tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post1388328949457843146..comments2024-03-28T16:11:36.465+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: squidgy podgy pudgy splodgy dodgylynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19863074584085136262020-08-18T18:50:50.412+01:002020-08-18T18:50:50.412+01:00BrE. This is more about -y than -dgy. Apparently, ...BrE. This is more about -y than -dgy. Apparently, the girl’s nickname Bunty (Scottish and English) either means “lamb” or, more likely “plump”. A kinder alternative to pudgy?Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78946499393622408252011-12-25T20:22:27.661+00:002011-12-25T20:22:27.661+00:00My standard cakes-to-take-to-work offering is a tr...My standard cakes-to-take-to-work offering is a tray or two of double chocolate brownies, the recipe for which came from Sainsbury's Magazine, some three or four years ago I think. So they're definitely gaining currency.pozycjonowanie krakówhttp://www.pozycjonowanie.wsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90513831685223349422010-12-18T13:46:34.360+00:002010-12-18T13:46:34.360+00:00As an American living in London, I would say that ...As an American living in London, I would say that "squishy" is the main AmE term in this context, even though I think of squidgy as a bit firmer than squishy.Eshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63810652153920027732010-11-27T16:37:37.336+00:002010-11-27T16:37:37.336+00:00One (presumbly american?) anonymous said - "n...One (presumbly american?) anonymous said - "nothing at all technical about making brownies at home -- dump contents of box into bowl..."<br /><br />Is this normally considered home-made in America or was that sarcasm that I missed? If I made something out of a box of 'cake-mix' I would think that was pretty much the same thing as buying a cake.<br /><br />I've always made brownies from scratch, which involves melting chocolate, syrup, sugar & butter in a pan (definitely squidgy). These days I think plenty of people make brownies in Britain, although less people make any kind of cakes, I guess.kibblsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-40755260877636117552010-10-31T17:53:01.402+00:002010-10-31T17:53:01.402+00:00Oh, no! 'Crumbly fudge', is badly made fud...Oh, no! 'Crumbly fudge', is badly made fudge! Fudge--and the adjective fudgey/fudgy--imply a homogenous, uniform, creamy texture, sort of like a less-viscous tar. This is in keeping with its descent from fondant. Other textures are signs of errant sugar crystalization, a very bad thing when it comes to fudge. <br /><br />A 'fudgy' brownie is one that has no discernible crumb, but is not liquid, either.John Burgesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11979918255430186425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-53463655048892961662010-09-21T04:01:06.783+01:002010-09-21T04:01:06.783+01:00In AmE, sketchy can simply mean "of dubious q...In AmE, sketchy can simply mean "of dubious quality". There's a good example at the end of this clip:<br />http://www.criticalmention.com/components/url_gen/play_flash.php?autoplay=1&clip_info=1561444125|0|59^Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-74776580823501740862010-09-19T23:51:50.218+01:002010-09-19T23:51:50.218+01:00Oh, and we only made brownies occasionally, as a s...Oh, and we only made brownies occasionally, as a special treat, because the recipe contains a huuuuuge amount of sugar. In this age of internet recipes, I can often spot an American cake recipe (even if it's in units of mass) simply by the high proportion of sugar. (American carrot cake recipes puzzlingly seem to contain even more sugar) This isn't such a big deal now (in terms of price), but I know it was for my mother, and especially for her mother. <br /><br />They still tell the story of my mother's French exchange partner making a cake (in the '60s). 4 eggs! So much sugar! You can still hear a little of the shock in their voices :) <br /><br />So, brownies were known, but I doubt many people could make them very often.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-35765455040169570652010-09-19T23:34:47.440+01:002010-09-19T23:34:47.440+01:00I'm intrigued that you say you've never en...I'm intrigued that you say you've never encountered home-baked brownies in the UK, only gourmet ones. I don't think I saw a brownie for sale in a (UK) bakery or supermarket until maybe 5-10 years ago. I did, however, grow up with my mother's recipe, copied from some other parent years ago. This would have been acquired in the '80s. I remember being appalled when I encountered other people's brownies in the 90s, because they included nuts (yuck) which seemed very unbrownie-like and perhaps indicates that I hadn't met non-home brownies before then.<br /><br />But homemade brownies never lasted past the night they were made, so perhaps this explains why you haven't met them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90624202955699425372010-09-09T19:26:34.487+01:002010-09-09T19:26:34.487+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-70127068516215819402010-09-08T21:39:50.130+01:002010-09-08T21:39:50.130+01:00I've just added a comment to the old post on p...I've just added a comment to the old post on pudding - and the word that popped into my head was 'stodgy' - or to be specific, stodge! For hungry schoolgirls, a plate of stodge with custard was a great tummy-filler. There was chocolate stodge, currant stodge, pink stodge, treacle stodge... all basically a heavy-textured sponge baked in huge aluminium pans. Nectar!