From Groovy to Lit, A Journey Through Linguistic Coolness
Do you know how slang shapes generational identity?
“Can I have a breadcake?”
It felt as if everyone in the restaurant collectively held their breath. A bread cake? There is bread and there is cake. But not together?
But this is what my partner who came from the north of England called what we in the south of England called a bread roll.
It reminded me of Peter Kaye’s dad. “Garlic bread? There’s garlic and there’s bread.”
In Ireland, Subway can’t advertise sandwiches. This is because the sugar in the bread makes it cake, not bread. So, they have to call their subs ‘foot longs’.
Which word to use is often a sticking point. My partner and I have many miscommunications about which word is the correct one to use. It didn’t matter in the heady first days. Then, there was only one way you wanted to communicate. But, in the years since, we’ve had many discussions about what is the right word.
There’s always going to be minor issues around pronunciation. Whether you say scone like ‘own’ or ‘on’. Strange no one says it like ‘one’? Try it, it never works.
My partner calls the main room in the house a lounge. I think airports have lounges and it’s…
