Chips, Crisps and Fries The Problem with Potatoes

Level 1 Level 2
İngilizce Öğren LingoVivo News

The linguistic nuances between American English and its counterparts in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand extend to the realm of describing potato snacks. In the US, a request for a burger accompanied by thin, long potatoes involves asking for "fries" or "french fries." Across the Atlantic, in the UK and Ireland, the equivalent order would specify a burger with "chips," reserving the term "french fries" for the slender, chopped potatoes commonly served in fast-food establishments.

Delving deeper, the term "chips" takes on divergent meanings in different English-speaking regions. In the US and Canada, "chips" refer to the flat, cold, circle-shaped snacks available in bags at grocery stores, commonly known as "potato chips." However, in the UK, these are referred to as "crisps," introducing a distinctive lexical shift.

Further complexities arise in Australia and New Zealand, where the thin fast-food potatoes align with the American usage of "fries," while the thicker counterparts are termed "hot chips." Cold potato chips found in bags adhere to the straightforward label of "chips." The seemingly simple concept of potato snacks unfolds into a fascinating exploration of language variations across English-speaking territories.

Questions

1- In the UK and Ireland, what do they reserve the term "french fries" for when ordering a burger?

2- What term is used in the US and Canada for the flat, cold, circle-shaped snacks in bags?

3- How do Australia and New Zealand differentiate between thin and thick fast-food potatoes?

Congratulations!

You have completed the comprehension questions. 

Parts of this lesson are based on: An article Engoo Daily News.