Posted by Robert Dilley on January 06, 2001 at 04:55:22 from 206.186.186.219:
In Reply to: COOT CLUB - observations part ONE posted by Ed Kiser on January 05, 2001 at 06:44:46:
Don't have time to comment on all Ed's points. A few did particularly strike me:
"Back kitchen". Our house -- formerly a farmhouse -- on the northern edge of the Lake District had a large kitchen which, typically for the area, was the focus of family life. Not least because it had two solid fuel stoves and was the warmest room in the house (bedrooms had NO heat). It had the cooking stove (one of the aforementioned) and a normal kitchen sink. We ate there (the room, not the sink); and entertained all but the poshest visitors there. Off this was a much smaller room with a big, deep sink, floored in stone and draining outside. This was the "Back Kitchen" where jobs like peeling potatoes, and doing the laundry, got done. You didn't entertain in the Back Kitchen (unless you succeeded in getting your visitors to peel potatoes!)
"Torch". Originally, of course, a stick with flammable material at the end. "Electric torch" to distinguish it from one of those: as noted, a distinction not needed for a long time. Years ago I was camping in Yellowstone with my brother and his wife. After weeks of speaking Brit English again, I went into a store and asked for a "torch battery". Much amusement.
Self service (lack of). I took my Portuguese-born, Canadian-raised wife to the UK for our honeymoon (and read her AR). In the old Carlisle market she began to pick out some apples, and was told in no uncertain terms by the stall holder to stop. He would pick them out for her. If he let her do it, she'd choose all the best ones! Tina kindly refrained from pointing out that that was rather the idea....
Ed -- I really enjoy your contributions. However, I'm sorry you seem to be picking on every little typo (unless it's a word you only think is a typo). Maybe some of these are only found in the US edition you have. Anyway, there's no fun in reading that "it" should have been "is" or whatever.
By the way, while on vocabulary.... I am currently on my third or fourth read-through of The Lord of the Rings to the family, and find I have to do some quick editing when it comes to phrases such as "he threw another faggot on the fire...." Changing usage can cause such problems.