5 More Americanisms I've Picked Up Since Moving to the US

[@mrsparkle9048]

Just a heads up with ZIP codes, the basic zip code is only 5 digits (and yes, always digits) but there's actually an extended zip code comprised of those five numbers and four additional ones separated by a hyphen. Those indicate a particular delivery route within that ZIP code region.

[@denystull355]

You just answered my question to a reply in another reply. OK, but how many delivery routes can exist in a small town?

[@ChinchillaQueen]

@@denystull355 sometimes one. Sometimes several

[@blindleader42]

It's called "plus 4", and it goes much deeper than 1 delivery route. One delivery route for a typical residential neighborhood will comprise (If I remember correctly from two decades ago) 600 or so customers (addresses). The plus four comprises maybe 16 addresses at most. That is about equivalent to the UK's post code system. A UK friend explained the UK system, and I think he said about12 addresses to one post code. All these US numbers could have changed considerably in 20 years, as the tonnage of paper being delivered to each address declines.

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

@@denystull355 : Depends just how small the town is. Of course, most of the *really* small communities don't have their own post offices. But a few do. There's a village named Iberia just south of here, that has its own post office (and therefore its own zipcode) but has *zero* delivery routes: everyone in that town just gets a post office box and has to go to the post office to get their mail. (I haven't been able to get anyone who lives there to explain to me what they do about getting things delivered from vendors who won't ship to a PO box, which is a fairly common restriction.) If a community is large enough to need more than 9999 distinct route codes, it gets an additional zipcode. Mansfield, half an hour east of here, has about half a dozen zipcodes. Columbus has several dozen.

[@josephcote6120]

Another use for the plus-4 code is to indicate post office boxes if the base zip is only PO Boxes. When I had a PO box it was 3518, so my zip was 95927-3518. If the box number has more than 4 digits they just use the last 4.

[@KyleTales]

I have always felt that "Downtown" and "Uptown" are two different things. To me, Downtown is where there are tall buildings, offices, court houses, city halls, clubs and bars. It is a distinct geographic location in a city. Where as, Uptown, is more suburban, with shopping centers, grocery stores and family restaurants. It can refer to many different shopping locations in a city. If I said, "I am going Downtown" you would know where I was going, if I said "I am going Uptown" you would just know I was going shopping somewhere.

[@monember2722]

Are you from North Carolina by any chance.

[@Cadwaladr]

Downtown, at least here in Minneapolis, is where the tall buildings are, but also where all the address numbers are low, like 33 South Sixth, which is a place I used to deliver stuff to a lot.

[@somethingnotreal4674]

I think that it depends on the area. I am from the Chicago suburbs, and I don't think I have heard anyone really use uptown to denote a location. We do say downtown to say we are going to Chicago. Or a general shopping area in our suburban cities, like an older Main St (the downtown in my hometown and the town over are Main St.). Whereas I think in Manhattan it is a line at some street to generalize a separation of the island. I could be wrong about all of that, but it is what I have noticed.

[@KyleTales]

@@monember2722 I am not.

[@KyleTales]

@@Cadwaladr I would venture to guess that is true on a lot of cities. Most cities, I think, were found near the areas we now consider "downtown", and grew out from there. Doesn't Minneapolis have a district that is actually named, "Uptown"?

[@nowthatsjustducky]

Just as an FYI, the ZIP in ZIP code stands for Zone Improvement Program, which was first implemented in 1963 as a much needed replacement for the previous 2 digit postal code system.

[@larryfontenot9018]

I'm surprised that he didn't go into what holiday means. The word is descended from the Old English haligdæg, meaning "holy day". It referred to days set aside as religious festivals, and was a day when people were permitted to have a rest from labor and engage in recreational or celebratory activities. Generally speaking, such days usually were religious feast days commemorating a historic event or personage. I've never quite understood the way it's used in the UK for that reason -- in the USA, holiday still more or less means what it did in the 14th century, and extended rest periods or time periods taken for travel have the separate word "vacation" to differentiate them.

[@jenlovesjesus]

Good point.

[@timmmahhhh]

A stretch here but he did mention a term with an ecclesiastical reference: adios from the Spanish a+dios: to God

[@OhJodi69]

He did discuss "Holiday" in a previous video

[@absalomdraconis]

@pisswobble : And yet those are commonly treated in the same way as holy days were, whereas a vacation more resembles a pilgrimage... but the Brits often use "holiday" to describe vacations.

[@somanyhumanssolittlecommon6947]

@pisswobble Actually, your point is moot. Explaining the origins of a word doesn't need to include all the variations and alterations in meaning due to the evolution of language. Your argument is not only flawed but truly falls flat.

[@Diggaburr09]

I work in a call center, and I receive calls from all over the country, including some U.S. territories, and I can confirm that every part of the United States has a 5 digit zip code comprised only of numbers, including places like Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and remote parts of Alaska. There's even a U.S. zip code associated with the Mariana Islands. Just thought I'd share that information.

