tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post8222700034148069491..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: baby talk: introducing Grover...lynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-38991547290970760712019-04-22T12:07:08.873+01:002019-04-22T12:07:08.873+01:00Lynne and BH. It’s far too late for congratulation...Lynne and BH. It’s far too late for congratulations. Having recently found your blog when looking up something else (I forget what), I have become hooked, and gone back to the beginning, so to speak. I not only love the language stuff, but also how biographical it is, watching your U.K. experiences unfold as tome passes. <br /><br />I’ ve been adding my tuppence worth here and there, in keeping with your wish to keep the site searchable. So, as nobody else seems t have mentioned it, dummy is short for “dummy tit”. When I was growing up in Scotland (I’m now mid 60s), the full phrase was used. Also, we had a zip-up one piece garment with a hood, more for outdoor use than a babygro would be, referred to as a siren suit. The term goes back to WWII, when they were used to keep babies warm in bomb shelters: the sirens gave warning of bombing raids.Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25701645235051131972017-02-15T13:57:34.291+00:002017-02-15T13:57:34.291+00:00A couple of questions above went unanswered, hence...A couple of questions above went unanswered, hence this comment, so very late that Grover has already celebrated her ninth birthday! (For a parent, nine is a <b>great</b> age for a child. As are all the others, come to think of it.)<br /><br />Anne T, in BrE it is indeed generally PREM-ature (same vowels and stress as tem[p'r]ature), although PREE-mature and even pree-maTURE are not unknown. I agree that, as you suspected, that accounts for the prem/preemie difference.<br /><br />And Aviatrix, teat rhymes with feat.<br /><br />In my youth, a burp rag was whatever the person holding the baby was wearing at the time!KeithDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10451059429340892054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19869306230735378522014-02-19T07:39:33.542+00:002014-02-19T07:39:33.542+00:00We grew up in California calling a pacifier a &quo...We grew up in California calling a pacifier a "plug" and "passy" (rhymes with "sassy"). <br />We also used (clean) cloth diapers (affectionately called "Dye-pees") as both burp clothes and security blankets. However, most of my American friends find this strange and either gross or clever of my parents.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89417657389444060972012-08-20T16:47:02.596+01:002012-08-20T16:47:02.596+01:00Now that I've reached the announcement of the ...Now that I've reached the announcement of the happy event, backwards after reading with some concern (but not much because I was aware of the existence of Grover beforehand) of your hospitali[s|z]ation, may I offer my hearty, if retrospective, congratulations!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54230818805491976902012-02-25T18:10:39.414+00:002012-02-25T18:10:39.414+00:00NZ English (possibly overlaps with other territori...NZ English (possibly overlaps with other territories) pushchair/stroller = buggy<br />vest - singlet<br />babygro = stretch'n'gro (one of those terms that was originally a brand-name but has, I think, become resonably generic)<br /><br />And one that may or may not be unique to our children: As a sheep-rearing nation, New Zealand promotes (or did when our daughters were small) lambskins (fleece still attached) for infants to sleep on.<br /><br />Our daughtters kept their "sleepskins" (our word as far as I know) well into post-infant childhood, and the tattered remnant of one is still on the floor in the spare room, where our now 20-something daughters sleep when they come "home".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37813535047201632602008-02-07T06:34:00.000+00:002008-02-07T06:34:00.000+00:00Many and joyous congratulations.Also, I'd call a p...Many and joyous congratulations.<BR/><BR/>Also, I'd call a push-chair a pram (used for both chair and lie-down versions).<BR/>Perry (South Africa)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33834953268361094722008-02-02T21:02:00.000+00:002008-02-02T21:02:00.000+00:00Oops, I missed this as well! CONGRATULATIONS to y...Oops, I missed this as well! CONGRATULATIONS to you and hubby on a WONDERFUL event, and we're all so happy to hear everybody is ok!