"Doug Miller" wrote in message
t...
In article , "Roger Mills"
wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Doug Miller wrote:


Interesting questions. As Churchill said, the U.S. and the U.K. are
"two nations divided by a common language."

So help this American understand what you're talking about, please.
What is a breeze block?

A building block, typically measuring 18" x 9" - used in bits of walls
which
don't show - typically for the inner skin of a cavity wall. Original ones
made of furnace ash and cement or somesuch. Current ones much lighter in
weight, and with good insulating properties. Much faster to build than
bricks since each block takes the place of 6 bricks.

Gotcha. We call that a cinder block (even though they're *now* made with
concrete), but ours are 16" x 8".


What is a rawlplug?

Originally a fibre plug, inserted into a drilled hole in brickwork to
allow
a screw to be screwed in. Rawlplug is/was a trade name
- but is now used generically for any such plug. Modern plugs are made of
plastic.

Gotcha. We use the same things here, but I have no idea what they're
called.

What is polyfilla?

A powder which, when mixed with water, makes a plaster-like substance for
filling cracks in walls.

I guess that's a trade name, too?


Poly**** is a the genus name for a proprietary collection of gooey stuff;
including -but not limited to;-
Polycell - wallpaper paste
Polyclens - paint brush cleaner
Polyfila - plaster for filling minor cracks. holes in plastered walls
PolySmooth - plaster for skimming larger areas
--- plus lots of others ...
Brits have a tendency to use a 'specific' brand name-item for the generic;
thus we 'hoover' the carpet - even using a Dyson.

--

Brian