I had to visualise and mime what I do! Turn left to tighten, both here and in the UK. I had a door lock retrofitted in a replaced door and that has been put in the opposite way, I still have to think before I turn the key, even after five years!

I had heard that water swirls down from sinks in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere, but then I was told that it wasn't true. Yes or no?

Yes, it is absolutely TRUE

Sorry, not true about the door handles or the jar lids. Lefty loosy, righty tighty works here too. Our house door handles work whichever way you turn them, but if it was a direct turn to pull the bolt part back, you would have to turn it toward the hinge, which means it depends on what side of the door you are on.

With regard to the water, it depends.

Which way does water go down the drain?

Vee speaks the truth - 'don't come the raw prawn with me!'

Hehehe, you guys are funny! The lady who mentioned the door knobs didn't seem like she was trying to pull the wool over our eyes, but who knows? Speaking of wool, does that expression have Aussie roots, too? (Is it offensive to say "Aussie"?)

Donna

Donna, a claim I don't believe (found via Google) says that 'to pull the wool...' dates back to woollen wigs that, if put on back-to-front, made it difficult to see. As wigs were made of horsehair I find this to be implausible.

I don't think it is offensive to call an Australian an Aussie, 'though you (Donna) might find it less than polite to be referred to as a Yank. I don't know. When people in the UK use the term Yank, we are not being very polite . . . but some of us this side of the Pond have had to get used to being called Brits . . . by Americans.

An interesting point!

We have an Australian shepherd in our family.....and we think she is wonderfully unusual !

The only time I've heard anyone refer to an Australian as an Aussie is when the word was used by an Australian !

Vee, "Yank" doesn't offend me, though I suppose it should since I am a third generation southerner. :) Recently my DH referred to the British as "Limeys" and I told him I thought that wasn't politically correct these days.

It's very popular in the US right now to be offended by pretty much everything. I was reading on another forum that someone from Kansas had a car license plate that happened to have the combination of letters J-A-P. They were driving in California and someone got offended and made a big enough stink that now Kansas is reissuing all plates that happen to have that combination.

Donna

Frankly, I am very , very tired of all the PC nonsense these days. I feel it creates a hypersensitivity to things that should simply fly under the radar .

It's not at all offensive to use Aussie. At many large sporting events, like the tennis or cricket, you'll hear the Australians in the crowd shouting 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!' Not very articulate, but effective.

We don't use the term Yank much anymore here (or the rhyming slang of septic tank), just saying American. I don't hear Brit either - it's more likely to be Pom or Pommie.

Kath, I've heard 'Brit' used by BBC reporters with almost no trace of irony.

Kath, I am confused! When I tighten a jar lid I go clockwise, so isn't that to the left? How can that be "righty-tighty"? This is giving me a headache!

I have always referred to myself as English but understand that I am also a Brit to some people. I am reminded of a saying "Call me anything you like but not late for dinner!"

annpan. clockwise is to the right. If you find it confusing do two things. Look at a clock/watch while holding a jar/bottle (anything with a screw top) When the big hand of the clock reaches 12 start tightening the top. Both your hand and the hands of the clock will go to the right ie 'clockwise'.

Ann, clockwise is turning to the right if you think of your hand moving.

And my mum used to say that about dinner :)

Thanks for the explanation but it still doesn't seem right to me! Ah well, as long as I close the lid...somehow!

Does the hand you use affect this? I use my right hand. I mimed closing a lid with my left hand and it does go right to close!

Here's the ditty : Lefty loosey, righty tighty.

I use "Brit" all the time and had no idea it might offend some.

What would the alternative be, according to the various countries? "Scot"? "Anglo-Saxon"? "Irish"?

If one is easily offended by non PC labels, one would dare not read anything from the 20's, 30's 40's, or even '50's. How sad to get upset by history.

Re the use of 'Brit'. Perhaps it can be seen in the same way as 'our' lazy use of Yank/Yankee, which has always been slightly derogatory, maybe as Taffy, Paddy or Jock are used over here. And far more common among groups of men . . . in the armed services for eg or in gangs of builders/construction workers. I've never heard a female use these words, at least not directly to those people . . .

Mary, if possible it might be better to refer to 'Brits' by the name of their country as you suggest, assuming you know what country they come from.

So Irish are from Ireland (and Brit is often a word of abuse used by the IRA and similar groups) although folk from the North might see themselves as Northern Irish or Ulstermen. Scots (never Scotch which is whisky without an 'e'), Welsh and English . . . we haven't been Anglo-Saxon since about 1200.

But we do try not to be too snowflakey!

Donna, I don't think 'Limey' has been used for many years. My late Mother was surprised to be so-called back in the 30's.