4 ms·
"Bin," generally, isn't British English. We have recycling bins, for instance.
by JumpCrisscross 4mo ago
"Bin," generally, isn't British English. We have recycling bins, for instance.
- gwerbin 4mo agoYes but in the USA a "bin" usually refers to a generic category of containers, often rectangular. A "recycling bin" is a specific kind of bin, and it's almost always qualified as such. If you called it a "bin" out of context people would be confused or think you're trying to be British or something.
- georgemcbay 4mo agoYeah, I'd say it exists in a linguistic grey-zone where understanding is a lot more common than usage. Practically no American ever calls a garbage can a "bin" (though like you say we do have a concept of generic 'bins') but a lot of Americans will immediately know what you mean if you say it, sort of like "flat" and "apartment" (nobody calls them flats in the US, but many people know what you're talking about if you say it).
- zabzonk 4mo ago> isn't British English. Eh? Most commonly uttered words in UK English: "Have you put the bins out?"
- titanomachy 4mo agoHe means not exclusively British English
- Lio 4mo agoThen he should probably say that. Almost no words are exclusively "British English" as it is the original and oldest dialect of the language.
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- actionfromafar 4mo agoBoth are equally old ;) JK ... but American English retain many older features of English which British English since modified.
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- drcongo 4mo agoThe trashcan on modern macOS in Britain is called the "bin" and I hate it - somehow it feels wrong.