<BR/><BR/>JanetJanethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16494516976868488211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37262633775723998022008-01-27T00:08:00.000+00:002008-01-27T00:08:00.000+00:00Already on my list for future blogging...maybe I'l...Already on my list for future blogging...maybe I'll do it now!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-2708522614479568052008-01-26T23:43:00.000+00:002008-01-26T23:43:00.000+00:00Congratulations!Another word for your list is "pop...Congratulations!<BR/>Another word for your list is "popper". AAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-40736942352896070302008-01-26T02:14:00.000+00:002008-01-26T02:14:00.000+00:00Oh, i somehow missed this post! But CONGRATS! :)...Oh, i somehow missed this post! But CONGRATS! :)chris.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18140000097215409495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90340109063857376072008-01-18T16:00:00.000+00:002008-01-18T16:00:00.000+00:00Congratulations!Congratulations!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-3367173488198844142008-01-17T10:06:00.000+00:002008-01-17T10:06:00.000+00:00Except that the whole NNU/SCBU/ICBU/NICU thing see...Except that the whole NNU/SCBU/ICBU/NICU thing seems to be quite fluid here anyway, (or rather it was in 1987!) I am not *sure* it's just a US/UK split - I think it may be more wobbly than that. Hope you are all doing well.Strawberryyoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01088158170872265875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39481206954792967332008-01-14T23:32:00.000+00:002008-01-14T23:32:00.000+00:00There's another AmE/BrE difference: AmE NICU (Neon...There's another AmE/BrE difference: AmE <B>NICU</B> (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) versus BrE <B>SCBU</B> (Special Care Baby Unit). <BR/><BR/>I'd say that a Moses basket could be a bassinet, but that not every bassinet is a Moses basket--but you're right, the things themselves tend to be different in the two places. The dictionary definitions of them are very similar, though. (From the OED:)<BR/><BR/>bassinet: "An oblong wickerwork basket, with a hood over one end, used as a cradle for babies." (That perfectly describes our Moses basket.)<BR/><BR/>Moses basket: "a small portable cot for a baby, esp. one made of wickerwork."<BR/><BR/><I>American Heritage</I> defines <I>bassinet</I> as: <BR/>"An oblong basketlike bed for an infant."<BR/><BR/>...but has no entry for Moses basket.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13858727812225209392008-01-14T21:23:00.000+00:002008-01-14T21:23:00.000+00:00Congratulations!My sister recently had a preemie i...Congratulations!<BR/>My sister recently had a preemie in the States. The nurses in the NICU suggested a Moses basket for her, which was a new word for us, and different from the bassinet that she had already bought. The Moses basket was just a basket with padding in the bottom. Some Moses baskets that we found online had stands that you could set them on, but that was still not a bassinet to us, American English speakers that we are. Hmmm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83988440654924632902008-01-13T06:44:00.000+00:002008-01-13T06:44:00.000+00:00A "onesie" is not a regional word. Visit the Targe...A "onesie" is not a regional word. Visit the Target webpage and search "onesie" you will get 80hits. In fact, I've never heard them referred to as anything else but "onesies," which quite frankly, I find an irritating term (as in way too cutsie). My mother, however, was confused when I used this term, so I'm asusming it's not a term used commonly..or at all...in her generation.Sterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08856854126127258353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48326176791896395052008-01-13T06:30:00.000+00:002008-01-13T06:30:00.000+00:00Never heard of an "undervest" but an undershirt is...Never heard of an "undervest" but an undershirt is sometimes called a t-shirt, provided it has a sleeve.<BR/><BR/>My kids used a "binky" for a pacifier by my neice used a "nuk" (rhymes with book) for hers. Nuk, I found out later, is a name brand. People iaround here (southern New Jersey) use the term "binky," "nuk," or "pacifier" fairly commonly. <BR/><BR/>Some receiving blankets I was given were really small and made of flannel, maybe that is what you are talking about. We used it when the baby "spat up." (In my son's case, "spew" would be more appropriate!)Sterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08856854126127258353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71280443224260681602008-01-12T02:56:00.000+00:002008-01-12T02:56:00.000+00:00(long-time lurker, first-time poster, American who...