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Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

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Corinnebelle

Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by Corinnebelle »

-Homely In the US homely means not good looking, but in England, homely is someone who enjoys home life.

-Geezer In the US an old man, in England a fit super masculine man.

-Pants US trousers, UK underwear

-Biscuits US buttery rolls, UK cookies

-Solicitors US door-to-door sales man, UK lawyer

-Jumper US sleeveless dress, Australia sweater

-Chaps US a cowboy's leather leggings, UK guys

-Braces US used to straighten teeth, UK suspenders

-Trainers US exercise professional who trains you, UK sneaker kind of shoes

-Bin US storage container, UK trash can

-Entree UK main course, Australia appetizer

-Fix Northen USA repair, southern USA about to do something

-Carriage New England shopping cart, elsewhere horse drawn vehicle

-Holler Southern USA contact someone, elsewhere shout at someone

-Slug Washington DC carpool with strangers, elsewhere slimy mollusk

On another note did you know baby platypi and echidnas are called puggles?

Are there any words that you find interesting for their contrasting meanings in different dialects of English?

🇺🇸 L1 🇮🇱 Advanced beginner Duolingo levels

Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

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Jacko079
United States of America

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by Jacko079 »

-Geezer In the US an old man, in England a fit super masculine man.

-Entree UK main course, Australia appetizer

As the saying goes…you learn something new everyday! :)

Learning: Italian and Arabic.

laganbailey
United States of America

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by laganbailey »

Thanks!!!

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panyamnyenyekevu
Ukraine

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by panyamnyenyekevu »

Corinnebelle wrote: Sat May 14, 2022 2:12 am

-Slug Washington DC carpool with strangers, elsewhere slimy mollusk

On another note did you know baby platypi and echidnas are called puggles?

Are there any words that you find interesting for their contrasting meanings in different dialects of English?

No, this homely geezer didn’t know that slugs were mollusks either.

I wonder why bullets also came to be referred to as “slugs.”

🇺🇦

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Corinnebelle

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by Corinnebelle »

[mention]panyamnyenyekevu[/mention] Here is an interesting article about the difference between a slug and a bullet. Obviously they both have numerous meanings as well as a slug meaning a bullet.

A slug is a term used for a bulky solid ballistic projectile. It is "solid" in the sense of being composed of one piece; the shape can vary widely, including partially hollowed shapes. The term is occasionally applied to bullets (just the projectile, never the cartridge as a whole), but is most commonly applied to one-piece shotgun slugs, to differentiate them from shotshells containing numerous shots. Slugs are commonly fired from choked smoothbore barrels, but some specially-designed slug barrels have riflings that can impart gyroscopic spin required for in-flight stability.

A water-slug refers to operating a submarine's torpedo tube that has been filled with water rather than a torpedo, thus shooting a "slug of water." In simulated naval battles and exercises this is to represent the dispatch of an actual torpedo as, to sonar detectors, the sounds are very alike.

Wiki

🇺🇸 L1 🇮🇱 Advanced beginner Duolingo levels

Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

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panyamnyenyekevu
Ukraine

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by panyamnyenyekevu »

[mention]Corinnebelle[/mention] ty and I had assumed this usage of slug to be slang from the noir era…but actually I’m finding it’s hundreds of years old as non-slang. From 1600s, according to wiktionary! Etymology of this sense still un-located by me.

🇺🇦

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Corinnebelle

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by Corinnebelle »

[mention]panyamnyenyekevu[/mention] I found these two

https://www.etymonline.com/word/slug

https://english.stackexchange.com/quest ... led-a-slug

A slug weight, didn't know slug meant weight at one time. Perhaps the bullet has to do with the printing press also using lead typeface. Very interesting.

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Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

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SweNedGuy
Belgium

Re: Words with opposite meanings in different dialects of English

Post by SweNedGuy »

My understanding of English oscillates between the meanings in the UK and in Australia.

Thanks for the link: https://www.etymonline.com/

UK: cutlery = US: silverware

is what I last learnt (UK) or learned (US) in DL.

"- Bin US storage container, UK trash can"
UK: Bin is also the dialect writing of 'been' such as in this one:

Little nips of whisky, little drops of gin,
make a lady wonder where on earth she's bin.

Speaking :netherlands: :fr: :uk: :es: Learning :de:(B2-) :it:(B1) Image :sweden: :portugal: Image (A)

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