Credit goes to Gene on this entry as he kept a journal as well during our travels and wrote down many of the phrases or words that were explained to us by our tour guide. Although the language spoken in the UK is English, they often use different terms for common objects or actions than what we in the US are used to. This can be amusing at times, but there could be unpleasant consequences to using the wrong terms.
Chips are French Fries (Fish and Chips)
Crisps or Crispers are Chips
Biscuits are Cookies
Lift is an Elevator
Way Out is Exit
Way In is Entrance
Loo is Toilet, and they are not free
Inver (Celtic) and Aber (Pict) means “At the mouth of the river” like Inverness or Aberdeen
Whisky is Scotch (and you seldom see it spelled Whiskey)
Rood is a Cross, so Holyrood Castle is “Holy Cross” Castle
Firth is a river’s Estuary (aka: Fjord) as in the Firth of Forth
Posh is expensive or fancy
Give Way is Yield (as to traffic)
Take Away is a Drive Through or Take Out as in a Fast Food Restaurant
Pram is a baby carriage or its occupant
Seanchi is an oral historian. In Celtic history they were especially important before written records were common.
Earth is Grounded, as seen on a sign at a gas station “all petrol transports must be Earthed”
Hire Car is a rental car
Lorry is a truck
Boot is a car trunk
Ben is mountain (Ben Nevis)
Glen is a valley (Glen Garry, Glen Coe)
Strath is a wide valley (Strath Tay)
Marmalade means a mixed-up mess
Lay About is a Rest Stop or Highway Pull Out
Car Park is a parking lot
Coos are cows
A Kirk is a church
“Gale-ik” is how the Irish say Gaelic
“Gall-ik” is how Scots say Gaelic
At cross walks you often see “Look Right ->” or “<- Look Left” painted on the road at your feet, as in “you dumb Americans keep forgetting that we drive on the left side of the road!”