British Words Americans Don't Understand | American Reacts

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As an American there are so many words in Britain that I have absolutely no idea what they mean. Today I am very interested in learning about 11 common British words and how to use them. If you enjoyed the video feel free to leave a comment, like, or subscribe for more!

[@steviesbadtv]

When you say faucet, why don’t you call the water that comes from the faucet water? Instead of tap water…🤷🏻‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@BrianMac2601]

All that he just watched has already left his single brain cell, you're getting too complicated for him 😂 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@dinger40]

The creation of the ballpoint pen is credited to a Hungarian-Argentinian inventor László Bíró.

[@SM-cz5od]

Yes, when I was at school all ballpoint pens were referred to as biros

[@Maria-z7h5b]

​@@SM-cz5odScot h Tape and Selotape are both brand names,

[@angeladormer6659]

Thank you for telling him. Not that he reads them. Americans don't know who invented the pens they use.

[@Keith-b4r8o]

@@angeladormer6659 They think they invented everything!

[@carolleather5992]

I never knew that. Cheers

[@terrytibs3365]

We know what Americans are on about most of the time because we are exposed to your culture far more than you are to ours

[@sydneyrule]

As an Aussie I agree with this one kind of sad when you think about it for them yankee doodles

[@FrancisHegarty]

The Stanley/utility knife is used for a variety of things. A box cutter sounds like something specifically used for opening boxes.

[@outonroad]

Yes I came here to say that. In fact a Stanley knife is probably the last thing I pick up to open a box.

[@helenb1374]

Yup, I use a paring knife or scissors to open a box.

[@robcrossgrove7927]

Tyler "You can tell by my utter confusion" Mate, that's your default state!

[@thedogsdiddies8421]

LOL I'm waiting for British reactions to his videos taking the mickey outta his utter stupidity! Humour seems to go way over his head!

[@stephenlee5929]

Is that next to Florida?

[@rosalynadams3758]

Aren't Scotch tape and Band Aid brand names? I have never heard the term utility knife. I would either say Stanley knife or carpet knife. I would probably call a soft toy that isn't a teddy a soft toy. A stuffed animal here would probably be a real animal that was stuffed after it died, as in taxidermy .

[@MrBulky992]

I have never heard of "utility knife". If, most unusually, I had to use a generic term for a Stanley knife, I would call it a craft knife.

[@laylasean-u3n]

@@MrBulky992 I would've always called it a "carpet knife" if anything...

[@crackpot148]

True, such knives are used by carpet fitters, hence carpet knife.

[@crackpot148]

​@@MrBulky992 Craft knives are more like scalpels that allow you to to make precision cuts when engaged in craft work. Like making stencils, for instance. I use them a lot in my craft activities. I have never heard carpet knives called craft knives. I guess I should get out more.😉

[@MrBulky992]

It was always called a "cuddly toy" on BBC's hugely popular "Generation Game", watched each week by millions for many years from 1971 until 2002. It was the only prize to make an appearance in every single show. I never heard anyone ever call it a "soft toy" on that show.

[@LITANDLEGIT2024]

the company hoover (vacuum cleaner) is a good example.....ill do the hoovering....the brand has become a verb and part of our everyday language...

[@williambailey344]

She is from Florida and we in the uk would say cuddly toy and then Teddy bear if it's a bear cuddly toy.

[@L1YT_]

I would just say teddy if it's not a bear

[@JimmyJr630]

Nah it’s a teddy or a teddy bear

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

You do realise that "Band Aid" is a brand name as well as "Saran Wrap"? Why don't you say "Faucet Water" instead of "Tap Water", if 'Faucet' is your default term?

[@sydneyrule]

OMG I'm an Aussie and who cares tap water sounds better than Faucet water you do realise it's not just the UK that uses these words as we were a colony with merry old Eng hence why we pretty much copy them now put that in your pipe and smoke it

[@timidwolf]

Scotch Tape is also a brand, but he kept repeating it as if it weren't.

[@MichaelJohnsonAzgard]

@@sydneyrule This is a video between UK and US differences so calm down. Nobody cares about Australia anyway.

[@meeds7473]

chill out, man

[@MetalRocksMe.]

Popsicle is also a brand name.

[@daverigby23]

I'm surprised you don't call Tippex by it's brand name; It was invented by an American woman, the mother of Monkee Mike Nesmith

[@marydavis5234]

Mrs Nesmith invented sticky notes though

[@MrBulky992]

​@@marydavis5234Post-it notes?

[@williamharding4260]

Snopake is another correction fluid brand name (probably American

[@johnp8131]

BRAND NAMES!!! She should explain why? Bic is the French producer of cheap disposable ballpoint pens. Biro is the surname of the Hungarian inventor of the Ballpoint.

[@mamnan8953]

Another one is We call a vacuum cleaner a Hoover, again, a brand name

[@Keith-b4r8o]

Yes, an American brand name.

[@Shaun.ALAW.]

If you asked for a Bic , I would think you wanted a shave.

[@chrisperyagh]

Or a lighter.

[@crackpot148]

Those occurred to me, too but when disposable Bic pens arrived on the scene in the UK (late 50s early 60s) Bic razors and lighters were several decades away from appearing on the UK market.

