Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Torch and Flashlight

I'm seeing an episode of SGA when Carson Beckett, scottish, says "Give
me a torch." but the american soldier with he talked do'nt understand
what he means. So, he says "Give me a flashlight."
Is torch used only in inglish with this meaninig?
-- 
Yatta!,
Godspeed you.

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It's a UK/US thing like tap/faucet, pavement/sidewalk

 It's a UK/US thing like tap/faucet, pavement/sidewalk
So expecting to be understood when saying "tap water" would be a long 
shot, huh?
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
-- 
"Italians have such a high regard for ice cream that they don't even 
call it 'ice cream'. They call it 'gelato'". (Pizza Express, London)

 shot, huh?
Sempre usando "a long shot", si puo' riformulare meglio questa frase? 
Non mi vengono in mente alternative...
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On the contrary. "Tap water" is very common in the US.
To add to your confusion, water comes out of a faucet in the US, and out of
a tap in the UK, but in the US there are two kinds of water - "tap water"
and "bottled water". In other words, "tap water" is the water which comes
out of a faucet. We prefer to say "tap water" over "faucet water".
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/discerning-palates-at-a-tap-water-tasting/index.html?hp
Joe from Massachusetts

 
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/discerning-palates-at-a-tap-water-tasting/index.html?hp
Ok, thanks for the explanation. One question: can tap water be as bad as 
in some places in Italy?
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The State of Connecticut is attempting to ban the purchase of "bottled
water" by government agencies, and expects to save hundreds of thousands of
dollars per year. The city of San Francisco has also banned purchase of
bottled water by city agencies.
Much of the tap water in the US is very palatable, but in some areas where
drinking water contains many chemicals, such is not the case. In certain
areas of the West, the ground water contains excess fluoride, which causes
discoloration of the teeth over many years. Also, areas prone to periodic
flooding are liable to have bacterial contamination from sewage in the water
supply, which requires careful monitoring, filtration, and chemical
treatment of the water.
New York City has fairly good tap water, which comes from reservoirs
hundreds of miles away in the Catskill Mountains.
Most "bottled water" in the US is merely bottled "tap water", or water which
comes from the same sources as tap water.
The fact that most "bottled water" comes in plastic bottles may contribute
to health problems, which is another reason to drink tap water.
The best option is to distill your own water for cooking and drinking.
http://www.we-beat-prices.com/
Joe from Massachusetts

 to health problems, which is another reason to drink tap water.
What kind of plastic do you have over there?
:-/
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 New York City has fairly good tap water,
Is it usually stored in tanks on the top of buildings?

 :-/
The same as here, I guess.  That's why you shouldn't leave plastic
bottles under the sun.


«The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1,
and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it. Better to use a
reusable water bottle, and fill it with your own filtered water from home
and keep these single-use bottles out of the landfill.»
http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles


In New York City, all buildings more than 6 stories high must have a water
tank on the roof, otherwise the water pressure would not be enough to reach
the upper stories. The water is pumped to the rooftop tank, and then flows
down into the plumbing in the building.

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E come portano l'acqua nei serbatoi se la pressione non è sufficiente? 

Adam Atkinson wrote:
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I gather that in the US a "torch" is chiefly  a flame on a stick,
like the Olympic Torch.

 wrote in message
news:JP%rk.46945$Ca.1...@twister2.libero.it...
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Electric pumps. No electricity, no water.
Joe from Massachusetts

 wrote in message
news:xn0fub5p5...@news.lillathedog.net...
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Yes.
There is also an idiom, "to carry a torch for someone".
«carry a torch for
suffer from unrequited love for»
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/torch?view=uk
Joe from Massachusetts

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Capisco... anche qui è così. Però i serbatoi si trovano nella cantina del 
palazzo e non sul tetto. 

 Quindi solo gli edifici più alti devono provvedere da sè.
Scusa l'ignoranza, ma non ho idea di cosa siano (mi immagino tipo dei 
serbatoi sui tralicci) 


What about this usage?
They recognized that retired teachers were a resource to be tapped to deal
with the lack of tutors.
Joe from Massachusetts

 
http://images.google.it/images?hl=it&q=serbatoi%20pensili&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
Ah, ecco,  ora ho capito a cosa servono!
Un mio amico una volta disse... "guarda quel piccolo u.f.o. ..." 


In the US there is the expression "to pound sand", but it is not that
common, and won't be found in the dictionary.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E3D6123BF932A05750C0A9649C8B63
Joe from Massachusetts