Coffee confusion

Iain McIvor has been in touch regarding the item on jumpers Quite a Leap).

“A jump was at one time a short coat and, according to my dictionary, may have originated from the French word jupe or Arabic juppa.

“This query reminds me of my first trip to the USA in the late 70s. I was advised a good gift to take was Scottish woollen jumpers as they were expensive there and well admired

“On arrival at mine hosts I handed over my gift bags of jumpers to be met with a puzzled look and asked as to why I would bring a man a jumper?

“This moment was a learning curve as to the difference in American-English speak: a jumper to my American family was a ladies’ knitted dress.

“The men wore pullovers or sweaters. Pants were not undergarments but trousers.

“Nobody knew what a cagoule was but referred to wind cheaters for outdoor wear. The confusion continued with trainers being referred to as sneakers. Braces for trousers were called suspenders.

“At the dinner table a biscuit was served with stew but it was, to me, a scone and our biscuits are cookies. Coffee cakes were any cake taken with coffee without there being any coffee flavour in the cake.

“Food was bought in a grocery store as the British term ‘supermarket’ was unheard of.

“The strangest thing for me was gas was both used in cars and for cookers. No-one knew what petrol was.

“Over the years, thanks to the internet and television, we, on both side of the Atlantic, understand one another’s language much better!”