[@timglennon6814]

Scotch tape is a Brand name. The proper name for this clear tape is Sellotape. The history of Sellotape. Sellotape was originally manufactured in 1937 by Colin Kinninmonth and George Grey, in Acton, west London. The derived from Cellophane at the time a Trade Mark name, with the “C” changed to “S” so the new name could be Trademarked.

[@angeladormer6659]

@timglennon6814 Wow, thank you I come from near Acton. That is really interesting.

[@timidwolf]

I'm British and I've NEVER heard anybody in the UK use 'Teddy' unless it was a bear, we say either soft toy or cuddly toy.

[@carolineskipper6976]

When my children were small, lots of people would refer to 'teddies' as a generic term for cuddly toy. (They are in their late 20s now, for reference)

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I say soft toy, and teddy, _if_ it is a teddy bear!

[@carolineskipper6976]

@@brigidsingleton1596 But some ppeople do also use 'teddy' for non-bear cuddlies. It may well be regional.

[@JimmyJr630]

Nah most people i know say teddy bear if it’s a bear and the rest are teddies

[@timidwolf]

Possibly a regional thing, then?

[@emmabrand4413]

The ball point pen was created by Laszlo Biro, hence calling them Biro

[@robcrossgrove7927]

I think I've seen "Scotch tape" in British shops, and yes, we have those little holders/dispensers too. I guess to get over the language barrier, you call it "Sticky tape".

[@Attirbful]

we have Scotch brand in Germany as well, but, since the traditional brand is Tesa, most people refer to it as “please hand me the Tesa“….

[@SM-cz5od]

She is incorrect again about the Teddy bear. We never refer to other stuffed soft toys as Teddy's or teddy bears. No idea what she is talking about.

[@jgreen2015]

Yeh we do.

[@Samtheman91]

we definitely call them teddys where I'm from, doesn't matter if it's a bear, lion or a crash bandicoot

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

No you are correct teddies are bear shaped named after the US President Thedore (Teddy) Roosevelt, who saved a bear cub whilst out hunting after its mother was killed, and it became known as Teddy's Bear. Other stuffed toys are plain and simply called stuffed toys or cuddly toys.

[@jgreen2015]

@@Samtheman91 yup. We usually say something like "the dog teddy"

[@jgreen2015]

@ElizabethDebbie24 he has been proven incorrect already. He says we NEVER CALL THEM TEDDYS. But here are two brits who say it's quite common from their experience that we do. Therefore it is incorrect to say "we NEVER say teddy"

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

So, when Ron Weasley fixes his broken wand using Spellotape, you Americans don't understand the play on words? Btw, sello as in to seal, makes more sense than Scotch, which is a drink.

[@rikmoran3963]

The name Sellotape came from Cellophane. It has nothing to do with 'seal', but I understand why you might think that.

[@Spiklething]

They call it Scotch tape, the packaging has tartan on it, yet it has no connection with Scotland

[@mrrajsingh]

@@Spiklething It does have a connection to Scotland, it is a racial slur against Scottish people. Like if they called it Gypsy tape or jews tape because they were allegedly cheap.

[@doctordunc]

I wouldn't know what you meant by a box-cutter or white out. But the others yes. (I know band aid and faucet from US shows and films) You have quite a few brand/generic names too (like jell-o?) I don't think we do call all soft toys teddies. Teddy does still tend to refer to a bear. But we would say soft toy over plushie or stuffed animal (I think!)

[@robcrossgrove7927]

We have Kleenex over here, but don't often refer to them by brand. Like you, we just say tissue, (or snot rag). Kleenex also do packets of travel tissues called "Hany Andies". Personally, I often use the brand name for those, but really only to myself.

[@davidfuller5344]

In the UK Tipp-Ex isn't used very much since the decline of the typewriter, and Whiteout would be a severe snowstorm.

[@elementus2857]

Tipp-Ex is still used a lot when writing with pens.

[@GeekBatman]

@@davidfuller5344 my memory of tipp-ex at school was it taking way too long to dry and having it all over my hands. The little devices that transferred the white stuff from a tape were much more popular.

[@Phiyedough]

Yes, it makes a mess of your monitor!

[@gdok6088]

@@Phiyedough 😂

[@crackpot148]

​@@GeekBatman TIPP-EX makes those corrective tape dispensers, too.

[@quincary5791]

"Dish soap" really gets me going...because it's NOT soap - it's detergent.

[@NickBrown-ph6xd]

Oh Gawd...here we go again....."Saran is the first US brand name, the boots on the other foot"......Scotch tape and Band-Aid???? He's wiping his memory before he's even finished the video now......

[@keefsmiff]

And yet you watch , that's quite sad

[@NickBrown-ph6xd]

@@keefsmiff I need some comic relief, even if it is an endurance run until the end of the vid.....

[@keefsmiff]

@NickBrown-ph6xd so do you go to the cinema, pay to watch a film and then run around in the foyer saying I hate this film, I hate this film?

[@NickBrown-ph6xd]

@@keefsmiff Only if it's a Hollywood blockbuster that I'd mistakenly bought tickets for.....

