Differences between American & British English

Harven Richter   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 00:22 GMT
I know that in Britain, "holiday" can also mean "vacation"- i.e. school/work break. But recently, I saw the word "holidays" used as a singular noun meaning "vacation" in some books I read. Examples: "During the Summer Holidays", "the last holidays".

Can some of you Britons tell me...
1. When do you use "holiday" or "holidays"?
2. When referring to schools' 1-3 weeks break around Christmastime, do you say "the Christmas Holiday" or "the Christmas Holidays"?
3. Do you consider "holidays" (as in "the Summer Holidays") to be a singular or plural noun?
Thank you in advance, Britons.
Chantal   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 00:23 GMT
I love eggplant. 'Bread and Circus' in Boston has good take away eggplant dishes. 'cheese cake factory' has also a kind of grilled eggplant sandwich which is not bad at all. I wonder if there are 'Bread and Circus' and 'Cheese cake factory' all over the US or they are just located on the East Coast.
Dorian   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 00:25 GMT
Guofei Ma
I like eggplant too. But I've never seen a eggplant dish in Chinese restaurants in Paris.
Ryan   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 00:54 GMT
Cheesecake Factory is a chain. They have them on the west coast. They even have one in Kansas City.

Ryan
Harry   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 05:01 GMT
What does aubergine/eggplant taste like?
Sara   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 06:36 GMT
There are Cheescake Factories on the East Coast, too. They're popping up all over the place... kinda like Starbucks and herpes =P (jk)
HiyaKiani   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 07:50 GMT
MM
I heard of the Cheesecake Factory. Never been there.

Lemme go back to my "ordeur" thing. (Sorry I have to)

I live in the US too and they say "Ordeurs" here I here it alot at parties. Or snacks mostly. That's what they called it at the dinner it was playing at. They just said, "or-Derrs" They didn't serve them to you, so they weren't appetizers or "for starters" (I hear that alot too but I still say appetizers)

Ordeurs (I spell it that way because I'm too used to it now. And it looks neat.) are the little fancy snacks set on the table for people to eat and not neccessarily to fill up on and they aren't hot and made like appetizers. They also have people, like at parties, who will walk around with trays in their hand with things on it like caviar. Yuck. Ordeurs would be like grapes or cheese with crackers. Small simple things. (Caviar is a popular ordeur that nobody will eat here.) You eat ordeurs anytime you please during the event/party.

Appetizers aren't grapes (unless the servers are cheap) they are things like popcorn shrimp and tarter sauce! Nothing else (My favorite). (J/K) but they are dishes served to you. And you only eat them before dinner or lunch. (or save them for later)

Next:
Eggplant Sandwiches? Yuck.
HiyaKiani   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 07:53 GMT
I love Starbucks. I'm gonna work there soon. I looooove the aroma. mmmmmm. Plus there's this cute guy at the starbucks I applied to. He referred to his manager, Mike. yay! Staaarbuuucks.....

(my wierdest entry yet)
Lana   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 13:59 GMT
HiyaKiani,

I think you are making a distinction between appetizers and hors d'oeuvres that does not exist. It doesn't matter whether they are hot or not. Someone correct me if I am wrong. It might be a regional definition.

Also, I guess you can spell it any way you wish, but if you want to communicate so other people can understand you, you should spell the word correctly. In this case, it happens to be a french word, so I can't blame anyone for not knowing the spelling :) I only know it because it is used in English so much. I don't know French.
Ashley   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 16:15 GMT
I know british english and american english is different, but still, if you talk to someone from briton or the usa, you'd still be able to understand them, it's like me, i'm from america, and i understand uk spelling, either way it's the same language, just some different spellings and slang words, that's all
Adam   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 17:27 GMT
Yes Ashley, try to understand a Glasgow person and then tell us. (Probably you've heard RP, but never Scottish)
Clark   Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 18:44 GMT
Most British accents are quite easy for me. But then again, I have had a lttle practic growing up.

