Two countries, separated by a common language

Not sure if this is interesting to anyone but for the sake of family journalism, here we go...

I'm a half-and-half fan, but can't find it here. As I completely block the teeny-tiny dairy aisle in a wonderful market that I am certain must have been built for hobbits, I was searching for my beloved half-and-half to be able to make my EXTRA beloved morning coffee complete. I see a wall of white liquid in containers, but I don't see anything that says "half-and-half." I'm faced with a decision: Single cream, double cream, whipping cream, soured cream. (Yeah- Sour cream, right in there with the rest of the "sweet" creams.) Oooh-kay, so NO idea what the difference between single, double and whipping cream is. Maybe I'll reverse the giant rolling island that is carrying both of my children and I'll check the milk jugs to see if half-and-half is in there somewhere. What's this?... Skimmed, Semi-skimmed and Whole fat milk. (Wow... in the States they just say "whole milk" and let you live in ignorant bliss as to what your milk is "whole" of. Then again, everyone here is thin as a rail, so maybe they're onto something.) Ah, crumb... There's a kind 98-year-old British woman who needs to pass with her walker... Grab the single cream and move along.

LITTLE did I know, this was just one of many scenarios I would find myself in: I knew the definition of each word I read but had NO idea what it meant. Here are a few other "new words" we're learning in random order:

• Bin = Trash Can
• Rubbish = Trash
• Hob = Stovetop/Range
• "Cheers" = "Thanks" or "bye"
  
• Pants = Underwear
• Smalls = Underwear
• "When can I call by?" = "When can I stop by?"
• You don't "call" someone here, you "phone" them.
• You don't "mail" something here, you "post" it. (Or you "pop it in the post" rather than "put it in the mail."
• Parcel = package (mail)
  
• Jumper = Sweater/Jacket
• Ribbon = Bows (the girls' Sunday School teachers always comment on their pretty "ribbons")
• Buggy = Stroller
• Mince = Ground Beef
• Chips = French Fries
• Crisps = Chips
  
• Cutlery = Silverware (they have no idea what "silverware" means)
• Crockery = Dishes (they have no idea what "dishes" are)
• Toilet = the nicest, most appropriate way to ask where the restroom is: "Where is the toilet?" (Seriously, not joking. This is a difficult one for me!) Other common ones are "the loo" or the less commonly used "W.C."
• Garden = Backyard
• Boot of the car = Trunk of the car
• "Half 10" = 10:30 (Or "half 3" is 3:30... just like we would say "half-past 3")
• Eggs are NOT refrigerated! (You'll find them on regular shelves in the market.)
• Market = Grocery store
• Chemist = Pharmacy
• Charity Shop = Thrift store (but they're really great here)
  
• Mobile = Cell phone (and they say it like: MO-bial)
• Trolley = Shopping cart
• Lift = Elevator
• Pub = Public House, actually not the same as what we think of as Pubs in the States, but rather a comfortable restaurant, usually with very good and reasonably priced food.
• Week-end = weekend, but they emphasize "end." "How was your week-END?"
• Lovely! = Great!
• Brilliant! = Great!
• A Quid = A pound (Like a buck = a dollar)
• A fiver = 5 pound note (Like a 5 dollar bill)
• Course = Class (Collin begins his Course on Monday, and he will be "reading for" an MBA)
• College = last 2 years of High School as we would consider it in the States. Here, they choose a specialty and focus on that for those 2 years. College as WE know it in the states is called University or "Uni" here.
  
• Half flush/Full flush = Each toilet has the option of making a half flush or full flush and has separate buttons for it.
• Hot/Cold water faucets: Each has its own faucet on some sinks, so if you'd like warm water rather than hot or cold, you plug the drain in the basin (sink) and fill it with a mixture of hot and cold. Then use the water collected in the basin. Even single-faucets with hot & cold together produce a solid stream with two distinct temperatures. Hold a finger to the left side of the stream and it's HOT. The right side, simultaneously, is COLD. It's fascinating.
• Television: There ISN'T any! To be eligible to receive the general local station channels, one has to purchase a license for about $200/yr. This buys you access to about 5 channels... Rates go up if you want basic cable or anything more.
• Bedding: EVERYONE does duvets here, and they use their duvet covers like sheets. SO, there's a fitted sheet and a duvet cover. No flat sheet between. We didn't know this until someone told us after we had already moved into our house here. (That explained why the 3 hotels we've stayed in in Britain have been missing a top sheet!)
• Wellies = Rain boots
• "Isn't it?" or "Hasn't it?" or "Doesn't it?" = ALL things said after most sentences making a claim, or most sentences in general. For example: "The weather's turned a bit damp, hasn't it?" or "We shouldn't be talking like that, should we?" It's a cultural thing, I'm learning.
• Showing the back of the hand with two fingers up (like peace sign) is the equivalent of a middle-finger gesture. Peace sign showing the front of the hand means "peace."
• Nosh = food
• "Pardon me" = ONLY used here if you are excusing yourself for flatulence. (This is AWFUL for Americans who try to initiate an informational question with this.)
• "Quite" = Used frequently in speech, but when used alone it's as if you're saying "absolutely."
• To Collect = To get, as in, "I'll go and collect the children"
  
• Smart = Sharp (Here, you dress "smart" to go out or someone can look "smart." Instead of dressing business casual you dress smart casual, or instead of business dress you dress smart business.)
  

...and that's PLENTY for now... sorry for the LONG list! It's growing every day...