<br />And 'stodgy' would describe a person who is rather dull and immoveable.biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-88410673045785252482010-09-08T19:43:01.774+01:002010-09-08T19:43:01.774+01:00Lynne - "A rock cake, however, is more like a...Lynne - "<i>A rock cake, however, is more like a rock!</i><br /><br />Hence the sign seen at (BrE) school fetes on the cake stall: "Rock cakes - take your pick".Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703548364118364764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-3925969427193291982010-09-08T09:38:58.819+01:002010-09-08T09:38:58.819+01:00I dont think I agree with Anonymous who says "...I dont think I agree with Anonymous who says "the Brits generally get the point across w/ fewer words" in comparision to AmE. I strongly feel that Americans have successfully managed to abbreviate the English language in many different ways.<br /><br />At abpt.com it is common practice to use smaller and shorter words such as "color" and "cells" (referring to mobile phones) even in formal AmE documents. <br /><br />Truth is, there are even some Indian English words that we use as part of our parlance without even realizing that they were once considered to be foreign words, for example, "bazaar" and "chor" and "rani" and so on. <br /><br />Did you know verbs such as "Google" (usage: Lets Google this!) are now considered to be perfect English?Hermes Merchanthttp://www.abpt.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24785335258935804552010-09-05T20:00:57.156+01:002010-09-05T20:00:57.156+01:00Welcome new Anonymous! Thanks for your interest, ...Welcome new Anonymous! Thanks for your interest, but I try hard not to mix up too many different topics in the comments section, as it reduces the searchability of the blog. You're welcome to request new topics, or answers to questions by email. (The 'comments policy' link on the left margin links to, well, the comments policy.)lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-61347811566848591412010-09-05T17:31:23.109+01:002010-09-05T17:31:23.109+01:00I'm reading you for the first time. As an Ame...I'm reading you for the first time. As an American myself, I'm a little lost regarding what is said currently in the UK, and what is archaic. What I hear in exported British TV shows blends in my mind with what I've read in Dickens.<br /><br />I knew the moment I read "Grover is going to be three", that you are an American yourself. Don't the British say, "Grover is about to be three"? It's simply awesome how different everyday language is between the two countries, yet how few linguistic misunderstandings this causes. I believe we are all a bit bilingual.<br /><br />This brings me to what I was searching for which led me to your delightful blog. Is it correct in BrE to say that someone "has to" do something or is "must" what they always say in that context? Also do they ever "let" someone do something, or do they always "allow" someone TO do something?<br /><br />As you pointed out, BrE uses "then" at the end of sentences that Americans would let stand w/o it. They also tack on the implied verb "done" when the word "have" as a part of a present participle falls at the end of a sentence or phrase. An example is: AmE "Well I would have, if I'd known she was going to be offended". BrE "Well I would have done, if I'd known she would take offense. The difference in the 2nd phrase of the sentence is an example of what I like best about BrE--the Brits generally get the point across w/ fewer words, despite their habit of plopping in the occasional "then" or "done". (I almost used the Britishism "odd" but changed it to the more American "occasional" in the above sentence.) I'm under the impression that the final "done" I mentioned about is fairly new to BrE. Is this correct? If so, then the American way is more true to earlier BrE.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-38533605399842304282010-09-04T07:48:37.396+01:002010-09-04T07:48:37.396+01:00Plain boiled spaghetti, or plain buttered spaghett...Plain boiled spaghetti, or plain buttered spaghetti... I'd have to use the word "plain" in there somewhere.Juliehttp://www.julieannmaahs.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71318416892314951302010-09-04T00:10:40.701+01:002010-09-04T00:10:40.701+01:00Thanks Lynneguist and all.