[@kyle18934]

I think it's easier because most people won't know where the first couple letters are in the usa just because of the size. Maybe if it was state abbreviation then numbers that could work

[@Bamboo4U2]

@@kyle18934 Depends on your job. One of my jobs (during the earliest time with the company) involved logging registration cards. That was more than 20 years ago and I still remember 941** is in San Francisco, 11*** is NY, etc. Generally speaking, the zeroes (the ones that start with zero) are in the northeast and slowly makes its way down the east coast and spreads west until you get to California which starts with 9****. Get it? So, based on the first digit, you can kind of guess what area of the country it is (east, central or west).

[@tanya5322]

Diggaburr09 my understanding is that the Mall of America (in Bloomington Minnesota) has its own zip code

[@Bamboo4U2]

@@tanya5322 There's a hospital in New Jersey I know of that has its own zip code too. It's Huuuuge!

[@tanya5322]

Jake Jones oh my!

[@robinchesterfield42]

And now I've got the song "Downtown" stuck in my head. :P

[@JJoy-bk8yr]

And "Uptown Girl," even though he didn't mention it.

[@JRLB38]

I used that song for a spin class I instruct; now I have the song stuck in my head and all of my cue's that go with it and the urge to pedal faster - am not currently on a bike.

[@robertstuart480]

I literally(1) never knew that "ZIP" in "Zip Code" was an abbreviation. It never occured to me. Learn something new every day.

[@historygeekslive8243]

me too 😏 learn something new every day

[@jslost]

The change from postal code to zip code was successfully accomplished by a marketing program. Ask anybody from the 1960’s who Zippy was.

[@robertstuart480]

@@jslost I thought that was Akron University's mascot.

[@jslost]

Robert Stuart lol can’t say I keep up with sports mascots. 🤷‍♀️

[@heatherbilly4223]

Same

[@wabash9000]

One other thing to note about zip codes is that they are low on the east coast and high on the west coast so you can tell how far west a zip code is based on the number. If you are sending something to Alaska, you send it to a 99xxx zip code.

[@wolfpurplemoon]

when you were talking about zip codes I noticed you've also picked up the Americanism "fill out" regarding a form (in the UK we say "fill in") 😄

[@MicroPal]

I'm pretty sure I've used both phrases - depending on context etc. For example, on the game show Jeopardy, they'll say "Fill in the Blank".

[@wolfpurplemoon]

I think the US uses both more interchangeably and the UK mostly uses fill in

[@carowells1607]

@@wolfpurplemoon Most Americans "fill out the form" by "filling in' the blanks" on the form. To fill out the form is to complete it. To fill in the form is to supply information as required. We also fill in the blank.

[@Samuel-I]

@@wolfpurplemoon He's ours now ! We've corrupted him.

[@wolfpurplemoon]

@@Samuel-I lol 😁

[@heatherbilly4223]

As an American saying “Holiday” instead of “Vacation” is weird to me. A Holiday is like Christmas, Thanksgiving.. I also didn’t know (even think about) what “Zip” stands for.

[@ChrisPage68]

"Christmas OR Thanksgiving. Please don't misuse commas.

[@3DJapan]

3:19 Funny story. Here in Philadelphia the downtown area is called Center City and I've grown up with that. Only when I moved to Orlando for school did I realize that no other place uses that term. It caused some confusion with my friends.

[@RRansomSmith]

San Diego does too, but they spell it Centre City.

[@Cryptonymicus]

It's now ZIP + 4, "public holidays" are called "national holidays," and in a city like NYC you can go uptown or downtown even if you're traveling to Midtown.

[@mkshffr4936]

Interestingly in Richland, WA we had both Uptown and Downtown and yes they were different places. As to vacation it is simple. It is when we vacate and it is not always on Holy Days and there are a lot more Holy Days than we have funds or the time to vacate. :D.

[@teufeldritch]

Nuke 'em till they glow!

[@kyler-pj2vy]

Love finding locals online

[@ShadowDrakken]

We use zip code and postal code interchangeably in the US. I've seen it both ways on various forms even.

[@JJoy-bk8yr]

Since I am old, I remember the little cartoon character the post office used to encourage people to use ZIP codes. ZIP was always in caps. I just looked it up. ZIP is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan. The cartoon was named Mr. Zip, a mail carrier running along with a huge smile. The ZIP codes were voluntary, and needed a catchy PR campaign. I think the word "zip" and the character Mr. Zip were perfect. It sold me on ZIP codes. But then, I was three years old when ZIP codes were introduced and didn't write many letters.

[@roxismith6122]

Before it was 5 digits, it was much less. In junior high school, I lived in Gladstone, 18, Missouri. Now it's 64118.

[@cathipalmer8217]

I remember those, too. I was in first grade and they were posted inside our school bus, for some reason.

[@davidbeaulieu4815]

So we dont have to use them?

[@JJoy-bk8yr]

@@davidbeaulieu4815 They might be mandatory by now - even if they aren't, I'd be afraid they would set my letter aside a get back to it in a year or two.

[@roxismith6122]

@@davidbeaulieu4815 only if you want your letter to get where you're sending it!

