Product Details
Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary

Bum Bags and Fanny Packs : A British-American American-British Dictionary
By Jeremy Smith

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Product Description

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.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #171259 in Books
  • Published on: 2006-01-02
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 320 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

Not enough words3
I read a lot of British mysteries and keep running across words that I have never seen. I bought this book hoping that it would help me understand Britishisms that I was not familiar with. I was able to find only about one third of the words I was looking for in the first Brit mystery I've read since buying this book. This dictionary is not comprehensive enough for an avid reader. If you're really into Brit lit, save your money and look up the words online.

A Faithful Companion5
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.

not just for Americans3
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.