Americanisms

I’ve noticed a lot of written quizzes now seem to start with”Riddle me this.” It makes no sense. I do remember ‘The Riddler’ in the original Batman series using it, but it now seems to be creeping in to UK use.

lol I don’t hear that often around here except in the context of Batman’s The Riddler. I guess that would be considered an Americanism if it originates from American media, even if it isn’t well-accepted as a social norm in real American culture?

profdanger said:

I guess that would be considered an Americanism if it originates from American media,

Regretfully, I regard any nonsensical phrase as probably American. Like the awful "just sayin'", which makes me shudder.

https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quotalouettequot-emc

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this information, but I think it likely that the repetitive nature of the songs would make them popular learning tools for the many children who learned French.

Jolly good leveller61 

Hooray!

I suspect WW1 and WW2 may have a bearing on that, B, with action in France and Belgium and the presence of Québecois soldiers as part of the substantial Canadian forces. They'd have passed the songs on to their comrades who would take them home to their own countries. 

My surname is of Anglicised Norman heritage too ArchaeC  and I am a Canadian dual national, so indeed long live

My surname is of Anglicised Norman heritage too ArchaeC  and I am a Canadian dual national, so indeed long live

Jolly good leveller61 

Hooray!