This, via my brother-in-law, Tony Sacker.
Apparently, he heard a dinner speaker point out that Americans and Brits use the word "momentarily" to mean different things.
In Britain, it means "for a moment." In the US, it means "in a moment."
This led to some moments of fear for some Brits when an American airline pilot announced "We will be taking off momentarily."
http://beatyourowndrum.com/career/
That is great!
One wonders if Uk English and US English are two different languages.
Even though I am born and raised in the US, I consider that the Brits speak “real” English.
posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 6:00am
I just came across Separated by a Common Language – http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/ – dedicated to observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK (via the Lord Celery blog – http://tinyurl.com/jtowt).
I’m enjoying it as a Canadian married to an American who spent his early childhood in England; I thought you and Kathy, and your readers, might get a kick out of it, too.
Quite the translation tool!
posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 6:00am
Michelle Golden said
www.goldenpractices.com
LOL, that WOULD be disconcerting…funny that we use “momentary” for the British meaning
posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 6:00am