Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house in
London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be some
kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only thoughts I have
is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill in the hole and get
some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice appreciates any advice on what best
to do. thanks.

"torge conrad maguar" wrote:
Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house in
London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be some
kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only thoughts I
have is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill in the hole and
get some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice appreciates any advice on
what best to do. thanks.

Unlikely to be breeze block in a 1936 property, and breeze block doesn't
usually deteriorate with age. You are most likely drilling into the mortar
between the bricks. You can't put filler around a wall plug and expect it to
stick. The easiest and safest solution is to hang the cupboard in a slightly
different lateral or vertical position; wall plugs should be fixed in brick.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
torge conrad maguar wrote:

Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house
in London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be
some kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only
thoughts I have is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill
in the hole and get some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice
appreciates any advice on what best to do. thanks.

How many holes have you drilled, and are they *all* the same? If you've only
drilled one or two it's possible that you've just been unlucky and hit a
mortar joint. You could try moving your fixing points a couple of inches
diagonally and see whether you then get something a bit more solid.

Actually, when you say a 'dividing' wall, do you mean the party wall between
two houses or simply an internal wall between two rooms? If the latter, it
could be a stud partition covered with lath and plaster. Does the wall sound
hollow if you tap it with your knuckle? If it is this sort of wall, you'll
need to drill a lot of small test holes to find where the structural timbers
are, and then screw into those.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

In article , "torge conrad maguar" wrote:
Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house in
London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be some
kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only thoughts I have
is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill in the hole and get
some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice appreciates any advice on what best
to do. thanks.

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? What is a rawlplug? What is polyfilla?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

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.


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.


What is polyfilla?

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

HTH!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
t...
In article , "torge conrad
maguar" wrote:
Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house in
London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be some
kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only thoughts I
have
is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill in the hole and get
some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice appreciates any advice on what
best
to do. thanks.

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?

Similar to cinder block. A soft grey building block, about 12" x 8", mainly
used for interior walls. We also have a similar product called "Thermalite"
blocks.

Generally, they are all known as breeze blocks.

I've seen similar blocks in the USA (I'm sad enough to visit DIY stores like
"Home Depot" on holiday!!!

What is a rawlplug?

A plastic plug you use to fix to a masonry wall. You drill an oversize hole,
fit a rawlplug, then screw into the rawlplug which expands to grip the hole.
Rawlplug is a trade name for the (at one time) most famous brand. These
days there are many makes. You need special types for use in breeze blocks.

What is polyfilla?

Another trade name for a general purpose, plaster based, filler. I think
you call it "spackle" ?

--
73
Brian, G8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk

Now your amateur licence is free, why not send at least £15 per year to
support the
Radio Communications Foundation or STELAR?

"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? What is a rawlplug? What is polyfilla?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Breeze block is concrete building blocks, an alternative to clay bricks
(http://static.flickr.com/11/12792451_e0e15b63fb_m.jpg). A Rawlplug is a
plastic plug for insertion into a hole drilled in masonry to take screws
that form their own thread in the plastic
(http://www.tooled-up.com/artwork/ProdImage/TB29128.jpg). Polyfilla is a
powder that is mixed with water to fill holes and cracks in wood, plaster
etcetera, also comes as a ready mixed paste in a tub or tube. Can be sanded
smooth when dry, then painted.

torge conrad maguar wrote:
Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house in
London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be some
kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only thoughts I have
is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill in the hole and get
some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice appreciates any advice on what best
to do. thanks.



Its not a bad idea, though sand and cement mortar is better. Often pays
to make quite a large hole, paint it with THICK PVA, slap in the mortar
and push the plug into that leaving a matchstick sticking out, then when
set make good with plaster and paint..then pull the matchstick out and
screw whatever into the hole.

Doug Miller wrote:
In article , "torge conrad maguar" wrote:
Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house in
London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be some
kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only thoughts I have
is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill in the hole and get
some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice appreciates any advice on what best
to do. thanks.

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? What is a rawlplug? What is polyfilla?

Breeze block is a sort of low density brick block made of coal power
station slag..sometimes called a cinder block. A rwawlplug is a trade
name for originally a fiber plug inserted into masonry to take a wood
screw. Now universally plastic.

