Underwear a linguistic game
That’s strange. In an underwear shop of London they don’t sell panties. I asked for panties but the shop assistant didn’t understand.
Last week I went to UK just for a week to meet up with friends. I arrived at London Heathrow and what happened? Yes, I arrived at the airport but my luggage didn’t. There was nothing I could possibly do about it. I told the guys at the airport where I stayed and went to meet my friends. The next day I called to ask but they didn’t find my luggage yet. Then my adventure started, Jane and I went to by underwear and a few other bits and bobs I would need.
First we went to a shop for underwear. And I lanced my question. The shop assistant who seemed really kind and helpful looked at me as if I am an alien. After a while she asked, what are you looking for – panties? What’s that? My friend helped out, she is looking for knickers, she explained. Then it was my turn and I looked really baffled. What do you mean by knickers? So Jane started to explain the shop assistant that I am a visitor from the States and that we use panties for knickers. And then she told me that the British use knickers for panties. The use of language is different, Ok; I knew that before my journey. Still somehow I expected that basic things are the same. That’s confusing. After the introduction to linguistic differences between the US and UK I found really nice underwear. Still the adventure was not yet over. Not only the names and terms you use in UK are different also the sizes vary. If you use a 9 in the US you should try the 12 in UK. If your bra is size 36 in US you need an 80 in UK and so on. So what ever you buy you should try it before you pay. My friend Jane told me that all over Europe sizes alternate depending on the country you visit. That is pretty strange and makes it difficult to find the right and fitting size. Knickers and panties have different sizes. Still they sell more or less the same styles in Europe and on top some different styles. So don’t worry, it is possible to survive in Europe without luggage, just make sure you use the right linguistic terms.
