I think it would be useful to have one permanently here. Pretty much every American sentence I read has at least one word or phrase which is kind of alien to me. We all know about sidewalks, fags and fannies, but there are loads of far more boring things like "checking" accounts and almost everything related to houses...

The latest is "blown ceiling" which in English means that moisture has go into the plaster and caused it to expand and become detached from the substrate - not a good thing! I think in American it might be the equivalent of Artex - an asbestos-containing nasty lumpy thing that was used in the 70s and 80s to cover unsightly, uneven ceilings and is a complete nightmare to remove. But I've seen it being advertised as a "feature" on a number of properties I've found for sale, so maybe I'm wrong.

So, any more enlightening words/phrases that may save us all some embarrassment would be most welcome (I rememeber being mystified at a friend's fitness video, claiming it could "eliminate fanny flab"!)

jerkoff = wanker

- and saying "blow me" as an exclamation doesn't go down well (especially when used in front of a classroom full of college students)
- I'm presuming most people on here know that phrase from British useage??? (as in "blow me down")?

- that's my intellectual contribution.

After some research, yes, it seems that a "blown ceiling" (aka a "popcorn ceiling") is hideous artex type textured cr@p. Very honest of the estate agents to mention it in their listings so evryone can cross those properties off their lists straight away!

It was pretty popular at one time...but now, not so much and it's a big PITA to scrape it all off!

They also call it 'cottage cheese'.

...if only it was as easy as cottage cheese to remove - I'd just put my dog on a wheeled platform and move her around until she's eaten it all off!

Not abestos and it is called a popcorn ceiling.

Why don't you wrote one for the wiki.

It's not guaranteed to have asbestos, but it's a very real possibility.
There are some good (messy) instructions online for removing it; as long as it hasn't been painted you can do the job fairly easily.
It's my curse.. have it in the rentals. But I wouldn't call it modernly common. If it's in the advertisinig for a property, maybe it's a disclosure thing.

If you don't like it, avoid it.

PS: I've never heard the term 'blown ceiling' but like most UK/US translations, the different phrase makes perfect sense if you stop to think about it. We just use different words.

In the USA a pitcher of Coors Light between 3 people is considered a piss-up.

In England you'd have one pitcher each - and then start the piss-up for real.

'piss-up' is different US - UK (never minding the fact that 'piss-up' itself is a phrase that most Americans don't use!).

Swearing. Consider the difference between Viz Comic's Profanisaurus and a so-called book of swearing which I saw over here, consisting of a few cut pages allowing one to permutate phrases containing 'jerk' and 'douche'.

Talking of piss-ups:

pissed = pissed up (UK)
pissed = pissed off (US)

When we were students, we'd often groan about Oh Gawd I was so PISSED last night! The American exchange students would look very concerned and ask "Why what did he say to you????" They soon caught on after we got them pissed (up, not off).

depended on the manufacturer and when it was applied; some made asbestos based texturing, others didn't... so some of it can have asbestos; no guarantee but it can be real possibility. If it were applied pre '78, lead based paint is also something to think about too.

Just paint over it with latex paint. Best way to seal in both asbestos and lead.

Phrases that weren't part of my English vocabulary include "hang a left" for "make a left turn" in directions given in hippie speak. And "a couple" only ever means "two", not "a few".

The latest stuff I've encountered is to do with our new (VERY SWANKY) kitchen.

Cabinet = cupboard (builders looked at me like I was a loon when I said cupboard)
Countertop = kitchen counter
Faucet = tap

And a bunch of other stuff I've forgotten now. I mean, is it really that hard to understand I'm talking about those giant wooden cabinets when I say cupboards?

And Rete: I'll do a Wiki! That sounds hilarious! If everyone sends me enough content then I'll happily write one up.

And no fanny jokes