Separated by a common language.

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Nigel Goodwin

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Simple question, just to see what it means to people from different areas.

My daughter is at Uni now, and living in Uni accomodation in a house with nine others.

She shouted out "I'm making a cob, anybody want one" - and only ONE of the nine understood her.

So what would people here think she meant? - no googling!.
 
I googled it and I still don't know. Either a building material or a board to spank people with. Both don't seem right here.
 
Either a building material or a board to spank people with. Both don't seem right here.
Click to expand...
LOL

This is what I found after I visited my favourite online dictionary
Northern English slang for a bread roll (shaped similar to a cobble stone)
I was starving, so I ate a sausage cob
Click to expand...
 
Around here it would be taken that your making corn on the cob!
And yes I would like some please!

Years ago one of my English professors in college said that there are around 1 million words recognized in the English language now (old and modern language).

Unfortunately the average persons total vocabulary and understandings for the meanings and definitions of the words they use is around 25000 or less! Its quite possible for several people to all speak English as their native language but yet have near no real understandings of what each other is implying when they speak.

I rather question the 25000 word usage part. I doubt my personal vocabulary goes that high!
 
How about this one, what does it mean to have a "Cob On" or to be "Sweating Cobs"?

The best example I remember was when a relative of mine went to Wimbledon to watch the Tennis, she had to get past an american couple to find her seat - she got some strange looks when she asked "Excuse me, duck"

Always makes me smile.
 
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At my local pub/hotel (now replaced by a block of flats) a number of Irish worked and lived there - this during the IRA troubles.

A local girl called 'big Jackie' (due to her exceptionally sized chest) would always come in and say 'hello duck', and the Irish lads used to dive under the tables - probably a good survival technique in Ireland back then

For UTMonkey (as he'll understand) - big Jackie originally came from Shirebrook!.

As we know round here, a 'cob' is a small bread roll - most of the other English in the house knew them as 'baps' - so UTMonkey, perhaps you would care to inform our 'alien' members, what 'baps' are round here?
 
If yer looks at my avertar y'all wood seez my smokin pipe. Its a corn cob pipe that us hills folks makes by hand to smokes the tobacca we grows rselvs. So to me a cob is a smokin pipe. If yer donts agree wit me you can take it up with my two friends Smith & Wesson. Now if yer donts mind I needs to get across the General Robert E. Lee Natural Bridge (thats a big oak tree that fell across a shallow part of Trickle Creek).
 
Over here in Oz a 'cob' is a corn cob eaten on the kernel.

Now here's a great Aussie tip for eating corn on the cob. Leave the leaves on the cob, soak in a bucket of water for about 3 hours, then chuck the cob on the BBQ for about 10 minutes. Unless you leave them on the BBQ for hours you won't over cook them. Then open all the leaves so they are lower than the cob twist and that is the handle for holding then. smother in butter whilst still hot and enjoy.
 
I tried to not read the other responses before responding. I would immediately think of corn, but I'm sure she meant something else.

Bryan1, that's exactly how I make mine. It's darn good that way!
 
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As we know round here, a 'cob' is a small bread roll - most of the other English in the house knew them as 'baps' - so UTMonkey, perhaps you would care to inform our 'alien' members, what 'baps' are round here?
Click to expand...

Nigel - I shall certainly try.

Baps are another term for breasts, which is actually quite useful as you can get away with quite a lot. For example, a work colleague went food shopping during her lunch break, when she came back to work with some bread rolls under her arm I couldnt resist saying "Nice Baps!". She really didn't know whether to accept the compliment or kick my teeth in!


The truth is HiTech there is nothing in what you have wrote that I didn't understand. Must be the popularisation of American culture over the decades.


As Nigel says, its very much a regional thing. I was born in the county of Cheshire and as such had a "Scouse" accent (thats a whole other topic!), but when my Family moved to Derbyshire I was amazed at the usage of language.

An example, my first week at School in Derbyshire - I was generally making a fool of myself, I gave my teacher a blank look when he said that if I didn't calm down he would "Clip me round the tabs".

Anyone care to try and decipher that one?

Mark
 
ADULT CONTENT: ALL CHILDREN LOOK AWAY

I've been drilling holes in my exterior brick to the house's rim joist so that I can connect my outside deck to my house. The hammer drill bit won't reach all the way through the brick. My English friend got a charge when I told her my bit was too short
 

Yep, that's right
 
Obtain a 16-18" carbide tipped bit like the ones CATV installers use. They are 3/8" to 1/2" diameter. You can even use all thread then to bolt the ledger board to the home's joist. If need be you can loosen the nuts on either side as needed over time should the deck settle without affecting the home. Use stainless nuts/washers. If you are pouring a cement base for the deck posts, fill first with a shallow level of gravel for water drainage away from the posts. Tarring the posts on all sides up to where they exit the ground is another good idea. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just providing some sound advice for your consideration.
 
Haha this is a pretty funny thread, first thing I thought of was corn on the cob. Hmm I'm trying to think of some stuff we say here in the great state of Texas that outsiders find weird. The only thing I can think of thats was a shock to me is that when I went up north a couple of years ago I couldn't find any restaurant that served sweet tea they all looked at me like I was crazy. We've got real mexican/tex-mex food down here too, thats another thing I noticed when I went to Alabama. My cousins took me to a "good" mexican food restaurant and it was not in no way mexican food, it was similar looking but didn't taste at all like mexican food. I'm still having trouble thinking of words that are weird to outsiders though, it's probably because I haven't really had that much interaction with other cultures.
 
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