And speaking of Conveniences -- Isn't there a Churchillian gem, along the lines of:

"The honourable gentleman opposite has given us every known cliche, with the sole exception of "Gentlemen will please adjust their dress before leaving the convenience"

I realise this thread was close to dying from natural causes but can't resist contributing the following on 19th-century prudery from Bill Bryson's "Made in America" (Black Swan, London, 1994, p364):

"Visitors from abroad found the neurotic lengths to which euphemism were carried deeply mystifying. It was not enough in America merely to avoid mentioning an object. A word had to be found that would not even hint at its function. Unable to bring themselves to say 'chamber-pot' or even 'commode', Americans began to refer to the vessel as a 'looking-glass', with obvious scope for confusion, not to say confusion, for anyone who sought the former and was given the latter."

Also,

"Frances Trollope noted the case of a German who...found himself brusquely hustled from the house, for innocently mentioning the word 'corset' in mixed company."

Daisy54 - well done re the correct way to pronounce those streets. Some other good ones are the Ochil hills (O-kill), Milngavie (Mill-guy), Auchterarder, Torphichen (Tor-phiken).

ps in Scotland we dont care if you say toilet, bog, bathroom, washroom, ladies - we will always point you in the right direction!

Marie

Asking for bandages for my badly blistered feet, instead of "plasters".They kindly pointed me to the plaster aisle.

Yes, the Victorian Americans were far more Victorian than the British.
Some of the euphemisms are still in place, e.g. rooster instead of cock, ginger snaps instead of ginger nuts. At one point they used to say "in back of" instead of "behind".
Dickens got into trouble in the US for using the expression "naked eye" in mixed company. On the whole, the British call a spade a spade and Americans call it a horticultural implement.
I can remember causing great embarrassment when talking to a woman who bred dogs. "Do you have a dog as well as your two bitches?", said I.

I still think Welsh place names are the best. You can't beat names like Llanddewi Brefi, Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Rhuddlan etc.

Llandewi Brefi, eh?

Now you've started something...

As a final note on the toilet/bathroom thing as I seemed to have introduced the insavoury discussion. This anomoly was brought home to me on the very first day, in the very first restaurant on my very first trip to the U.S.many years ago. I asked the waiter 'to kindly show me the toilet'. He brought me an ashtray. It was a lesson I never forgot.

Speaking of pronunciation: Is Marylebone generally pronounced "Marley-bone" ? I think I recall that from somewhere, but would like a Londoner to confirm it.

Don't forget the pronunciation of our favorite, Worcestershire!

Or Gloucester, Leicester, Norwich or Warwick. :)

nonnafelice, there was a whole big thread on this once.

Pronunciation varies depending on who you're talking to. It can be either:

Marlebone (or rather "Marl'bone), or
Marilebun, said very quickly so all the syllable run into eah other.

As long as you pronounce the Mary bit "marry" (as in wed) and not "mary" (as in a girl's name) no one will laugh at you!

Kate
London

<i>&quot;As long as you pronounce the Mary bit &quot;marry&quot; (as in wed) and not &quot;mary&quot; (as in a girl's name) no one will laugh at you!&quot;</i>

hmmm... here in the US, marry and Mary (and merry, as well) are pronounced the same.

Kayb95 -

I sonl;t know where you;re from - but here Mary, marry and merrry are three different words - and all have distinctly different pronunciations. but I know some regional accents seem to lose these differences.

Oh dear, this is more complicated than I thought.

We'd pronounce Marry like Barry or Larry or carry

Merry is like berry or Terry

whereas Mary is like dairy

Does that help?

Here in the mid-west (Michigan, but grew up in northern Ohio) they are also three different words - but sound the same when spoken. ;)

It sounds likle the sort of thing Professor Higgins would make Eliza Doolittle recite to improve her pronounciation:

&quot;I'll feel merry when I marry Mary&quot; LOL

<i>We'd pronounce Marry like Barry or Larry or carry; Merry is like berry or Terry; whereas Mary is like dairy. Does that help?&quot;</i>

ummm... not really. All those words rhyme here. I'm trying to imagine an English accent saying those words and &quot;dairy&quot; is probably the closest to how we say them all. :)

OK, I admit defeat. You'll just have to replan your journeys to avoid Marylebone Station ;)

Kayb95, where are you from? My maternal grandfather (a Connecticut Yankee) and my father (a radio announcer in Syracuse and Troy) both pronounced merry, marry, and Mary differently.