
“Two nations divided by a common language”
Winston Churchill made this statement in 1943 during a speech at Harvard. He wasn’t the first to express this notion and there is plenty of evidence supporting the concept.
From a variety of sources, the Tearsheet has cobbled together some interesting insights into our friends across the pond covering spelling, grammar. punctuation, usage, etc.
For starters most language scholars agree that the two languages share a core vocabulary, with more than 80 percent of words being common to both British and American english. The same holds true for fundamental grammar. British and American english are largely identical, sharing the same sentence structure, verb conjugation patterns and basic rules of usage.
That’s not to say that there aren’t differences. Some of the most common differences are evidenced in spelling (American vs British): color/colour, favor/favour, labor/labour, center/centre, theater/theatre, defense/defence, et.al. Then there are those instances when spelling and pronunciation differ as well: learned/learnt, burned/burnt, et.al. There are times when spelling is the same but the pronunciation differs. An American would pronounce “patronizing” sounding like “pay-tronizing” but a Brit would say it like “pat-tronizing.”
Other differences in words and phrases go well beyond mere spelling and pronunciation. When Americans say, “cookie,” Brits say, “biscuit.” A British “cash point” is an American ATM. An American performance may include an “intermission” while the Brits enjoy an “interval.” And sometimes the overlap can be confusing. American “potato chips” are a Brit’s “crisps.” But a Brit’s “chips” are American “fries.” Pity the poor potato.
The list goes on. An American will ride in an “elevator” while a Brit does the same in a “lift.” Americans drive “trucks” but Brits drive a “lorry.” An American leaves his car in a “parking lot,” but a Brit will leave his car in a “car park.” Americans live in “apartments” and Brits will rent a “flat.”
And those are just some of the more obvious and common examples. Peel back the onion and you encounter the aroma of any number of dialects, regional accents and the like. Then, of course, there is today: January 15,2025. An American would write the date as: 1/15/25, but a Brit would write 15/1/25.
It’s appropriate that Winston Churchill would coin the phrase “two nations divided by a common language.” After all, despite being one of the most notable figures in British history, Churchill’s mother was… an American.

“MUSTANG, n. An indocile horse of the western plains. In English society, the American wife of an English nobleman.”
— Ambrose Bierce, an American short story writer, journalist, poet and American Civil War veteran.
BUSINESS UPDATE
Founded in 1911, the family-owned Mars, Incorporated was ranked by Forbes as the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States. In 2008 Mars Inc. bought out William Wrigley Jr. Company, the world's largest chewing gum producer for $23 billion. The company’s iconic candy bars haven’t waned in popularity for nearly a century. In 1923 the company introduced the MilkWay candy bar, followed by Snickers in 1930 and 3 Musketeers in 1932.
Mars Inc. has long been famous for its secrecy. In 1993 a reporter writing for the Washington Post Magazine was able to see the "M"s being applied to M&M's candies, something that, according to Wikipedia, "no outsider had ever before been invited to observe.”
Source: Wikipedia

My Own Best Friend
Historically societal expectations have cast a wary eye on those individuals who prefer alone time over the company of others. What a surprise that science has shown that societal expectations are once again wrong.
A study from psychologists at the University of Wisconsin and Harvard found that individuals who are comfortable spending time alone often display many favorable qualities. Among those are higher levels of creativity as well as more respectful and meaningful interactions with others. They can be excellent listeners, empathetic friends and meaningful conversationalists.
They are often independent thinkers and value their own opinions and thoughts and do not rely heavily on others for decision making. This doesn’t mean they disregard other people’s ideas or advice, but they have the confidence and self-assurance to trust their own judgments. They are self-sufficient to the extent that they can take care of their own needs, both physical and emotional.
According to the Personal Branding Blog, placing a high value on their solitude, doesn’t translate to shunning social interaction. Because they are comfortable with themselves, they often are comfortable with others. Being independent empowers them to live life on their own terms.
“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
— e.e. cummings, American poet,
painter, essayist, author
and playwright
KEEPERS
The Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball team represents California State University, Long Beach. Although all Long Beach State sports teams are officially known as the Beach, the baseball team is typically referred to as the "Dirtbags."
The baseball team's players and fans alike generally prefer the more colloquial name the "Dirtbags." This ironic handle is a great source of pride and shared identity for the program, adopted as something to be proud of, referring to the team's scrappy playing style (which left the aggressive players' white uniforms covered in dirt – a "dirtbag") and success against higher profile programs.
The term first appeared in 1989, denoting a program that was mired in an extended stretch of sub-par seasons.


Brother, can you spare a… Alexander the Great was the first person to be pictured on a coin.
— 95 Facts
Tattle tales keep mum. Only 43 percent of U.S. employees with first-hand knowledge of “unethical behavior” at work in the past year reported it.
— Gallup
Masked marauders. At the San Diego Zoo, raccoons are used to manage rodent populations.
— uselessdaily.com
Yipes, stripes. A group of tigers is known as an ambush.
— icebreakerideas.com
Taking up space. In 1908 Hershey’s first introduced almonds into its chocolate bars. The inexpensive nuts enabled the company to use less of the more expensive chocolate which kept the price at a nickel.
— Mental Floss
More than hockey? More than 40 percent of Canadians prefer bacon to sex.
— The History Guy
At opposite ends. The word of the year for 2024 was polarization – which first appeared in 1812.
— Merriam-Webster
Fore! Or, four. Several U.K. businesses are piloting a four-day workweek for six months, and will present their findings to British officials at the end of the trial.
— New York Times
Turn left at… In the Welsh village of Cyffylliog, there is (or isn’t) a super market that exists only on Google Maps.
— OddityCentral
Adults mostly. At least 96 percent of adults use the internet and 79 percent have a high-speed connection at home.
— Pew Research Center
The Month of January
Month of the Month
It’s January and it’s cold. And what’s better when it’s cold? Why soup, of course. Which is why January is National Soup Month. And if that’s not enough to warm your innards, this is also “Ginuary” when one drinks gin every single day of the month. No substitutes. Unless you pursue “Dry January” where one abstains from all alcoholic drinks during the month.
If you’re cold today, you probably didn’t remember that it’s National Hat Day. Then again, January 15 is also National Bagel Day. I’ll take mine with cream cheese, or toasted with butter, please.
Question of the Month
Why don’t women’s clothes have pockets?
You can run but you can’t hide from the answer.
Quote of the Month
“The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.”
— Warren Bennis,
American scholar and author

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