10 Everday American Words That Are Totally Inappropriate In Britain

8. Backhoe

To Americans this phrase is not atypical, offensive or contentious; it is a building site digger. Contrast this with Britain where if a child were to shout 'Backhoe' while walking past a construction site onlookers would glance an expectant gaze of shock as the child could be understood as commanding his mother to effectively 'back off hoe.' The word hoe in itself has a diversity of definitions; it is both a piece of farming equipment and a colloquial term for a promiscuous individual. The United States has a proud tradition of farming innate to its history, from the Jeffersonian dream of westward expansion of agriculture to enable freedom to prosper, to the political power of rural communities in modern day America. This history means that the term 'hoe' is interpreted far differently in Kansas than it is in the urban powerhouses of London and Manchester. The power of context to alter our understanding of the world is highlighted by this misconception.