Word Play

Though we’re speaking the same language here, we’ve had to do some adjusting to our vocabulary. Consider these clothing equivalents:

pants are trousers
underwear are pants
undershirts are vests
sweaters are jumpers or cardis
sneakers are trainers
galoshes are wellies
vests are waistcoats

You can see how one could end up a bit confused when trying to ask about clothing at a shop. (And perhaps even a bit embarrassed as well….) People here sometimes know what we are talking about if we use the US word, but, mostly they don’t or have to think about it for a while.

~ by bibliophilist on Monday, 26 January 2004.