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

In Manhattan, downtown means toward the lower-numbered streets, and uptown means toward the higher numbered streets. So when you say you're going downtown, it means that you're going south (more or less), not that you're going to the city center (does Manhattan even have a city center?). Not only was Petula Clark British, but so was Tony Hatch, the guy who wrote "Downtown" and several of her other hits.

[@joermnyc]

Jeff Lichtman Manhattan has Central Park... but it was designed and built when most of the people were living at least 50 blocks downtown from there since that was also where a good chunk of people worked... it wasn’t until the subway system was built in 1904 that it suddenly became easily to travel uptown.

[@ChrisPage68]

Petula is very much alive and still British.

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

@@ChrisPage68 Oops, you're right! Sorry.

[@sassycatz4470]

So what about "staycation"? Do the Brits say, "Stoliday". ;-)

[@kristenheuer5676]

Lol

[@jonathanfinan722]

No, because staycation isn’t a word that exists outside of the fevered minds of dreary journalists and calling us Brits is clunky and childish. You don’t call Germans Germs, or Spanish Spans, so just stop it. Frankly the only people I can think of who call themselves British at all are insane nationalists.

[@somanyhumanssolittlecommon6947]

@Jonathan Finan You really should speak with your primary care physician about either high blood pressure treatments or anger management sessions. The term Brit isn't even of US origin much less is it exclusively used by us. There's nothing insulting about the term. Getting your knickers in a twist over nothing speaks solely of your own issues. Also, your uninformed whining about staycation also speaks more to your lack of wide reaching experience and judgemental nature. Frankly, all your sour remarks reveal is that you'd make a lousy party guest!

[@margeoconnor166]

@@jonathanfinan722 well, we arent going to call you English unless we know for sure you arent Welsh or from Scotland. Brits is in our daily language and you do not have the power to change it.

[@ChrisPage68]

@@jonathanfinan722 I'm not an insane nationalist.

[@nbkw2ae]

Hey Laurence! It’s Dino. Great video. Here in Canada they use postal code, they use vacation, and their postal codes are alphanumeric. It’s a blend of Britain and America.

[@evandavis5223]

I'd heard the term Autoqueue a number of times before but never realized THAT was what it referred to.

[@KiIowatt]

I've always thought using the word "holiday" was strange. Brit: I'm going on holiday. US: Oh? Which one? Lol it makes sense to differentiate between special events and personal ones.

[@Doug_in_NC]

Brit’s do differentiate - holiday is a vacation, and bank holiday is a (national) holiday. Literally it’s a day when banks shut.

[@Doug_in_NC]

@@TheRealBatabii you would go on holiday whether it was a Bank Holiday (which except for Christmas is always a Monday) or not. The American version is more correct than the British usage though - Holiday comes from Holy Day, so a religious holiday, so that fits better with it being a national holiday than it just being a vacation whenever you choose to take it , even though the US has very few actual religious holidays compared with say German or Spain.

[@Doug_in_NC]

@@TheRealBatabii No, you would say “I’m going on holiday over the bank holiday”

[@Doug_in_NC]

@@TheRealBatabii They don’t really have a generic name for them as far as I remember, like the US doesn’t either.

[@Doug_in_NC]

@@TheRealBatabii Yeah, i agree. I said the American version makes more sense.

[@dadoctah]

I imagine you're right about Petula Clark going for the American market with "Downtown". Another song she did around that time was "Don't Sleep in the Subway". I doubt "Don't Sleep in the Underground" would have been well received here. (She also had a song called "Color My World", spelling the first word without a U; a few years later, the thoroughly American group Chicago released their own song called "Colour My World," with the British spelling.)

[@somanyhumanssolittlecommon6947]

I will always think of Allan Sherman's version called Crazy Downtown which was his version of the parent's answer to Petula Clark's version.

[@ChrisPage68]

Chicago shortened their name from the original "Chicago Transit Authority.

[@howtubeable]

@@somanyhumanssolittlecommon6947 I just listened to Crazy Downtown. It's hilarious!

[@somanyhumanssolittlecommon6947]

@Howard Wiggins 😀 He was a genius! Weird Al Yankovic was inspired by him to become the hilarious song spoofer he became! Glad you enjoyed it so much! 👍

[@donaldkaspersen3768]

In Charlotte, North Carolina downtown is called "uptown."

[@xXSeNiLeXx]

And it's stupid

[@jjmacjjmac]

I’ve lived on the west coast of the US since 1994. I have the same experience when I visit Texas. My speech goes slow and low. And, phrases I used as a young man spill out every now and then.

[@PBGetson]

Even though I'm Canadian, and use the term Postal Code, I do know that when the Zip code came in, ZIP stood for Zone Improvement Plan. Pretty zippy abbreviation, isn't it?

[@PeteofHartainia]

In Pittsburgh you would be confused. We both have an "Uptown" and a "Downtown" and they are distinct and adjacent neighborhoods.

[@marcjsolis]

When people go on VACATion, they VACATE their homes for a trip. Even if I move to Britain, I think I would still use vacation due to how much sense the word makes.

