Help Americisms/Briticisms for fanfic

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Alexannah

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I'm a Brit writing in an American fandom, and have a couple of questions for people in the US.

1: Do Americans ever use the words "skiving" or "bunking" (meaning cut class)?

2: Do any Chinese takeaways sell chips (fries to you lot)?

I probably sound like a nutter now, but I need to know these things for sure before posting a fanfic. If I think of any more things I need to know, I'll post on this thread.

Thanks in advance!
 
1. I'm pretty sure those are both British slang words. I've never heard anyone say them before. Plus, they seem like they'd sound weird in an American accent.

2. Yeah, some do. I know one near me sells them.

Don't worry, you don't sound crazy...I love when people ask about American-isms (mainly because I can actually help out)!
 
Alexannah said:
I'm a Brit writing in an American fandom, and have a couple of questions for people in the US.

1: Do Americans ever use the words "skiving" or "bunking" (meaning cut class)?
Click to expand...

Nope.

Alexannah said:
2: Do any Chinese takeaways sell chips (fries to you lot)?
Click to expand...

Not that I've ever seen, but I guess some might. And we call them "takeouts" rather than "takeaways." 🙂
 
Alexannah said:
I'm a Brit writing in an American fandom, and have a couple of questions for people in the US.

1: Do Americans ever use the words "skiving" or "bunking" (meaning cut class)?

2: Do any Chinese takeaways sell chips (fries to you lot)?

I probably sound like a nutter now, but I need to know these things for sure before posting a fanfic. If I think of any more things I need to know, I'll post on this thread.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

1) I've never heard anyone use either of those words anywhere.

2) It may not be common, but my daughter in law works at a Chinese restaurant where the buffet has french fries, roast beef, and baked ham, plus doughnuts and ice cream on their dessert bar. Basically, it just depends on how the management wants to set up their menu.
 
white avenger said:
2) It may not be common, but my daughter in law works at a Chinese restaurant where the buffet has french fries, roast beef, and baked ham, plus doughnuts and ice cream on their dessert bar. Basically, it just depends on how the management wants to set up their menu.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Chinese buffets often have french fries (and onion rings), but I've never seen them in takeouts.
 
Americans skip, ditch, or cut class

Chinese Fries??? ~probably but it would be with like a kids menu chicken nugget order.
 
D
DayVBayB
I never said they weren't. *High Five
as for the fries question, I've seen sweet potato fries, they're super small though.
 
M
Mommatis
sweet potato fries are full of awesome esp. dipped in honey mustard!!!
1: Do Americans ever use the words "skiving" or "bunking" (meaning cut class)?
Nope. Usually when I say I'm cutting class, I just say 'skipping' [like, "Screw this, I'm skipping geometry"]. Ditching and cutting are also more common. I've never heard anyone say those...other words.

2: Do any Chinese takeaways sell chips (fries to you lot)?
Not the one near me. The equivalence of getting fries at a Chinese takeout place is an egg roll. A buffet is a different story, though, because they usually throw in a bunch of different things so everyone can have what they want.
 
Ah this brings back memories of talking normally and watching my American friends in school look at me like im psycho. Its quite surprising just how many words are different and how easy it is to tell where someone is from even in writing. The takeout vs takeaway proves this quite well.
 
Strangely though, I don't notice that often on the board. Occasionally, sure, but it's not that often really that I read something on here, and think, "What kind of crazy term is that?"
 
Thanks to years and years of watching British TV shows and reading British literature and listening to British music, I pretty much understand all the variant terms and phrases. The only time I get tripped up is when someone is jabbering away a mile a minute (I'm looking at you, Tenth Doctor), or using Cockney rhyming slang or something weird like that.
 
Thanks, everyone, for your ... slightly contradictory answers. I've worked out that chips/fries in actual takeaways/takeouts (yes, I did know they were called that) isn't that common, which is good for my plot. And I didn't think those words were used in the US, I just wanted to check they weren't before I had all the Scoobies look at Spike blankly.

Oh, and AndrewCrossett, even I (Brit and proud of it) don't follow every part of what Doc #10 says when he starts on a long-winded ... jabber. And if you spoke in Cockney rhyming slang to me, I would just look at you blankly and think you were mad.

For anyone who's interested, the fic in question's here.
 
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