fenderlove: James Marsters with Romeo and Juliet quote over it. (Default)
([personal profile] fenderlove Jun. 20th, 2012 01:31 pm)
English people, friends of mine, I once again need assistance writing non-North-American characters. One of these days, I'm going to figure this out.

Is a "gaff" an apartment? I've been watching this show online, and this English boy uses "gaff" for literally everything. I think he's using it for both a place and as a gaff (mistake).

A "newsagent's" is a newspaper shop but also like a convenience store sometimes, right?

Is there a more common British word for paycheck?

Which is more common- a stovetop kettle or an electric kettle? (Yes, I'm being very original and having my English boys have a scene where they drink tea.)

What is a really common and really tasty (yet not high on the price scale) dessert-type snack?

What would one call the area of London that's the City of London? Could one say London proper or central London?

From: [identity profile] diebirchen.livejournal.com


I'm American, but I lived in Britain. "Gaff" is another name for a place of residence or work. It's also a a mistake, a pole with a hook used in fishing, and a lot else. Newsagents sell other things like sweets and so on. Don't know about paycheck. Most Brits have electric teakettles. A yummy snack for tea is crumpets with clotted cream and berries. And for London, I just said I was going to "the city."

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


It's also a a mistake, a pole with a hook used in fishing, and a lot else.

This must be why Gavin uses it so much on Achievement Hunter. He literally uses it for everything. "Oh, look at that gaff. He gaffed it! You want to go have a gaff? Let's go to my gaff!" The other hosts accuse him of not speaking English but speaking "Gavin." XD

Thanks! :D

From: [identity profile] diebirchen.livejournal.com


I follow most of that except, "You want to go have a gaff." I have no idea what the "gaff" is which one would be having. I must admit to being a rather precise speaker. After all, the purpose of speech is communication, and in at least some instances, "Gavin" seems to be failing rather spectacularly.

From: [identity profile] deborahw37.livejournal.com


Gaff is your place, your home but it's pretty specific to certain dialects and types of people though it's used by others in a self deprecating way... Where does your character come from? What class is he? ( I'm sorry, there is most definitely a class system)


It's a paycheque ( note the spelling!) or salary or wages

Electric kettles are pretty much the norm

No idea for what suggest on the desert type snack.. give them a cup of tea and a couple of Hobnob biscuits

The City of London is The Square Mile.. the financial centre.. nobody refers to the city of London in any other sense, ( Except James but he's wrong:). From outside London people sometimes talk about commuting to The City but they don't say " London City or The City of London. It's London.. or you refer to West London, The West End ( it's has a different meaning to West London) South London, North London, Central London, East London , the East End ( it's different). Note there is no South End or North End or the specific area mostly you go by Borough ( Tell me roughly where and how upmarket and I'll suggest some boroughs )

Edit

A gaffe, is a mistake and a newsagent is often a cornershop where you can get all sorts of stuff
Edited Date: 2012-06-20 06:57 pm (UTC)

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


Thank you! :D Both of my characters are from Chelsea, but are now living in Hackney near the Rectory Road Station. One of them works near the Liverpool Station in the Square Mile (I think I like that phrase), and he would be the more privileged class-wise out of the two. I suppose, both of them could be said to be upper middle-class (or rather, they were when they lived with their parents). I'm assuming upper middle-class based on an American standard 'cause, honestly, class structures anywhere confuse me.

From: [identity profile] deborahw37.livejournal.com


Chelsea is expensive.. apart from World's End ( a rather wonderful place at the en d of The King's Road . Hackney is getting more gentrified by the second. Upper middle class should do, to be honest they're unlikely to call their home their gaff.

Liverpool Street station ( no " the" and not just " Liverpool" cos that's in Liverpool not London ;) It's near The Square Mile but not in it and is a busy commuter station ( trains from here come in there:) ) good underground links too.

