lift - is the British use of lift understood outside UK

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Bolero

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So one of my background characters is standing on the doorstep of the house where a party has just ended, wanting to come back in, because "My lift has gone."

Am aware from TV that in US would usually say "ride".

Just wondered whether in context that would work for folks.
 

Bing Z

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I thought that was a typo for Lyft (the ride hailing service) ^_^

But as long as the party host or other characters respond rationally, it should be easy to figure out the meaning. I would not worry.
 

ap123

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NYer here who has always heard/used lift and ride interchangeably in this context. Often expressions like these are regional. People figure it out, no worries.
 

angeliz2k

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From the title of the post, I figured you meant "lift" as in "elevator". Which I think a reasonably intelligent person could figure out in context if they didn't know it already (and I suspect a lot of Americans do know that one).

As far as "lift" for "ride", it's very much used in that sense in the US, too.
 

Bufty

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I would understand it out of context, but the first thing that comes to my mind when "lift" is spoken in the UK is an elevator.

'Lift' and 'ride' are interchangeable. Context is everything.
 

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From the title of the post, I figured you meant "lift" as in "elevator". Which I think a reasonably intelligent person could figure out in context if they didn't know it already (and I suspect a lot of Americans do know that one).

As far as "lift" for "ride", it's very much used in that sense in the US, too.

This is exactly my thought. I expected this to be about elevators, and know "lift" in this context from the U.S.
 

cornflake

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From the title of the post, I figured you meant "lift" as in "elevator". Which I think a reasonably intelligent person could figure out in context if they didn't know it already (and I suspect a lot of Americans do know that one).

As far as "lift" for "ride", it's very much used in that sense in the US, too.

Exactly this. I assumed you meant elevator. Lift is used that way in the US all the time. 'Can I give you a lift?'
 

amergina

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Yeah, people do use lift and ride pretty interchangeably, at least in my area of the US for that context. "Hey, do you need a lift home from the party?" "Na, Steve's giving me a ride."
 

shadowsminder

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I wonder if the Americans saying "ride" and "lift" are interchangeable meant to imply both words are used for travel in the same way. I've been to every region of the United States and have lived in three; to my memory, no one's said "My lift is gone" when they were talking about a promised ride in a vehicle. How often does that happen in the U.S.?

I think we can clarify that for lookie-loos writing characters who'd realistically say "ride".
 
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frimble3

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I am Canadian, lift and ride are pretty much interchangeable as a way of giving someone a way home.
However, if I were reading an English book, about English people in England, I might be confused, suspecting a cunning British trick. "Aha! They say 'lift' but do they mean 'elevator'?" Any sort of context should clear that up, though.
A character calling from outside the building probably wants a ride, a character calling from inside the lobby probably wants an elevator.
 

Bolero

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Thanks folks. I've never even heard of lyft.... :) Presumably spelled that way so it could be TM'd......

Yeah, the character is a Brit in Britland - knocking on the door of the hacked-off host's house wanting somewhere warm and a phone (because his girlfriend left without him) and not getting it. (There's a pub down the road, go use their phone. SLAM!) A surprise party that went badly.

Yes did want response from anybody non-UK, thanks.
 

maryland

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Small alert - ride has sexy connotations in Ireland, so be careful.
 

Roxxsmom

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I think most Americans who read and pay attention to media are pretty familiar with differences in British terminology for certain common words, including "lift," "lorry" etc. As for saying "lift" to mean "ride," think context would make it pretty clear. Heck, we have different colloquialisms in parts of the US too.

When a particular British expression is unfamiliar, most Americans certainly know they use different words for some things and are capable of grasping meaning via context. I learned the word "spanner" = "wrench" while playing a video game, actually. And when Harry Potter laced up his "trainers," I figured out they were some kind of athletic shoe.

I'd actually find it really weird to read a novel set in the UK where terminology was "translated" to US usage, or to have a British character in a novel who used American words for things.
 
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Dan Rhys

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Yeah, people do use lift and ride pretty interchangeably, at least in my area of the US for that context. "Hey, do you need a lift home from the party?" "Na, Steve's giving me a ride."

For the most part, I agree with this and the other comments, but I have never in the US heard a person say, "My lift has gone," as per the question. We use the words interchangeably but to an extent.
 
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