My husband has recently gotten me interested in a show on TV called "Junkyard Wars"! I know...laugh....

But, this particular show is filmed in Great Britain and there it is called "Scrapyard Challenge"! I find there are many terms they use on the show that it takes me a bit of time to figure out.

Some of them, I am completely clueless on though. So, from time to time, if you Brits don't mind, I would like to post some of the words, and have you explain to me what they are!

Sometimes, I am sure, it is just a matter of understanding the pronunciation. Today, they were talking about a particular brand of car. It was pronounced Jog-you-are. Took a minute to realize they were saying Jaguar which I would pronounce with only two syllable: Jag-war with the a in jag as a long a, and the a in war rhying with far, car, bar.

Oh the fun of the language we share!

In UK English "U" is usually pronounced as "yew" or "u" (as in "up"). "W" is pronouced as in "wick".

Hence the small but important difference between "Jagwar" and "Jaguar". And seeing as though (before Ford brought the firm) it was a British enterprise) we should be right!

Richard English

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"Jaguar". And seeing as though it was a British enterprise, we should be right!

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You were the earlier but not the earliest. Maybe we should ask the Tupi, if we can find any.

>>> jaguar - 1604, from Port. jaguar, from Tupi jaguara.

I had a friend who owned a '89 Ford Tupi. It got great gas milage but shed like the dickens!

Bodge! Or bodger. We have heard both words used on Junkyard Wars. It appears when they get close, but don't have time to finish a project, they bodge it. I don't think there is a corresponding term here and it's not one I have ever heard anywhere other than on this British show. Can you enlighten me?

As I understand it, the original meaning of the term "bodger" is that of a maker of chairs - the tradionaly wooded type.

It is now more commonly used as a variation of "botch", which means "...to repair or fix in a haphazard and rushed manner..." The implication is that a bodged job will probably not be satisfactory.

Richard English