Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary

by Jeremy Smith

Book Overview

This book is the first place to turn when you encounter a Britishism or Americanism. The dictionary illuminates differences in vocabulary, usage, pronunciation, spelling, and the history of English,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786717025
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

British Ehglish

A "must read" before a trip to England, to create understanding in communication. A great many differences exist in word usage, & expressions used in "British English", for common everyday activities, compared to "American English". This book gives many interesting details about how these differences developed. It's a "fun" book to enjoy & learn from.

Brit speak

My wife and I greatly enjoy this "translation" of Brit-speak to American speak. It has cleared up a number of misconceptions and misperceptions from books, TV, and movies over the years. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys British films, TV, or books.

excellent delivery time and excellent condition

A funny book to read, and very interesting to see the similarities and differences in the English language. To see words that look and mean things so very different from the English I know.

A Faithful Companion

If you are an American who enjoys British novels, films, music, etc. or vice versa, this book enhances the joys of transatlantic communication through media. This book is a fresh, funny, and practical guide to modern english.

Funny and terrifically helpful

This book is hilarious, accurate, and surprisingly useful. I lived in England for two years after college and often found myself both befuddled and tickled by the Brits' idiomatic expressions. "You're having me on!", you say. No, I'm not trying to take the Mickey out of you. Or even the Michael. I wish I'd had a copy of Bum Bags and Fanny Packs back then. Just the other day, I consulted this book when a British colleague of mine mentioned that he found another colleague's aggressive letter to us to be "a bit shirty." Armed with Bum Bags and Fanny Packs, I not only learned the precise meaning of that adjective, but discovered an even better synonym for it: "stroppy." If you're the sort of person who enjoys wordplay, you're in for a treat with this book.