(no subject)

The local dialect meme, version Austro - English.

Born & bred in Vienna, living here for 31 years and counting. British English at school, three years plus of over-exposure to American English on the internet, resulting in what I tend to think must be quite an awful mixture of British spelling, Americanisms and German accent.


What do you call...

1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks? Bach // For an English term I'd have to check the dictionary, I'm not really good with the scenery descriptive words. stream?

2. The thing you push around the grocery store? 'Einkaufswagerl', 'Wagerl', depending on the context. // 'Shopping cart' comes to mind most readily.

3. A metal container to carry a meal in? Well, I own, but very rarely use this metal box thing for hiking tours - 'Proviantdose'. 'Dose'. Doesn't quite equal 'lunchbox', though, as far as I'm aware of.

4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in? Pfanne // pan

5. The piece of furniture that seats three people? 'Couch', 'Sofa'. Would use either term in English, too.

6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof? Dachrinne // ... where's the dictionary, again?

7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening? 'Terrasse' would be the closest approximation, but it isn't necessarily covered. // 'porch', presumably.

8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages? Nothing really - I would probably specify the drink. (On reconsideration, 'soft drink', not that it's an expression I often use) // soda

9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup? Doesn't really exist as such here. There's 'Palatschinken', but they're neither a breakfast food not served with syrup and really something quite different, except for the flat & round factor - more like the French 'crêpes' than the American pancakes. There are 'Pfannkuchen' in Germany, which I think have a closer resemblance .

10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself? Never eat those. 'Baguette', maybe. // - - - no idea, really.

11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach? Badehose // swimming trunks

12. Shoes worn for sports? Sportschuhe // sneakers

13. Putting a room in order? zusammenräumen // tidy up

14. A flying insect that glows in the dark? Glühwürmchen // firefly

15. The little insect that curls up into a ball? Do I even want to know?

16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down? Wippe. // - - -

17. How do you eat your pizza? At home - fingers; slices, centre to crust. [Mmmm... pizza. :: has a Homer Simpson moment ::]

18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff? 'Flohmarkt' would be the closest equivalent to a 'yard sale', but it's not really done like that here.

19. What's the evening meal? Nachtmahl, Abendessen // dinner

20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are? 'Keller', except in the old apartment houses these are mostly small compartments for storing stuff only, if you don't mind it getting mouldy that is, seeing as they're mostly somewhat damp & dark. 'Hobbykeller', if it's fit to work or live in. // basement