[@sophiedash4026]

@pisswobble Geez, stop being such a pisswobble 😛

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

But I would also VACATE my home in the event of a fire.

[@ChrisPage68]

A trip means going a short distance over here. I have a bit of an unwritten rule - if you're staying less than two hours' drive away from home, you're not really on a trip.

[@Youko1776]

Holiday sounds more enjoyable. To " vacate" kind of draws a negative connotation.

[@geeman215]

Marc, I think a lot of the words we use-Just make since & are practical. We'll blend in words from other countries, & their meaning- drive home our points.

[@WhatDayIsItTrumpDay]

Thank you Laurence for acknowledging that many British words sound like what children might say before they learn the proper word for it. For example Ice Lolly vs Popsicle. The word popsicle is a combination of the words Lolly Pop and Icicle.

[@trolltoon]

Downtown was my first word as a baby as Petula Clark was always on the radio..and now "Downtown" is stuck in my head 🎶

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

Actually, the first time I saw the term "postal code" was when we upgraded our software at work, to a newer product. The old software had been aimed at a domestic market when the company was smaller, and the newer one was designed to appeal to international customers (which, as far as I know, never actually happened, but that was clearly the intent). The first time I looked at the registration form and saw the term "postal code", I had to stop and think about it for just a second. "What the bink is a postal code? Wouldn't that pretty much be a zipcode?" Sure enough, when I plugged our zipcode into the "postal code" form element, the software autofilled the city and state info.

[@ChrisPage68]

What the bink is a bink? 😜

[@suem6004]

I think early on cue cards ( actually poster board written with thick marker) were used. Not teleprompter.

[@denystull355]

Check out some of the early Red Skelton and Johnny Carson episodes on KZbin...they talk about cue cards...

[@craigcorson3036]

They're still used today, on many shows. The late night shows, SNL, the Kelly and doofus show, all use cue cards.

[@MicroPal]

@@craigcorson3036 Yep. Teleprompters tend to be used for speeches. Cue Cards for shorter things.

[@craigcorson3036]

@@MicroPal Makes sense. Putting a speech on cardboard could waste a whole forest.

[@jeffdwyer6105]

When I was a boy in the early 60's we had "Zones" within the city . example Mr Jones , 100 Main St , New Haven , CT , Zone 15. Today the Zip code for New Haven CT (Westville section) is 06515 , Now we added 4 more to narrow it down more specifically .

[@vickenkodjaian5265]

I like how you go from first to second and all the way and connect them very well. Also, you and your wife should visit England every year because the airline fares are cheaper to once was.

[@nemo227]

Laurence always makes me laugh (or at least smile broadly). It's refreshing and reassuring to read/see/hear friendly comments about our way of life (ways of lives?) here in the USA. We are all just passing through so, in some respects, we're all immigrants or temporary residents. Here, in California (which, in reality is still part of the USA) I have the pleasure and privilege of talking with visitors from other countries and it's especially heartwarming to discover that some of them have chosen to be "one of us".

[@spacecatboy2962]

a small historical note on that song down town. The american fighter and bomber pilots in vietnam used that song and the term down town to refer to flying to hanoi and going down town where all the SAMs and AAA guns were. In the movie flight of the intruder, they sing the song as they pull off their bombing run.

[@WelshRabbit]

"Downtown" was also sung (sort of) in the mini-series "Lost in Austen," one of my favorite rom-coms.

[@annam.addison2129]

Very Good video.... Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your next holiday, back home...

[@FrugalOverFifty]

I love this series. Also - really thrilled (chuffed?) that you're going back to England this coming summer!!

[@TBIhope]

You know, your upvote vs. downvote ratio is the best I’ve seen. 570 upvotes and 1 downvote? That’s impressive. Most get at least 5-10% downvotes, and political videos on C-SPAN get like 50/50.

[@mrhippo2874]

Downtown Charlotte is Uptown since it is on one of the elevated spots in the city.

[@baseballjustin5]

Work at a hotel and this guy from London was checking in, he moved to the US to be with his current GF and I told him about your channel

[@RRaquello]

In New York, downtown refers to a very specific place.In most cities, "downtown" would be the city center, and the same place would include both the main business district and the cultural attractions, like theaters, restaurants and museums, but in New York "downtown" refers to the business area below Chambers Street. In the past, this area was almost entirely commercial and would be almost deserted at night time, though lately there is residential growth. Midtown, the area around and between Grand Central Station, Times Square, Penn Station and Rockefeller Center, is the cultural attraction, with theaters, museums, fancy shops, restaurants and also a lot of commercial and office buildings. This would be more like the traditional "downtowns" of other cities.If you want to go to Petula Clark's "Downtown" in New York, you'd go to Midtown Manhattan. Uptown is the more residential area around Central Park, once you get past 59th Street. So while in most cities, "downtown" is a generic term meaning the city center, in New York it is a specific term meaning a specific place. Nobody would go to Rockefeller Center and consider themselves "downtown".

