tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post7952715744738105539..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: trucks and lorrieslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16106842789059270892017-04-22T12:08:34.913+01:002017-04-22T12:08:34.913+01:00There wasn't an exact equivalent of a boxcar. ...There wasn't an exact equivalent of a boxcar. Open freight vehicles on British railways are called "wagons" and completely closed ones were called "vans". Most of them used to be 4 wheeled, unbraked and coupled together with chains. <br />Examples here: <br />http://www.dapol.co.uk/index.php?_route_=shop/oo-gauge/cattle-wagons<br />madseavetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328172763091595081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20696380606428580942017-04-18T11:33:48.862+01:002017-04-18T11:33:48.862+01:00Even later reply.. I can also confirm that "...Even later reply.. I can also confirm that "wagon" is used in North West England, although "truck" and "lorry" are also used. The term "truck" is also used for pickups.<br />madseavetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328172763091595081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65295616463618918182016-11-18T10:37:00.500+00:002016-11-18T10:37:00.500+00:00Just another example of "never the twain shal...Just another example of "never the twain shall meet" in its common usage, rather than Kipling's original. As he spent years living in Vermont with his American wife, no doubt he was often flummoxed at the parallel but different universe between Great Britain (not known as the UK in his day) and the US, equipped as he was with a large moustache in a land of mustaches. But not really; he seemed to operate with equanimity at both approaches to the English language.<br /><br />Since in this post's comments we already have an Australian redefining reality that a Chev El Camino or Ford Ranchero from the 1960s could never possibly be considered a ute despite the fact they were virtually identical structurally and mechanically to the Holden and Ford utes then being sold in Oz, the ferocity of discourse and quibbling over small things here once again amazes me. There is no right or wrong! Revel in the differences for goodness sake!<br /><br />It takes about two days to learn the obvious main differences between North American usage and British usage, assuming one has a functioning brain, when one emigrates from one country to another as I did as a teenager in 1959 following our family's emigration from England for Canada.<br /><br />Of course, you could be like my Dad to whom Canada was forever a mystery, and who out of sheer bloody-mindedness refused to change his word usage, or to even attempt compromise. He never managed to call my girlfriend Margie (with a hard "g") but insisted on Marjie - that went down like a lead balloon after a while when repeated reminders seemed to never penetrate his academic brain. The girl knew her own name after all.<br /><br />In a similar vein, I see traces of closed-mindedness here from both sides of the divide. Not necessarily in this post and comments, but in many others where old fogeys insist on this and that and frankly, drive me away repeatedly from what should be a much lighter-minded, less serious and more enjoyable website. I do find that the UK side of the comments is far less tolerant than the US side. Surely discovering the differences is more enjoyable than bluntly asserting one usage is correct and therefore anything else is intolerably incorrect?<br /><br />Perhaps my subsequent four years in England pursuing graduate studies in the early 1970s, wherein I heard all the terms like artic instead of semi or rig or tractor-trailer, including pantechnicon, juggernaut and HGV, allowed me to smoothly integrate the different word usages into a whole picture in my mind. I found it interesting to note, not a pedestal from which to sternly lecture the great unwashed as to the tinyness of their minds for using incorrect wording. Although as a pattern reader, I am continually jolted by the incorrect use of "it's" for its, a peculiarly British formation which has gone viral in the USA as well. Virtually nobody gets it correct these days and the disease has spread to hers and theirs. I blame it as a reaction to the spread of the grocer's plural in the UK and lax schooling educational standards where since the late 1970s as long as the child is able to scrawl anything, 5 gold stars are awarded at once. Or should that be 5 gold star's? Ahem.<br /><br />Of course, in many cases both UK and US usage is wrong. For example, a van or Transit chassis with a large squarish box on the back is not a removal van. It is indubitably a cube van. Using any other term in Canada will immediately reveal you as a dastardly foreigner!<br /><br />You may google "cube van" and stand back for an avalanche of Canadian results.