MEPX
Chapter 8 of 10All chapters
  1. 1What an idiom is
  2. 2Where they come from
  3. 3Idioms at work
  4. 4Learning them
  5. 5Across languages
  6. 6Phrasal verbs
  7. 7Proverbs and sayings
  8. 8Regional variation
  9. 9Common mangles
  10. 10Using idioms well

Chapter 8 of 10

Regional variation

Same language, different phrases.

Differences

British and American English share most idioms and differ in plenty: knock up, table a motion and quite good mean different things on each side.

  • Table a motion means to propose it in Britain and to postpone it in America.
  • Quite good is faint praise in Britain and solid praise in America.

Sport metaphors

American English draws heavily on baseball and American football; British on cricket and football. Both baffle listeners without that background.