[@stanbrown32]

On Zone Improvement Code--in the old days (pre-sometime in early 1960s), smaller towns had only the street address, town, and state as the postal address, but large cities had separate zones for different post offices. You can see old addresses like New York 22. And Elvis referenced it in the song "Return to Sender": "address unknown; no such number, no such zone."

[@craigcorson3036]

i'm old enough to remember before there were ZIP codes. Letters used to be addressed by city, state, zone. Anytown, Pennsyltucky, zone 14. Like that.

[@Cryptonymicus]

Then you probably remember Eastern War Time too.

[@craigcorson3036]

@@Cryptonymicus No, not quite that old.

[@RRaquello]

The zip codes generally expand on the already existing zone numbers. For example, in Manhattan, if you addressed a letter to an address on Bleecker Street, before the zip codes, you would haves addressed it "Bleecker Street, New York, 12, New York". The zip code added the number "100" to the front of the zone number "12"., so it became, "Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012". Incidentally, in New York, that's how the zip code numbers are broken down. 100 is Manhattan, 103 is Staten Island, 104 the Bronx, etc.,, so the zip code became the new borough prefix (for Manhattan, 100) plus the old zone number (12) for 10012. How easy it was, until they had to add the plus 4.

[@shawna620]

Another hit! Thanks Laurence-- your subs just keep increasing!

[@4mySweetheart369]

I live in a pretty large city and we don't have nor do we use the word uptown. We have a downtown, and then we have a Riverfront District. I guess the riverfront would be our version of an uptown.

[@NBK1122]

Zip code reminded me that ZIP wasn't on your list of American acronyms video unless you had heard of it in England

[@lindacaldwell6251]

Never knew what zip stood for......that's why I love this channel!!😊

[@FireCracker3240]

Back in the day, I worked as a Legal Secretary for an attorney. He would often transcribe, and I would compose, legal descriptions of properties. This would be the land boundaries spelled out, in minutes, seconds, direction and degrees. The words Zone Improvement Plan were always a big part of real estate closings/estate documents. Years later, when I would go and obtain my Real Estate License, it would be prevalent again.

[@ButacuPpucatuB]

Im a baby! I had no idea ZIP code stood for something. Thank you for your lovely videos ❤️

[@Narnia61]

We spell check as cheque in Canada. We also have postal codes and they are a mixture of number and letters It alternates between letters and numbers. Our first letter depends which province you live in.

[@LordMelbury1953]

Growing up in London we would say let’s go ... Up West... meaning going to the West End for Cinemas Theatres or Clubs. American tourists would ask.. how do we get to Downtown from here, we were amazed because there was a place called Downtown in Rotherhithe in the Docks, that is South East London. I hope they never followed our directions and went there.

[@waffles2927]

In Jacksonville, Fl We have a Downtown with skyscrapers and a Town Center which is a large shoping Center

[@allanrichardson1468]

Lots of shopping centers and malls call themselves Town Center in the US. I think some of the really high priced ones even SPELL it British style, Town Center.

[@johnbowers6258]

@@allanrichardson1468 Auto-correct is a tough fightre

[@allanrichardson1468]

John Bowers Also, if a seaside or near-seaside condo in a US coastal state has the word Harbor in its name, it is probably expensive. If the word is spelled Harbour it’s twice as expensive! Talk about “buying a [high priced] vowel!” I just got the pun in your reply! Very subtle! Now if Trump would just ban that Mexican beer, that might stop the spread of Corona virus!

[@josephcote6120]

Between having nothing and having ZIP codes we had postal zone codes for large cities. It was a numeric identifier inserted between the city and state on the address like, for example, Chicago 8 IL. Just an indicator of geographic area within a city, sometimes it indicated the branch Post Office in that area, sometimes branches served more than one zone. The first ZIP codes carried over these numbers as the last two digits of the new ZIP code. The old Chicago 8 IL turned into Chicago, IL 60608.

[@phoenixriser6607]

'Downtown' played over the speakers at work recently and I had a "pandemic moment" when I thought how no one ever thought a time would come when we couldn't go downtown...

[@mrs.antihero]

Heheh, right off the bat, (there's an Americanism for ya) I noticed you used the word "slash", as opposed to "stroke", as I've heard some other Brits use (maybe that's old or outdated? I don't know). Also your still-oh-so-British pronunciation of "adios" at the end was rather amusing and endearing. How about the word "check"/ "tick"- as in, the mark one would put in a box next to one's choice or to denote a completed item on a list? Do you "tick" the box or "check" that off your to-do list? Anyway, we enjoy your videos and look forward to more. Cheers!

[@33dango]

In Philadelphia, downtown and center city are used interchangeably, both referring to the area with tall buildings, offices, etc.

[@pierreabbat6157]

How many amps are in a current account? Do you have a voltage account? AFAIK "post town" is a Britishism, but I have reason to use it. I live in the boonies, and when I tell someone my address, I explain that I don't live in Rutherfordton, it's just the post town.

[@transtubular]

THAT ...was awesome! I wonder if he has over current protection built into his account? Maybe they are given in Watts so you know just how much it can handle?

