British/American asymmetries

[Lynne Murphy]

Allen Maberry asked:

> What would the British call what we call biscuits, as in buttermilk
> biscuits, etc.? I doubt there is an American analogue to the "digestive
> biscuit", at least I hope not.

I've never seen a buttermilk-type biscuit here.  My American-British
dictionary says of US biscuit "similar to a scone."

I think the US analogue to 'digestive biscuit' is graham cracker.  They
taste a lot alike to me, although the GC is sweeter.

> > torch            flashlight / torch
>
> I must admit that I have never heard a flashlight called a "torch" in this
> part (PNW) of the US.

Sorry, I'm saying that a 'torch' in UK is either a flashlight or a flaming
thing, but in US we use different words for the two.  Indeed, flashlights
are not called 'torches' in the US.

Lynne


Dr M Lynne Murphy
Lecturer in Linguistics
School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK