DAILY DIRT: What is one man’s hot dog is another’s banger

Daily Dirt for Monday, April 7, 2025

I kind of like the term “jacket potato” … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,250 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Outside of that nasty Revolutionary War thing, England and the U.S. have always been pretty good friends.

For example, the British gave us the Beatles. In turn, we supplied them with McDonald’s and a culture of fast food. That doesn’t mean the two nations have always agreed on things over the past 240-plus years.

Take how the two nations refer to certain food items:

• What we call a “baked potato” in the U.S. is a “jacket potato” in England.
• Brits refer to what Americans call “cookies” as “biscuits”.
• “French fries” in the U.S. are called “chips” across the pond.
• In the same vein, “potato chips” in America are called “crisps” in Great Britain.
• The English refer to “shrimp” as “prawns”.
• If you’re looking for “oatmeal” in England, you’ll have to ask for “porridge”.
• What Americans call “hot dogs” are referred to as a “sausage in a roll” in Great Britain. The hot dog/sausage by its lonesome is called a “frankfurter” or a “banger” (my personal favorite).
• The English refer to “zucchini” as “courgette,” and what we call “eggplant” is “aubergine”.
• A “hamburger” in the U.S. is called “minced beef” in much of England.
• Soft drinks in the U.S. are often labeled as “fizzy pops” by the Brits.

2. Did you know (Part 325)

• That wood frog, found in Alaska, can hold its urine for up to eight months.
• That kangaroos do not fart. It’s something to do with their digestive system. Just trust me on this one.
• That whales eat about three tons of food daily, but can actually survive without any food for up to six months.
• That the whitish mark at the end if your fingernails is called a lunule.
• That the “dot” atop a lower-case “j” and “i” is called a tittle. Not a Y.A. Tittle, just a tittle.

3. Singers you might not realize were still alive:

• Judy Collins is 85, and at last report, was still singing “Both Sides Now” and “Send In The Clowns”.
• Connie Francis is 87. She is arguably best known for the classics “Where The Boys Are” and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”. She was the first woman ever to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Nancy Sinatra is 84, and yes, those boots are still made for walkin’. It’s hard to believe she released that song way back in 1965 — 60 years ago.
• Darlene Love is 83 and still belting out “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. And if David Letterman still had a nightly talk show, she would still be a regular guest. She performed that song for 28 consecutive years on Letterman’s various TV entities.
• Carole King is 83 and will always be linked to her second album “Tapestry,” which ranks No. 36 among all-time LP sales.
• Joan Baez is 84 and will be forever known for “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. She released her first album in 1960.
• Dionne Warwick is 84 and enjoyed her first hit record “Don’t Make Me Over” way back in 1962. She had more than 60 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than 100 million records.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — One last note on the different names of food items in different countries: The Dutch refer to “peanut butter” as “peanut cheese”. 

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. We did serve up a big can of whupass to the Brits at Yorktown.