Polyfilla is a trade name for (iriginally) a cellulose based
filler..somewhat like 'spackle' ..its now a tradename for a huge variety
of filling products..

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?

HTH!

Yeah -- thanks!

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"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

Doug Miller wrote:
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?
HTH!

Yeah -- thanks!


If you've got crumbly walls, a tub of car body filler from Halfords
would be a good investment. Sets in 5 minutes so you can get on with the
job.

In article , "Brian Sharrock" wrote:

Brits have a tendency to use a 'specific' brand name-item for the generic;
thus we 'hoover' the carpet - even using a Dyson.

Happens here, too. The most prominent examples I can think of a
- Facial tissues (for blowing one's nose, or wiping one's eyeglasses).
Everyone here calls them Kleenex. Nobody ever asks for a "facial tissue".
- Photocopiers. Most commonly referred to as Xerox machines, even if made by
Canon, Rico, etc.
- Carbonated cola beverage. Usually called a Coke. Even if it's a Pepsi.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On 12/18/06 09:14 am Doug Miller wrote:

Brits have a tendency to use a 'specific' brand name-item for the generic;
thus we 'hoover' the carpet - even using a Dyson.

Happens here, too. The most prominent examples I can think of a
- Facial tissues (for blowing one's nose, or wiping one's eyeglasses).
Everyone here calls them Kleenex. Nobody ever asks for a "facial tissue".
- Photocopiers. Most commonly referred to as Xerox machines, even if made by
Canon, Rico, etc.
- Carbonated cola beverage. Usually called a Coke. Even if it's a Pepsi.

The last of these is regional: in some parts of the USA they are all
"coke," in others all "soda," and in yet others all "pop."

Perce

In article , "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:
On 12/18/06 09:14 am Doug Miller wrote:

- Carbonated cola beverage. Usually called a Coke. Even if it's a Pepsi.

The last of these is regional: in some parts of the USA they are all
"coke," in others all "soda," and in yet others all "pop."

I remember the first time we went to a restaurant after moving from Illinois
to Indiana. My brother, nine years old at the time, wanted -- better describe
this very specifically here -- an orange-flavored carbonated soft drink. In
Illinois, that is (or was 33 years ago, at any rate) called "orange soda". So
that's what he ordered.

Boy, was he surprised when his "orange soda" arrived in a huge glass with two
large dollops of vanilla ice cream floating in it.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article ,
Doug Miller wrote:

I remember the first time we went to a restaurant after moving
from Illinois to Indiana. My brother, nine years old at the
time, wanted -- better describe this very specifically here --
an orange-flavored carbonated soft drink. In Illinois, that is
(or was 33 years ago, at any rate) called "orange soda". So
that's what he ordered.

Boy, was he surprised when his "orange soda" arrived in a huge
glass with two large dollops of vanilla ice cream floating in it.

I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.

--
Tony Williams.

In article , Tony Williams wrote:
I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.

I guess you learned pretty quickly that that phrase has a *very* different
meaning here. grin

When sitting down to dinner, we habitually put "napkins" in our laps to
protect our clothing from spills, and to provide something to wipe our hands
on. As I understand it, you use "serviettes" for that purpose, and "napkins"
for something altogether different.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"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".

Actually cinder blocks and concrete blocks were and still are made from two
different materials. Cinder blocks used "clinkers" from coal fired
locomotives and industrial steam boilers, mixed with portland cement and
sand to form a lightweight version of concrete. Lightweight blocks are still
manufacturered for internal firewalls and such, using steel mill slag and
other lightweight agegates. They were never intended for outdoor use or
inground use. Concrete blocks used the standard sand, gravel and portland
cement for high strength and weather resistance.


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.

Used to be called Rawlplug in North America when they were made of a
fiberous material. My experience has shown that plastic plugs don't hold
much at all, they are just too slippery to form a solid anchor. If you have
solid timbers in the wall use longer screws. If you have masonry building
units in the wall get some Tapcon screws or the equivelent in a length that
will solidly hold in the masonry.

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?

