Oscar Wilde said, The Americans are identical to the British in all respects except of course language. Going to other countries can make for amusing language confusion.

If you go to the UK and tell a Brit that youve been watching the boob tube (U.S. television) it would raise a completely wrong image. In the UK, boob tube is a slang term for a tank top or knitted sleeve top. Oops!

Telling a Brit that your daughter just got braces on her teeth, may classify you as a wazzack. Braces mean suspenders in the UK and are used for keeping your pants up. Theyll wonder why your daughter has suspenders on her teeth. In case you are wondering what wazzack means, Ill tell you. If you arent wondering, Ill tell you anyway. When the Brits call somebody a wazzack, its a friendly way of telling them they are idiots. For example, Listen you wazzack, dont you know the difference between braces and suspenders. Keeping that in mind, Ive decided its more fun to be a wazzack. Ive had some embarrassing moments, but more importantly, I met some really cool people, who found my fractured British laughableas we remain friendsdespite the language confusion.

Copyright 2005 by Pamela Beers. All rights reserved.

Pamela Beers

Pamela Beers is a freelance writer, and educator.