Separated by a Common Language

This is one of those posts where I'm going to let someone else do most of the writing. I got this message from Justin a couple of weeks ago: I’m from Malaysia, where BrE dominates in schools but AmE is prominent in pop culture (so too CanE and AusE). I was British educated there, before moving...

Continuing on the backlog of emailed requests, Ron Shields writes (well, wrote--in August) with: I have noticed football commentators in Britain using the phrase just about when a player is successful as in "He just about made that pass". In AmE just about would mean "close but no cigar". Indeed,...

I am often asked to cover the differences between AmE and BrE use of quite as an intensifier (i.e. a modifier of adjectives that tells you 'how much'). When asked, I point people to this post. When they write back and say "I meant how it means opposite things in BrE and AmE", I reply "Read the post....

The British are masters and mistresses of understatement, one is told. Yeah, well, maybe. For your consideration, my current list of most hated, painfully overused words: essential fanatical excellence I've grumped about excellence once before, and I'm sure that it's come in from US corporate-speak....