[@NickBrown-ph6xd]

@@keefsmiff Only if it's a "Hollywood blockbuster" I'd stumbled into in error....

[@martinshepherd626]

A Teddy is just a Teddy Bear, we dont call soft toys Teddy's. ...... not where im from anyway!

[@MrBulky992]

These toys are generically known as "cuddly toys" in the UK. "Teddy" would only ever refer to a bear.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

​@@MrBulky992 I never say "cuddly toy" - I only ever sat 'soft toy' but say 'Teddy Bear' _if it is_ a bear.

[@celiafox350]

I have never heard of soft toys being called Teddy unless it is actually a Teddy Bear toy. Also Biro was also a brand name that has become a generic name for a ball point pen even if the pen you are using isn't a Biro brand. You are right Tyler, she is referring to brand names which have just become household items as in the USA.

[@carolineskipper6976]

It might be regional. When my kids were small people often said 'teddies' meaning 'any stuffed animal toy'.

[@MrBulky992]

​@@celiafox350And, of course, Lazlo Biro was the Hungarian-Argentine inventor of the ballpoint pen whose name was, presumably, used for the brand. Ballpoint pens are the default pen these days so the "ballpoint" description becomes superfluous". "Ballpoint pen" is a bit of a mouthful if you want to be specific about the type of pen being referenced. "Biro" is a lot snappier.

[@jameslewis2635]

In the UK Stanley knives are not thought of as 'box cutters'. They are used mainly in construction and for DIY. While many people do use them for opening boxes in most companies you are supposed to use a disposable safety cutter instead.

[@crackpot148]

Yes, those safety cutters spring to mind whenever I hear an American say "box cutter".

[@donerskine7935]

Stanley is a USA tool manufacturer.

[@vanburger]

Band Aid is also an American brand for a Plaster, just one brand you can also buy in the UK. Teddy also can mean Specifically a teddy bear. however the British version of Plushie is Cuddly Toy that she didn't mention.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I never say "cuddly toy" ... Only a Teddy Bear if it was an actual bear soft toy. I call "plushies" - _soft toys_ . I never call them "stuffed toys" or "stuffed animals" - the latter to my mind, is a taxidermy term!!

[@oz25]

🇬🇧: "Teddy (Bear)" normally means a toy bear🧸. "Cuddly Toy" is the generic name for all soft toys. We sometimes used "Stuffed Toys" but "Stuffed Animal" would probably be used for taxidermy only - like a dead fox filled with stuffing and put in a glass case for display!

[@SM-cz5od]

We always call it washing up liquid in Britain

[@ianmoseley9910]

Americans refer to washing themselves as washing up, which is reserved in the UK for doing dishes!

[@donerskine7935]

Fairy liquid is made from crushing fairies. A cruel practice, that is being replaced by crushing goblins, who everyone hates.

[@cryogenixoldskool5803]

You don't speak English, you speak American, Australians speak better English than your lot, keep up the good work though

[@GlenInvestorUK]

Sellotape/cellotape in the UK can also be called; Scotchtape, brown tape, packing tape, clear tape, box tape, sticky tape, Sticky Back Plastic (for Blue Peter fans) just to name a few not including the local regional variations... confused yet? 😁

[@robcrossgrove7927]

Sellotape isn't the same thing as Sticky Backed plastic. That's the patterned self adhering vinyl you can get to cover things in.

[@stevenbalekic5683]

The clear tape in Australia is just sticky tape. Depending on the colour and what it's made of will decide what it's called here. We use the word biro or pen. Glue stick We tend to use stanley knife. Correction fluid in Australia we call it liquid paper (brand name) We use band-aid in Australia to describe the product like the US but on generic ones it says plasters on the box...but we still call 'em band-aids. We use taps to access water Dish liquid... short for dishwashing liquid and we say doing the dishes. Just gloves and sometimes rubber or latex is added to the word. Plastic wrap or cling film Tea towel Teddies but due to media and the reach of Americanisation plush toys, plushies are also starting to be used.

[@elementus2857]

@@robcrossgrove7927 In the show Blue Peter they called sellotape "sticky backed plastic" due to BBC's rules on product placement.

[@chrisperyagh]

@@elementus2857 And they usually used "double-sided tape for speed".

[@wanderingfool6312]

To be honest a “ stuffed animal” sounds like you’re into taxidermy, it’s a bit creepy.

[@irreverend_]

I've never used a Stanley knife to open a box.

[@lp7399]

That's what I was thinking only used for DIY jobs

[@drcl7429]

Do use mine for cutting up boxes to fit in the recycling. Box cutter to me though is the ones with the snap off blades.

[@simonupton-millard]

same used it for 1000s of other jobs but never used for a box, in the UK we have a different tool (hook knife) in shops or offices for opening boxes its to dangerous to use a Stanley knife for that in 2024 but they do makes a rarely good pencil sharpener

[@drcl7429]

@@simonupton-millard I thought hook knives only use was for lino.