Rectory Road Station, again, no "the" We talk about the station or the overground or the underground or the tube but if refering to a station by name there's no the.
Edited Date: 2012-06-20 08:07 pm (UTC)

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


The World's End is getting horribly gentrified. One of the reasons we lost our counicllors there, though its still close. 18 votes close in the by-election close.

Though the really good chip shop is still there.

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


The Tories would love to sell off all of Cremorne and the World's End Towers. It would remove a lot of pesky Labour voters.

From: [identity profile] deborahw37.livejournal.com


Have you been watching " The Secret History of our Streets" on BBC2? It's fascinating!

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


Eeee. The ex-boy lived in a place near there with incredibly sticky floors.

From: [identity profile] deborahw37.livejournal.com


They featured a dodgy landlord and his empire of incredibly manky multi occupancy basement flats! EWWW!

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


Sounds like A and friends very scungy basement gaffe.

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


Okay, that's really interesting. Also, just goes to show how 50% of all words are superfluous in most instances, I suppose. When I was researching, I was looking through real estate listings in Hackney to get an idea of the place. It seemed like a lot of places were cheap to rent (I say cheap by American standards considering what amenities they offered). I saw a lot of two bedrooms for 650 pounds a month, which would be like $1000 here (fairly normal in a larger city around where I live). I pay about $465/300 pounds a month for my craptastic apartment.

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


Then one day I shall move to Hackney for it is apparently the cheapest place! That apartment probably isn't available anymore. It seemed so nice, and it had some bills included in the price. Shame! XD

From: [identity profile] whichclothes.livejournal.com


I'm not English, but I know one answer: Jaffa Cakes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_Cakes Yum! They're popular in Croatia too. :-)

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


I live in Chelsea, which is both very, very posh and has significant pockets of social housing.

Gaffe is generally used for your house/flat/home, but is quite a lower class/trying to act lower class term.

Electric kettles. The only time you'd ever use a stovetype one is when camping. No self respecting Brit would use one in a kitchen. We even go to university equipped with an electic kettle - as we usually have our own room as well as access to a kitchen.

The City only refers to the Square Mile of the historic city of London. Almost no-one lives there. Its full of banks and other financial institutions. London is a collection of villages and two cities (London and Westminster) all grown together. Chelsea, for instance, even has a green. Its tiny and surrounded by posh shops, ludicrously expensive little houses and a huge social housing complex.

Newsagents usually sell milk and sweets along with cards. Convenience stores tend to sell newspapers as well as sweets but stay open a lot longer.

Cream or jam doughnuts are sold even in small supermarkets.

The City is The City. You might say you're going up to Town, up the West End, down the Kings Road, up to Notting Hill but never Sarth of the River;(

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


The City only refers to the Square Mile of the historic city of London. Almost no-one lives there. Its full of banks and other financial institutions. London is a collection of villages and two cities (London and Westminster) all grown together. Chelsea, for instance, even has a green. Its tiny and surrounded by posh shops, ludicrously expensive little houses and a huge social housing complex.

Good to know! One of the characters works in the City. He's a restorationist at the Guildhall Art Gallery or something very similar to that. XD

I did not spend enough time going about the different parts of London to get a real feel for how the place is set up. XD

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


Working in the City usually means that someone works in financial services.
He'd say he works in a gallery.

From: [identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com


For The City. Think Wall St. Only with a medieval/Anglo-Saxon even Roman street plan.

Re the restorer. He might well say that he works at the Guildhall but as an arts person wouldn't want to be associated with City types.

The Guildhall is seperate to the Livery Halls of the medieval Guilds, many of which survive and which are used for functions and presentations.

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


Excellent. Thanks for this info! It really is very helpful. I'm trying to be as authentic as possible, and my vague memories of the week and a half I spent in London six years ago is not helping. XD

From: [identity profile] fenderlove.livejournal.com


I am taking so many notes from all of you, you would not believe. XD
.

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