American tourist stopping you

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Greedo

Guest
and asking directions always cracks me up!

Stopped earlier and asked where (say it with a slow American droll) "do you know how to get Buchy-a-nan-in Street sir"

me- No idea mate!! but Buchanan Street is down there to the left :ohmy:
 

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
Is this the way to Glouw-sest-er? Or Lye-cest-er-shire?

And I live near Moree-camb-ee!
 

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
But on second thoughts, from one who lives in a country with mountain names like Na Gruagaichean or Mullach Choire nan Saobhaidh, that's a bit rich, Greedo!
 
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OP
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Greedo

Guest
Spinney said:
But on second thoughts, from one who lives in a country with mountain names like Na Gruagaichean or Mullach Choire nan Saobhaidh, that's a bit rich, Greedo!

They're only called names like that so when knobby English folk decide to climb them in the middle of January with blizzards and gales they can't describe where they're stuck when they phone the Mountain rescue and perish in their innapropriate clothing :ohmy:
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I used to know a London taxi driver who picked up an American at Heathrow. The bloke said he wanted to go to "Stratford", so Bob took him across London to Stratford E15. When they got to the Mile End Road Bob asked him for the address and the American just replied "The Birthplace!" so Bob took him to the maternity hospital.
 
English/American spelling/pronunciations are some times 'interesting' too ... Arkansas ? :ohmy:
 

XmisterIS

Purveyor of fine nonsense
My favorite trick when replying to lost Americans asking for directions is to speak in a thick London accent with plenty of slang thrown in ... The best response I've had to that was from an American in Winchester who asked me very slowly, "Dooo ... yoouuu ... speeeeak ... English? En-gur-lish? Yes?"
 
Location
Edinburgh
It works the other way as well. A few years ago I was in Detroit and wanting to get to the Renaissance Center. On asking the cabbie for the Ren-aye-sence Centre and getting nowhere he eventually asked us if we were planning to go to the Renne-since Centre during our stay.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
It's not just Americans. I remember an Indian chap at a call centre I worked at a few years ago.

He rang a customer and asked for Mrs Butch -a-non (Buchanon). The lady put the phone down on him after saying he must have the wrong number.

Once he had to go to a Xerox (pronounced Zerocks) printing centre that we used. 'Where's Xrocks' he asked us.

An indigenous British Girl once asked 'What's a Fassia?' (Fascia).

My wife, of South Asian origin, used to say 'Char Les' (two syllables) to refer to Prince Charlie.
 
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