I know this is slightly "off forum" , but it follows on from my post about the awful pricing of the KR for sale in London, and my comment about the steering wheel being on the 'wrong' side.

Do you know why the steering wheel was always on the right, and we drive on the left.
(Still a mystery why you lot switched it over other than being "ockard")

Amazingly it has a connection with spiral staircases.

Anyone know.

I'll buy the first person to post a correct answer an ice cream the next time you are in England.

OK OK , but they're expensive too !!

 

 

I owe you an ice cream....

The bit about swordsmen also relates to jousting when the lance would be held (Usually) in the right hand and the approach made along the left side of the track or whatever.

The spiral staircase was really the same since if you were defending your own castle against attackers and presuming again that you were right handed you would come down a counterclockwise spiral with your sword going "with" the bend.
If you were attacking and going up you would be at a distinct disadvantage...unless of course you were left handed!

 

 

Fair enough....you won't get that ice cream though !
Sounds like the farm wouldn't be too far from me.
Where exactly? 5 to 6 hours north of London would put you in some beautiful countryside....the Yorkshire Dales, or the Lake District.
C'mon...the visits worth it for the pubs...and some proper beer!

 

and what would you consider "proper beer" i personally like guiness with a hefeweisen in it sort of a black and wheat if you will, just wondering what your brew of choice is over there.

 

Actually I knew that remark would wind someone up.....
I don't drink beer myself very often, but have noticed in recent years that more and more microbreweries are springing up in the States that offer good beers.
Of course it has always been a bone of contention between the 2 sides of the Atlantic that you think our beers are warm and we think your beers are anaemic.
Of course when your climate is hot you need a cooling beer but the fact is that your beers are often chilled to the point where any taste is negated.
For many years now here in the UK there has been a campaign for real ale (CAMRA), and the reult is that each area has its own beers and the monopoly held by the big companies with thier once tastelesss beers has been broken.

We have many amusing names for the localised beers but 2 that come to mind are "Tickled Trout" and "Old Peculiar".

Not to say that Bud and Miller are not available here..they are, and that is what I drink when I have a beer since I am not someone who can manage the 'heavier' more potent stuff.

 

Hi Lenny,

Since you like to play quiz question, fill us in on why the British insist on calling car parts and other terms and different names than most everyone else. I know you're are probably going to say that it goes way back in time but I sometimes just don't understand the terms exact meaning.

Here are just a few that come to mind and I know there are many more but I have to give you something to do too. Sometimes the terms sound and mean the same but are spelled different and other times they mean the same thing, don't sound anything alike, and are a different word all together.

Hood=Bonnet
Windsheild=WindScreen
Gasoline=Petrol
Tires=Tyres
Color=Colour

Here's someother terms I found on the internet, imagine that.
**** = dealer
bloody **** = service dept. guy
bleedin' **** = parts guy
bloody bleedin' **** = service technician
bit of a sticky wicket = out of petrol
fine bleedin' mess = clutch slip
bloody fine bleedin' mess = broken timing belt

Here's a web site I found that has tons of translations of British to American automotive terms.
http://www.team.net/sol/solterms.html

Here's a German to English automotive translator that is for amusement only.
http://lalaland.cl.msu.edu/~vanhoose/humor/0301.html

Oh well, I guess that's enough for now, "A", or is that Canadian?

DaveMan

 

Good Lord......

I could write an encyclopaedia as a reply to that question.

I won't, but here's the short answer.
(And it should please you colonials)

Many words in our "English" language are of course derived from the many continental influences that have reached our shores.
A very good example is our spelling of 'color'.
Of course our variation comes from the French 'coleur' and that is true with many words.

Very often you will hear people on this side of the Atlantic decrying what Americans have done to "our" language.
In some respects it is true....just listen to any Jerry Springer show (I know , bad example). Using the word 'like' about 6 times in every sentence, and people who seriously now seem to think that "He asked me" should be " He AXED me" !

HOWEVER, the truth is that the most ancient language in the world is close to the North American Algonquin, but many words that the settlers took to America have remained more true to original than how they are found here in the UK in the "Queens" English.
WE have actually bastardised and changed words which often you have retained nearer their original.
There are thousands of examples to prove and disprove this but certainly there are plenty of commonplace examples to generally bear it out.
It really is more sensible to call it a 'sidewalk' rather than 'pavement' and 'elevator' rather than 'lift'.