[@jonathanfinan722]

“Post town” isn’t a term here at all. And, unbelievably, words can have more than one meaning.

[@alexwillmon3097]

The whole vacation/holiday thing is really funny to me because my daughter asked me one day if we were "going on holiday?"... that's when I realized she watched WAY too much Peppa Pig!

[@creinicke1000]

You have a great voice!! You can sing.

[@Dingomush]

I’d like to see you explain to everyone the difference between the 1 1/2-2 weeks the Americans take off work compared to the British idea of a holiday. Great work, chin up!

[@carowells1607]

Since you obviously don't know this, I'll fill you in. Unlike Europe, in which the government forces all employers to give a certain amount of days off for workers each year, US federal and most State labor laws don't agree on how much time off all workers get. That said, though, all Americans do not all get the exact same amount of time off. In my last job I got six weeks of vacation time, two weeks of sick leave, forty hours of personal time along with accrued holidays. Some US jobs allow less time off than the EU does, and others allow more time off. To claim that all Americans get one and a half to two weeks each year is necessarily inaccurate. One job I had was full time but we only worked over the weekend. We went in on Friday afternoon and finished working on Sunday afternoon. On Monday through Friday we didn't work at all. Teachers only work when school is in session. In this state, there are enforced labor contracts which provide State employees to get more time off than most other people in the area, and unused time rolls over to the next year too. It really depends on were you work.

[@handsoffmycactus2958]

Or the lack of employment rights, shoddy healthcare system, lack of NHS, poor working practices, lack of living wage, lack of annual leave, maternity and paternity leave. So many negatives to living in that gun hell hole.

[@richerDiLefto]

Unlike other countries, there is *no mandate* in the United States decreeing that we must all get a certain amount of vacation per year. We actually get *no days off* by default. Whatever vacation we are lucky enough to get comes as a perk along with things like insurance in our employment packages. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_annual_leave_by_country

[@protorhinocerator142]

ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. Back in the day, an address ended with the city and state. If you're already talking about addresses, you can simply say, "What's your ZIP"? The television show Beverly Hills 90210 was all about the fancy rich kids living in the prestigious 90210 ZIP code (Beverly Hills). If you lived one house outside the ZIP code none of the cool kids would talk to you. Canada and the UK have postal codes. Same thing, except Canada and UK use alphanumeric codes instead of numeric. My wife just sent something to Ireland and I think they have something along the lines of a postal code but much shorter.

[@Gordonafloat]

A friend from Cleethorpes used to talk about low town, mid town and high town in relation to location from Cleethorpes through to Grimsby.

[@gillchatfield3231]

Downtown definitely not used in England in the 60s, Petula Clark notwithstanding. And Top Town is just Grimsby - to distinguish it from 'Freemo'. The two areas separated by the railway line, and probably class back in the day.

[@yossiea]

zipcode was once trademarked by the Post Office, but it is now expired. The new +4 number can be so small that some office building have their own zip+4. The ZIP does determine where you live as well, the numbers go from east to west, 1 is in the east and 9 is in the west. So 00501 is in NY (the smallest zip), and 90210 is in CA. The first two digits determine what state you're in.

[@thejohnbeck]

Haha, great intro! It made me want to know to what you were referring.

[@desertrose9483]

I always wondered if the 'zip' in zip code was an abbreviation for something, or not. (Now I know!) 👍😎

[@FionaEm]

In Australia we say teleprompter or autocue, cheque account, 'going to the city' or 'going into town', postcode and holiday.

[@debbrown660]

I had totally forgotten about zone codes, which predated ZIP codes. Larger cities or densely populated regions were divided up into zones, designated by a 2-digit number, which I believe indicated the post office serving that zone. When I was a kid, my address ended with Euclid 23, Ohio. When ZIP codes were adopted, "Euclid 23" became "Euclid, OH 44123. "

[@pghrpg4065]

We have some old coat racks in my office from Scranton 9, Pa. (18509 now). They built things to last back then!

[@jamesfan2]

Before zip code,ddresses were city, followed by two numbers, followed by state. The two numbers were called the zone.

[@bigaspidistra]

Autocue and teleprompter are both genericised trademarks, after the originally dominant company for the product in each country. (Another broadcasting example is aston / chyron for a character generator.) One of the earliest used in the BBC was however a 'pinipromter', named after its inventor Mervyn Pinfield.

[@johncrwarner]

There is a difference between passive knowledge and active production of words - when explaining to my German students the two vocabularies - I often explain that I understand someone saying both words but I as a British English speaker will use the British word - so I understand what an American means by teleprompter but would use autocue in my speech. Living in Germany - leads to different problems but there are words I would love to steal from German to use in English and I do: Handy - meaning cell phone or mobile phone Krimi - for Crime Fiction Beamer - for projector

[@rodleyeriffe9149]

I enjoyed you pointing out the subtle differences in our language. I used to turn down a biscuit, but I never met a cookie I didn't like. 😎

[@helenrouth2467]

My friend...I would like the caveat “except in Canada” used ... often pls. Because we have Postal Codes! (not named “post codes” as in the UK) they are 6 digits long and always include numbers and letters. Many uk isms still exist here...but we also use downtown uptown cause of historical urban planning terms across North America.

