tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post5407087528517856799..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: bowlslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-64331884510805497822019-04-23T17:10:57.534+01:002019-04-23T17:10:57.534+01:00BrE, Scot, Mid 60s. I grew up referring to the “la...BrE, Scot, Mid 60s. I grew up referring to the “lavvy pan”, but I am now more likely to talk about the “toilet bowl”. I attribute this to over-exposure to tv advertising of cleaning products. Or is this just the Recency Effect?Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72845828584841942872012-09-25T09:25:49.981+01:002012-09-25T09:25:49.981+01:00He might have been. I am notoriously bad at notici...He might have been. I am notoriously bad at noticing such things. His wife did most of the talking!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-41768799364057605382012-09-25T05:18:42.012+01:002012-09-25T05:18:42.012+01:00Lynne, was the man who invented Skittles, whom you...Lynne, was the man who invented Skittles, whom you met in Waco, Texas, British?<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skittles_%28confectionery%29#cite_note-backgrounder-2" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> (which of course is never wrong) cites a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20090201183339/http://www.masterfoodsnews.com/products_detail.asp?prodId=157" rel="nofollow">source</a> that says Skittles "were first introduced in the United States in 1974, made by a company in England."<br /><br />Other pages on the Internet, none of which rise to the level of completely credible sources, say things similar to <a href="http://www.webanswers.com/answer/857230/food-drink/candy-sweets-desserts/who-invented-skittles-ad5f83" rel="nofollow">this one</a>, which says, "Skittles was invented by Rick Walden, an employee of Mars Limited, the British branch of Mars, Incorporated, based in Slough, England, in 1973."David Laurihttp://www.davidlauri.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36908955780511666652012-08-20T22:06:54.189+01:002012-08-20T22:06:54.189+01:00I had to look back, which in the way I'm pagin...I had to look back, which in the way I'm paginating as I catch up with the blog means going forward to a post I haven't yet read (yes, I know, but it makes sense to me) to find out the social status of (ten-pin) bowling in the US. I suppose I should have guessed since these days I associate the game with Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.<br /><br />I have had some experience of ten-pin bowling but haven't enjoyed it much. For one thing bowling alleys in the UK, which I assume are based on the US model, have that ambience of seeming to batter all the senses into parting with one's money in exchange for overpriced fizzy drinks and hamburgers. For another I suffered from a strange inability to let go of the ball and at least once found myself sliding ignominiously along the lane on my (BrE) bum/(AmE) fanny.<br /><br />Since I moved back to my birthplace six years ago I have taken to playing bowls, however. Up in these parts we play the grittier, more robust form called crown green bowls rather than the more refined rink or lane bowls you would encounter in Brighton. So there's probably not the same social contrast with US (ten-pin) bowling although we women are still expected to be referred to as 'ladies'. There's also a vague sense (more in some locations than others) that women are permitted to use the green under sufferance. But at least we aren't expected to wear white skirts and panama hats.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-68347824596409252072008-05-13T08:33:00.000+01:002008-05-13T08:33:00.000+01:00They're for medical purposes, Marc! They make it e...They're for medical purposes, Marc! They make it easy to inspect the contents before flushing so you can make sure you haven't got anything nasty hiding in there. Bizarre but true. Not at all necessary any more with modern diet and medicine and so on, and they are steadily losing out to the type more common elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>The main problem I've found with them is that if it's a HEAVY use, then when you start wiping... no, never mind, I'm not going there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15497610740227471192008-05-12T13:01:00.000+01:002008-05-12T13:01:00.000+01:00Toilet pans: never heard the term, but it's true t...Toilet pans: never heard the term, but it's true that in Germany, and sometimes in France, you find what appear to be normal toilets, but rather than having a deep bowl of water, there is a shallow upper level with almost no water in it. When you flush, the water sweeps away the contents of this "pan" into the lower level then down the drain.Marc Naimarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15832885558832932466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-53507459139356642482008-05-09T22:49:00.000+01:002008-05-09T22:49:00.000+01:00I think Cameron's right--pan is probably more comm...I think Cameron's right--<I>pan</I> is probably more common among the older working class--on reflection of where I've heard it...lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-40183584828009467482008-05-09T15:42:00.000+01:002008-05-09T15:42:00.000+01:00Oh, and Linnet's Nest, Americans sometimes use the...Oh, and Linnet's Nest, Americans sometimes use the expressions "going down the tubes" or "circling the drain" when something is going very badly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-373323772696336112008-05-09T15:35:00.000+01:002008-05-09T15:35:00.000+01:00I'm American. The only link I can think of betwee...I'm American. The only link I can think of between toilet bowl and toilet's pan, is bedpan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-59121401839939052282008-05-09T12:56:00.000+01:002008-05-09T12:56:00.000+01:00Dougal: So it's pronounced like Boules? That's the...Dougal: So it's pronounced like Boules? That's the name I give to the game the Southern French call Pétanque - and thinking about it, the rules of marbles and pétanque are very similar.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10576490910177808746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-79846463441485900072008-05-09T12:34:00.000+01:002008-05-09T12:34:00.000+01:00Yes those German toilets can be quite alarming whe...Yes those German toilets can be quite alarming when you first come across them, although these days they are less common then previously.<BR/><BR/>In my ScE upbringing I also knew both pan and bowl. My feeling (not necessarily accurate of course) is that "pan" was formerly more common but that "bowl" has for quite a long time now been steadily gaining the upper hand. To me at least that suggests that "pan" is seen as older and lower class.