So it is with the car termilology you used though I am not 'au fait' with the particular derivation of 'hood' rather than 'bonnet.'

Quite honestly I often prefer the American version....eg Truck rather than Lorry.
Many of your expressions are becoming far more common over here, but it is equally true that you are adopting some of ours more readily.
20 years ago when I first went to the States I had to ask for a 'check' in a restaurant. Few people used the word 'bill'.
The same with 'wallet' now being used more often than 'billfold'.
The examples could go on and on.....the best thing I could do though is direct you to one of the most fascinating books I have ever read.
An American called Bill Bryson has become one of the best selling travel writers in the world, with his highly humorous look at other nations....including his own, after returning to the US after 20 years in England "The Lost Continent"...you really should read it....BUT his lesser known earlier work is called "Mother Tongue"...it sounds boring, as it is a study of language, but it is absolutely fascinating.
The bit on swear words is amazing.....the history of rude words is almost unbelievable.
Many words we now consider way out of order were in common useage in Victorian Times.....

There was a lane in London frequented by prostitutes called....
"Grope**** Lane" I will leave you to work out the missing 4 letter word....but it ain't polite today!!!!

Well there you are, I told you I could write an encyclopaedia, and I bet no one could have thought this forum would end up mentioning prostitutes.

(All in the best possible taste!}

 

Don't tell me that I wrote all that for nothing!

 

Hey Lenny,

You didn't write all that to get a charge out of me did you? I basically told myself that after all that then you for sure can keep the last word as I couldn't top that no matter what my response.

No really, thanks a million for all that expalaining and your views. I do definately agree that truck is much better than Lorry.

My god, could you imagine telling someone that you've got a King Ranch Super Crew Lorry and it's a bloody fun ride and you've had a devil of a time cleaning the windscreen and the bleeding bloody bonnet is too bloody hard to wash whilist standing flat footed on the ground with no lift.

Later,

DaveMan

 

Thanks me old mucker,
Would you Adam n Eve it, just got a message on the Dog n Bone.
Rush dawn the apples and pears ....switch off the Liza.
Get dawn the boozer in me new whistle and flute...see this lemon sqeezer (bit of an alphonse)(You should see his boat race....(Chevy Chase)). Give 'im his Ayrton Senna.
(Wot I owed 'im)
I'm now borassic lint.
Anyway scrounge a few Philharmonics, sit dawn at the Betty Grable.
Start to Apple Tart and feel a bit Pat and Mick.
Go for a pie and mash, but 'av a pony and trap.
Now totally Schindlers List and decide to find a Roger Moore.
Can't manage it...totally son and daughtered but still go back for another supersonic.
OOps...big mistake..there's the trouble and strife.
All I can do is Wyatt Earp (Though I still feel like a bit of a Zig and Zag)
Anyways..we all av a good Steffi but 'av to go ome cause we aint got no more Nelson Eddies.

(I'm not even ****ney)

HHeeYY!!
On the preview that word had the first 4 letters starred out.
That word is perfectly normal for a certain part of London.
All the C* CKNEYS would really be Brahms and Liszt about that !

 

Just in case you don't see the reply under the supercab thread !

Daveman....
No I didn't copy and paste that reply...I'm not a total Saddo.
I just said that in case you continued to try and con me that I had dreamt that reply you gave !!!

If you want to translate my latest wierd piece of script yourself go to , otherwise let me know and I'll post a translation.

http://www.bio.nrc.ca/****ney/

THERE YOU GO ....YOUR SOFTWARE HAS EDITED THAT QUITE NORMAL ENGLISH WORD AGAIN ......
IN PLACE OF THE 4 ASTERISKS PUT THE MALE APPENDAGE !



Depends on how much the punters out there want to stay true to being real "Anoraks" or spread their wings and interests a little.

PS
An "anorak" is a word we use to describe someone who is obsessed with one topic to the point of total boredom as far as everyone else is concerned!
Comes from the days when certain people wearing anoraks (Blousons or windcheaters or whatever you call them ), would stand on the end of railway platforms writing down locomotive numbers and details...not too bad in the days of steam....but nowadays seen as total "Anoraks" or "Saddos".