After a year with PriusChat...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Sep 23 2006, 12:49 PM) [snapback]323910[/snapback]</div>

Dude is also more of a younger person's slang word. At one time it was a West Coast term, but has worked its way accross the country. As a middle aged midwesterner, I would only use "Dude" in its older sense: to refer to a city person playing at being a cowboy, as in "Dude Ranch". "Guy" is a more common term for people my age, as in "Some guy gave this to me." Being English, you know about "Guy", since you had the original Guy.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 24 2006, 09:35 AM) [snapback]324236[/snapback]</div>

The plural, guys, can also include girls when referring to a bunch of kids as in, "Hey you guys, anyone got the time?"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 24 2006, 08:35 AM) [snapback]324236[/snapback]</div>

Guy Fawkes?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 24 2006, 01:17 PM) [snapback]324348[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, he signed his name "Guido" on some document that he was forced to sign. Can't remember the details. Interesting bit of history though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Sep 25 2006, 12:12 AM) [snapback]324432[/snapback]</div>

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

Though that article, oddly enough, appears to have nothing to do with hybrid vehicles. Curious.

b

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SoopahMan @ Sep 23 2006, 11:52 PM) [snapback]324122[/snapback]</div>

Well, I've lived in PA all of my life and have not heard this particular slang, but I'm close to Philly, so maybe it's a Pittsburgh or Erie thing. Though a lot people go "down the shore" in the summer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 23 2006, 11:53 AM) [snapback]323968[/snapback]</div>

The value of coarse language is in the impact it can have. But when it is over-used it loses it's impact. The F word (which is merely the Anglo-Saxon-derived word for sexual intercourse) used to have some shock value. It has lost that through over-use, except among extremely sensitive individuals.

The problem is that a lot of (generally less-educated) people intersperse the F word so liberally througout their speech that it becomes boring and meaningless. Such people clearly lack imagination. The English language is so rich in possibilities that there'd be no need for even the angriest person to use the F word more than once a day. But so many people know no other insult or strong expletive or derrogatory adjective than the F word.

Note that "sexual intercourse" means the same thing, but is the Latin-derived term. English has many word pairs where one derives from Anglo Saxon, and the other from Latin. The Anglo-Saxon is considered the coarse or uneducated choice, and the Latin is considered the refined choice; and where the words refer to natural bodily functions, the one derived from Anglo Saxon is always considered obscene, while the one derived from Latin is permitted in polite society and allowed by the FCC.

 

Oxo! You rock, dude!

translation: Happy Anniversary!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 24 2006, 10:17 AM) [snapback]324231[/snapback]</div>

I've heard this as a joke before. On my very first lab report, the TA wrote "Good Job". I had no idea what it meant. It sounded like a compliment though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sid @ Sep 25 2006, 06:19 AM) [snapback]324593[/snapback]</div>

That sounds pretty British. There's a Jethro Tull song titled "Up the 'pool". Blackpool is (or at least was) a popular destination for a lot of folk who would "go up the pool" for holiday. That's interesting though. I grew up down south (Georgia) where there are a few expressions left (a lot are dying out with the older generations) but that's not one I've heard.

A friend from Boston once told me about "pissahs" which are parties (think high school here). That's pretty close the the British expression "piss up" which is also a party where alchohol is a central theme. As far as I know that's just a MA thing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Sep 23 2006, 12:49 PM) [snapback]323910[/snapback]</div>

Dude, you're crazy!! Wth is complicated about "dude"????? It's rather simple and straightforward, dude=bloke and that's really all there is to it... Has been like that since what, the 60's????

y'all crazy!

Y'all in the soup!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 23 2006, 02:53 PM) [snapback]323968[/snapback]</div>

I came from Britain and went to university there in the late sixties and early seventees. The F word was used all the time by many people of my generation. Some of my friends would used it every other or so word, as a noun, adjective, or verb.

When I first came to the U.S. shortly after graduating, I would shock people by occasionally using it myself. What I found surprising in the US is that people were, and generally still are, a lot more prudish about language. Often, when a man utters a "bad" word in front of me, he gets flustered, and immediately apologizes. I'm not embarrassed by the word, but by him being embarrassed that he said it!

Here's a link to my favorite English-to-American dictionary: http://english2american.com/
What you need is an equivalent American-to-English dictionary -- you might be able to google one.

 

Try this American to British and British to American slang dictionary.

http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dic.../dictionary.php

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Sep 23 2006, 09:02 AM) [snapback]323856[/snapback]</div>

'mileage' generally means what you say, and that's how I use it, but it does seem common on PC to use it for mpg.
'rocks', as in "dude, that totally rocks!", comes from (at least I think it does) the term Rock & Roll. A party with good music is said to be "rocking". So then, a "rocking good time", and "a party that rocks" come from that.

When I was in London, I was talking to a group of blue-collar workers from the midlands. The only person I could understand was the Sikh Indian (being an engineer, I'm used to the Indian accent). So I had to have him translate what the Brits were saying.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Sep 28 2006, 07:56 AM) [snapback]325027[/snapback]</div>

Great story!

 

I have lived in the US all my life, and I found the following to be pretty close to the mark, and, hilarious. I found this posted on another forum, and I make no claim to its authenticity.
A few jabs at politics and language, meant for humor, of course.


Message from John Cleese

To the citizens of the United States of America:

In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories (excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy). Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise." You will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra'; you may elect to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you find you simply can't cope with correct pronunciation.

Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up "vocabulary"). Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

2. There is no such thing as "US English." We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "-ize."

3. You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen", but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but to be celebrated only in England. It will be called "Come-Uppance Day."

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

6. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

7. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling "gasoline")-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps." Real chips are thick cut,fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

9. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer," and E uropean brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager." American brands will be referred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine," so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

12. You will cease playing American "football." There is only one kind of proper football; you call it "soccer." Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the "World Series" for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.

13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).