Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I'm thinking there has to be a generational gulf at work here, because this is all completely unintelligible to me. I can't imagine anyone in their forties or older understanding any of this.

Well I am in my 40s and while I'd never use them, most of these expressions are reasonably intuitive to me. They're not that hard to figure out.

Keep in mind I only speak English maybe 5-10% of the time in my everyday life. If that.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

"

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge
Canada: Do many Canadians know that a jumper is a sweater in the UK? Probably not, but is it only in Canada that a jumper is a sort of woman's dress (I think without sleeves), and not in the US? If someone said "there's a jumper there" while walking down the street, would you think of someone about to commit suicide, or a woman's dress? Me, I'd think "woman's dress."
.

I am very familiar with the Commonwealth term but if I am in Canada walking down the street as you say, I'd think of a suicidal person.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom
Canada: In my lifetime this has changed from eraser to condom due to the influence of American movies, so it's now firmly the US meaning.
.

OK I am probably going to be familiar with all of the UK/Commonwealth definitions, but in Canada, yeah I would expect it to mean a condom.

It can also mean rubber oversoles (galoshes) though this is going out of style.

Classic sign in a doctor's office:

PLEASE REMOVE RUBBERS BEFORE ENTERING

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)
Canada: If Canadians are aware of the term, it's the American meaning of frizzy African hair.

.

Not sure I'd associate it with hair. I know hair can be "natty", but this is usually when it's not very nice, right?

If I heard nappy just like that I'd think they were using the British word for diapers.

[Acajack]

4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: kind of mixed up. There are buildings in Canada where you have in the elevator the ground floor (G) and then 1, 2, 3, 4...

Quebec is also even more mixed up with lots of buildings having RC (rez-de-chaussée, meaning street level), then 1,2,3.

Some have RC and then jump to 2,3,4

And some have the ground floor as 1 and then 2,3,4

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car
Canada: Whoa, this is fascinating. "You've got blinkers on" means you're narrow-minded, but I'm not so sure Canadians are aware of the provenance of the term. But Canadians would also understand it if you mentioned the blinkers on a car.

Acajack: I know both definitions. I thought blinkers for car signals was British.

6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: coffin

7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: formal wear

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake
Canada: Never the UK meaning, but I'm not sure the US meaning is much understood or used here.

Acajack: pancake


9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: old man

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: ugly or plain person

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia
Canada: Weird US slang, I think. But never the UK meaning.

Acajack: not familiar with the term

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: irrelevant

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: not too familiar, would go with the British in a guess

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry
Canada: UK meaning. I've never heard the US meaning before.

Acajack: not too familiar. Would go for US definition

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute
Canada: Both the UK and the US meanings, understood in context. Somehow I suspect this must be the same in the US, too.

Acajack: I only know the US one


16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated
Canada: US meaning.

Acajack: American definition

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman
Canada: I've never heard the US meaning used before. In my lifetime this has gone from the UK meaning to essentially no longer being used before, as lawyers now do the work of both barristers and solicitors. But back in the day, lawyer's offices used to have one or both of these words on their signs. Not really anymore, though.

Acajack: I've rarely hear the US term but I do see signs that NO SOLICITORS in Canada and I always knew they didn't mean lawyers. BTW don't lawyer's offices in Ontario still have BARRISTER AND SOLICITOR on their signs?

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)
Canada: I think I've seen a US-style meaning here, like "we're open through December 5" or something like that, but the UK meaning seems to make more sense to me, i.e. if someone said "we're open through lunch" I would understand that to mean that they weren't closed at lunch-time. So both the US and the UK meanings, depending on the context.

Acajack: unsure about this one. Both meanings could make sense depending on context

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am very familiar with the Commonwealth term but if I am in Canada walking down the street as you say, I'd think of a suicidal person.

Okay, walking down the street in a city is a bad example to use. If someone said "look, a jumper," and looked up, then yeah, I'd think it was a potential (or actual) suicide taking place.

Context is everything. If I were in a room with a group of a women and someone said "that's a nice jumper," I think it would be obvious that they weren't referring to someone leaping off a tall building.

But with all context shedded as much as possible? If the response is "a jumper" to your question "what are you talking about?" when you walk into a room without having heard anything that was previously said, what would you think?

