Friday

English and American games

1. It's rather painful for an American to sit down on a thumb-tack; but an English(wo)man is hardly any better off if he or she sits down on a ______. Which of these fills the blank correctly?  drawing-pin  fastening-pin  thumb pin  push pin

2. Whereas the American alphabet goes from A to Zee, the English goes from A to what? Answer:  (3 letters)

3. Whereas Uncle Sam washes his face with a wash-cloth or rag, John Bull does the same with a face-cloth or a what? Answer:  (seven letters)

4. When an American woman loses her purse, what a gentlemanly Englishman returns to her need not be a "bag with coins", but might be her _______. What word could complete this sentence correctly? Answer:  (seven letters)

5. What does an Englishman buy, when he buys what an American calls a "station wagon"?  an estate wagon  a stationary car  a station car  an estate car

6. Which of these might, in New York, be an alternative term for what in England is usually called an estate agent?  an estate manager  a realtor  an estate dealer  a surveyor

7. Whereas in England the English draw their curtains, in the U.S.A. (many) Americans draw their __________. What word completes the previous sentence correctly?  drapery  drapes  hanging cloths  curtain cloths

8. Which of these words is the least likely to be used as an American equivalent of what an Englishman calls a dispensing chemist?  an apothecary  a druggist  a drugpusher  a pharmacist

9. When an English mechanic lends a spanner to an American friend, his friend may return it saying: "Thank you for the ______". Which of these could complete the sentence correctly?  wrench  nut tightener  nut twister  bolt adjuster

10. For an Englishman a restroom might be a room in a public building set aside for rest and quiet; for an American, however, the meaning that first jumps to mind could be: a room that is equipped with toilets and lavatories for public use.  True  False