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Re: OT: Two countries separated by a common language

From:Joe Fatula <fatula3@...>
Date:Friday, May 16, 2003, 6:04
From: "Joe" <joe@...>
Subject: Re: Two countries separated by a common language


> > Excuse me for replying to myself, but I just thought of another > > Britishism that took me unawares: "biscuits". The Hitchhiker's > > Guide series scene in which Arthur gets into a biscuit battle with > > someone in the airport struck me as very odd. Biscuits in a bag from > > a vending machine?? Having grown up in Georgia, I knew exactly > > what biscuits are, and they don't come from vending machines. > > They're yummy doughy breakfast breads, similar to scones, but softer > > and served hot, with butter or gravy, or perhaps a sausage patty. > > Yum. :) > > > > -Mark > > Biscuits are an Englishism? I suppose you guys would call them 'cookies'. > Or something like that...
They are when referring to the flat, sweet things. As Mark mentioned, in America they're a more bread-like thing that people eat down South, particularly. Us Yankees don't have much use for the things. Joe (the other one) --- And before anyone mentions that the "us" should be a "we", English (at least my dialect) is going through a shift where anything with a more vocative sense uses the accusative form, not the nominative. Same goes for the prepositional usage.

Replies

Joe <joe@...>
Amanda Babcock <langs@...>
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>