If they were women, I'd think a sleeveless dress. If they were a bunch of guys, maybe I'd think they were talking about someone jumping off a building. Is that sexist? Don't think so.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Okay, walking down the street in a city is a bad example to use. If someone said "look, a jumper," and looked up, then yeah, I'd think it was a potential (or actual) suicide taking place.

Context is everything. If I were in a room with a group of a women and someone said "that's a nice jumper," I think it would be obvious that they weren't referring to someone leaping off a tall building.

But with all context shedded as much as possible? If the response is "a jumper" to your question "what are you talking about?" when you walk into a room without having heard anything that was previously said, what would you think?

If they were women, I'd think a sleeveless dress. If they were a bunch of guys, maybe I'd think they were talking about someone jumping off a building. Is that sexist? Don't think so.

A "nice jumper" or "jumper" obviously in reference to clothing, I'd think it was a sweater.

[Xelebes]

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge
Edmontonian: The woman's dress, popular during pregnancy.

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom
Edmontonian: A tire? A condom?

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)
Edmontonian: diaper. Especially Edmontonian because we get to make fun of Calgary with it.

4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building
Edmontonian: the next stop on an elevator. That is the only time that term is used here.

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car
Edmontonian: British definition.

6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin
Edmontonian: both

7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie
Edmontonian: a what?

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake
Edmontonian: a slang term for a pancake. Don't know if it is a specific kind of a pancake but perhaps it is not bannock or a touton.

9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man
Edmontonian: Guy McAffer who drops by on occasion to meet up with fellow SUF Collective artist Rob.

https://www.discogs.com/Chris-Liberator--Rob-Tryptomene--Guy-McAffer-Process-Yellow/release/3252

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly
Edmontonian: A comfortable woman who perhaps is not the hot ticket but perhaps not plain.

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia
Edmontonian: A festivity, a shindig, a big thing.

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant
Edmontonian: a point that has been matched with appropriate counterargument.

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident
Edmontonian: A what?

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry
Edmontonian: a hunger for grazing or a persistent slight hunger.

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute
Edmontonian: an encounter, I guess.

16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated
Edmontonian: US meaning.

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman
Edmontonian: both

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)
Canada: agree with rousseau

Howse I sees it.

[SignalHillHiker]

My guesses. Mostly US overall.

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge
NL: It's not a common term, at all, but I do believe most would interpret it as a sweater given no other context.

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom
NL: Both are very common, the US meaning begins to dominate the younger and more urban someone is.

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)
NL: UK meaning.

4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building
NL: US meaning.

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car
NL: We'd call the UK one "blinders" (and also use that for related expressions, e.g. "He's got his blinders on"). Blinkers is not a common term but would definitely be interpreted as the US meaning.

6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin
NL: US meaning.

7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie
NL: Not a common enough term. It would probably be taken sarcastically and fall somewhere in between the two.

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake
NL: Neither.

9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man
NL: US meaning.

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly
NL: Overwhelmingly US meaning, but UK meaning also exists except it's mostly used to describe places that are homely WITHOUT being an actual house, e.g. a hotel room. It also carries a somewhat negative connotation, not positive as in the UK.

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia
NL: Neither. It'd be brouhaha, and UK meaning.

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant
NL: US meaning.

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident
NL: Not a common term, but UK meaning when rarely used.

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry
NL: Not a common term, but always UK meaning when used.

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute
NL: US meaning. Never heard tell of the UK meaning before.

16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated
NL: Both, depending on context. Probably most common an as expression of exhaustion after work.

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman
NL: Not common at all, but UK meaning for the most part. Soliciting, though, would be interpreted as the US meaning (e.g. "NO SOLICITING" notes on front doors).

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)
NL: Either, I think. "Up to and including" would be the real meaning.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

NL: US meaning. Never heard tell of the UK meaning before.

.

Never heard tell = jamais entendu dire/parler

Tell me again why you guys are the least francophone province in the country?

Là là?

[SignalHillHiker]

History can't be helped, luh!

Tried to figure out if it's an Irish holdover or francophone influence. Can't find anything.

