Originally Posted by between two worlds (Post 10612409)

!! Well that's the thing, as someone else has already said, "tea" (meaning dinner) is a northern thing, and even in the north may depend on circumstances. I mean you wouldn't say "I've booked for tea at 7 tonight at that wonderful Italian restaurant," or would you? And Lord and Lady So-and-so in their mansion up north would surely talk about tea at teatime, and dinner in the evening?

I have a sister living oop north and she has picked it up; the other day on skype she said "I don't know what to have for tea" and for a minute I was really bemused and nearly answered, "um, a cup of tea? and maybe a biscuit or two?" until i realised she meant supper (or dinner)!!

As for "afters" instead of "dessert," i rarely heard it growing up, nor did we say "pudding."


Ah, the regional variations in our wonderful language...I love it!

Originally Posted by lf1 (Post 10619634)

I console myself by thinking at least it is not ice hockey or American football which drag on for 3 hours.:)

Originally Posted by jasper123 (Post 10619792)

Each to there own I suppose ------- but for me American Football is soooooo drawn out and boring, it just never seems to end ----- like ----- four and half hours, thats why I like Soccer cause its just a nice comfortable 90 minutes plus maybe a little injury time!!!! just right for someone like me with a limited attention span,

Originally Posted by jasper123 (Post 10619750)

Well Im from the south, Ive never lived up north and none of my relatives have ever lived in the north, and in the south everyone I know have always called dinner ------ (TEA) ------- so its not a northern thing, and as for (AFTERS) everyone I know still calls it that, and not desert!!!!!
And as for (TIME) ------- like telling the time, ----Does anyone know why people over here say five and twenty past or five and twenty to :confused:
instead of say ---- 25 past 10 ----- or 25 to 10 like we do in USA? or maybe thats just a Southern thing in England, or maybe its just a very old english term and maybe only people in my Mothers generation still use it? anyone know?

Originally Posted by lf1 (Post 10619796)

I agree, it is like watching paint dry. That why I am a bit more tolerant when it is footy on the TV as it only last 90 mins or so.

Originally Posted by lf1 (Post 10619799)

Rodney,

I have never heard the time expressed as five and twenty past. I always say ten to five, quarter past five, 20 past five etc.:)

Originally Posted by jasper123 (Post 10619818)

Well talking about me Mum ----- she tells the time just like we do too, like 10 till five or 20 past five but what im specifically saying is when the time is 25 minutes to an hour or 25 minutes past an hour -------- she puts the (5) first followed by the (20) ---- so she says 5 and 20 to 9 ------or 5 and 20 past 9 ------ im just using the 9 being an example hour on the clock!!!!! does anyone know what im talking about?
she has always said it that way all MY life anyway.

Originally Posted by jasper123 (Post 10619818)

Well talking about me Mum ----- she tells the time just like we do too, like 10 till five or 20 past five but what im specifically saying is when the time is 25 minutes to an hour or 25 minutes past an hour -------- she puts the (5) first followed by the (20) ---- so she says 5 and 20 to 9 ------or 5 and 20 past 9 ------ im just using the 9 being an example hour on the clock!!!!! does anyone know what im talking about?
she has always said it that way all MY life anyway.

Originally Posted by sallysimmons (Post 10619834)

Yep, my gran used to say it that way too, and all her sisters did the same thing.

Maybe it's a generational thing.

Originally Posted by jasper123 (Post 10619750)

Well Im from the south, Ive never lived up north and none of my relatives have ever lived in the north, and in the south everyone I know have always called dinner ------ (TEA) ------- so its not a northern thing, and as for (AFTERS) everyone I know still calls it that, and not desert!!!!!
And as for (TIME) ------- like telling the time, ----Does anyone know why people over here say five and twenty past or five and twenty to :confused:
instead of say ---- 25 past 10 ----- or 25 to 10 like we do in USA? or maybe thats just a Southern thing in England, or maybe its just a very old english term and maybe only people in my Mothers generation still use it? anyone know?

Originally Posted by WhoFan63 (Post 10619940)

With regards to 'time', that's one of the things than would crack everyone up when i got here to the US. I say 10 past 5, or 25 to 6, always have, so when i got here and heard people saying 10 AFTER 5 or 25 TILL 6 I'd be gobsmacked..lol I think my way sounds better...LOL :D I don't know whether it's certain areas in the US, but I've NEVER heard an American say
"25 TO 10" for example, but of course I've not talked with EVERY American...lol

Originally Posted by dunroving (Post 10619948)

We're all oldies, used to analog watches and clocks - I think the younger generation say "10:25" or "10:45" because that is what they see on their (digital) watch display.

Some university students have difficulty interpreting an analog display or figuring out that 10:40 is twenty to eleven (because they have to subtract 40 from 60 to get the answer).

Originally Posted by perthhomeschool (Post 10617535)

Thank you Fish, I do. Hope everything has cleared up with you. Surprised when you said you had this problem in an overcast area. Is that common?

Originally Posted by lf1 (Post 10619634)

Yes. I was assured that there would be less football on the TV (we don't have Sky) than we got in Canada. If the trend continues, I will put my foot down and send him off to the wee TV in the kitchen or the pub. I just get my knitting needles out. That helps to pass the time and the "click clacking" of the needles helps to drown out the tedious drone of the talking head analysis. My trusty iPad is always close at hand, just in case there is breaking news on BE :lol:

I console myself by thinking at least it is not ice hockey or American football which drag on for 3 hours.:)