Petrol / Gas

[Panic Button]

As those poor confused americans call petrol 'gas', what do they call gas?

[ChuckFickens]

Gas

Must be confusing got them, wonder if any ever take their oven to the filling station by mistake!

[Ethel]

Nor more often than we put motor oil in the frying pan.

[ChuckFickens]

oh I see...

And I wondered why my bacon always tastes funny!

[taichiperson]

Mmmm, bread fried in GTX

[Panic Button]

I was in the States once, doing a bit of flying training in Fort Worth.

I went into a shop and innocently asked for a pencil with a rubber on the end, needed for the navigational calculator.

The girl assistant looked at me as if I was a pervert.

[Panic Button]

I think it is the same look that the Aussies get over here, when they ask for a roll of Durex.

[ChuckFickens]

probably a similar look as the one I got when I asked an American if they would "like a fag" in a bar one night over there!

[Panic Button]

Just so long as you didn't ask if you could bum a fag.

[ChuckFickens]

No, but once I explained that I wasn't offering him a gay person I did also explain to them that "bum a fag" would be a acceptable way to ask for a ciggie in England and they found that most amusing!

[Panic Button]

When I was in Texas I thumbed a lift from someone who sounded American, but was apparently Mexican.

When I said I was from England he asked if they speak English there!

[nightmare]

Panic Button,
I hate to upset you, but in this case, the Americans are correct. Our word "petrol" started out as a particular brand name for gasoline. It acquired its usually accepted meaning in the same way as "hoover" and "thermos".

Similarly, the American spellings color, flavor, etc. are the original forms taken from Latin. Our "our" endings are a French affectation.

[sprayer]

I see what you mean ! they call petrol GAS, they call gas GAS, they call having a chat a GAS, If something is good its a GAS, If you want to burp its GAS, If you want to fart its caused by GAS..............................Remind me never to go back to America

[Clanad]

Ah ha!... linguistic chauvinism run amok! Here in the U.S., gas (for ones auto) is actually an abreviation for gasoline, while gas for the kitchen range (nee hob... how did that originate?) is short for natural gas or perhaps LNG (liquid natural gas or propane for rural residents). Gas of intestinal origins is simply common usage for the more technical flatulence... Seems reasonable to me. The red rubber end to a pencil is an eraser... again, very descriptive as to function, no?
Now, aerodrome is truly strange as is aeroplane... but what the hey! Live and let speak, I say! (Our friend panic must have come away from Ft. Worth with some Texican... the pervasive ya'll comes to mind).

[Zax47]

In most of the States there is no centrally piped gas to homes, in which case they use bottled Propane/Butane and call it Propane or Butane!! At least that's what my friends in Atlanta do.

[ChuckFickens]

LOL @ clanad!

I know I have come back from my trips to Georgia using Ya'll in conversation :)

it also makes me laugh that they will use ya'll as singular and "all ya'll" as plural

[mibn2cweus]

Clanad, I was informed the technical termonology for . . . well guess . . . was "rectumus vibratis". Butt suprisingly attempts to confirm this with a google search proved fruitless.

Fuel for thought.

[Clanad]

Perhaps, mibn, the Latin word from which your rektum is derived, being rectus would be more responsive to query. Actually, I'd rather thnik the surrounding cheeky parts produce any vibratto, no? But, again (pun only slightly intended) perhaps the effect is different for Brits than Americans who are usually portrayed as the world's biggest... I probably know some of my countrymen who fit the description...

[Panic Button]

Thanks Y'all.

Nightmare, do you have any links to prove your claim that petroleum was a brand name for gasoline?

All I can find of its origin is in Wikipedia, which says 'from the Greek πετρέλαιον, lit. "rock oil"

[bubbles4920]

can you please explain why its ya'll and not y'all?? how do you break down the phrase?

[Panic Button]

I read it as You all. The apostrophe would go after the Y to signify removal of the ou. Y'all.