Pollyfilla, still made in North America, they make floor leveling, wall
patching, spackles and other plaster type supplies. My local big box store
stocks them.


HTH!

Yeah -- thanks!

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

While working in the US, I applied for a driving license and took the
test. The written (computerised multiple choice) was easy but the
practical nearly got off to a bad start when the tester asked me to
pull onto the pavement. I quickly realised that he meant the paved
highway aka road and not the sidewalk aka pavement!

As for my smoking colleague who, early on, walked out of a lab
saying that he really needed to have a fag...

Guy
-- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy Dawson I.T. Manager Crossflight Ltd

Huge wrote:
On 2006-12-18, Doug Miller wrote:

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

Cinder block.

Dunno.

Spackle.

Respectively.

I think a rawlplug is called a ribbed plastic anchor or a concrete anchor?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

In message , Tony Williams
writes
In article ,
Doug Miller wrote:

I remember the first time we went to a restaurant after moving
from Illinois to Indiana. My brother, nine years old at the
time, wanted -- better describe this very specifically here --
an orange-flavored carbonated soft drink. In Illinois, that is
(or was 33 years ago, at any rate) called "orange soda". So
that's what he ordered.

Boy, was he surprised when his "orange soda" arrived in a huge
glass with two large dollops of vanilla ice cream floating in it.

I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.

Ah yes - "fanny" another word with a different meaning in the UK to
Ameristan

--
geoff

In message , Percival P. Cassidy
writes
On 12/18/06 09:14 am Doug Miller wrote:

Brits have a tendency to use a 'specific' brand name-item for the generic;
thus we 'hoover' the carpet - even using a Dyson.
Happens here, too. The most prominent examples I can think of a
- Facial tissues (for blowing one's nose, or wiping one's
eyeglasses). Everyone here calls them Kleenex. Nobody ever asks for a
"facial tissue".
- Photocopiers. Most commonly referred to as Xerox machines, even if
made by Canon, Rico, etc.
- Carbonated cola beverage. Usually called a Coke. Even if it's a Pepsi.

The last of these is regional: in some parts of the USA they are all
"coke," in others all "soda," and in yet others all "pop."

Better is in Germany where any fizzy drink is "Limonade"

even "Orange Limonade"


or in Indonesian where a piece of meat is often referred to as "Bistek"
(I'm sure you can work that out if you try)


--
geoff

Guy Dawson wrote:
While working in the US, I applied for a driving license and took the
test. The written (computerised multiple choice) was easy but the
practical nearly got off to a bad start when the tester asked me to
pull onto the pavement. I quickly realised that he meant the paved
highway aka road and not the sidewalk aka pavement!

As for my smoking colleague who, early on, walked out of a lab
saying that he really needed to have a fag...

It's a good job he didn't need to ask for a cigarette. "Can I bum a fag?"
could be even more capable of being misconstrued.

--
Malc

Justin unbuttoned Clothilde's tight blouse and her breasts fell out. He
picked them up and put them back in again.
"Thank you," said Clothilde, polite even in passion. "I'm always losing
them."

John Cleary - Bear Pit

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Huge wrote:
On 2006-12-18, Doug Miller wrote:

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

Cinder block.

Dunno.

Spackle.

Respectively.

I think a rawlplug is called a ribbed plastic anchor or a concrete
anchor?

ribbed for her pleasure....?

In message , The Medway
Handyman writes
Huge wrote:
On 2006-12-18, Doug Miller wrote:

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

Cinder block.

Dunno.

Spackle.

Respectively.

I think a rawlplug is called a ribbed plastic anchor

And available in all the best toilets

(or as the Septics call them - bathrooms. Who the hell would want to
bath in the ****house ?)




--
geoff

I am reminded of a true story regarding Madame & Charles De Gaulle (Premier
of France, which with due deference to American readers is somewhat South of
England) at a very formal diplomatic dinner.
Madame was asked 'What gave her the most satisfaction?'
After some thought, and with complete attention of everyone at the table.
She said 'a penis'
The table was stunned for a second, or two.
Chas De Gaulle leant over and said 'Happiness ...happiness'

Colin

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Tony Williams
writes
In article ,
Doug Miller wrote:

I remember the first time we went to a restaurant after moving
from Illinois to Indiana. My brother, nine years old at the
time, wanted -- better describe this very specifically here --
an orange-flavored carbonated soft drink. In Illinois, that is
(or was 33 years ago, at any rate) called "orange soda". So
that's what he ordered.