But it's definitely not just us. Nova Scotia does it too, it seems:

http://sharleystudio.blogspot.ca/2010/03/never-heard-tell.html

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

History can't be helped, luh!

Tried to figure out if it's an Irish holdover or francophone influence. Can't find anything.

But it's definitely not just us. Nova Scotia does it too, it seems:

http://sharleystudio.blogspot.ca/2010/03/never-heard-tell.html

I've definitely heard older NBers use Never Heard Tell before as well.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

OK I am probably going to be familiar with all of the UK/Commonwealth definitions, but in Canada, yeah I would expect it to mean a condom.

It can also mean rubber oversoles (galoshes) though this is going out of style.

Classic sign in a doctor's office:

PLEASE REMOVE RUBBERS BEFORE ENTERING

That would normally be used only in the plural, as in a pair of rubbers. I might use "rubber" to mean an eraser or a condom, but I find it a bit antiquated in both cases.

"Fancy dress" meaning formal attire is just bizarre to me (it's "formal", "informal" (increasingly "business attire"), and "casual".

I've never heard "solicitor" meaning one who solicits - I'd be tempted to call such a person a "soliciter".

I don't think I've ever heard "hoo-ha" in either the British or the U.S. sense. Like SHH, I think of "brouhaha".

I'd know what an American meant by "blinkers", but I'd more likely say "turn signals or turn indicators". I think I might say "blinders" rather than the UK "blinkers" (is that possibly the U.S. usage?)

By the way, I consider "never heard tell" as standard English.

And I often refer to my car as the "geezermobile", so I'm at one with the Yanks on that one!

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car
Canada: Whoa, this is fascinating. "You've got blinkers on" means you're narrow-minded, but I'm not so sure Canadians are aware of the provenance of the term. But Canadians would also understand it if you mentioned the blinkers on a car.

Acajack: I know both definitions. I thought blinkers for car signals was British.

Even "indicators" seems purely British to me -- I've never heard it. For me in English it's either "turn signals" or then "flashers", which come to think of it I'm not even sure is used in English... (really strange, but true!)

I suppose it entered Quebec slang via English (how else?) so I'm guessing it's still used.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by lio45

Even "indicators" seems purely British to me -- I've never heard it. For me in English it's either "turn signals" or then "flashers", which come to think of it I'm not even sure is used in English... (really strange, but true!)

I suppose it entered Quebec slang via English (how else?) so I'm guessing it's still used.

Used for "emergency flashers", but not for the turn signals.

[MonctonRad]

MonctonRad's interpretation - middle aged Maritimer from PEI:

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge

A jumper is definitely somebody contemplating suicide, although I am aware of the British term.

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom

When I was growing up, you wore rubbers to keep your shoes from getting wet on a rainy day. The US definition has been growing in popularity but is considered vulgar terminology. An eraser has always been an eraser.

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)

Generally an abbreviation for napkin, although we tend to say serviette around here. Nappy however can be used as obscure slang for diapers. The hair reference is completely foreign to me.

4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building

Definitely the US terminology

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car

Completely bilingual on this. Harness racing is big on PEI, so everyone knows that you use blinkers to control a horse. The car reference is also valid, although I tend to think of blinkers in terms of "four way flashers" rather than turn signals

6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin

The US term is definitely paramount in the Maritimes, although curiously, the name of the local newspaper in Antigonish NS is "the Casket", and in this case it is with regards to the jewelry box reference. I imagine this is a historical anachronism.


7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie

US meaning

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake

Don't use flapjack much, but the general understanding is that it means pancake

9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man

US meaning

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly

US meaning. If we're after the UK meaning, we say "homey", not "homely".

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia

The British terminology. I've never heard of the US term for this expression.

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant

US meaning

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident

US meaning

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry

Definitely the British meaning

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute

US meaning

16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated

US meaning

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman

British term

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)

Depends on the context, but the British term makes more sense to me.

[SignalHillHiker]

Moncton, I completely forgot about rubbers. Definitely the most common usage of that term here as well. Hunters are even a fashion statement.

[Andy6]

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge

UK is well enough known but it would seem affected to use it. A "jumper" as I recollect it from my little sister's wardrobe was a little girl's sleeveless dress with straps over the shoulders, worn over a shirt. The US meaning is kind of slangy and Internet-age-ish so doesn't seem like a legitimate word to me.

