British English and American English have a lot in common, but there are some words that are surprisingly very different. I was thinking about that today and decided to have a bit of a competition between some commonly used words that are different in the two languages.
Round 1
Cookies vs Biscuits
In the USA, we call them ‘cookies’ while in England, they’re called ‘biscuits.’
The word ‘Cookie’ came from a Dutch word ‘koekje’, which means ‘little cakes’, and was first used in New York at the time it was a Dutch colony called New Netherland. Around 1703 the word became Americanized and morphed into the word ‘cookie’ which quickly caught hold and became a catch-all for any type of small baked goods.
The British word, ‘Biscuit’ was derived from the French word ‘bescuit’, which meant ‘twice cooked.’
While ‘biscuit’ today might apply to some forms of small pastries, it doesn’t apply to all, since few are ‘twice cooked’ whereas cookie or ‘little cakes’ is much more descriptive. First point goes to the USA.
Elevator vs Lift
Next on the list is the American word ‘elevator’, which is up against the British equivalent ‘lift.’
‘Elevator’ derives from the Latin word ‘elvare’, which means ‘to lift up’ while the British word ‘lift’ comes from the Old Norse word ‘lypta’, meaning ‘to lift.’ Since these are pretty much the same, I’ll call this one a tie. One point for the USA and one point for England.
Gasoline vs Petrol
‘Gasoline’ is a blend of the word ‘gas’ and the suffix ‘oleane’, which denotes a volatile oil. Interestingly enough, the word ‘gasolene’ first appeared in British English around 1863, but British refiners later changed it to ‘motor spirit’ and eventually changed it to ‘petrol’, which is, of course, derived from ‘petroleum.
Since ‘gasoline’ is sold in its liquid state and not its gaseous state, I would say that it doesn’t accurately describe the product, whereas ‘petrol’ tells you exactly what you’re dealing with. The British take the win for a tied score!
French Fries vs Chips
The word ‘French fries’ came to America from American soldiers who, while serving in Belgium during World War I, would eat a local dish of fried potatoes. Sadly, they called them ‘French Fries’ instead of ‘Belgium Fries’ because many of them thought they were in France since everyone was speaking French. So much for American education.
‘Chips’ originated in mid-19th-century Britain as a shortening of ‘chipped potatoes’ and became popular in the mid-1850s, with the rise of fish and chip shops.
This one is kind of a tossup. ‘French fries’ does indicate that the product is fried, while chips describe the origin of the raw product but doesn’t really tell you anything about how it’s cooked. I would suggest both words be replaced with the term, ‘Potato Fries.’ Zero points for both sides.
There’s the bell, and it’s the end of round one with the score tied at 2 to 2. To be continued…
