tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post6399675154613487963..comments2024-03-28T16:11:36.465+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: on onlynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36448591416910957712020-05-11T11:18:01.368+01:002020-05-11T11:18:01.368+01:00'Bored of' never sounds correct to my ear,...'Bored of' never sounds correct to my ear, though 'bored to tears' is often heard in the UK.Christopher Fairshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202262986756315954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-21739157385657990862020-05-11T11:13:43.603+01:002020-05-11T11:13:43.603+01:00That's probably because most travellers, when ...That's probably because most travellers, when not in a train, are standing on the platforms waiting for one, or are in the lavatory.Christopher Fairshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202262986756315954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-9855426025075703402019-05-27T10:21:55.939+01:002019-05-27T10:21:55.939+01:00BrE. On the front of buses, I usually see “not in ...BrE. On the front of buses, I usually see “not in service”, but some bus companies use “ not on service”.<br /><br />Re on the station. I find this quite old fashioned, and never something most people said. Like “I’ve lost my train” instead of “I’ve missed my train”, or “bored of” rather than “bored with”.Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-8311191001534140842017-02-16T18:05:58.073+00:002017-02-16T18:05:58.073+00:00I remember an elderly lady on the train I was trav...I remember an elderly lady on the train I was travelling on getting quite agitated because she had "left a suitcase on York station". Perhaps her age is relevant, and this expression has fallen out of use?<br /><br />I suppose if you're waiting for a train you could be on the station, at the station or in the station. <br /><br />From Lynne's original post, "I'll meet you Saturday" or "See you Monday" doesn't sound odd to me as a British speaker. No need for an "on" in informal speech. Perhaps this is a regional thing?<br /><br />I've never heard of "she's always on" in the context referred to above. I've only heard "she's on" or "I'm on" used to mean a woman's time of the month (BrE). <br /><br />CaptainSiCohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18025513284180590274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26220106434199199152014-04-02T03:42:18.243+01:002014-04-02T03:42:18.243+01:00Your description of off the mark(BrE) seems to mat...Your description of <b>off the mark</b>(BrE) seems to match AmE <b>on the board</b>.<br /><br />I'm also reminded of horse racing commentary, "And they're off!"<br /><br />Basketball is more popular than soccer or ice hockey in the USA so one-one would be used in a fast break situation, but when applied to hockey or soccer it would ignore the goalie/keeper. Having only the goalie to beat would be a one-on-none.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02138260302522477243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32447095950788850632011-04-09T10:35:07.951+01:002011-04-09T10:35:07.951+01:00And I'm quite convinced that in my youth they ...And I'm quite convinced that in my youth they used to say "The train now standing on platform 4 is the 14:45 to London Victoria", or whatever - but I notice they now say "At platform 4" which is much duller!Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-73135608213659137152011-04-09T10:06:55.465+01:002011-04-09T10:06:55.465+01:00I'm from Seaford, so my primary association is...I'm from Seaford, so my primary association is with Southern trains - I can't remember whether I've heard it while using other train companies or not.Veritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26205293044934865152011-04-09T09:56:47.634+01:002011-04-09T09:56:47.634+01:00I can confirm that they say 'on the station...I can confirm that they say 'on the station' in the recorded messages at Brighton. A Southern Trains thing?lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-40227762758859201232011-04-09T09:51:54.664+01:002011-04-09T09:51:54.664+01:00@Andy JS
With "on the station", I'm ...@Andy JS<br />With "on the station", I'm not sure if I've heard it much in actual conversation, but it's a common feature of the platform announcements (eg., "Smoking is not permitted in the train or on the station"). I'm from East Sussex.Veritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71811378605029890202011-04-09T00:38:52.093+01:002011-04-09T00:38:52.093+01:00"Off the mark" is one of the most common..."Off the mark" is one of the most common ways of describing a batsman's first run in the game of cricket.<br /><br />I can't remember having ever heard anyone say "on the station" here in central England. Maybe it's said in other parts of the UK.Andy JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15819413906544791899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-41904813335711066622011-04-08T23:29:38.826+01:002011-04-08T23:29:38.826+01:00Chico
For me He's off the mark in the context...Chico<br /><br />For me <i>He's off the mark</i> in the context of scoring could only mean that he'd scored his (or his team's) <b>first</b> goal.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-77843037821255515042011-04-08T20:40:16.193+01:002011-04-08T20:40:16.193+01:00What about "off the mark" when related t...What about "off the mark" when related to football(soccer).<br />In BrE, "so and so off the mark" in a game means he scored, where as AmE readers would interpret it as a player missing the goal.Chiconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86343700151242592532011-04-08T20:39:26.819+01:002011-04-08T20:39:26.819+01:00Kelli