[@simonupton-millard]

@@drcl7429 funny we use a Stanley knife for that only ever seen hook knives used for opening boxes here

[@danielferguson3784]

Sellotape is a brand name here in Britain, & has become the generic term for wrapping tape, as Scotch tape is in the US . We do have Scotch tape here but we generally refer to all brands as Sellotape, because that was the first brand to come along. Scotch tape is also a brand name. In much the same way as Hoover has become generic for vacuum cleaner, whatever the make. Biro is generic for a ball point pen, named after the Hungarian inventor of the thing. Stanley is the name of a tool making company, it's written on the thing. It is not just a box cutter, but used for many thing. How is Scotch Tape telling you what the function is? How does 'white out' tell you what it is ? It sounds like a drug! Elastoplast is the earliest brand of sticking plaster for wounds, again it's a brand name, which has become generic. We also have Band Aid as a brand, but Elastoplast came first. The word tap was part of English before the settlement of America. A Faucet is also English, but it is not exactly the same thing as a tap. Tap water comes from a TAP, even in America. Washing soap in the UK would be taken as some sort of hand or body wash. We do say doing the dishes. Marigolds are a brand of gloves, now also a bit generic. If you said rubber gloves in the UK that would mean heavier waterproof work gloves. Cling film is also a brand name, but it tells you that it clings to what is wrapped. Saran Wrap tells you nothing but that you wrap things in it, it might be any sort of wrapping. A dish towel in the UK might be taken as a wet cloth to do the dishes, which we call a dish cloth. A tea towel is exclusively for drying plates etc. In the UK they are stuffed toys, Toy being the important word telling you it's a child's item. It's only a Teddy if it's a Teddy Bear, otherwise we would say what sort of toy animal it was. A 'stuffed animal' would be an example of taxidermy! Like a dead dog or tiger etc in a Museum. Many American phrases & words are imprecise, not as clear as you seem to think. The American vocabulary seems very limited to us Brits, with the same word often use for a wide range of items which we here in the UK would divide to make things clear. For instance if one asks for 'Coke' here, you would get Coke, not Pepsi, or Sprite or anything else. We would ask for the particular type, flavour or brand of drink we wanted. Overall the generic term for these would be 'Pop', from 'Soda Pop', (where your term soda comes from) or soft drink, because it has no alcohol, or 'fizzy drink', but this is rarely used. Generally we say exactly which we want. Another example is 'Sweater', which in the US seems to mean any of a wide range of top body covering. In the UK a Sweater is a particular type of top, literally to keep one warm, to make one sweat in a Gym or such. Otherwise we have Jumpers, usually wool, Pullovers, Cardigans, that are buttoned down the front, Jerseys, a particular type of thick top, & more. We call Tank tops, those that have no sleeves but are otherwise wool. Tank tops here are not underwear, the underwear top is a vest. What Americans call a vest is a waistcoat worn under the jacket in a 3 piece suit. Here a Yard belonging to a house, is an enclosed, usually small area behind a terraced house in a town, hence 'Back yard'. It is like other places walled in , surrounded by buildings, such as farmyards, stable-yards, courtyards etc. They generally don't have much plant life or greenery. The land around a house, usually larger than a backyard, comprising lawns, trees, flowers & other plants, is a Garden. Within a garden you may have places for flowers, called Flowerbeds, & vegetables, vegetable plots, & the garden is often bordered by Hedges or fences. If you say 'yard' in the UK you are talking about a small, hard paved, bit of ground usually behind a town house. There are many similar differences between the language in Britain & the US, with America generally having much less variety, therefore less precise, terms for many things. I feel that the US education system has badly let the American people down, by simplifying, & dumbing down the English language, but I guess this was largely done because of the very many, none English immigrants into the US over the last couple of centuries, to get them 'English' speaking.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

The "dumbing down" of "American🇺🇲 English", apart from having to cater to the influx of peoples from different countries, is mainly to do with Noah Webster, who - apparently - had a _severe dislike of the British_ and _also_ _he couldn't spell at all well_ , hence he developed ways to spell and speak English in simple ways to suit his preferences - such as removing the 'u' from 'colour', 'favourite', and 'humour', and he changed 'tyre' to "tire", 'theatre' to "theater", 'centre' to "center" abd 'kerb' to "curb" etc... (we have both 'kerb' _and_ 'curb' but they mean different things). I feel, my dislike for Noah Webster... (despite of course, never having known him personally!!) ...and what he did to our beautiful and complex English🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 language, is at least _equal_ to his dislike for the British!! ☹️😠😡🥺

[@gillchatfield3231]

Very comprehensive. And correct!

[@Susan-j4v6u]

Scotch tape, Bandaid, Bic, Wite-out - all brand names!

[@ianmoseley9910]

And Jello

[@Smogbat-d6b]

Ironically Teddy or Teddy Bear is named after Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt so we are actually using an American reference for all of our soft toys

[@littlescamps]

we dont use white out... we use correction fluid, but most people say tip-pex

[@StewedFishProductions]

The word “plaster” is of old English origin, meaning “a bandage spread with a curative substance”. This comes from the MEDICAL Latin (Roman) word “emplastrum”, also meaning “plaster” or “bandage”. This is why so many BRANDS of 'sticking plasters' contain 'nods' to the usage i.e. "BANDaid", "ElastoPLAST", "HypaPLAST" or "MasterPLAST".

