Electrical outlets in the US and the UK look very different. Those in the UK are much bigger. They seem HUGE to me. They always have 3 prongs and the prongs are much larger. Actually there is another kind of plug in the UK that has two prongs and is always marked “Shaver Only” and…
It’s The Little Things
There are a number of little things that are different in the UK. Here’s a few. Switches are Upside Down Of course the Brits would say ours are upside down. 🙂 A light switch in the down position is On not off. Every power outlet has a switch on it. I won’t even mention the…
Cardiff a Whogasim
We spent a week in Cardiff and I have to say I really like the city. It was very different from Edinburgh which I liked as well. Cardiff is a very modern city. Much more like American cities. Yes, it still had a castle in the middle of it and the house we stayed is…
Staff Required vs Help Wanted
If you’re looking for a job in the UK the signs you are looking for in shop windows say “Staff Required” or a more specific “Sales Staff Required”. In the US we ask for help. The sign says “Help Wanted”. I wonder if this has to do with some negative connotations to the word “Help”?…
A Proper Kilt
One of the things I really wanted to do while in Edinburgh was get a proper kilt. One made by master kilt makers from a high quality tartan and sized for me. Today I picked it up and it is a beauty. Tartan What I really wanted was a Bluebonnet Tartan which is the official…
Till Vs Register
In the states the machine used to pay for things you buy is called a cash register, or the register for short. In the UK it’s called the till. I also confused a shop person at the Apple Store in Glasgow when I said I needed to “check out”. They don’t seem to use that…
5 Things Brits Take For Granted Americans Don’t Have
Electric Kettles It took me a little while to notice this one because I actually do have an electric kettle. I twigged to it one day while watching a cooking (or cookery as they say here) show and the chef grabbed his electric kettle and added boiling hot water to something. That wouldn’t happen in…
Wee Scottishisms
Scots speak differently than the English and have a whole slurry of words that are different. Here a few that I’ve picked up recently. Wee = little Before I got here I really thought the Scots wouldn’t possibly use wee for little much. I was wrong. They pretty much always say wee vs little. Matter…