Frances

I thought I understood how to moderate my language so I could make myself understood in the States. I get on the plane and ask for a Sprite not a lemonade, leave the chips at home and so on. But I've just returned from a weekend in New England. My husband who is watching his diet was really impressed to find signs along the Interstate reading"low salt" and later "restricted salt". Do you think we could find these restaurants- even though some of them were spread over five miles or so?
Have we misunderstood?

mclaurie

LOL. I have NO idea what that means (I'm from NY). Maybe someone else will tell us.

gc

It means you're in a watershed area, and if the roads get icy, you're on your own.

michelleNYC

HAHAHAHA!!!!! Wow that was weird.

aquaman

Ha ha ha...

It's common in New England to use an ice melt (mostly a mixture of salt and sand) on the roads in winter. "Low salt" is a warning to drivers that the road ahead may be treacherously icy due to the lack of salting done (typically around streams to protect the environment).

Very good!

Scarlett

Do they have signs for those cranky old sailors ? ...."Old Salts"

al

Good they didn't pass a sign that said "Draw Bridge".

wow

This is the strangest post I have ever read. Can't decide if it's funny or what! You're joking, right? Tell me you're not serious about this! You must get really upset when you see "Cow Crossing" signs & can't find the damn steak house!

gc

The ones that bother me most are:

"Caution, Falling Rocks.", and
"Caution, Low Flying Aircraft."

Frances

I'm really impressed with the speed and help you've provided.Whilst we've wondered if it had anything to do with the road conditions(which we "grit "for in the U.K.-O.K. you can laugh!) it just made us wonder why if supplies were low they weren't just topped up.It didn't occur to me that there was an ecological explanation.
Would anyone help me on this also as we are talking misunderstandings?
We know that we should not ask for the toilet but bathroom or restroom-despite the fact that toilet is the word used in Britain. What do you call the item you actually sit on? as in the ........ is blocked?
One more-what is the history behind the T station called Alewife in Boston?
Many thanks.

mclaurie

The thing you sit on in the bathroom IS called the toilet (in plumbing parlance, ie when you're shopping for a new one, it's often called a commode) which is why we don't call the room that.

bookhall

When I went to England in 1961, the first thing I learned was that a swinging chain means a warm seat. The second thing was to keep a roll of (American) toilet paper in the car when going off-base...

ronkala

Scarlett, I'm not cranky.

SteveJudd

When I first visited New England, it took me a while to understand what a FRAP was. Of course, many Yanks don't know what grits, hushpuppies or chicken fried steak are.

KenCT

Frances, you'd best not ask anyone in the US to borrow a rubber, especially if you promise to return it when you're finished.

Scarlett

ronkala, LOL, I am sure you are not cranky and that you are indeed the exception
I meant those 'other' sailors ~

Surfergirl

Frances,
Also, we don't use the word "blocked" in the same way we don't use the word "mind" as in "mind the gap". The toilet is either clogged up or plugged up, and you "watch the step".

One other thing, we don't have garbage cans (dust bins to you) in parks for the sole purpose of disposing of dog waste!

JackOneill

Dear Readers-

If you like "non sequiturs," you've come to the right post!

Enjoy.

Frances

I had already come across the "rubber" chestnut.My friend moved to the States and needed a rubber for her childrens' colouring(or coloring-right?)So she asked for one in a newspaper shop and the rest is history...........
(I think you call it an eraser)

dwooddon

Frances - an entertaining thread. You have demonstrated yet again why Churchill said the English and Americans are two peoples separated by a common language.