[@Simon-lt6fe]

As a side note, Band-Aid was a collection of famous music artists coming together to raise money for children in 3rd world countries

[@stephenlee5929]

@@Simon-lt6fe And that is probably when most Brits first heard the term.

[@Attirbful]

In German, we say “Pflaster“….

[@pem...]

'Sell-O-tape' reminds me of harry Enfield's annoying yank sketches😅

[@craig3262]

Me too lol

[@jgreen2015]

I thought I was imagining that!

[@doublesix5300]

I know who the the annoying yank is. He's making this video. What have I done to deserve this as a suggestion.

[@christopherstrong150]

Spellotape A Harry Potter joke only the British would Understand

[@crackpot148]

Stuffed Animals? Really? Stuffed toys? Sure enough but stuffed "animals" sounds macabre. I would never give a child a stuffed animal to play with. We also say "soft toys" for ANY stuffed soft toy.

[@catherinehaywood7092]

Aren’t you taught anything in the great U S of A. I’m amazed you’ve never heard of Biro. László Bíró was the first person to patent the ball point pen hence where the pen gets its name. I learnt this when I was about 8 years old. Yes I would know what white out is I think we understand your words far better than you understand ours. We realise that there are other countries in the world whereas Americans live in their bubble and don’t seem to go outside of it.

[@andyn6297]

Also it would seem that their Wite Out is made by Biro

[@WolfOfWalfas]

I've heard "Sellotape" from many British - and also Irish - people in the past, but I've never heard anyone say it with a hard "o" sound. It may just be an accent thing (I've only met people from very specific parts of the UK and Ireland), but I've always heard it pronounced like "sell-uh-tape". And re: stuffed-animals, I've always seen "plush" or "plushie" as the most common name for them in the US. But as you said, I suppose it could be a regional thing.

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

She is wrong oh so wrong we onky call bears teddy bears we call all others cuddly toys. We never call them stuffed animals sounds too much like taxidermy.

[@iainjohnson1235]

The first commercially successful ballpoint pen was invented by Laszlo Biro (a Hungarian). Hence Biro!

[@helenwood8482]

It doesn't/ matter that you don't know how to ask for Tipp-Ex. You don't erase your mistakes. You make them President.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

Brilliant response. Well Done. 👍🥇🏆

[@adventuresofadingbat691]

Who else skips the first 10 seconds. im just an arv... >>> 😂

[@trevorcook4439]

Biro is definitely an age thing. I said that word at work today and got an odd look from a young un. Australia uses these words. US is different as usual

[@simonball5746]

A plaster is a generic word. Band Aid isn't and is a brand name. Which you had just been complaining about the other way round!

[@brigidsingleton1596]

The American TV jingle 🎵"I am stuck on 'Bandaid' and 'Bandaid's stuck on me!"🎵 (is sung by Meg Ryan in the film "City of Angels") and it was written by _Barry Manilow_ ( _before_ he became famous as a singer / songwriter & musician... He used to write advertising jingles).

[@whiterose.5684]

It's about time American English was recognised worldwide as a completely different language.

[@grahvis]

When given a choice of languages to use in software, there is often a distinction between US and UK English.

[@angeladormer6659]

@whiterose.5684 I for one am disgusted that our country is using American English for signage in public buildings. Why is our language and grammar being destroyed in this way?

[@Phiyedough]

Yes, I don't care what words Americans use for things but I wish they didn't call their language English.

[@mw-wl2hm]

@@grahvis Lucky for you.. In Canada, unfortunately, we're rarely given a choice for Canadian EN because what is imported is American-made so we're often stuck using US which is wrong. When Canada EN is not a choice but UK EN is (though it's not 100% accurate for us) I set everything to UK rather than US because it's far closer. (ie. though we don't spell 'apologize' with an S, it's a lot easier to change than adding all those U's to every word and flipping all the R.E's in words like centre)

[@GeekBatman]

She's not informed enough to do this video. There are lots of different phrases and terms. For example I'd just call them rubber gloves as would everyone I know. I'd also say do the dishes or do the pots. She may be informed but she definitely isn't as informed as she thinks. 🤦🏻

[@jgreen2015]

Older people tend to say Marigolds

[@GeekBatman]

@@jgreen2015 they do, but they'd also know that if you asked for rubber gloves you were wanting the same thing.

[@robcrossgrove7927]

And yet, I always refer to them as Mariglods, not that I ever use them for washing up, (I never say "Doing the dishes"), I don't see the point in them for doing the washing up.

[@GeekBatman]

@@robcrossgrove7927 oh I'd say washing up as well. My default would be do the pots though.

[@GeekBatman]

I think for our household it became do the... When we got a dishwasher. But it still occasionally gets called the washing up. With the washing (no up) meaning clothes.

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

FAUCET The word faucet comes from the French word fausette or fausset and was first used in Middle English between 1150 and 1500. The earliest known use of the word is in Grande Chirurgie by Guy de Chauliac, before 1425. The word faucet originally referred to a stopper that was placed in the bong hole of a barrel. The meaning of the word evolved over time as plumbing in the United States developed. By the 20th century, the definition used in the United States today was well established. In British English, the term for a faucet is usually "tap". In American English, the words "faucet" and "tap" are often used interchangeably.