[@DanHiteshew-oneandonly]

We have a zip +4. It's the 5 digit zip cope plus a 4 digit code that is more precise somehow.

[@urmorph]

The American use of vacation is probably from French--"en vacances". When used at work ("He's on vacation") it has the general meaning "he ain't here" without offering any information about his whereabouts. "He's on holidays" is a tiny bit more positive. "En Vacances" is the title of a charming set of piano pieces by Deodat de Severac.

[@joermnyc]

Doncaster may have been a central office, so DN gets mail it as far as that sorting facility, and then the next part of the code moves it along towards Grimsby.

[@crystalfulton7684]

Love your humor.

[@trigonzobob]

OK, I've never lived there, but my parents moved to Watertown SD about 35 years ago. My Mom grew up in Minneapolis, MN and raised me and my siblings in Mankato, MN where "downtown" basically meant the older part of the city along the river. "Uptown" is a specific area in Minneapolis but I don't recall it ever being used when I lived in Mankato. In Mankato, terms like "Highland" or "Hilltop" were used because of the drastic elevation changes in the area. But I do remember her being very perturbed when she learned that in Watertown, "downtown" meant the newer development along US 212 and that "uptown" meant the older, historic part of the city.

[@mildredpierce4506]

I vaguely remember ZIP code commercials in the late 60s and early 70s. There are some here on KZbin.

[@Kamakiri86]

Here in Canada we use Postal Code and it's six digits of letters and numbers configured like this A2A-2A2. The best part is that we made Santa's Postal Code H0H 0H0 so it's easy for kids to remember lol. There's also some really funny combinations you can get if you get creative with L33T speak XD

[@realShadowKat]

I've started saying "CBD" (central business district) in place of "downtown" partially because most suburbs have a CBD but not necessarily a "downtown". Not sure many Americans will know what a currant is? Black currant production was largely banned until recently due to the it spreading a tree disease.

[@davidforsyth5157]

The first time I heard of currants was in high school French class. I've never seen them in a grocery store or on a menu. Or ever.

[@davidforsyth5157]

@@pklnom3651 I had no idea. They should contact whoever promoted cranberries a few decades ago.

[@butcharmstrong9645]

I freakn LOVE this guy! he is so "bloody" funny!

[@SuperDrLisa]

Downtown or Down City was what was and still is used in Rhode Island, it usually refers to Providence, the Capitol of the state. I've never heard a term for the main shopping area for another town or city within the state, or where City Hall is except for just City Hall.

[@nighthawk8412]

I like the fact that we Americans use vacation to mean taking a non-work trip and holiday to specify specific dates/times of the year. It is a very efficient way of providing context to a conversation. We Americans definitely want people to know that it is a random trip and not a special event and/or time that everyone is celebrating. The Brits on the other hand will force people, mostly Americans, to check their calendars & wonder why the calendar maker forgot to label the date(s) of the vacation as a special occasion.

[@transtubular]

I think Americans should start pointing out all of those times and be super sensitive about it and start asking things like "Oh, is it a holy day for you? What religion are you?" and otherwise pointing out how much sense it makes to use the word to describe special days set aside versus just a random vacation...y'know, kinda like how they do whenever someone uses Imperial measurements versus metric. I mean it really does make more sense to use Holiday for the specially celebrated days and vacation for just time away from work.

[@ChrisPage68]

We don't "force" you to do anything..

[@ChrisPage68]

@@transtubular We use Imperial and Metric - especially those of use born in the late 1960s and before.

[@ChrisPage68]

@@transtubular Time away from work IS special.

[@annad.l6087]

Postal code and zip code I seem to use interchangeably. A few weeks ago I asked where someone was going on holiday, without even thinking about it until they gave me a funny look.

[@LincolnRon]

1:24 So in the UK what do they call the "auto-cue" feature on a CD player? Reading from my autocue I see that "Auto-Cue" is the option of having a track start automatically right after loading a CD into the CD player. Auto-Cue can also refer to having a selected file such as an audio file (WAV or FLAC) or a video file (MKV, AVI, or MPEG) start automatically after it loads.

[@LincolnRon]

@@arrgghh1555 2 minute video explaining auto-cue on a CD player. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKe4oYyJgsulibc

[@walterulasinksi7031]

US Zip codes are based upon numbers to delineate State, County City/town postal distribution station, substation and route.

[@jimjungle1397]

Downtown is the business center and not a residential area at all, unlike city center, which is an expensive desirable area in which to live. In American cities the desirable residences are in what is called, uptown in north eastern cities. The US Postal Service used to function fine without Zip Codes. I remember when Zip Codes were started and they were optional for many, many years. More recently the Post Office started requiring Zip Codes be used, or they would refuse to deliver the mail.

[@FrankLeeMadeere]

FYI "ZIP code" is a backronym or apronym... Meaning they wanted the word ZIP and figured out words that work for the letters.