So what if you just wa...Thanks Lynneguist and all.<br /><br />So what if you just want spaghetti? Sans sauce or meat, be it a minced burger or elsewhat.<br /><br />Sorry- off topic. I seem to recall a long comments thread about buttered noodles a while back, which, if I recall, is basically spaghetti. I'll post there...Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25434500569091363312010-09-03T00:35:15.780+01:002010-09-03T00:35:15.780+01:00@Shaun. You beat me to it with Advocaat, which I r...@Shaun. You beat me to it with Advocaat, which I remember well from the 50s, when my father, a North Sea ferries Britrail steward at the time, brought it home from Den Hoek. (How exotic!)<br /><br />Much later I was introduced to Mexican Rompope, which I find at least equal to Advocaat. By comparison, I can find no reason for American egg-nog to exist.<br /><br />But then, I cannot justify the existence of many American and Brit delicacies, such as pretzels, or steak-and-kidney ANYTHING. Yet I yearn for the latter, or sausage beans eggs and chips smothered with HP sauce.<br /><br />I yearn, but by no means do I recommend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26119375979846130092010-09-02T22:29:57.317+01:002010-09-02T22:29:57.317+01:00Not the same. The stuff in the stores is non-alcoh...Not the same. The stuff in the stores is non-alcoholic, although it's common to add rum (or brandy) and milk (or hot water) at home.Juliehttp://www.julieannmaahs.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-23785727567905600192010-09-02T18:50:53.253+01:002010-09-02T18:50:53.253+01:00So have I been wrong to assume US egg nog = UK / E...So have I been wrong to assume US egg nog = UK / Europe advocaat?Shaun Clarksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290670832534929741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11051213351545058382010-09-02T03:47:54.822+01:002010-09-02T03:47:54.822+01:00Solo: It appears we have the same dish, but we jus...Solo: It appears we have the same dish, but we just call it "spaghetti." No modifier needed; anything other than a tomato-and-hamburger sauce would require further description. And northern California, where I live, used to be known for its Italian wines and vegetables.<br /><br />No eggnog. Wow. And I would have thought it was English in origin. Seems a bit old-fashioned now, but stores still sell a lot of it at Christmas time. The commercial stuff is just a drinkable custard flavored with nutmeg and (often) rum. The homemade stuff is better, but I won't tell you about that.Juliehttp://www.julieannmaahs.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-9096151115882910972010-09-01T23:31:22.351+01:002010-09-01T23:31:22.351+01:00Sorry, where it says 'old post' in the las...Sorry, where it says 'old post' in the last comment, it's supposed to have this link: http://bit.ly/cgflpWlynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33677254640316998002010-09-01T23:30:29.774+01:002010-09-01T23:30:29.774+01:00@Solo: 'Hamburger' can be a mass noun in B...@Solo: 'Hamburger' can be a mass noun in BrE--means the same thing as 'mince' in that case. (That was one of my Differences of the Day on Twitter a while ago.)<br /><br />There are lots of Italians in the US, and that can be seen in vegetable names, where US takes Italian where BrE takes French (old post). The Italian for meat sauce is 'ragù', which is an American brand of pasta sauce (though not nec. with meat). One can have a 'ragù alla bolognese' in Italian, but, according to Wikipedia <br /><br />"Although Spaghetti alla Bolognese is very popular outside of Italy it never existed in Bologna, where ragù is served always with the local egg pastas tagliatelle or lasagne."lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32841222197565766752010-09-01T23:24:41.456+01:002010-09-01T23:24:41.456+01:00Oh and eggnog is an abominable abberation which qu...Oh and eggnog is an abominable abberation which quite rightly stays on the far side of the Atlantic for the most part. I've never seen it or known anyone to have tried it (though I'd assume you have Lynneguist) but I suspect it's the kind of thing a Brit would only consume as the forfeit in a drinking game.Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46518123789592842112010-09-01T23:20:49.893+01:002010-09-01T23:20:49.893+01:00Ginger Yellow: Not at all! Most baked goods of th...Ginger Yellow: Not at all! Most baked goods of the British and Continental varieties do not involve mixing egg and sugar together into a gluey confection independent of other ingredients and do not have that gooey-chewy continuum that makes me uneasy about brownies.<br /><br />Incidentally- the term 'fudgy' just sounds all kind of wrong to me. It sounds like some kind of childish scatological euphemism (with apologies to anyone thus put off their brownies)<br /><br />OT, but- do you not have bolognese in America? I thought there was a massive Italian diaspora there. And mince isn't distinct from a buurger? That must make things tricky surely. Especially at barbecues.Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25898310944688209992010-09-01T22:08:50.385+01:002010-09-01T22:08:50.385+01:00Of course I was using the AmE definition of "...Of course I was using the AmE definition of "biscuit," which I couldn't figure out how to translate. They're bread-like, not cookie-like. Scone-ish?<br /><br />And melting onto the pan is not a requirement to be a "cookie." Being rich and sweet is, though. <br /><br />BTW, I learned to make chocolate chip cookies very casually, using the old Toll House recipe, but just tossing the ingredients into the mixer bowl. I didn't start creaming the butter and sugar together separately until after I left home and didn't have a mixer.Juliehttp://www.julieannmaahs.comnoreply@blogger.com