On Wed, 20 Nov 2002 Robert Delfs <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>As a Yank who spent many years as a writer on a publication dominated
>(and edited) by Brits, Aussies and NZers, I came up against the
>language barriers time and time again.

Instead of Brits I would have said Poms & NZers are featherless Kiwis :-)

>But it doesn't take long to figure out bonnets and boots, bangers
>and mash, or even fannies (though spotted dick did have me confused
>for awhile.)

Ah, yes .. I do recall the uproar a few years back when a certain hospital
in the UK decided to change the name to Spotted Richard as their patients
were too embarrassed to ask for it by its former name.

My friend Woofie has a very unusual cactus called Old Man's Dick. She just
loves taking unsuspecting visitors past it during a tour of her greenery ..
but it is when it flowers that you really take notice of it - it stinks to
high heaven... like something has died.

>Nor does it take long to learn to spell the word "color"
as "colour", "harbor" as "harbour," "defence" as "defense", etc.

Bit like how we spell the word Grouper/Groper in OZ. Maybe the US influence
of dropping the U out of everything has happened here in the west as all
our local fish reference books have Groper.

Here it is spelt without the U.
http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/elanceolatwu.htm

Here is it spelt with the U.
http://ibs.uel.ac.uk/fish-bin/fishgen.pl?speccode=6468

Here is a story about BORIS the grouper that greets you at the end of every
dive off the SS Coolidge wreck in Vanuatu.
http://www.allan-power-santo.com/borisstory.htm

The first time I saw Boris my eyes nearly popped out of my skull. I knew he
was big but I did not realise HOW big. He could have easily swallowed me
whole. While off-gassing it was a treat to patiently wait for him to turn
up & eyeball everyone looking for a handout. The DM's would always have a
treat for Boris. Once that was gone he just went back down the reef wall to
patrol along there within eyesight of us all while the pilot fish madly
schooled around him.

Viv