Americanisms

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

delete

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Fixed.

Be mighty confusing for us to call our petrol, gas, because that's what we use to heat our houses and our foods.

What do you call gas that you'd use in cookers in the US?

Electricity...since most homes are heated that way here in the States...well I take that back depeneds where you live. Here on the west coast there is alot of electric used to heat homes and stoves as well as showers. For those that do use gas, we call it gas, natural gas or propane obviously depending on what you use.

I'm pretty sure in Canada it's just Zamboni juice.

 

[Starfirebird]

I always say petrol just to see the looks on people's faces.

Another reason why i say petrol is quite a weird one.When you eat a big bowl of beans you get "gas". You don't say you get "petrol". So this is another reason i say petrol instead of gas.

There are others,but i won't get too far into comparisons.

 

[spunwicked]

Why trash and garbage instead of rubbish?

Why trunk instead of boot?

Why hood instead of bonnet?

Perculiar times we live in.

 

[CBPFG2]

I'm pretty sure in Canada it's just Zamboni juice.

Gas encompasses several things, it just depends on the context of the situation at hand.

i.e. I need to get gas (gasoline). I heat my home with gas (natural gas). I have some gnarly gas (well, you get the idea...)

 

[GTsail]

Perhaps the US uses "Gas" because of the comic strip "Gasoline Alley" that was first published in November 1918:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_Alley

Catch you later, I've got to step on the gas!
GTsail

 

[Liquid]

Gasoline and petrolium distillate are one and the same.

Petrolium as a stand alone word = crude oil.

 

[bergauk]

Fixed.

Be mighty confusing for us to call our petrol, gas, because that's what we use to heat our houses and our foods.

What do you call gas that you'd use in cookers in the US?

Propane.

9FA__4fLBos

 

[Jump_Ace]

Do they use different fuel than petroleum in USA ? petrol is short for petroleum and gas is short for liquid petroleum gas...but is liquid petroleum gas...gas? i thought petrol was a liquid.

So when we pass a gas station we can say that we passed gas.


I thought everyone knew that?


Jerome

 

[Liquid]

Liquified Petrolium Gas and 'gasoline' aren't the same.

I think LPG is 'autogas' in the States. I think.

 

[parabulla]

http://etymonline.com/

 

[Sage]

If anything, the question should be why you guys say petrol... petroleum is refined into gasoline (both of those words being used vaguely). You don't put petroleum in your car, you put gasoline in it.

 

[W3H5]

I'm a "fuel" sayer mainly because the vehicles here run on both petrol and CNG (compressed natural gas). The are a few diesels but not many. Generally fuel is just the easiest thing to say because depending on which vehicle one is on/ in the term will be different.

Back in London I'd always say petrol as that is what I grew up knowing went in most cars.

 

[Jubby]

The sad part is that none of us should be saying anything about petrol, gas, CNG, et al.

We should all be saying that our cars are running on Hydrogen.

 

[W3H5]

My vehicle runs on beer and fried chicken. I swear to Jehovah. Ask any of these guys. It's the fastest fried chicken powered machine in my whole city.

 

[1241Penguin]

My vehicle runs on beer and fried chicken. I swear to Jehovah. Ask any of these guys. It's the fastest fried chicken powered machine in my whole city.

Your vehicle's a bike, isn't it?

 

[W3H5]

Yup. Powered by my own 2 legs.

 

[McLaren]

Why trash and garbage instead of rubbish?

Why trunk instead of boot?

Why hood instead of bonnet?

Perculiar times we live in.

I would have laughed my ass off if my father ever said, "Son, take out the rubbish".

 

[GTPEarthbound]

If anything, the question should be why you guys say petrol... petroleum is refined into gasoline (both of those words being used vaguely). You don't put petroleum in your car, you put gasoline in it.

^This... It's 92 octane unleaded GASoline that you put in performance vehicles. Not petrolium(jelly anyone!?). We say gas because it IS what it is, and I call it petro when I want to sound fancy, like you Brits.

 

[Grayfox]

You there, fill it up with petroleum distillate, and re-vulcanize my tires, post-haste!​

Say it old school like Mr Burns.

 

[Liquid]

If anything, the question should be why you guys say petrol... petroleum is refined into gasoline (both of those words being used vaguely). You don't put petroleum in your car, you put gasoline in it.

Like the above picture of Mr. Burns, and my previous post says;

Gasoline and petrolium distillate are one and the same.

Petrolium as a stand alone word = crude oil.

You distill petrolium to get a product that is a distillation of petrolium.

Change distillation of petrolium from "process + genative preposition + noun" to "noun + noun" and you get petrolium distillate. We just use the shorter version of a different word. Sorry to ruin the magic.

I could just as well ask you why call gasoline, gasoline? It may be called 'gas' but it isn't actually gas. You're absolutely correct to use the word, but it's a bit of a misnomer. As is petrol, because as you say, it can easily be confused with petrolium as a stand alone word, which the 'correct' term for crude oil.

 

[Omnis]

Fixed.

Be mighty confusing for us to call our petrol, gas, because that's what we use to heat our houses and our foods.

What do you call gas that you'd use in cookers in the US?

Gas. Follow up: "Natural Gas or LP?" The states are very contextual. You'd only ask that question if it weren't clear that the grill outside wasn't attached to the house or some main line.

And if you're in the bayou then it's Gazaleen.

 

[terminator363]

problem?

 

[Omnis]

Benzine is a mixture of short chain hydrocarbons. Not the same as gasoline-- much more volatile. See petroleum ether.

And benzene is aromatic and completely different.

 

[W3H5]

Benzine is a mixture of short chain hydrocarbons. Not the same as gasoline-- much more volatile. See petroleum ether.

And benzene is aromatic and completely different.

One of them two compounds is abundant in my cigarettes and through that, my body.

 

[Jay]

We have a lot of cars powered by LPG and some buses on CNG so we say "gas" for them, Petrol for petroleum powered cars and... Diesel.... just Diesel.

 

[W3H5]

Wow, ninja merge! Guess that was Ninja mod Omnis with his shuriken mouse of death?!

 

[daan]

Nop, twas me with my multi-purpose baanhammer. If the baanhammer hits two threads together, with just the right amount of top spin, they'll merge.

 

[W3H5]

Nop, twas me

So ninja, I didn't even see that coming!

 

[Omnis]

Nop, twas me with my multi-purpose baanhammer. If the baanhammer hits two threads together, with just the right amount of top spin, they'll merge.

Yep. I'm not sophisticated enough to pull that off.