[@MrBulky992]

Does no one in the UK use the brandname "Elastoplast" for a plaster? I know I often do and it is the most common brand by far in the UK. Maybe I'm unusual.

[@crackpot148]

✋️Guilty, I have used "Elastoplast" in that sense.

[@caitlee2484]

@MrBulky992 Yes I think Elastoplast is more common than plaster if you had to ask for it. More easily understood. You might still be unusual though ;-)

[@petebeatminister]

I guess sticky tape is often brand related. Here in Germany for example we call it Tesa-Film. Tesa is a company who makes various glue related products. And they are the market leaders for sticky tape, packing tape, double sided glue tape and so on. The term "Biro" for a ball pen does not come from a brand, though. It comes from the name László József Bíró, the guy who invented the first commercially successful ball pen design in 1931. The utility knife we call "Teppich-Messer" in German, which translates to "Carpet Knife". Because thats what those knifes were made for: to cut carpet when you lay down wall to wall carpet. Hence the shape and the exchangeable blades.

[@-R.Gray-]

Why don't you know that Americans are using brand names when they say "Scotch Tape" and "Band-Aid", while you emphasize the British use of brand names? What is generic about the word "Scotch"? How does that word describe its function? The British use "plaster" because before adhesive bandages were invented, wounds would be covered using strips of cotton and plaster of Paris. Then there are plaster casts.

[@melaniemaloney5857]

I don't agree with her on the teddy bear issue. if it isn't a bear, it's a soft toy or cuddly toy. I have heard all soft toys being referred to as teddies, but only amongst people under 25. To my generation, only a bear would be a teddy. We have no other name for a Stanley knife, it's quite specific. An utility knife would be a medium sized kitchen knife, used for cutting vegetables.

[@crackpot148]

Scotch Tape is a brand name,too. It used to be sold here in the UK and used to be used as a generic name for clear adhesive tape alongside Sellotape. Scotch tape may still be sold here, I don't know, I don't get out much these days.😊 Oops! I just went to my bureau (writng desk and document cupboard) and I found several small rolls of Scotch tape refills for my tape dispenser. Still call it sellotape, though.😊

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

TAP WATER The term "tap" for a water outlet in Britain comes from the Old English word "teppa", which refers to a peg used to control the flow of drinks from a cask. A tap is a valve that controls the flow of water, and the earliest evidence of taps dates back to Roman times. The Romans used aqueducts and canals to store and direct water, which was then transported to homes and public bathhouses through lead pipes. The pipes ended with valves, similar to the ball valves used in modern taps. In the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth, the term "tap" is used to refer to any type of valve, especially those that control the water supply to sinks and bathtubs. In the United States, the most common term for a tap is "faucet".

[@Mobius3c273]

I just love your reactions to differences between UK and US culture. I think you have a fantastic personality, a really lovely way about you. It does seem funny that we understand all the American terms and as you say its a one way street. You have to pop over here sometime and see how you get on with what you have learned so far. Heres one what you won't know... " See you in a Fortnight"

[@jgreen2015]

Americans have beer "on tap"

[@stumccabe]

Wite-out, Scotch tape, Kleenex, Band-Aid - all brand names, just like Tippex, Sellotape, Stanley knife !!!

[@stephenhodgson3506]

Stanley is the name of the company whose full name is Stanley Hand tools founded in 1857 in New Britain, Connecticut.

[@Burglar-King]

Fairy liquid is the ONLY liquid that you don’t have to rinse and it slides off the washing up leaving them squeaky clean. Great engineering. OTHER LIQUIDS DONT DO THIS SO ALWAYS RINSE THE WASHING UP.

[@carolleather5992]

They should pay you for this👍

[@simonball5746]

Tyler saying "sellotape" over and over again reminds me of the Harry Enfield character from Idaho trying to buy some in a shop.

[@toakreon]

'Biro' for ball point pen - there was a gentleman, Eastern European (I think Czech, perhaps) who was an early pioneer of ball point pens. Laslo Biro, I believe (surname actually pronounced 'beer oh'), and the British term 'Biro (pronounced 'bye row') caught on in his honour.

[@johnp8131]

Hungarian.

[@greenmoose_]

"its a one way street" .. is it though? Americans use brands we dont have to describe every day items too... Saran wrap for Cling Film (as she states) springs instantly to mind but there are numerous other examples... I think both sides would benefit from just expanding their world knowledge slightly outside their own cultural experience 🤣 Edit: oh also... who's Stanley? Ever heard of a Stanley Cup? I'm sure you have. Same company... also I've never called rubber gloves Marigolds in my life... I think my grandma did maybe?! Perhaps a southern thing?!

[@irreverend_]

@@greenmoose_ Saran wrap always put me in mind of chemical weapons (sarin gas). I definitely wouldn't want that on my food :)

[@greenmoose_]

@@irreverend_ Kleenex for tissue really winds me up for some reason 😂 Tylenol for Paracetemol (or Acetaminophen as I think its referred to generically in the US) ... there are loads .. dont get me wrong every culture does it, i'm fairly confident brits dont do it more than Americans but whatever the case everyone does it loads.