<br /><br />Bill Malcolm<br />Great White North<br />Land of the Justin SelfieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50984141416629392632016-05-11T15:23:31.731+01:002016-05-11T15:23:31.731+01:00Another British equivalent for U.S. "truck&qu...Another British equivalent for U.S. "truck" (in its railroad meaning) is "bogie": a wheel assembly of usually two axles under a railroad car (in British usage, "carriage" or "wagon," I believe). Curiously, U.S. aviation uses "bogie" for such wheel assemblies in aircraft landing gear.Steve Dunhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970801099772755392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-43386732177593529902015-09-08T11:00:53.571+01:002015-09-08T11:00:53.571+01:00Sheesh, if you guys (UK) are calling a stock 3500 ...Sheesh, if you guys (UK) are calling a stock 3500 with dual rear wheels "massive and ridiculous" I would love to see what you guys think about my truck. It's also a 3500DRW but I put on a 6 inch suspension lift and a 4 inch body lift, 38X14 (tallXwide) mud tires and smoke stacks like what you would see on your lorries. <br /><br />Then again we don't always drive to and from work in them, I love to take mine off road and get it covered in mud.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13253355116491757922014-05-21T23:30:04.504+01:002014-05-21T23:30:04.504+01:00Well, I've arrived very late at this party and...Well, I've arrived very late at this party and probably everyone's gone home. But I found this discussion because I just heard Neil Young's song , "Don't Let it get You Down", in which he refers to the lorries driving by... And so I wondered, given he's a Canadian, whether they use the British word for truck there... And also, when that song came out, did our American friends know what a lorry was, exactly...?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-973794395504331512014-02-17T21:51:56.889+00:002014-02-17T21:51:56.889+00:00I just wanted to add, the American versions of pic...I just wanted to add, the American versions of pick-up trucks/Utes come in many different variations. You have "step-side", where the bed of the truck is narrower and has steps in front and behind the rear wheels. and you have "stake bed", where there generally is a flat bed with wooden stakes and slats for sides. you also have the "flat bed" that is generally just a flat work bed used to haul large cargo. there is also the "Tool Bed", this is a special bed where the sides are made up of tool boxes with locking doors and a small cargo area in between with an open rear, sometimes they have a lift-gate on the back.<br />Generally for tradesman we have Vans like you do but they are much different from the Transit van style. Look on Google for "Chevy Express Van" or "Ford E350", these are the most common vans used in the trades.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50952995471189821052014-01-15T10:57:09.044+00:002014-01-15T10:57:09.044+00:00One reason that "minivan" has not been u...One reason that "minivan" has not been used in the UK for an MPV/people carrier thing is that the venerable Austin/Leyland Mini had a panel van version, which was thus "a <a href="http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploads/cars/austin/3487637.jpg" rel="nofollow"> Mini van</a>". <br /><br />Although they're rare enough now, I imagine that BMW who still use the Mini name (for something decidedly midi) might be inclined to take umbrage if another maker tried to use it here.Albert Herringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05195446593237255598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-84515137386402226342013-08-11T13:58:04.923+01:002013-08-11T13:58:04.923+01:00I live in the north of Scotland. Pick up trucks a...I live in the north of Scotland. Pick up trucks are a common sight here due to rural working and sporting pursuits. A few are lifted with extra lights and winches for show. The term shooting brake was an older term for a British estate car similar to the American station wagon. I used to own a '68 Mercury Colony park station wagon about fifteen years ago when I lived in Belfast (Northern Ireland.) Everyone seemed to to automatically call it a station wagon without any prompting from me. <br />As for utes, I would agree with the previous Austrailian chap's comments that these would only be Holdens or Fords although I have seen Toyota light pickups with a flat bed back called utes but guess it is a general term used nowadays in Australia. <br />A general van would be a British Transit or a Mercedes Sprinter, no windows or rear seats. I would also call this a panel van due to the sheet sides with only maybe a side door and barn doors at the rear. Similar to an American Ford Econoline or a Gmc Vandura.<br />An American Semi or 18 wheeler is the same as a British Artic (articulated lorry) also known commonly as a wagon, Hgv or juggernaut or 40 footer. <br />A mini van is the same ad a people carrier here in Britain. A British saloon car is the same as an American sedan.