[@DogWalkerBill]

I remember that the "ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym. Wikipedia says, "The term ZIP is an acronym for 'Zone Improvement Plan'; it was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently and quickly (zipping along!)" So I guess American mail is more Zippy than English mail plodding along by dreary old "postal codes." In a ZIP code the first three digits stand for the city and the last two digits stand for the local address. In big cities, like New York City, there are multiple city codes. 103 is Staten Island (where I live.) Brooklyn is 112. Manhattan has 100, 101 & 102 because there are lots of businesses & people there. Many people think you need a state with a zip code 10301 NY for example (St George neighborhood, Staten Island NY.) But you don't. Every 5 digit zip code in totally & only within one state. There are none that overlap between two states. So 15235 is unique to Pittsburgh and totally within Pennsylvania. (It would be anyway. Pittsburgh is not close to the borders of Ohio or West Virginia.) Just FYI.

[@gailpeczkis5292]

I grew up in a town close to Chicago and we always referred to our "downtown area" as going uptown and then when we went into Chicago it was called downtown and is like that even today. When we say "do you want to go downtown?" it is understood it means downtown Chicago.

[@jtdw10]

You haven't lost your accent, so I suppose this wouldn't be the same for you, but I thought of it when you said the old words come out when you go home. My partner is from Canada, but has lived in the US off and on for long enough that he no longer has an accent. But I notice when he talks to family on the phone, he a complete Canadian again, 'eh and all!😀

[@santamanone]

When I lived n England they said “the High Street” instead of “downtown.

[@Cryptonymicus]

I thought it was High Street instead of Main Street.

[@handsoffmycactus2958]

If you’re going out on a night out, it’s going round town or let’s go to town.

[@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER]

A teleprompter?? Aha! And here along I thought you spoke so crisply, clearly and efficiently; simply because you were British.

[@kokoken1]

You didn't mention it, Laurence, so you may not have researched it (and who could blame you?), but when ZIP codes came into being in the early '60s, here's what the zone system was about that ZIP codes were meant to "improve on." I lived in Detroit, so when mail came to my house, the last line on the envelope said: "Detroit 24, Mich." -- a reference to a certain zone of Detroit. When ZIP codes were launched, we were told the address should now read: Detroit, Mich. 48224. The first 4 is a region of the country comprising several states (also in the 4 region are Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana), and 82 was Detroit. Finally the 24 corresponded to that previous zone number. (Later, the US Postal Service privatized, and every state and territory was assigned a two-letter abbreviation. Michigan arm-wrestled with Minnesota, Mississippi and Missouri and apparently won the right to use MI. The losers got MN, MS and MO.)

[@somanyhumanssolittlecommon6947]

LOL I instantly thought of Allan Sherman's Crazy Downtown. If you've not had the pleasure, a quick search on KZbin will have you asking, "What have I been missing all my life?" ROFL

[@drewpamon]

Zip codes are actually 9 digits. The first 5 digits get you to the correct post office and the extra four tells you which area the letter goes to within the zip.

[@yossiea]

That would be ZIP+4, the ZIPCODE is actually just 5 digits.

[@georgeworley6927]

Actually it is called Zip Code plus 4 and only the first 5 digits are mandatory. If the Zip code plus 4 is 44301-1220 mail would still get to you if you use 44301. Most people don't even know about Zip code plus 4 even though it was introduced in 1984. The use for everyday residential mail never really caught on probably because Zip plus 4 was hard to find in the early days as you would have to call or go to your local post office and people being people didn't want to go through all of that mess. The only real use today is bulk and pre-sorted mail as it gives companies that produce such mail a discount. To the normal person sending mail to Aunt Jenny it doesn't make any difference if the standard Zip code or Zip code plus 4 is used as it costs just the same.

[@yossiea]

@@georgeworley6927 Yep, and BTW, since you mentioned delivering "without", you'd still get your mail without a zipcode as well, it'll just take a bit longer.

[@margeoconnor166]

In the payroll world vacation or PTO (personal time off) is different from holiday for accounting reasons. Breaking out costs for set federal/state mandatory holidays from random voluntary time away from work is normal cost accounting.

[@cathyvickers9063]

The word holiday literally derives from holy day, because holidays were originally according to a religious calendar. In the U.S., holidays are days of special national or religious significance. Memorial Day & Easter, for example. A vacation is a break from work, in which the whole point is to relax & get away from the normal grind. Vacations can be taken at any time, although it's usually more convenient to schedule them around a holiday, like Christmas; or in the summer months, when the kids aren't in school. It's always baffled me why Brits say they're going on "sacred day" (holiday) instead of vacation!

[@simonpowell2559]

Ya'll darn ye haw done busted this good old boy is cow poke plumb tucked out period. Ya'll brits is talk perdy. I'm English by the way.

[@sgt.kilrain6891]

I thought you might have called down town High street. When I was stationed in England my wife and I weekly went to Huntington high Street for market day. It was like a farmer's market and always fun. Perhaps that was just a Huntington or Cambridgeshire thing.

[@ChrisPage68]

HuntingDON.