[@crackpot148]

When I was on a local beach in the mid 1960s getting amorous with my then gjrlfriend I was leaning over to kiss her when without warning my hayfever decided to intervene and I sneezed in her face. She nonchalantly reached into the left cuff of her top and said would you like a tissue as s he pulled one out. Even back then when KLEENEX had cornered the paper tissue/paper hanky market we referred to a tissue as a tissue and not "a KLEENEX" Marigold gloves were around when I was a kid but were largely absent from working class households being seenas something of a luxury item. Bare hands was the way to go but dish mops were used, washed dishes stacked on the draining board until all the washing was done. Everything was then rinsed in cold water. Washing (laundry) powder and very hot water was used and washing up left to soak until the water had cooled enough to handle everything. Squezy came onto the UK market in the mid 1950s and everything changed.

[@trevorcook4439]

Plaster for your walls or a broken leg is Plaster of Paris

[@cryogenixoldskool5803]

We have Tea Towels because we also have Dish Cloths, Tea Towels dry and Dish Cloths clean

[@AliceLucindaBronte]

To me, utility knife means a sharp kitchen knife, smaller than a carving knife. Stanley knife is definitely what I would call a metal box cutter. If it was a box cutter that was mostly plastic (obviously with a metal blade) then that I would call a box cutter!

[@markharris1125]

He never lets us down. "Sellotape? Is that a kind of tape?" The discussion about tape/faucets made me look up where 'faucet' comes from. We all know what 'tap' means' in this context, drawing a liquid from a larger vessel by means of a thing poked into it. But apparently 'faucet' is of French derivation and means a bung or stopper that you put in a hole to stop the flow of liquid. Interesting.

[@stevenbalekic5683]

American brand names or names a brand has created for a product. Scotch - Scotch tape is a brand name invented name for sticky tape White out - is a brand invented name for correction fluid Band-Aid - is a brand name derived word Saran - is a brand name word used for plastic wrap Jello - for jelly Etc.

[@sc3pt1c4L]

a stuffed animal? lol. If an american asked me to go out and buy them a stuffed animal, they would get a small taxidermied creature e.g. squirrel.

[@DianaSheward]

When I was at school,we called them bic biro's if they were biros made by ...........er bic.🙄🤭👍🏼🇬🇧❤️❤️❤️

[@faithpearlgenied-a5517]

We called them pens.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

Me too... Was begining to think I was dreaming it as nobody said it til you did! Thank-you. 👍😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿💜🇬🇧🙂🖖

[@kerouac2]

Scotch tape, Wite-Out, Band-Aid, Saran Wrap -- all brand names!

[@clemstevenson]

My apologies, because we British are foreign to everybody else on the planet. In some instances, we are very foreign 🙂

[@chrisperyagh]

I hear Americans going on about George's glue or Elmer's glue and I've got no clue what glue they're on about. On the flip side, they don't know what Evo-stik is.

[@Phiyedough]

If I wanted glue I would just ask for glue rather than specifying a specific format of glue. At our school they used the cheapest glue you could buy which was wallpaper paste.

[@chrisperyagh]

@@Phiyedough They used to use wallpaper paste at primary school, but then changed to using PVA glue later on which was more fun as you can cover your hands with it and pretend to peel your skin off when it dried.

[@JB22.]

9:05 generally we’re exposed to a lot of American content and understand all the American names for things or word differences. It’s rare I come across an American difference anymore that I haven’t heard before

[@REDPUMPERNICKEL]

It's not "us Americans", it's 'we Americans'.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

Tyler is confused enough... He takes so long to learn He says he knows something But forgets, it ought to make his cheeks burn (?!) He thinks he knows - but he knows not He watches, then forgets, His memory seems so very short ... He just forgets a lot!!

[@REDPUMPERNICKEL]

@@brigidsingleton1596 lol

[@IamOllytech]

In the UK a box cutter is something very different, usually made of plastic with the smallest of sharp metal fragment to cut with. They are usually dangling from a warehouse or shop workers belt-loop on a cord.

[@stephenlee5929]

Tyler, Its good to hear you, Americans use the generic name for these things, rather than the company names we use: Like Sellotape, you will use Scotch Tape, oh isn't that just a brand name too? And yes Sellotape does have little plastic dispensers too. OK Biro, evented by Lazlo Biro, a ball point pen, similar to Bic pens, Bic is a trade mark too. Yes Pritt Stick is a trade mark, we can sometime call it a glue stick, but that can also be the name given to the sticks fed into hot glue guns. Stanley Knife, I don't know anyone in UK who would call this a box knife, note I had heard of box knives, but had no idea what one is. Tippex, good to see you use the no non-sense name Wipe Out, but isn't that a Bic Trade Mark? Plasters, I think short for Elastoplast, a trade name, why don't we just use Band-Aid also a trade name. Tap, mostly its a simpler word than faucet, a faucet is used to tap some thing like a barrel, or pipe to then control the flow of liquid. Dish washing soap, in UK we (I) tend not to use the term soap for a liquid, this has changed overtime, but I always expected soap to be a solid or maybe a powder, I think there may have been a powder for washing dishes, before Fairy Liquid. Even the stuff we use in Dish Washer (machines) is not normally called soap in UK (by me), It took me sometime to realise that's what Americans were talking about. Re Tea Towel verses a Dish Towel, this one is difficult, I think calling it a dish towel in UK would make it possible to confuse with a dish cloth, which is used to cleans dishes and other things, it is used wet. No idea why it is a tea towel Re Teddies, Us Brits can sometimes misunderstand, sometimes wilfully. A Teddy is normally a soft cuddly toy animal, mostly they are bears, but generically they can be other animals. A Teddy can also be an item of female nightwear. A stuffed animal can be a Teddy but can also be a hunting trophy. It is possible to buy all three of these in Harrods, be careful.

