Stirchley

Do you ever forget the English word for something? Recently I was reading a book and someone mentioned a "spanner". That sounded familiar, I thought, and turns out it is a wrench. I was once writing a letter to a brother and wanted to describe where a baby sleeps. Couldn't for the life of me remember the English word. Turns out it is cot, which has a somewhat different meaning here. Was in an English cafe once and wanted a napkin. Knew that wasn't the right word, but couldn't think of serviette. So just pointed at the pile and said I wanted one of those!

Jerseygirl

I can answer your question in one word....No.

Stirchley

Gotta challenge you on this. What is the word for a store that sells sewing notions and stuff like that?

Jerseygirl

Haberdashery shop. See it's shop not store.

Stirchley

You're right. I have been here a long, long time.

robin1234

So you were born in 1890 or thereabouts ??

Octang Frye

I'm free!

I loved Mrs Slocomb's pussy.

robin1234

I decided to fire up the Oxford English Dictionary to look up "notions." They have eleven basic meanings of the word "notion," the American "Small wares, esp. cheap, useful articles. Now chiefly: spec. haberdashery; buttons, hooks, ribbon, thread, etc." being meaning number eleven. Apparently it's been in common use in the US since the 18th century, funny that it doesn't have that meaning at all in Britain.

Now "pussy" is a funny one. I must admit I persist in using pussy as a term of endearment for a nice cat.. I can't quite bring myself to say "kitty cat."

chartreuse

I just say "kitten". All cats are kittens.

robin1234

I've come across what looks to me like a mistake in the Oxford English Dictionary!!!

So I look up "pussy." They have a number of definitions, the main ones being;
A cat. Freq. used as a proper or pet name.
The female genitals; the vulva or vagina

For both of these, the OED gives the same first instance of use, namely;
1699 T. D'URFEY New Songs & Ballads 7. As Fleet as my Feet Could convey me I sped; To Iohnny who many Times Pussey had fed.

Without the context, it's hard to tell which meaning of pussy this illustrates...??

Englishman in Eugene

I also had no notion what it meant in this context.

meauxna

And yet, the more common use of 'Haberdasher' in the US is a men's clothing/accessory store.
John Helmer Haberdasher

There's just no making sense of it all.

Jerseygirl

I wouldn't have used the word 'notion' in the same context you did but I knew what you meant.





BTW another Robin from Upstate NY introduced himself today...you've been cloned.

chrisbeale

Napkin is British English too. I remember some programme on TV discussing class and how the 'French version' of a word is usually the less preferred. So it's napkin not serviette, loo not toilet, living room not lounge, jam not preserve, sofa not settee, lunch not dinner. (for midday food, the Frenchy dinner is correct for the evening meal, tea for this use annoys me far more than it should)

This is not a reflection or suggestion of you, it just reminded me of Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen, looking everything like someone from Louis XVI's court (long curly hair, very frilly shirt) saying that French things are bad.

Stirchley

You're right, I didn't even realize that "notions" is an American word. Which goes back to the point of my thread -- I don't know what the Brit word for "notions" would be as "notions" is a perfect word!