Mad kitty!

(Enfilade) had some very interesting
things to say about OT: "go down cellar":

Here's another one--what's that big soft thing you sit on in the
living room? To us it's a couch, but my grandmother calls it "a
chesterfield."

I usually call it a sofa.

--
"The universe is quite robust in design and appears to be
doing just fine on its own, incompetent support staff notwithstanding.
:-)" - the Dennis formerly known as (evil), MCFL

wrote in message
...
Yoj wrote:

After all, if you say "in THE hospital", you must be
talking about a specific hospital, LOL!

Generally a person is in a specific hospital. G

Yes, but that's not what that usage implies. People refer to "the
hospital" to simply mean that the person is in a hospital, any hospital.
They're not referring to a previously named one.

I'm sure a grammarian could explain this more articulately!

Joyce

I'm a Brit, and have recently been in hospital. Not in "the" hospital, just
in hospital. I don't know how to explain it, but we are definitely just "in
hospital."
The same way as we don't go on vacation, we go on holiday. And I write "to"
someone too.

I'm quite fascinated by the difference between American and English. I'd
like to hear more examples of the differences.
Sidewalk - pavement
Faucet - tap
Hood - bonnet
Trunk - boot
Vacation - holiday
Humor - humour, now this looks to a Brit like it might be pronounced
"hoomer" instead of h-you-mer. Same as color. Looks like Kollar.

I really do relish the experience of sharing/asking my USA friends on this
group about pronounciation. Where else would an American tell me honestly
and without taking offence. (see offense!) Nowhere.

Tweed

wrote in message
...
Yoj wrote:

After all, if you say "in THE hospital", you must be
talking about a specific hospital, LOL!

Generally a person is in a specific hospital. G

Yes, but that's not what that usage implies. People refer to "the
hospital" to simply mean that the person is in a hospital, any hospital.
They're not referring to a previously named one.

I'm sure a grammarian could explain this more articulately!

Joyce

I'm a Brit, and have recently been in hospital. Not in "the" hospital, just
in hospital. I don't know how to explain it, but we are definitely just "in
hospital."
The same way as we don't go on vacation, we go on holiday. And I write "to"
someone too.

I'm quite fascinated by the difference between American and English. I'd
like to hear more examples of the differences.
Sidewalk - pavement
Faucet - tap
Hood - bonnet
Trunk - boot
Vacation - holiday
Humor - humour, now this looks to a Brit like it might be pronounced
"hoomer" instead of h-you-mer. Same as color. Looks like Kollar.

I really do relish the experience of sharing/asking my USA friends on this
group about pronounciation. Where else would an American tell me honestly
and without taking offence. (see offense!) Nowhere.

Tweed

wrote in message
...
Yoj wrote:

After all, if you say "in THE hospital", you must be
talking about a specific hospital, LOL!

Generally a person is in a specific hospital. G

Yes, but that's not what that usage implies. People refer to "the
hospital" to simply mean that the person is in a hospital, any hospital.
They're not referring to a previously named one.

I'm sure a grammarian could explain this more articulately!

Joyce

I'm a Brit, and have recently been in hospital. Not in "the" hospital, just
in hospital. I don't know how to explain it, but we are definitely just "in
hospital."
The same way as we don't go on vacation, we go on holiday. And I write "to"
someone too.

I'm quite fascinated by the difference between American and English. I'd
like to hear more examples of the differences.
Sidewalk - pavement
Faucet - tap
Hood - bonnet
Trunk - boot
Vacation - holiday
Humor - humour, now this looks to a Brit like it might be pronounced
"hoomer" instead of h-you-mer. Same as color. Looks like Kollar.

I really do relish the experience of sharing/asking my USA friends on this
group about pronounciation. Where else would an American tell me honestly
and without taking offence. (see offense!) Nowhere.

Tweed

"CATherine" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 15:54:42 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:



Yowie wrote:


I always find it weird to hear the American term "I'll write you" rather
than saying "I'll write *to* you". I don't know when the dropped "to" or
the
"to the" in your case above first started to be thought of as correct
grammar in American English, but to these Commonweatlth English ears, it
always sounds wrong.

What I find even weirder is the comparatively new "I could
care less", when what is so clearly meant is "I could NOT
care less"!

Or, "lucked out", meaning something positive. It always seemed
backwards to me. But a lot of teen slang over the last 20 years has
used words backwards in their meanings.

--
CATherine

I was in the doctor's waiting room the other day, and a teenage girl sat
beside me with her mother. She hardly stopped talking. "I've got a rash,
eh, like bad, on my back." Mother nods. "Got told off at school, for
moving, eh, in class eh, bad eh, like I could help it or something. Like I
wanted a rash, eh? Get real." I would have like to tell her to shut up,
and wait quietly like the adults did. No chance!
"Corr, it was wicked eh, when my friend told the teacher I had a rash, eh,
like I couldn't help it eh?"

The medical receptionist passed through the corridor, and asked the mother
how old her daughter was. "14"
"Yes, she sounds just like mine.."

Tweed

"CATherine" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 15:54:42 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:



Yowie wrote:


I always find it weird to hear the American term "I'll write you" rather
than saying "I'll write *to* you". I don't know when the dropped "to" or
the
"to the" in your case above first started to be thought of as correct
grammar in American English, but to these Commonweatlth English ears, it
always sounds wrong.