<br />And lastly, the term lorry in Britain refers to any flat bed or box backed vehicle generally over 7.5 tonnes up to Articulated / Hgv size. Where as a Transit van van chassis with a large box on the rear with a pull down roller door is commonly referred to here in Britain as a Luton body. In America it would be a movers van.<br />Hope that helps clear a few things up. I suppose there will always be a few different interpretations due to our different cultures and also television's influence. Perhaps common globalisation of the auto industry (Ford for example) will see common terms disappear in one country to be replaced by another if the marketing men decree it.<br /><br />Really enjoyed reading this exchange.<br />Bob, Inverness, Scotland. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12821406186705199894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-74005887678888168872013-06-11T23:05:33.579+01:002013-06-11T23:05:33.579+01:00In Russian, pickup has been adopted as a noun with...In Russian, <i>pickup</i> has been adopted as a noun with all the case endings that Russian nouns enjoy. <i>Mashina s pickupom</i> exhibits the Dative case after the preposition <i>s</i> 'with'. Somehow, <i>pickup</i> has come to means the rear bodywork of an estate wagon; it's a 'car with a pickup'.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33220893124952842842013-06-11T15:42:34.355+01:002013-06-11T15:42:34.355+01:00And to throw my own two cents' worth into the ...And to throw my own two cents' worth into the ongoing debate on pickup trucks: <br /><br />I grew up in rural Iowa (very agricultural area) and my first two vehicles were Ford Rangers ('half-pint' pickups). I miss them dearly - they were good on gas (the one got 35 MPG, the other was only a little worse at 32 MPG) and I had a legitimate excuse to NOT give people rides all the time ("Sorry, only one passenger seat! And it's promised to my sister/niece/backpack!").<br /><br />My bicycle lived in the bed, alongside whatever seasonal pastimes I needed (fall - hunting season - lockbox bolted to the bed, containing my .22, field-dressing kit, and extra ammo; winter - sucky snow season - a blanket, two sandbags, a shovel, and a bundle of candles, granola bars, and chem-pack warmers; spring & summer - fishing tackle and swimming gear, sometimes a small canoe). Now that I live in a wonderful (splendid, fantabulous) city, I still wish I had a pickup - if only to haul my dirtbike around (but, it's street-legal, too, so I guess I can live with it). <br /><br />Both of my trucks had a fantastic little bumper-sticker, too. It read, 'Yes, this is my truck. No, I will not help you move.'<br /><br />Anyway, I love all the comments, and I honestly didn't realize that pickups were so uncommon outside the US. They're just so handy, I figured they'd be popular worldwide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32479347695010650432013-01-02T15:12:54.261+00:002013-01-02T15:12:54.261+00:00I'm arriving even later to this party, and don...I'm arriving even later to this party, and don't even have anything new to add. However, as a Northern Brit, I can affirm Anonymous's assertion that 'wagon' is used for a lorry in the North of England, and not just by the elederly either - it is by far the most used term, although lorry would also be understood.<br />I used pantechnicon (which was in common use when I was young in the 702/80s)to a much younger colleague not that long ago, and got a very blank look. Jaxcatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67287916879553978892012-11-21T22:53:00.755+00:002012-11-21T22:53:00.755+00:00Arriving quite late to this particular party, but ...Arriving quite late to this particular party, but I believe the distinction between a station wagon and a shooting brake has to do with the number of doors. A shooting brake doesn't have rear (side) doors -- you have to climb behind the front seats to access the rear seats. As a result, if it had a wall between the cabin and the cargo area (which would thereby be a trunk), it would be a coupe. A station wagon, by contrast, has rear doors and thus would be a sedan if it had a separate trunk.Tednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48814243940045832522012-10-18T18:29:16.247+01:002012-10-18T18:29:16.247+01:00"This is a (BrE) van--but never an AmE van.&q..."This is a (BrE) van--but never an AmE van." <br /><br />Yes it would be called a Moving Van here in the midwest.