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom

Either although the meaning of "overshoes" also comes to mind.

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)

Either, but not common. A familiar UK term but not used here other than in the course of affecting Englishness.


4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building

US meaning.

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car

Horse thing.

6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin

US meaning although there is the newspaper in Nova Scotia (Antigonish) that still reflects the more traditional meaning, so I've heard of it.

7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie

US.

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake

US, would use only when affecting US vernacular (but maybe it's changing as "fries" for "chips" used to be the same sort of thing, and other US food terms like "frosting" for "icing" and "stuffing" for "dressing" (in turkeys) have come from nowhere to supplant the Canadian terms in my own short lifetime).

9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man

US

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly

US

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia

UK

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant

US -- it's not really that it's irrelevant. It's that it is not required to decide an issue because the conclusion in support of which the "moot point" was being proffered has been definitively dealt with in some other way. It may well be relevant, but it happens in the circumstances to be forensically superfluous.

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident

Probably both.

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry

UK

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute

US

16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated

US

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman

Both. I have a certificate somewhere saying I am the first one and we still use the term a lot, even if not very often to name our profession (e.g. in terms like "solicitor-client privilege"). But there used to be lots of signs saying "No Soliciting" which used to be what you'd put up to ward off door-to-door salesmen rather than door-to-door lawyers.

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)

Both - I would take it as "up to AND including lunch but not thereafter".

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by rousseau

UK reference for me

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge
Canada: Do many Canadians know that a jumper is a sweater in the UK? Probably not, but is it only in Canada that a jumper is a sort of woman's dress (I think without sleeves), and not in the US? If someone said "there's a jumper there" while walking down the street, would you think of someone about to commit suicide, or a woman's dress? Me, I'd think "woman's dress."

UK reference again

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom
Canada: In my lifetime this has changed from eraser to condom due to the influence of American movies, so it's now firmly the US meaning.

I see a pattern here. My mother refers to them as nappies (Parents are UK born and bred and I lived there as a kid)

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)
Canada: If Canadians are aware of the term, it's the American meaning of frizzy African hair.

Here, I'm with the US/CDN definition

4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building
Canada: US meaning.

Don't really think about 'blinkers' too much

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car
Canada: Whoa, this is fascinating. "You've got blinkers on" means you're narrow-minded, but I'm not so sure Canadians are aware of the provenance of the term. But Canadians would also understand it if you mentioned the blinkers on a car.

US/CDN reference
6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin
Canada: US meaning.

Definite UK reference

7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie
Canada: US meaning.

US reference but usually I say it in an exaggerated US accent. UK pancakes are almost crepe like and often served with sugar and orange juice or lemon juice on them

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake
Canada: Never the UK meaning, but I'm not sure the US meaning is much understood or used here.

UK reference.

9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man
Canada: US meaning.

US refernce. A homely person would have a face for radio

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly
Canada: US meaning.

No thought on either. Never really heard the US reference.

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia
Canada: Weird US slang, I think. But never the UK meaning.

US reference

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant
Canada: US meaning.

US reference

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident
Canada: US meaning.

Definitely UK here

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry
Canada: UK meaning. I've never heard the US meaning before.

UK reference

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute
Canada: Both the UK and the US meanings, understood in context. Somehow I suspect this must be the same in the US, too.

UK reference all the way

16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated
Canada: US meaning.

UK reference

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman
Canada: I've never heard the US meaning used before. In my lifetime this has gone from the UK meaning to essentially no longer being used before, as lawyers now do the work of both barristers and solicitors. But back in the day, lawyer's offices used to have one or both of these words on their signs. Not really anymore, though.

UK reference

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)
Canada: I think I've seen a US-style meaning here, like "we're open through December 5" or something like that, but the UK meaning seems to make more sense to me, i.e. if someone said "we're open through lunch" I would understand that to mean that they weren't closed at lunch-time. So both the US and the UK meanings, depending on the context.

Based on this brief list of differences between UK and US/CDN english it is a surprise that the two/three places can even hold a conversation with each other w/o misunderstandings.