What I suspect you don't hear in Britai...Kelli<br /><br />What I suspect you <b>don't</b> hear in Britain is the term <i>train station</i>.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-28156934469359151252011-04-08T13:53:02.744+01:002011-04-08T13:53:02.744+01:00What about "on the station"? I hear this...What about "on the station"? I hear this all the time at train stations and as an AmE speaker, I keep picturing passengers standing on top of the station, not on the platforms.Kellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-56171483255546402182011-04-06T16:28:48.594+01:002011-04-06T16:28:48.594+01:00I've recently been pondering the American usag...I've recently been pondering the American usage of "on" with a holiday or similar special day. For example, "What will you be doing on Christmas?" In the UK this would be either "at" or "for" Christmas (with subtle differences).<br /><br />I was raised in the US, but this still sounds foreign to my ear. Is it a regional thing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72194486454996522652011-04-06T00:22:00.535+01:002011-04-06T00:22:00.535+01:00The rhetorical question "are you on drugs?&qu...<i>The rhetorical question "are you on drugs?" must mean "are you high?" rather than "are you a junkie?", for me at least.</i><br /><br />In some English fiction from the earlyish 20th century, "he is on the telephone" means that his house is connected to the telephone system, not that he is using it at the moment.Øhttp://voidplay.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15526723278059318872011-04-05T19:22:28.336+01:002011-04-05T19:22:28.336+01:00@Richard Gadsden - The use of "one-on-one&quo...@Richard Gadsden - The use of "one-on-one" in sports here generally means a game where only two people are playing against each other. You can play basketball "one-on-one", usually on a half court. The idea of just one player going up against the goalkeeper (which is common in ice hockey) is something we call "a breakaway".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55507927140441302062011-04-05T18:50:36.047+01:002011-04-05T18:50:36.047+01:00T Arthur: I recommend John Algeo's book Britis...T Arthur: I recommend John Algeo's book <i>British or American English</i>.<br /><br />You're welcome to request new topics via the email link--though it usually takes me a long time to respond on the blog, I usually respond by email quite quickly.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78216176761913074752011-04-05T18:31:13.747+01:002011-04-05T18:31:13.747+01:00My message here is on a random topic, sorry, but I...My message here is on a random topic, sorry, but I'm interested in verb patterns, and I couldn't find any posts here on them. Wikipedia lists a variety of them, differing in the US and Britain. It stated that both countries vary on their use of verb patterns (like walking/like to walk) depending on the situation. The books that I use to teach it only cover a few verbs, and only teach the British versions. As an American, I'm curious to see any examples of these situations, and how the two countries vary.T Arthur Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07831844692245441302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14244810236558786032011-04-05T17:30:41.960+01:002011-04-05T17:30:41.960+01:00The rhetorical question "are you on drugs?&qu...The rhetorical question "are you on drugs?" must mean "are you high?" rather than "are you a junkie?", for me at least.<br /><br />The original Football League was only the most successful of many late-Victorian organisations hosting annual round-robin tournaments; the were other Conferences, Combinations, etc. But "league" = "round-robin" just as "cup" = "knockout" (= "single-elimination") after the FA Cup.mollymoolynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55258461347595331032011-04-05T00:02:45.299+01:002011-04-05T00:02:45.299+01:00For sports "on":
My idiolect of AmE inc...For sports "on":<br /><br />My idiolect of AmE includes, "Stuck on 9 wins" as idiomatic. This seems related to the BrE sense, but not identical.<br /><br />For the time sense:<br /><br />I have "year on year change" as idiomatic, if not exactly common. Again, this seems related but not identical.Doug Sundsethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01848091504066560951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-68009621389142095682011-04-04T23:16:13.484+01:002011-04-04T23:16:13.484+01:00Really good observation, David C--I think you'...Really good observation, David C--I think you're right. 'On 12 points' is where you are at the moment--it's expected to change.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34909904361635334782011-04-04T23:13:09.760+01:002011-04-04T23:13:09.760+01:00Listening to a quiz score on the radio today, I re...Listening to a quiz score on the radio today, I realised that in my speech <i>Joe Bloggs <b>with</b> twenty points</i> and <i>Joe Bloggs <b>on</b> twenty points</i> are not always interchangeable.<br /><br /><i><b>On</b> twenty points</i> is OK for the <b>latest</b> scores. But the <b>final</b> scores must be expressed as <i><b>with</b> twenty points</i>.<br /><br />This may be a peculiarity of my speech, of course, or of the speech of my generation.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60100301921891638632011-04-04T23:03:12.932+01:002011-04-04T23:03:12.932+01:00Another difference I've noticed is in mathemat...Another difference I've noticed is in mathematics. I've heard Brits say "One on x" when Americans would say "One over x."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-41720926433703117252011-04-04T22:03:35.355+01:002011-04-04T22:03:35.355+01:00And in the US sporting world we have yet another &...And in the US sporting world we have yet another "on", as in "he has 20 home runs on the season" or "the Red Sox have 5 hits on the night" or "Boston has 2 runs on 5 hits".Øhttp://voidplay.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com