<br /><br />Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54859406126860535932012-10-15T21:08:53.673+01:002012-10-15T21:08:53.673+01:00Oh - I forgot to say that estate cars are simply c...Oh - I forgot to say that estate cars are simply cars run on an estate such as the large estates holding the country house parties and/or shoots.arniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13068830078875310006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32199025876028467722012-10-15T21:06:10.429+01:002012-10-15T21:06:10.429+01:00Station wagons and shooting brakes are very simila...Station wagons and shooting brakes are very similar and both belong to the now (almost) lost era of country house parties. Station wagons were used by owners of big houses to transport guests and their plentiful luggage from the local railway station and back at the end of their stay. <br /><br />Shooting brakes were used in a similar way when the party was a shooting one, with all the extra luggage: guns, waterproofs, etc. They were also used to transport people on the estate to or from the shoots, which would usually be quite some distance from the house itself.arniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13068830078875310006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63657301289554848512012-10-15T12:07:51.772+01:002012-10-15T12:07:51.772+01:00HGV means Heavy Goods Vehicle. Thanks to the EU, ...HGV means Heavy Goods Vehicle. Thanks to the EU, they are now called Large Goods Vehicles, even though the weight (mass) is the most important feature. <br /><br />After all, furniture removal vans are large, but many are only 7 1/2 tonners.<br /><br />As for estate cars, what about the term shooting brakes? Both other ways of saying station wagon, with station meaning, I presume, cattle or sheep station - not railway.Ericnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72634875071999880232012-08-22T20:51:51.225+01:002012-08-22T20:51:51.225+01:00Quoth anon:
So how do people in the UK move a load...Quoth anon:<br /><i>So how do people in the UK move a load of mulch, or potting soil, or firewood...?</i><br /><br />Can't speak for everybody but when I'm doing this at the market garden where I work part-time I use a trailer hooked to the back of the small tractor.<br />enitharmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17829757748223670291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62690014540966443262012-06-18T17:03:15.127+01:002012-06-18T17:03:15.127+01:00I would like to make a correction to the statement...I would like to make a correction to the statement above being made by myself.<br />It wasn't a Scammell but a Sentinel.<br />Sorry my mistake.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69222193152423449392012-06-14T00:47:05.792+01:002012-06-14T00:47:05.792+01:00So how do people in the UK move a load of mulch, o...So how do people in the UK move a load of mulch, or potting soil, or firewood...?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62474370850812548052012-06-06T23:13:59.615+01:002012-06-06T23:13:59.615+01:00It seems no one has mentioned lorries being referr...It seems no one has mentioned lorries being referred as wagons. A lot of the northern elderly drivers refer to there lorries as wagons. My grandfather in his younger days drove a Scammell steam wagon. It's still a common saying depending what part of the country you come fromAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50305661133148686862011-06-17T16:08:45.766+01:002011-06-17T16:08:45.766+01:00Having just seen an episode of sitcom Community in...Having just seen an episode of sitcom <i>Community</i> in which a British psychology professor refers to leaving his wallet "in the back of my lorry" I checked Google to see what the BrE was for (what he presumably meant) "pickup truck", and this site was on the first page of results.<br /><br />I can't imagine why actor John Oliver didn't point this out to the scriptwriters, how likely is it that a community college professor would drive a lorry?Johnny Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332149992788801634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14155661253645411172010-10-14T04:57:19.288+01:002010-10-14T04:57:19.288+01:00@Robbie:
You can rhyme lorry with sorry if you...@Robbie:<br /><br />You can rhyme lorry with sorry if you're Canadian. Although I'm pretty sure they call them trucks in Canada too.Bobznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55879487781862698992009-09-27T11:22:49.603+01:002009-09-27T11:22:49.603+01:00The vehicle with a separate box body extending ove...The vehicle with a separate box body extending over the cab roof is a Luton Van in the UK. It is based on a van but the addition of the box body extending over the cab roof makes it a specialist variety - Luton Van.Keithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-74393195018834905002009-09-14T04:01:08.397+01:002009-09-14T04:01:08.397+01:00Midwesterner here(AmE[mw]). The third picture I w...Midwesterner here(AmE[mw]). The third picture I would call a box van. I'm really suprised that with such a long thread that no one added that one to the list.<br /><br />Thanks for the enjoyable reading, I'm always interested in the cultrual differences of the two countries divided by the same language.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17168388336162600035noreply@blogger.com