An American woman was left in stitches after learning the British name for crossing wardens.
While English is the native language on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s not uncommon for different terms to be used.
What we here in Great Britain know as pavements, are called sidewalks by our American friends; our chips are their french fries; car parks become parking lots; and our rubbish transforms into trash or garbage.
The term “lollipop lady” caused particular amusement to one US woman whose confusion over the uniquely British phrase – used to describe someone who assists others in traversing a zebra crossing – has now gone viral, reports the Mirror US.
Employed predominantly near school entrances, lollipop Ladies use a round sign attached to a tall pole to signal traffic to stop ensuring the safe crossing of children.
It’s believed this distinctly lollipop-shaped signage inspired the peculiar job title, though its origins remain uncertain.
Monica Patterson, a TikTok user with the handle @monicagartner, was sent into spasms of laughter after revealing an image of a lollipop lady to her British spouse.
She confessed in her post: “There are not many things in life that shock me anymore, but I saw a video today and consider myself very shocked.
“I’ve been dating my British husband for eight years, married for two, and only today did I learn this. And only today did I learn this. This is the video I saw, and then you’ll see his reaction.”
Monica interspersed her footage with another TikTok clip where a man displays a photo of a lollipop lady, said: “Next time you hear a British person talking any kind of shiz about Americans, any at all, ask them what this person’s job title is.”
In her original video, Monica probes her British partner, inquiring: “What is this person’s job title? ” to which he responds, “A Lollipop lady.”
Monica bursts into laughter and adds: “No it’s not. Is that really called a lollipop lady? What if it’s a man? “.
Her partner admits: “I didn’t want to say it because I knew you’d laugh at me for that.”
Despite her amusement, Monica also finds the term quite charming, concluding her video with: “That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Some TikTok users came to the defence of the British term, with one stating: “Australian here. We also call them a lollipop lady? What do Americans call them?”
Another questioned: “What are they everywhere else then? all my life I’ve known them as a lollipop lady/man.”
Echoing the sentiment, a different TikToker posted: “What are they everywhere else then? All my life I’ve known them as a lollipop lady/man”, while yet another added: “What are they everywhere else then? all my life I’ve known them as a lollipop lady/man.”
In the midst of the debate over the term lollipop lady/man, another social media user pointed out an alternative official job title, with one commenting: “I’m a lollipop lady, but our official title is school crossing patrol.”