(long-time lurker, first-time poster, American who lived in England for a year and became fascinated by the language and cultural differences)<BR/><BR/>In my husband's family (from Oklahoma), pacifiers are called "plugs." When I first heard my MIL say this, when she came to stay with us after our daughter was born, I was APPALLED. But within a week, I was saying it, too.Susanna Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16149293228696867804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-92174999053417981352008-01-12T01:19:00.000+00:002008-01-12T01:19:00.000+00:00Hi Altadel,It's a shame that Amercians use the ter...Hi Altadel,<BR/>It's a shame that Amercians use the terms pacifier/soother instead of dummy. You are missing out on some great expressions.<BR/><BR/>"Spit the pacifier" just doesn't have the same ring to it. "He threw a soother spit". Sorry, it just doesn't sound right.<BR/><BR/>:-)Interfacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270650386605534373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22023661862095950702008-01-12T01:12:00.000+00:002008-01-12T01:12:00.000+00:00Congratulations!Re soother/pacifiers, I hear peopl...Congratulations!<BR/><BR/>Re soother/pacifiers, I hear people in Western Canada referring to these as "suckies". I, too, think of a blue Muppet yelling "Hey, you guys!" when I hear Grover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39583352127850778562008-01-11T01:32:00.000+00:002008-01-11T01:32:00.000+00:00Can I be the forty-first to congratulate mum and s...Can I be the forty-first to congratulate mum and sprog. May sprog get plump quick and mum not so much.<BR/><BR/>Some silver-cup language observations: <BR/><BR/>* "Q-tip" is apparently more common in the US than the UK as a genericized trademark for "cotton bud".<BR/><BR/>* I'm certain "buggy" has eclipsed "pushchair" in Ireland; Wikipedia says it has in the UK, though it's originally proprietary and hence perhaps not used by manufacturers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24069013153112659682008-01-10T04:59:00.000+00:002008-01-10T04:59:00.000+00:00Yay!Congratulations on the arrival. Hello to Grove...Yay!<BR/><BR/>Congratulations on the arrival. Hello to Grover from Oz.Interfacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270650386605534373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71734794479100416022008-01-09T22:34:00.000+00:002008-01-09T22:34:00.000+00:00My goodness, I have gotten behind on reading your ...My goodness, I <I>have</I> gotten behind on reading your blog! Congratulations on the new baby!No Display Namehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11628841937616331593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83660793411028943012008-01-09T21:27:00.000+00:002008-01-09T21:27:00.000+00:00With feet.There are lots of words for pacifiers/du...With <I>feet</I>.<BR/><BR/>There are lots of words for <I>pacifiers/dummies</I>, particularly within-family words. I know a number of Americans who call them <I>Nuks</I>, after a brand name. But the fact that <I>pacifier</I> generally accepted as the most region/register-neutral term is supported by the fact that it's what <I>dummy</I> is usually defined as in cross-dialectal word-lists, and further by the assumption that everyone will get the joke in the film title <I>The Pacifier</I>--in which a former Navy SEAL, played by Vin Diesel, takes on child care.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47422240052580519262008-01-09T21:04:00.000+00:002008-01-09T21:04:00.000+00:00Congratulations, indeed.My (Canadian) sister-in-la...Congratulations, indeed.<BR/><BR/>My (Canadian) sister-in-law calls a pacifier "sooie" (rhymes with gooey), so I suppose that's short for soother.<BR/><BR/>Does the current BrE teat rhyme with feet or fit?Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-43662310574794248742008-01-09T16:40:00.000+00:002008-01-09T16:40:00.000+00:00Congratulations on your new baby girl: a wee gairl...Congratulations on your new baby girl: a wee gairl (Scots) or a Child (Irish)! Have you met the educated English version, a sprog? or perhaps the female is a sprig!<BR/>The pre-birth pseudonym is often an off-beat boy's name, isn't it? So much easier to tell a girl that you used to refer to her as Marmaduke before she was born, than to tell a boy he was known as Esmerelda.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com