulus Niger.



Ps If I've misspelt any of the Latin words, put it down to my looking out of the window too often .... and the fact that 5 minutes googling and searching several online dictionaries failed to reveal the comparitive or superlative forms of the word black.