Blogger: Michelle Ule, Books & Such Assistant
Location: London
Weather: A lovely contrast to Santa Rosa’s drought condition.
How does the saying go? The United States and England are two nations separated by a common language? We’re laughing at the unusual word usage on this side of the pond.
My favorite is “metal banger,” which in England means a body shop. Of course they bang metal in body shops, that’s what makes them so noisy, but the title makes me laugh every time I see it blazed on a sign.
“Bubble and squeak,”anyone? After reading English novels featuring such odd sounding food, I was up for the opportunity to try a batch. Er, a serving. Cabbage and sausage sounded more fun than it tasted.
The shepherd’s pie is different from what we make at home, too. We like the California variety better. And who knew a “sultana” was a raisin, though doesn’t Sultana Bran have a more elegant ring to it?
Touches like these are what give flavor to a novel’s setting. It takes the everyday–a vehicle’s trunk, for instance–and gives it an exotic zest: “She put the luggage in the car’s boot.” Writers have to be careful not to overdue it, of course, since a novel isn’t a language lesson. An American might have trouble understanding: “As he heated his bubble and squeak, the metal banger worker ate the sultanas he usually kept in his boot.”
I love the novelty of words and “odd” spellings. I actually prefer “grey” and “theatre.” I think my personal weight may even sound better in stones—certainly it’s a smaller number! And my height? One and two-thirds meters? I think five-nine sounds more posh.
Don’t you love the language play? What jolly good word that tickles your fancy could you share with us?
I actually have a little of that in a novel I’m working on. It lends some light moments to it. You can imagine the fun when an English gal tells a Texas dude he needs to check his bonnet. (The truck was over-heating.)
Do they still use the word “jolly” often?
I agree: language is such fun.
I do love the language play. Your line “As he heated his bubble and squeak, the metal banger worker ate the sultanas he usually kept in his boot,” made me laugh out loud.
I’m currently working on a picture book that takes place at sea, and it has been fun learning some pirate/sailor lingo (only using kid-friendly words, of course).
Michelle,
Your insights and phrases from London are refreshing. May you enjoy a wonderful and productive trip!
In South Africa we have panel beaters to do the same job as metal bangers.
Love this post!
Some other words that my close English friend uses regularly are: Ablutions, (that one is hilarious), and brilliant, and vapid, and winge… She made winge up. It’s a blend of wiggle and cringe–making up words is one of her favorite past times. She should have been a horticulturist AND a writer. Aren’t the English fun?