Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary [Paperback]

Jeremy Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786717025 | ISBN-13: 978-0786717026 | Publication Date: January 3, 2006

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, how and why differences arose, and what those differences are. More then 2,500 entries are listed on each side with a set of tables that includes national holidays, presidents, kings and queens, and money. The dictionary is an easy-to-read, light-hearted, and sometimes irreverent catalogue of the difference between American and British English. With a tone that is deliberately informal, much of the intrinsic humor shines through, but never at the cost of accuracy or detail.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeremy Smith grew up in southeast England, went to the kinds of schools now depicted in movies, and graduated as a botanist from London in 1976. He migrated to California, began life as a computer professional, and avoided being in movies. His hobbies include global travel, artificial life, and going to the movies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786717025
• ISBN-13: 978-0786717026
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and terrifically helpful, January 16, 2006

By 

Steven Strogatz (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary (Paperback)

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not just for Americans, December 25, 2007

By 

Carla K. Ulbrich "The Singing Patient, author... (Somerset, NJ) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary (Paperback)

My British friend found this even more fascinating than I did, so i gave it to him when I was over there. It's a bit academic, going into all sorts of history of coins, measurements, etc. I am more of a one-liner kind of person when it comes to this sort of topic, so I enjoy the knickers in a twist book a bit more. But for intellectuals, this book is chock full of facts.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Faithful Companion, February 2, 2008

By 

A. Perez "a student" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary (Paperback)

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.