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They say math as opposed to maths too - I'm not sure why, because the word mathematics clearly has an s at the end of it?

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I say "mathematics." Shortening the word in either form is the privilege of young children whose tongues would be otherwise troubled by the count of syllables.

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My wife the linguist claims this is because Americans are people who speak English but really want to be speaking German.

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That makes perfect sense, actually.

(insert catch phrase)

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syllables

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syllabi

(just kidding, but I imagine that would be the plural of syllabus)

Can you translate "tut tut nannoo" for me?

Vote for me: TW's Top Fag!

I think you got it somewhat topsy-turvy there Strawie, old chap.

Americans would never call a fanny-pack a "bum bag," since "bum" in US idiom means a homeless person or a panhandler. "Bum" as meaning a person's rear end is exclusively non-American usage. The word of choice here is "butt," "bottom" or "ass." "Bag" also means something that you carry, with handles.

In fact, Americans call it a "fanny-pack" because a "fanny" is also (less-popular) slang for the human bottom, whereas in EngIand I hear it means something else (ie, Strawie's favorite word).

Also, we say "tights" as well as "pantyhose." I hear in the Uk "tights" are opaque and "pantyhose" are transparent--here they both mean either.

And I've never heard an American call a postman a "letter carrier." We call them "mailmen."

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Can you translate "tut tut nannoo" for me?

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Sorry, never heard of it.

Just a little bit of it can bring you up or down.Like the supper it is cooking in your hometown.it is chicken, it is eggs, it is in between your legs.it is walking on the moon, leaving your cocoon.

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Can you translate "tut tut nannoo" for me?

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Is it a word you made up? You used it here, a year ago:

tut tut nannoo


Obscurity is the Artist's Refuge

Grönemeyer, Herbert German musician. There are not many Germans capable to create good music as well as lyrics. Simply because german is a bad language for speaking or singing. However - this guy manages to mutter and mumur in a way, which makes it almost impossible to understand him but at the same time lets the lyrics fit into the music like it was english. Also his choice of words is brilliant (one can notice when reading them in the the CD booklet). Also for german conditions he changed his style a lot from the typical Neue Deutsche Welle sound in the early 80ies to electronic in the late 90ies. When singing in German a songwriter always has to deal with the danger of producing Schlager. Schlager is pretty much what a typical eurovision song contest entry sounds like. And using german language it is easy to make it sound even worse. However Grönemeyer avoided this danger most of the time be just having to much taste and probably by spending most of his time in London these days.


Liest das denn keiner außer mir?

Doing a great job - this expression is used to commend the quality of someone's work but isn't it actually saying that someone has a really good job? Shouldn't the right saying be that someone is "doing a job well"?

And I want to believe that a light's shining through somehow

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Shouldn't the right saying be that someone is "doing a job well"?

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Hell, the English language is often pretty crazy. I'm afraid it can mean either thing and the only way to work out which is the context in which it is said.

Just a little bit of it can bring you up or down.Like the supper it is cooking in your hometown.it is chicken, it is eggs, it is in between your legs.it is walking on the moon, leaving your cocoon.