Americanisms
- Thread starter Jimlaad43
- 916 comments
- 53,865 views
I've got two of them on the back end of my car.Woah, stoplights, we have to drive 10 miles to get to one of those from around here
- 11,985
- Australia
- I_Grayson_Fox_I
No use crying over spilled milk
No use crying over spilt milk
I learned how to calculate heat dissipation in a LM78xx transistor
I learnt how to calculate heat dissipation in a LM78xx transistor
Learned is normally used in this method "a mechanic is learned in auto repair"
Learnt is normally used in this method "I learnt about to change my cars oil today"
- 4,165
- United States
I usually get away with talking trash to people using UK slang. Pretty funny reactions when.
- 3,475
- Vilnius
That's Americanisms, right?FTFY
- 2,007
- Los Angeles
- GTP_DrivingPark
- Finetales
Chicagoans do that too, slightly differently - "You want I should-a fill 'er up?" At least, that's what the Chicagoans I know have told me.
My mom says the word "chit" (small piece of paper, like a receipt) all the time, and I've never heard it anywhere else. (it annoys my brother and I a lot, because it almost sounds like a certain curse word (which we're fine with hearing, but coming from our mother is...interesting).) Is that a British thing to say or is it just that nobody says it anymore?
BobK
Premium
- 7,020
- Massachusetts, USA
The word is (was?) used a lot in the US Navy. I hadn't heard it much outside the Navy. The meaning was more in the sense of "small paper form requesting or granting authorization".
- 4,165
- United States
FTFY
Hahahahaha. Just noticed.
- 19,724
- Alabamamania
You get the distilled version of it though memes and jokes (some of which is more or less correct).
We have lots of culture, actually. There's a lot of things that bind all 300 million of us together, but being from 50 states and having all sorts of physical barriers, climates, races, ethnicities, religious sects, traditions, et cetera...mix that in with a somewhat schizophrenic concept of appreciating the unique, the singular hero/demi-god, the rebel/lone-problem-solver, yet the need to belong to some sort of group, identification with others, the desire for approval and validation.
Which kind of makes it impossible precisely nail down us one type of culture.
But every now and then, on those Sometimes, you have to lower your freak flag.
On the other hand, we do have lots of big-box stores, all-encompassing media outlets, ideals of willfully dualistic nature, that sell the same products and services from coast-to-coast; stripped of regional flavor, that which sells a canned identity (it has a serial number), foisting the concept of ideals that cannot be bought (convince the masses their life will be changed/validated), that everything must and should be collected (more is always better), and that your beliefs can never have contradictions (never support the other team, we lose revenue that way).
Fortunately, a wise head or even a moment of awareness and clarity cleans the latter thoughts away (use as directed).
- 30,027
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
Surprised nobody picked this one up.
'Football' is an umbrella term for a number of sports which have their own distinct code.
'Soccer' comes from association football, and while it prevails in the United States, it's not necessarily an Americanism. The word was first recorded in England, and was in wide use throughout the UK up until the 1960s.
Football happens to be the name used in a particular area for what is usually the most popular code. But it depends.
Hull FC - Rugby league
Hull City AFC - Football
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- 30,027
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
A well spaced double post timewise, but...
Winningest. Is. Not. A. Valid. Word.
Inb4 stupid Charlie Sheen jokes, but this one really gets on my wick. You can only form a comparative or superlative with an adjective. 'Winning' is not an adjective. If this was true, one could also describe Al Unser as 'winninger' than Roberto Moreno at the Indy 500; no, you can't.
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are the winningest drivers in NASCAR. Wrong
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are the most successful drivers in NASCAR. Correct
Andy Rouse was winninger than Steve Soper in the BTCC. Wrong
Andy Rouse was more successful than Steve Soper in the BTCC. Correct
More successful and most successful are the correct terms you should be using.
Winningest. Is. Not. A. Valid. Word.
Inb4 stupid Charlie Sheen jokes, but this one really gets on my wick. You can only form a comparative or superlative with an adjective. 'Winning' is not an adjective. If this was true, one could also describe Al Unser as 'winninger' than Roberto Moreno at the Indy 500; no, you can't.
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are the winningest drivers in NASCAR. Wrong
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are the most successful drivers in NASCAR. Correct
Andy Rouse was winninger than Steve Soper in the BTCC. Wrong
Andy Rouse was more successful than Steve Soper in the BTCC. Correct
More successful and most successful are the correct terms you should be using.
- 19,724
- Alabamamania
I think it's to remove the word "successful" from the equation. Dale Earnhardt may have the third-most amount of total wins, but he died while doing so. Some people may not call that a measure of, ahem...success. It's also used in other sporting circles.
I agree that I also find the word rather clumsy, probably because it's a double superlative.
I agree that I also find the word rather clumsy, probably because it's a double superlative.
- 30,027
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
I only quickly chose Earnhardt Sr. because he holds the joint record for NASCAR titles. If you're talking about wins, then... sure, someone else might be better than him. But you'd have to explain what you mean by 'most successful' or 'winningest' either way.
My point was that winningest is completely ungrammatical. 'Most successful' is the correct term to be used; whether the rest of the sentence needs more contextualisation depends on what the speaker/writer wants to say.