Boy, was he surprised when his "orange soda" arrived in a huge
glass with two large dollops of vanilla ice cream floating in it.

I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.

Ah yes - "fanny" another word with a different meaning in the UK to
Ameristan

--
geoff

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Guy Dawson wrote:


As for my smoking colleague who, early on, walked out of a lab
saying that he really needed to have a fag...


I had a colleague who caused much hilarity by asking for a rubber when he
wanted an erasor.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

On Dec 18, 3:43 pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , Tony Williams wrote:
I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.I guess you learned pretty quickly that that phrase has a *very* different
meaning here. grin

When sitting down to dinner, we habitually put "napkins" in our laps to
protect our clothing from spills, and to provide something to wipe our hands
on. As I understand it, you use "serviettes" for that purpose, and "napkins"
for something altogether different.

They're the same thing over here, napkin or serviette. The former would
usually be cloth, the latter paper.

Are you possible thinking of an intimate feminine use? In that case,
it's you in the US who call them sanitary napkins, we call them
sanitary towels. I can't think of any other meaing for napkin.

MBQ

In article ,
says...
In message , Tony Williams
writes
In article ,
Doug Miller wrote:

I remember the first time we went to a restaurant after moving
from Illinois to Indiana. My brother, nine years old at the
time, wanted -- better describe this very specifically here --
an orange-flavored carbonated soft drink. In Illinois, that is
(or was 33 years ago, at any rate) called "orange soda". So
that's what he ordered.

Boy, was he surprised when his "orange soda" arrived in a huge
glass with two large dollops of vanilla ice cream floating in it.

I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.

Ah yes - "fanny" another word with a different meaning in the UK to
Ameristan

A female friend was asked by a desk clerk if she wanted to be
"knocked-up in the morning". Say wha...

--
Keith

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
. net...
In article , Tony Williams
wrote:
I was 19, sitting around the dinner table in Tucson,
with my aunt's neighbours... "to see the nephew from
England".

We were talking about taking a hike on the Sunday, and
one of them remarked how she had difficulty in waking
up on the weekend. So I leant over and casually said
"shall I come over an knock you up then?".

Sudden silence.

I guess you learned pretty quickly that that phrase has a *very* different
meaning here. grin

When sitting down to dinner, we habitually put "napkins" in our laps to
protect our clothing from spills, and to provide something to wipe our
hands
on. As I understand it, you use "serviettes" for that purpose, and
"napkins"
for something altogether different.

I believe the phrase "keep your pecker up", which in England is meant to
extol people to be cheerful in the face of adversity, has a very
embarrassing meaning in the States.

A few years ago we took a train trip across Canada and fell in with a group
of Americans. By the end of the trip I had them calling the railroad: the
railway, switches: points and ties: sleepers. Oh and the engineer was the
engine driver.
--
Keith Willcocks
(If you can't laugh at life, it ain't worth living!)

Keith Willcocks wrote:
A few years ago we took a train trip across Canada and fell in with a group
of Americans. By the end of the trip I had them calling the railroad: the
railway, switches: points and ties: sleepers. Oh and the engineer was the
engine driver.

And Americans drive on the parkway whereas we park on the driveway.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)
"Some days you are the pigeon. Some days you are the statue"

Bruce wrote:
Keith Willcocks wrote:
A few years ago we took a train trip across Canada and fell in with a
group of Americans. By the end of the trip I had them calling the
railroad: the railway, switches: points and ties: sleepers. Oh and
the engineer was the engine driver.

And Americans drive on the parkway whereas we park on the driveway.

I got a reprimand for saying that 'the law is an ass' on one US forum.

In article , "Keith Willcocks" wrote:

I believe the phrase "keep your pecker up", which in England is meant to
extol people to be cheerful in the face of adversity, has a very
embarrassing meaning in the States.