What I find even weirder is the comparatively new "I could
care less", when what is so clearly meant is "I could NOT
care less"!

Or, "lucked out", meaning something positive. It always seemed
backwards to me. But a lot of teen slang over the last 20 years has
used words backwards in their meanings.

--
CATherine

I was in the doctor's waiting room the other day, and a teenage girl sat
beside me with her mother. She hardly stopped talking. "I've got a rash,
eh, like bad, on my back." Mother nods. "Got told off at school, for
moving, eh, in class eh, bad eh, like I could help it or something. Like I
wanted a rash, eh? Get real." I would have like to tell her to shut up,
and wait quietly like the adults did. No chance!
"Corr, it was wicked eh, when my friend told the teacher I had a rash, eh,
like I couldn't help it eh?"

The medical receptionist passed through the corridor, and asked the mother
how old her daughter was. "14"
"Yes, she sounds just like mine.."

Tweed

"CATherine" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 15:54:42 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:



Yowie wrote:


I always find it weird to hear the American term "I'll write you" rather
than saying "I'll write *to* you". I don't know when the dropped "to" or
the
"to the" in your case above first started to be thought of as correct
grammar in American English, but to these Commonweatlth English ears, it
always sounds wrong.

What I find even weirder is the comparatively new "I could
care less", when what is so clearly meant is "I could NOT
care less"!

Or, "lucked out", meaning something positive. It always seemed
backwards to me. But a lot of teen slang over the last 20 years has
used words backwards in their meanings.

--
CATherine

I was in the doctor's waiting room the other day, and a teenage girl sat
beside me with her mother. She hardly stopped talking. "I've got a rash,
eh, like bad, on my back." Mother nods. "Got told off at school, for
moving, eh, in class eh, bad eh, like I could help it or something. Like I
wanted a rash, eh? Get real." I would have like to tell her to shut up,
and wait quietly like the adults did. No chance!
"Corr, it was wicked eh, when my friend told the teacher I had a rash, eh,
like I couldn't help it eh?"

The medical receptionist passed through the corridor, and asked the mother
how old her daughter was. "14"
"Yes, she sounds just like mine.."

Tweed

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Singh wrote:

We had this thingie when I was really little, that my parents
called a "Hollywood Bed." I never quite figured what that meant,
for as a small child I assumed we kept beds in bedrooms, not
living rooms. I was in my late twenties before I learned that it's
a daybed. I've never heard anyone outside my family call it a
Hollywood bed.

Well, I never knew until recently what a "daybed" was!

It's kind of amusing to me that we have so many words for "couch".
They say that a culture will have many words for the things that are
important in that culture. Hmm...

Joyce

I'm sitting on the settee enjoing this thread. I love the way on this
group, some of the longest threads are off topic.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)

So do I. I love how the threads drift, and I'd like nothing to be OT here.
Me with my settee, three cushions to rest back on, three cushions to sit on
and arms at each end, although I'm not sitting on it at the moment, I'm on
my very severe stool in front of the computer.
Is there something called a "three piece suite" in the USA, can anyone tell
me? Consisting of a settee and two matching armchairs. All thickly
upholstered with two arms.
This is fascinating. Love it.

Tweed

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Singh wrote:

We had this thingie when I was really little, that my parents
called a "Hollywood Bed." I never quite figured what that meant,
for as a small child I assumed we kept beds in bedrooms, not
living rooms. I was in my late twenties before I learned that it's
a daybed. I've never heard anyone outside my family call it a
Hollywood bed.

Well, I never knew until recently what a "daybed" was!

It's kind of amusing to me that we have so many words for "couch".
They say that a culture will have many words for the things that are
important in that culture. Hmm...

Joyce

I'm sitting on the settee enjoing this thread. I love the way on this
group, some of the longest threads are off topic.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)

So do I. I love how the threads drift, and I'd like nothing to be OT here.
Me with my settee, three cushions to rest back on, three cushions to sit on
and arms at each end, although I'm not sitting on it at the moment, I'm on
my very severe stool in front of the computer.
Is there something called a "three piece suite" in the USA, can anyone tell
me? Consisting of a settee and two matching armchairs. All thickly
upholstered with two arms.
This is fascinating. Love it.

Tweed

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Singh wrote:

We had this thingie when I was really little, that my parents
called a "Hollywood Bed." I never quite figured what that meant,
for as a small child I assumed we kept beds in bedrooms, not
living rooms. I was in my late twenties before I learned that it's
a daybed. I've never heard anyone outside my family call it a
Hollywood bed.

Well, I never knew until recently what a "daybed" was!

It's kind of amusing to me that we have so many words for "couch".
They say that a culture will have many words for the things that are
important in that culture. Hmm...

Joyce

I'm sitting on the settee enjoing this thread. I love the way on this
group, some of the longest threads are off topic.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)

So do I. I love how the threads drift, and I'd like nothing to be OT here.
Me with my settee, three cushions to rest back on, three cushions to sit on
and arms at each end, although I'm not sitting on it at the moment, I'm on
my very severe stool in front of the computer.
Is there something called a "three piece suite" in the USA, can anyone tell
me? Consisting of a settee and two matching armchairs. All thickly
upholstered with two arms.
This is fascinating. Love it.

Tweed