[@Tonyblack261]

To be fair, Brits tend to know a lot of the American names for things, because we see so many US TV and Movies. Also, Band Aids are also a name of a brand that Americans use.

[@johnp8131]

Used to call correction fluid "Snopake" rather than "Tipp-Ex" back in the seventies ans eighties, due to that being the brand we were supplied with in the RAF. Presumably the Army and Navy were similar?

[@DavidBarlow-wf7cf]

Australia - Sticky tape, biro/pen, glue stick, stanley knife, White out, plaster/bandaid, Tap, Dishwashing liquid, washing up liquid, Cling wrap/glad wrap, tea towel, Stuffed toy

[@mrrajsingh]

These arent "british" words, they are english words, used in every english speaking country other than USA.

[@crackpot148]

PRITT was the first universally available glue stick in the UK so as far as we are concerned other brands that came after are just copies. Same with TIPP-EX. It was the first white out corrective fluid available here so all brands of such fluid are so called. Wrapping tape here refers to adhesive parcel tape which is brown and about 2.5 inches wide. Band Aid is a brand, too. Plasters of that brand reached these shores later than our Elastoplast or generic plasters. There is a long history behind our use of the word plaster in this context. Originally in medieval times and earlier, skin lesions or wounds of various kinds were treated by a piece of cloth plastered with a (supposedly) curative concoction bound to the lesion or wound. Hence plaster. We can't help it if you don't have much history.😂

[@ellenwatts4809]

We do say 'do the dishes' instead of 'wash the dishes' in Wales at least

[@dallasfrost1996]

Here in New Zealand we use a mix of American & British terms, along with some of our own. Over here Scotch tape is Sellotape, Biro is just a ballpoint pen, Pritt stick is just a glue stick, box cutter is a blade knife, correction fluid is Twink, plaster is Band-Aid, faucet is a tap, dish soap is dishwashing liquid, rubber gloves are kitchen gloves, cling film is Glad Wrap, dish towel is a tea towel, stuffed animals are plush toys/plushies.

[@robertryan4461]

Doing the Dish's is not really that exact , the reason we lump it all under one name Washing Up once the table has been cleared and the plates scraped, means the start of the process of actual washing up, this incorporates all of the used cooking pots, pans and oven trays, plus the cooking utensils, cutlery (your silver wear), glass wear, cups etc. ( I was always taught was up as you go along, it's less to do at the end), but then isn't the term Washing Up once used by the US as washing you hands before a meal.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I'm not convinced you'd understand (anything) either, Tyler... We know what things are, regardless of whether it is a branded item.

[@richardbradley2641]

As a britain I'm shocked at how many words Americans can actually use....🤪

[@chibbyranjo]

Sellotape is clear sticky tape (sticky tape is also a phrase used), whereas Scotch tape is cloudy. A bit 🤓ackshully but good to know if you want a specific kind

[@arikgershon]

Interesting; “plaster” sounds like one of the Russian words for a bandaid, пластырь (plastyr’ )

[@robcrossgrove7927]

In my household, Clingfilm is also called "That fucking stuff", as in "I don't want that fucking stuff in my house!"

[@alexanderwiles2003]

We use both for alot of the ones that are brand names like we say gluestick or print stick, we also don't call it a box opener because we use them for much more then opening boxes. It's also interesting because there's alot of things we don't use brand names like medication. Also Tea towels are called tea towels because they were originally used to insulate teapots

[@ess9078]

I would never call anything that isn't a teddy, a teddy, plural for stuffed animals is cuddly toys.

[@ebbhead20]

Been using this in Denmark since 1982 or so. But it's only to fix posters and comics, and here it's known as American tape.

[@adamaalto-mccarthy6984]

We don’t use biro. But love the word.

[@cloppj2]

3:37 Tyler, even in Italy we call the ballpoint pen “biro” although we pronounce the word differently from the English.

[@carolsandland2933]

You say UK using Brand Names is a one way street but no... you say Bandaid, White Out, Scotch Tape, Saran Wrap. And NO... We only call teddy bears Teddys, other soft toys are generally called cuddly toys.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

They also say say "Crockpot" for all slow-cooker devices, which is another brand name, along with "Kleenex" for paper tissues...

[@JimmyJr630]

And they say chapstick instead of lip balm. Where i’m from all soft toys are called teddys

[@mattbentley9270]

A teddy can be any animal, sheep, hare, ....anytthing a kid can cuddle in bed ... she is from Florida