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Money & Shopping (cont'd)

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Braces - Suspenders, which would look awfully funny wrapped around your teeth ("Dear, I think you've got a bit of paisley stuck between your teeth.")

Jumper - Sweater. Yep, sweater.

Knickers - Panties (women's underwear). I don't know, I had always kind of thought of knickers as the little half-pants that cross-country skiers and actors in Colonial Williamsburg wore with their socks pulled up over them to just under the knee. Although you know what? I'll bet Colonial Williamsburg would be a whole lot more interesting if the actors did wear the British version "knickers." They'd probably see a huge increase in ticket sales, too, especially to the "milk maids" live exhibit.

Mac (or Macintosh) - (Also: "Slider") This is British for a raincoat, so don't go tryin to puch the buttons or click the mouse on a Brit's Mac or you're going to get a fistful of hardware right in your software.

Marketing - Shopping, a happy coincidence which allows many people in England, when asked what they do for a living, to respond "Oh, I'm in marketing."

Nappies - Diapers. This is a term that will only be useful to a small segment of the traveling population (how many people with a baby still in diapers have the time and/or energy to travel?), but to those who will need it, I am sure they will be eternally grateful.

Pants - Men's undershorts. Well, it can actually be used to mean just plain old "shorts," too, but the opportunities for hilarious mix-up if we just stick to the underwear meaning are just too great to withstand.

Suspenders - Garter belt. If only we could magically change what this word meant in American English and at the same time (stay with me on this one) have the actual items in question all across the United States instantly transform into their Briti sh terminological counterparts, we could could turn a Republican convention or high level yuppie business meeting into a very kinky affair, not to mention make them a whole hell of a lot more interesting. Also, "Larry King Live" would take on a whole new meaning.

Tights - Pantyhose. So what do you call the thicker "tights?" I don't know. Being male and whatnot, I do not tend to wear either unless it is for a very special occasion.

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