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-88720370666610278242008-05-09T12:03:00.000+01:002008-05-09T12:03:00.000+01:00@fauxklore: yes, neither duckpin bowling, or candl...@fauxklore: yes, neither duckpin bowling, or candlepin bowling, or any other of the N. American variants are known in Britain, as far as I know. There are however many variants of skittles in different regions.<BR/><BR/>'Bowl' seems to me to be more common than 'pan' in referring to a toilet, and the instructions on toilet cleaning products seem to refer to the 'bowl' (and rim) mainly. I've seem toilets in Germany which have much shallower 'pans', though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47629572705360284652008-05-09T00:02:00.000+01:002008-05-09T00:02:00.000+01:00How amusing. As I recall my one, short visit to th...How amusing. As I recall my one, short visit to the US, the toilets there were a lot shallower (and used an inordinately large amount of water to rather ill effect compared to even British toilets ...) than any other I recall seeing, so 'pan' would fit them a lot better than their British/European counterparts.Jens Knudsen (Sili)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14078875730565068352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67351927633948967152008-05-08T23:00:00.000+01:002008-05-08T23:00:00.000+01:00The Yale Bowl was completed in 1914 and was the fi...The Yale Bowl was completed in 1914 and was the first "bowl"-shaped stadium. The Rose Bowl (game) was from 1902 to 1922 played in Tournament Park and called the Tournament East-West football game. The Rose Bowl (stadium) was completed for the 1923 game. The "Rose" part comes from the Tournament of Roses Parade held on New Year's Day in Pasadena since 1890. <BR/><BR/>Wikipedia makes me feel clever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44875833478651601102008-05-08T21:15:00.000+01:002008-05-08T21:15:00.000+01:00Some histories of the Rose Bowl say it took its na...Some histories of the Rose Bowl say it took its name from the Yale Bowl which, if true, begs the question way was it the Yale "Bowl".janes_kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10421531808505881234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-38900303835736608272008-05-08T16:18:00.000+01:002008-05-08T16:18:00.000+01:00How odd. I was sure I had sent a post along the sa...How odd. I was sure I had sent a post along the same lines as Dougal's. Apparently it got lost in the ether between here and the blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54111537050043030692008-05-08T12:14:00.000+01:002008-05-08T12:14:00.000+01:00Aye (er, yes) I can confirm that bowls is also a t...Aye (er, yes) I can confirm that bowls is also a term for marbles, though it's pronounced bools (a bit like 'fools' only a slightly "fatter" sound? I'm afraid I don't have the terminology).Dougal Stantonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05117437958988051466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-2309096119385381652008-05-08T11:24:00.000+01:002008-05-08T11:24:00.000+01:00I always say bowl, but that may be the influence f...I always say bowl, but that may be the influence from my family.Ginger Yellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06103410278129312943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47727265547111580282008-05-08T11:16:00.000+01:002008-05-08T11:16:00.000+01:00The only time I've ever seen toilet pan is in a fe...The only time I've ever seen toilet pan is in a few Asian airports where a particular stall might be marked on the door "squatting pan" to distinguish it from a Western style toilet.<BR/><BR/>Re: bowling, I assume that most British people would have no idea what duckpins are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1668971488061324602008-05-08T10:35:00.000+01:002008-05-08T10:35:00.000+01:00Welsh Jacobite: practise is only BrE. In AmE both...Welsh Jacobite: <I>practise</I> is only BrE. In AmE both the verb and noun are <I>practice</I>.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18884893284412913162008-05-08T10:31:00.001+01:002008-05-08T10:31:00.001+01:00(that should've been Hollywood Bowl)(that should've been Hollywood Bowl)lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52840719642170004592008-05-08T10:31:00.000+01:002008-05-08T10:31:00.000+01:00Yes, indeedee, it's the stadium. Another famous s...Yes, indeedee, it's the stadium. Another famous stadium (though not for (American) football) is the Hollywood bowl. The OED says:<BR/><BR/>d. A football stadium (no longer necessarily bowl-shaped). Freq. in the names of particular stadia. Cf. ROSE BOWL 2, Super-Bowl s.v. SUPER- 6c. U.S.<BR/><BR/>ADDITIONS SERIES 1997<BR/><BR/> bowl, n.1<BR/><BR/> Add: [3.] e. A sporting occasion, held in such a stadium, at which a football game is the main (orig. the only) event; later extended to include similar events held elsewhere. Also spec. = bowl game, sense *7 below. U.S.<BR/><BR/> [7.] bowl game Amer. Football, an established post-season game, spec. one played at any of a number of named stadiums.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-49756109986560103802008-05-08T10:17:00.000+01:002008-05-08T10:17:00.000+01:00"Bowl" comes from the stadium? Well, I'll be bumsw..."Bowl" comes from the stadium? Well, I'll be bumswizzled.<BR/><BR/>I always assumed that the various "bowls" were named after the trophy being competed for, analagous to the FA Cup, or the Northumberland Plate.<BR/><BR/>I suppose the idea was supported by the fact that, to me, a rose bowl is a type of vase, usually crystal or silver, that is sometimes used as a trophy.<BR/><BR/>Fancy that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42252131527056042562008-05-08T10:10:00.000+01:002008-05-08T10:10:00.000+01:00Another BE speaker who says "toilet bowl" and "toi...Another BE speaker who says "toilet bowl" and "toilet pan" is not very common and possibly American usage.RWMGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04271851970303022440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-25614255787887791872008-05-08T10:04:00.000+01:002008-05-08T10:04:00.000+01:00Surely "rose bowl" derives not from the stadium, b...Surely "rose bowl" derives not from the stadium, but from the trophy (a rose bowl being an alternative to a cup). Using the term as a name for the competition is thus parallel to "World Cup", "F.A. Cup", etc.<BR/><BR/>(P.S. "Practising" in British English as well as U.S., as it's a verbal form.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com