I just read something really interesting over on Aussies Living Simply, . One of the members of the forum is from America and she was confused by the term "chook".I have never thought about this before although when ever I spell check anything it tells me that I have spelt 'chook' wrong.
That made me think that some of the readers of my blog (Woody, Karl etc) may have wondered what chooks were at one point.
I call a domestic hen a chook and a group of hens, chooks.
I call a baby hen or rooster a chicken but only until they grow to point of lay then they become a chook (OK roosters don't get to point of lay). My group of chooks has three roosters in it and collectively they are my "chooks".
I am a bit confused too, if I want to buy a cooked "chook" from the supermarket I ask for a chicken even though I expect to receive an adult chook. I still make chicken noodle soup even though it has chook in it and I don't call it chook noodle soup (but I will be from now!)
Are there any other terms that we use commonly that others may wonder about?
Or have you come across any terms that confused you in the "blogging" world?
8 comments:
it's no wonder that people say English is the most difficult language in the world to learn!!!!
hehe I reckon Mandarin would be pretty hard as well!
Hi Kirsty, I am the lady from America who did not know what a chook was. (blushing). I am actually a Newfoundlander who has lived in America for 32 years. Being a newfie, I also have words that the Yanks did not understand. You might use them. We say we are going to have a mug up (cup of tea) and we stop by to have a warm up (visit). When we cook we have a boil up. When it is raining...it might be teeming, and if I get wet I would be sapping. So when I moved to the US I felt like a proper foreigner. I had to assimilate. Thanks for mentioning me on your blog. Don't forget to visit mine...www.lessthan800dollarsmonthly.blogspot.com and www.mistressofthemoonlight.wordpress.com Sign me, M
hee heee.
It is a very australian word. chook chook chook chook chook. - luv it!
Ya'll reckon we could write guides to our own regional dialects. Weed all gather up in the holler here and have a sit, spit and lie. It's a bit nippy out but ya tuck them babies all up snuggle and ya'll be right as rain.
peace
aubergines and courgettes were confusing to me for awhile before I figured out they were eggplants and zucchini. Although I have to admit, I like what my English friend Alice calls them better. Sounds more sophisticated!! :)
That is so funny. Here is a good one, we in Australia affectionately call carpenters "chippies". Well, whilst in Fiji, I met a lovely Canadian lady, and she said, in Canada, a chippie is a "lady of the night" LOL
Back to chook, I never realised other countries didn't use this word. Isn't is great to be an Aussie!!!
It wasn't confusing to me. I have read enough about other countries to have encountered it now and then.
Mama Bear
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