Keeping one's pecker up would be embarrassing if it's publicly visible, I
guess, but in private, it would likely be a source of pride to the pecker's
owner. g



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:53:33 +0000, Bruce
wrote:

Keith Willcocks wrote:
A few years ago we took a train trip across Canada and fell in with a group
of Americans. By the end of the trip I had them calling the railroad: the
railway, switches: points and ties: sleepers. Oh and the engineer was the
engine driver.

And Americans drive on the parkway whereas we park on the driveway.


Except on the Garden State Parkway, where you're actually
parked, just wishing you were driving.

Goedjn wrote:
On Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:53:33 +0000, Bruce
wrote:

Keith Willcocks wrote:
A few years ago we took a train trip across Canada and fell in with a group
of Americans. By the end of the trip I had them calling the railroad: the
railway, switches: points and ties: sleepers. Oh and the engineer was the
engine driver.
And Americans drive on the parkway whereas we park on the driveway.


Except on the Garden State Parkway, where you're actually
parked, just wishing you were driving.

Sounds very much like the M25 around London - often referred to as
largest car park in the UK
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)
"You've turned into your dad the day you put aside a thin piece of wood
specifically to stir paint with"

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

The last of these is regional: in some parts of the USA they are all
"coke," in others all "soda," and in yet others all "pop."

Unless you're in Boston (bah-stun), in which case the generic word is
tonic (tah-nik). Don't ask me why. At least that's how it was 30 years
ago when I lived there.

Jerry

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
Goedjn wrote:
On Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:53:33 +0000, Bruce
wrote:

Keith Willcocks wrote:
A few years ago we took a train trip across Canada and fell in with a
group of Americans. By the end of the trip I had them calling the
railroad: the railway, switches: points and ties: sleepers. Oh and
the engineer was the engine driver.
And Americans drive on the parkway whereas we park on the driveway.


Except on the Garden State Parkway, where you're actually parked, just
wishing you were driving.

Sounds very much like the M25 around London - often referred to as largest
car park in the UK


I live very close to the busiest bit of the M25 (Surrey/Heathrow section)
and we refer to it as a rotary car park.

Having said that, my wife and I drove from New Hampshire to JFK Airport in
New York in the summer and the last 10 miles made the M25 look like Brands
Hatch or Silverstone. It took 3 hours and we were told that that is
perfectly normal on a Sunday.
--
Keith Willcocks
(If you can't laugh at life, it ain't worth living!)

Keith Willcocks wrote:
I live very close to the busiest bit of the M25 (Surrey/Heathrow section)
and we refer to it as a rotary car park.

Having said that, my wife and I drove from New Hampshire to JFK Airport in
New York in the summer and the last 10 miles made the M25 look like Brands
Hatch or Silverstone. It took 3 hours and we were told that that is
perfectly normal on a Sunday.

Makes me quite glad to be up here where the only "hectic" time is when
the ferry is due to arrive. Sometimes there are as many as 7 or 8 cars
waiting in the queue.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
www.stronsay.co.uk/claremont
(Remove teeth to reply)
"You've turned into your dad the day you put aside a thin piece of wood
specifically to stir paint with"

wrote in message
oups.com...

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

The last of these is regional: in some parts of the USA they are all
"coke," in others all "soda," and in yet others all "pop."

Unless you're in Boston (bah-stun), in which case the generic word is
tonic (tah-nik). Don't ask me why. At least that's how it was 30 years
ago when I lived there.


And when I was in Boston this summer, every time I asked for Scotch and
Tonic they gave me Scotch and Soda (which I dislike intensely).
--
Keith Willcocks
(If you can't laugh at life, it ain't worth living!)

Keith Willcocks wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

The last of these is regional: in some parts of the USA they are all
"coke," in others all "soda," and in yet others all "pop."
Unless you're in Boston (bah-stun), in which case the generic word is
tonic (tah-nik). Don't ask me why. At least that's how it was 30 years
ago when I lived there.


And when I was in Boston this summer, every time I asked for Scotch and
Tonic they gave me Scotch and Soda (which I dislike intensely).

When I returnee from Johannesburg with a Girlfriend in tow..she went
into the pub and asked for a Gin and Tonic "And can you put a little
arse in that?"

Strange looks all round.