Being a Professional Mews, my ears perk up whenever I hear a new word. Not long ago, I learned that defenestration means to throw a person or thing out the window. And this past weekend, I was able to learn more new words while spending time eavesdropping on Cindy’s husband and his friend after they’d spent the day hiking.
This friend was visiting from the UK, so there were plenty words and phrases to tickle my American whiskers.
Here is a small sample of the British English I overheard that day:
We left the car in the carpark and started up the footpath, bringing along our waterproofs in our rucksacks in case it rained. It was a brilliant walk, except for all the biters about. But after 17 miles, I fancied a bit of a lie down until dinner.
And here is the American English translation:
We parked the car and started up the trail, packing our raingear in our backpacks in case it rained. It was an awesome hike, except for all the mosquitoes. But after 17 miles, I was ready for a nap until dinner.
I don’t know about you, but I find the differences in our vocabulary to be quite fascinating!
And now I fancy a bit of a lie down myself. Then I’ll get back to work trying to get Cindy to use the word “defenestration” in one of her stories.
Cheers!
