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British to American dictionary

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M

mightymidget

Jedi Knight
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Has anyone ever compiled British car talk to American
as in:
Bonnet-hood
Wings- fenders
Tyres-tires etc......
I was reading BMC mechanics manual last night and was amazed at difference in termnology
 
One of my restoration books has a page of English to American terms. It is a Haynes Restoration Manual by Lindsay Porter. It is for the MG Midget and the Sprite. There are around 80 terms in the list.
 
Yep, my wife done did that. She divorsed an Englishmen and married me!
(Funny thing is, afterwards, he got a Vette and I got a MG.)
 
Years ago a friend of mine who owned a Morgan at the time read me a sentence from his owners manual. It went something like this, "Before motoring inspect the tyres for flints and signs of perishing."
What a quaint way to say, dig any sharp stones out of the treads and look for any cuts or unusual bulges that could be a sign of tire (now that's the right way to spell it) damage. Brits and Americans; two people separated by a common language.
 
mightymidget said:
Has anyone ever compiled British car talk to American
as in:
Bonnet-hood
Wings- fenders
Tyres-tires etc......
I was reading BMC mechanics manual last night and was amazed at difference in terminology
Click to expand...

Not yet, but I'll grab my torch out of my bag of kit and bugger-on for a forthnight and then put it in the Post, as soon as I grab my cuppa that is.
 
Whilst tdskip balanced the torch and prised the cover off with the mole wrench, I took spanner twixt thumb and forefinger .....

I've got a ten year old hand drill (remember those?) built in Jolly Olde that I wanted to bolt to a 2x4: the threads ain't metric; the threads ain't imperial ('imperial' - sounds like something that should probably be in the Scions Of Lucas website). Maybe that ancient plague on British motorcycle owners: BSW????

Thanks for the Lucas site James - mole wrench was a new one to me. Living north of the 49th, I've apparently got the best of all possible worlds: the omniscient Bill Gates trying to programme my spelling, crashing headlong into my Canadian version of English and my partial British heritage.

Doug
 
John_Shep said:
By the way, Doug,

In Oz we call a 2x4 by it's proper name.

Four be two.

JS
Click to expand...

We do in the UK as well.

Anyway, if you use 2x4 as a joist, you'll have to stand it on its edge, whereas 4x2 would be the right way up to start with :yesnod:
 
john_j said:
John_Shep said:
By the way, Doug,

In Oz we call a 2x4 by it's proper name.

Four be two.

JS
Click to expand...

We do in the UK as well.

Anyway, if you use 2x4 as a joist, you'll have to stand it on its edge, whereas 4x2 would be the right way up to start with :yesnod:
Click to expand...

and aren't technical drawings done backwards (First angle projection)?

m
 
John_Shep said:
we call a 2x4 by it's proper name.
Click to expand...

Iddn't it really a 1 3/4 x 3 3/4? :smile:
 
SilentUnicorn said:
and aren't technical drawings done backwards (First angle projection)?
Click to expand...

Depends how far back you are talking. In the AH days then yes; in the 80s there was still a mixture of 1st and 3rd, which is why someone I worked with assumed a oomponent drawing was 3rd when it was 1st, so when he designed the tool to fold it, it ended up getting folded the wring way! Whoops!
 
Silent Unicorn: are you a Richard Thompson fan: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"?

Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent 52
He reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys
He said I've got no further use for these
I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome
Swooping down from heaven to carry me home
And he gave her one last kiss and died
And he gave her his Vincent to ride

Doug
 
twas_brillig said:
Silent Unicorn: are you a Richard Thompson fan: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"?

Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent 52
He reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys
He said I've got no further use for these
I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome
Swooping down from heaven to carry me home
And he gave her one last kiss and died
And he gave her his Vincent to ride

Doug
Click to expand...

gotta watch dem murdersickles...dey'll gitcha !!!!

mine dun got me, but I aint ded yet !!!!!
 
After 15 years together, my wife is completely fluent in english. Cockney slang is is new to her though and you should have seen the look on her face when I told her that "her skin and blister" was on the phone
 
twas_brillig said:
Silent Unicorn: are you a Richard Thompson fan: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"?

Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent 52
He reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys
He said I've got no further use for these
I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome
Swooping down from heaven to carry me home
And he gave her one last kiss and died
And he gave her his Vincent to ride

Doug
Click to expand...

I am!

some of his stuff is pretty "Dark" but sometimes i can relate.

m
 
Monark192 said:
After 15 years together, my wife is completely fluent in english. Cockney slang is is new to her though and you should have seen the look on her face when I told her that "her skin and blister" was on the phone
Click to expand...

did she come up the apples and pears to answer?
 
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