Heinz Schmitz wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:

Americans pay checks with bills - we pay bills with cheques.
Only in a restaurant is an invoice for monies due termed a "check."
Why is that ?
I do not know.

The title of this thread does appear somewhat narrow. Imho the Brits
do love nicknames, wether diminuitive or not. Think of the Krauts, and
the Frogs, for example. Sometimes they even apply their nicknames,
thus, when a person from India was given his default password 'Wog'.

Oh now that`s unfair, we didn't just single out the Indians with that
epithet, almost anyone born to the right and down a bit was fair game.
Actually I sort of think 'Frog' is almost a term of endearment, there`s
a lot worst things we could call them

I understand that 'wog' short form of 'Polywog' was originally a
nautical term for deckhands of a dusky skinned nature.

I think the Aussies currently corner the market in derogatory nicknames
for people of other nations, tho who knows what the 'natives' call us.

Ron(UK)