You would think (or I would think) that after 16 months in England I would've gotten used to all of the language differences. But no, I am still amazed every few days by words I haven't heard before or that I haven't heard used in the same context. And I'm still (gently) mocked by friends for my use of words.
Here are a few that stand out from recent conversations:
1. acclimated/acclimatised
We've had quite a cold snap in England the last several weeks, with temperatures hovering at or below freezing. When some folks commented, "You shouldn't be cold, you're from Chicago!" I replied, "No, I am cold. I've clearly acclimated to English weather." Cue the merriment. "Acclimated?" they hooted. "What a silly word. It's acclimatised." "That depends on where you are from," I said, perhaps with just a touch more austerity than was necessary
2. yonks: an age, a long time ago
Last Tuesday I was meeting with a colleague and she said, "I haven't seen Bill for yonks."
"For what?" I asked, quite puzzled.
"Yonks," she said, louder, not realising that I had no idea what she was talking about. After a moment, though, I figured it out.
"Does that mean 'ages?'," I asked.
"Oh, sorry," she apologized. "Yes, it does."
Yesterday I heard the word used again in conversation.
3. me old mucker: friend
When meeting up with my friend Kristen awhile back, she greeted me with, "Y' aw right, me old mucka?"
"Your old what?" I asked, quite astonished and wondering if I should be offended.
"Mucka," she said. (Well, really she said mucker, but with an English accent you don't hear the "er" part). "I guess it's a Nottingham term for friend. You know, it's what you'd call some guy down at the pub."
"Aha," I replied. "I love it! As long as it's not an insult."
It's hard to tell, sometimes.
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