Dating an American girl, there’s never a day that passes without me learning something about her culture and variation on the English language. More often than not I’ll slip a phrase into conversation that seems completely run of the mill and I’m instantly stopped with the question, ‘Run of the what?’ Today one word that the English rarely use came up and it was only while I was sitting in one that I realized exactly the true meaning of the word.
Here is Kate’s AutoMobile [phone]. I’m making the assumption that she would refer to it as an AutoCell but I feared to ask, and involve her in another conversation while driving at 45mph on a back street covered in snow. When the call ended and another one appeared to begin I put my foot down (left hand drive, me in the front… forget it) and suggested she continued her conversation about a broken wing mirror at home. See picture below, I’m assured it was from falling ice and not a phone related prang.
To be fair, her driving excels way beyond that of an English road user but I guess when you know there’s a good possibility of that 2.5 ton SUV being piloted by a man trying to text message his wife, you’d all drive with a certain due care and attention.
Here is Kate’s AutoMobile [phone]. I’m making the assumption that she would refer to it as an AutoCell but I feared to ask, and involve her in another conversation while driving at 45mph on a back street covered in snow. When the call ended and another one appeared to begin I put my foot down (left hand drive, me in the front… forget it) and suggested she continued her conversation about a broken wing mirror at home. See picture below, I’m assured it was from falling ice and not a phone related prang.
To be fair, her driving excels way beyond that of an English road user but I guess when you know there’s a good possibility of that 2.5 ton SUV being piloted by a man trying to text message his wife, you’d all drive with a certain due care and attention. 
2 comments:
This is the first time I have read your blog and I would like to say I am a little disappointed with the false information you have posted.
First of all, Americans use the phrase: "Run of the mill" and I perfectly understood what you meant. (Whereas "Taking the piss" will forever baffle me)
Second, I don't always talk on my *mobile* while driving and did not cause my mirror to break off so please do not insinuate such falsehoods.
Although I must thank you because your impressive duct tape work has kept the mirror from breaking any more! It looks pretty ghetto-fab right now (wait, was that too American for you?) It looks smashing. (English enough?)
I think this cross-culture thing is a work in progress.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, I say!
Besides, at least it prompted my first comment on my blog :)
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