[Loco101]

1. A jumper
UK: A woollen pullover worn in the winter
US: Someone who commits suicide by leaping from a building or bridge
Canada: Do many Canadians know that a jumper is a sweater in the UK? Probably not, but is it only in Canada that a jumper is a sort of woman's dress (I think without sleeves), and not in the US? If someone said "there's a jumper there" while walking down the street, would you think of someone about to commit suicide, or a woman's dress? Me, I'd think "woman's dress."

Me: US definition. But it also make me think of a jump suit.

2. A rubber
UK: An eraser for a pencil
US: A condom
Canada: In my lifetime this has changed from eraser to condom due to the influence of American movies, so it's now firmly the US meaning.

Me: US definition. I only know of the UK definition from people I've met. Some people here will call rubber boots "rubbers."

3. Nappy
UK: Something a baby wears (noun)
US: Frizzy or hairy (adjective)
Canada: If Canadians are aware of the term, it's the American meaning of frizzy African hair.

Me: sometimes what I call a nap in a cute way to my toddler daughter.

4. The first floor
UK: The floor above the ground floor
US: The ground floor of a building
Canada: US meaning.

Me: US meaning.

5. Blinkers
UK: Flaps attached to a race horse's face to restrict its vision
US: Indicators on a car
Canada: Whoa, this is fascinating. "You've got blinkers on" means you're narrow-minded, but I'm not so sure Canadians are aware of the provenance of the term. But Canadians would also understand it if you mentioned the blinkers on a car.

Me: US meaning

6. A casket
UK: Another word for jewellery box
US: Another word for coffin
Canada: US meaning.

Me: US meaning
7. Fancy dress
UK: Informal party wear, dressing up as a well-known character
US: Formal party wear, including ball gowns and black tie
Canada: US meaning.

Me: US meaning.

8. A flapjack
UK: A flat oatmeal snack
US: A type of pancake
Canada: Never the UK meaning, but I'm not sure the US meaning is much understood or used here.

Me: I don't use the word at all but I know what it means and it's the US meaning. Probably learned it from ads and when travelling in the US.

9. A geezer
UK: A gang member, tough guy
US: An old man
Canada: US meaning.

Me: US meaning

10. Homely
UK: Used to describe a comfortable, cosy house
US: Used to describe someone who is plain or ugly
Canada: US meaning.

Me: both UK and US meanings.

11. A hoo-ha
UK: An argument or disagreement
US: Female genitalia
Canada: Weird US slang, I think. But never the UK meaning.

Me: not a word I use or am familiar with. I would probably be more likely to guess that it means a —.

12. A moot point
UK: Something that is up for debate
US: Something that is irrelevant
Canada: US meaning.

Me:US meaning

13. Nervy
UK: Nervous or prone to fidget
US: Bold or confident
Canada: US meaning.

Me: both UK and US meanings I think but I haven't used that word.

14. Peckish
UK: Slightly hungry
US: Irritable or angry
Canada: UK meaning. I've never heard the US meaning before.

Me: US meaning

15. A run-in
UK: The end of a race
US: An argument or dispute
Canada: Both the UK and the US meanings, understood in context. Somehow I suspect this must be the same in the US, too.

Me: US meaning

16. Shattered
UK: Exhausted
US: Emotionally devastated
Canada: US meaning.

Me: US meaning

17. Solicitor
UK: A legal representative
US: A door-to-door salesman
Canada: I've never heard the US meaning used before. In my lifetime this has gone from the UK meaning to essentially no longer being used before, as lawyers now do the work of both barristers and solicitors. But back in the day, lawyer's offices used to have one or both of these words on their signs. Not really anymore, though.

Me: both UK and US meanings.
Law offices have "Barristers and Solicitors" on signs and ads after the names. AND on some homes you'll see signs on doors that say "No Solicitation." To solicit at somebody's door usually means to sell or convince a product, idea, political candidate.

18. Through
(As in, "The shop is open through lunch")
UK: During (lunch hours)
US: Up until (lunch hours)
Canada: I think I've seen a US-style meaning here, like "we're open through December 5" or something like that, but the UK meaning seems to make more sense to me, i.e. if someone said "we're open through lunch" I would understand that to mean that they weren't closed at lunch-time. So both the US and the UK meanings, depending on the context.

Me: US meaning