I heard what you said, but I'm not sure what you meant...

Being away from one's comfort zone for an extended time period can be a bit stressful, but being able to read and speak the language is one less stress to deal with. That's one of the reasons we chose England for an extended visit. We wanted to be able to relax in a quiet setting and have no language issues. At least 95% of the time I can do that here because we all speak the same language. Right?

While we do speak the same language, I find it interesting how Americans and British use it so differently at times. I love hearing the English people speak (especially the children) and all the little expressions they use, though often I can only guess at what they mean. Some I pick up quickly; others leave me clueless. Here are some words or expressions we've learned since coming here.

holiday let  - vacation rental
push bike or pedal cycle - bicycle

hoover – a verb meaning "to vacuum"

foot path - hiking trail
car park  - parking lot
loo - bathroom
cloak room - potty room
football - soccer
new build - newly constructed home
notes - bill, paper money
pound - $1.64 as of this writing

stone - 14 pounds

set down point - drop off?

bin - trash can
rubbish - trash

every fortnight - 2 weeks

mind the gap, mind your head, mind your step - be careful!

lorry - truck
caravan - mobile home

tumble dry - clothes dryer (these are located in the kitchen)

pram - stroller

lift stairs - elevator

gob smacked - flabbergasted, speechless

tick the box - check or mark the box

chucking down - raining
swim watcher - lifeguard
ring someone up - call them
serviette - napkin
tuck in - start eating

And it's especially important to understand road signs!

mobile works - road construction
dual carriage - 2 lane highway

liable to ice - ice warning

limit of que - keep the line short?

que likely - traffic may be backed up

rumble strips - speed bumps

give way - yield
roundabout - traffic circle
close - no outlet

Even when shopping for groceries or reading menus, I get a little tickled at how we describe things differently.

tinned vegetables - canned veggies
jacket potatoes - baked potatoes

cling film - plastic wrap

mature cheddar - aged cheddar

porridge - oats

crisps - potato chips

chips - French fries

puddings – not creamy like we think of, but solid (sweet or savory)

mash - mashed potatoes
minced beef - hamburger meat

tomato sauce sachet - ketchup packet

salad cream - dressing

cotton floss - cotton candy
take away food - to go or take out
black pudding - NOT chocolate (pig blood)
biscuits - cookie or cracker

My friend Pauline was born in London and moved to the US as a young adult. I asked her if she had a language adjustment when she came to the US. She replied "Yes, I did have to learn lots of new words when I came here. I did ask a guy to " knock me up " at 7pm...just one time. I soon learned." She went on to say that she has a lot more stories "like the time I went to Eckerds to buy some 'nappies' for my new daughter. He gave me sanitary towels. I said 'babies don't wear these'. He said 'oh, you mean you want diapers?' Yes, I wanted diapers."

I guess my point is that you can be speaking the same language but not communicating as well as you think you are!