British and American English

Listening to British accents all day has made me fascinated by linguistics - just many interests I've picked up since I've been here. Here are some differences I've encountered.

advert - ad, or advertisement
anticlockwise - counterclockwise
aubergine - eggplant
barrister - lawyer
bin - trashcan
biscuits - cookies
bollocks - rubbish, b.s.
budgerido - parakeet ('budgie')
burgle - to burglarize, as in 'he burgled the apartment'
car park - parking lot
multi-storey car park - parking garage
cash machine, cashpoint - ATM
cheers - thanks
chips - French fries
crisps - potato chips
digestives - biscuits
dodgy - sketchy
draughts - checkers
drink-driving - drunk driving
high street - main street or shopping street
ice lolly - popsicle
jacket potato - baked potato
knickers - girl's underwear
motorway - highway
nutter - crazy person, nut
pasty (Cornish pasty) - meat or vegetable-filled pastry
petrol - gas
post - mail
postcode - ZIP code
prawn - shrimp
quid - like bucks, but for pounds
rocket - arugula
skimmed milk - skim/nonfat milk
take away - to go
tuna mayonnaise, egg mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise, etc. - tuna salad, etc.
uni - university
yob - thug

The best hostel ever

I'm in Dublin, staying at the best hostel ever, the Globetrotters hostel on Lower Gardiner St.

It's beautiful, the beds are comfortable, I have free access to this computer and the Internet and there's all-you-can-eat (free) Irish breakfast in the morning.

Today, my four room mates and I are going to go on a walking tour, and then we're going to hang out in the city and hopefully get something to drink.

Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up early to go to County Cavan, which is the general proximity of where my great-grandparents are born.

The Homeland.