But like most of us are in agreement with, English is English no matter where you go. However, in places like the Shetlands or Orkney, the local dialect can be quite different. Even on the mainland people can speak quite fast in Scots which is English, but not really.
HiyaKiani (to lana)   Wednesday, July 16, 2003, 06:46 GMT
You people should see how shy I am in person.
~
Remember that I spell it
ordeurs (it's my personal slang. So don't complain.)
I spell it that way with a "u" to distinguish it from the word 'order'.(or else I would have spelled "ordur")
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I, at first, didn't know the word was French. I only know it because it is said in English to me so much. I never seen the word before untill yesterday. I never bothered to ask for the spelling either because it wasn't too important for me to know it. (I have my reasons for everything, just ask for them.)
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I really have to make myself clear now. You have to note that I'm not good with explanations. No talent there.
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I didn't really mean that hot food and cold food distinguished 'starters' and 'hors d'oeuvres' (ordeurs). I guess I wrote that because I was thinking to myself about how the 'ordeurs' were cold when I ate them because they were cold by the time I got to them. Plus, I was being silly. (My bad.) I should have corrected myself there.
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I thought I mentioned earlier in an entry that I spelled it this way because I've gotten used to it that way. Yeah. I did. I believe in doing what I'm comfortable with. I spelled it that way twice when I needed to use that word on a need-to-get list years ago. It stuck. And I'm spelling it this way untill I KNOW that my "ordeurs" and the "hors d'oeuvres" are the same thing. They don't look the same in spelling...
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Visualize, you are at a dinner party. People are seated at fancy tables and some are entering. Ok now you look to your right and you see snacks on a table. Those aren't appetizers. They are ordeurs. Later some guy comes up to a microphone and says, "Thank you all for coming! Blah blah blah, and feel free to try some of the 'ORDEURS' on the table in the back of the room." (It was sort of informal to them to call it "snacks" so join in.) Or you are at a something similar to a cocktail party at some venue. You see some people walking around with wine trays and beverages held up for people to take. (I was at one when I was 12 with my cousin.) And they have little fancy snacks on some of those trays. One says to you, "Would you like an 'ordeur'?" (Based on true stories.)
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I more commonly say 'snacks' though. I don't parade around saying 'ordeur' when I get the chance. I'm just saying that's what they called it. And that is how I understand it to be. At rich people's parties, they're 'ordeurs' when I'm there because they call it that. (No, I'm not rich.) My bud Imona will even tell you this, she's been there with me most of the time. (She's rich.)
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Now visualize, you are in a resaurant with some people or you are at somebody's dinner as a guest. The waiter/host serves you a plate or two and they say, "Here are the appitizers"/"Here's for starters." (based on a true story) I never heard the word 'ordeurs' in a restaurant.
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It may not be the same way everywhere so you may very well think this is all uncommon, but I see it as a normal thing. I want to make myself more clearer and more understanding so you can see what I mean but I'm a stupid, stubborn 16 year old with other priorities. Like T.V.
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I'll get my bud Imona to explian more later only if you people are still not understanding me.
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(I should join the debate club for all of this.)
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Bye.
Kiani
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Note: Take no offense. I hope I didn't sound mean. Thanx :P
Lana   Wednesday, July 16, 2003, 14:09 GMT
HiyaKiani,

<<And I'm spelling it this way untill I KNOW that my "ordeurs" and the "hors d'oeuvres" are the same thing. They don't look the same in spelling... >>

Yes, based on your descriptions, they are indeed the same thing. You spelled it the way it sounds. I understand what you are saying.

Lots of times people use a french word for a simple thing because it makes it sound more elegant or more important. But it is just the same thing :) You can just as easily say snacks, appetizers, or starters.
Simon   Wednesday, July 16, 2003, 14:14 GMT
Surely snacks are different. You have a starter/appetizer before a main dish. You have a snack when you feel hungry outside of regular meal times.