Welcome one and all to a new series of super short videos I like to call the English to English Translator. In this series I'll be talking about things and concepts that have different names or work differently in the United States and United Kingdom. Today's topic is... ...chips. What are chips, exactly? The only real point that people from different sides of the bond can concur on is that they tend to be made from potatoes and deep fried. But, depending on what side of the bond you're on, the word chips can refer to multiple different foodstuffs, so when an American and a Brit walk into a bar, the conversation about potato-based snacking can get rather confusing for all concerned. So I'm going to clear up all this confusion in as simple a way as I can. In the United States, chips means very thin slices of potato fried until crispy. This is also what they're called in France, as well as many German-speaking and former Yugoslav territories. On the other hand, in the UK, the same snack is called crisps, and I'm not 100% sure of any other countries call it that because I didn't really have time to research it. More I can the comments will find that out. In the UK, chips means long strips of potato, typically deep fried and served with salt. In America, these are called French fries, or just fries for short. In France, the dish is referred to as pom-frit, or just fleet, and Germany has also loan-worded this phrase in German by the pronunciation to pom-fritz. There is a reason I mention this, and it's because pom-fritz has also made its way back into English, both as another term for fries, or UK chips, and also as a specific method of preparing the dish, sometimes called Belgian-style pom-fritz, or simply Belgian fries. In addition to this, there are actually some specific contexts where in the UK, the American name is used verbatim. For instance, the products known as curly fries and waffle fries in the United States are referred to by the same name in the UK. Similarly, fast food places and restaurants tend to refer to the product by its American name even in the UK, and as a result, fries has come to specifically mean American-style thin-cut fries of the sort served in those fast food restaurants. And similarly, as to the word crisps, while what the Americans call potato chips are typically referred to as crisps in the UK, corn chips like Doritos are often marketed as tortilla chips, as opposed to tortilla crisps. I could only find one example of the British name being used in the US, namely in the context of Fishing Chips, which is known in America by the same name as it is in the UK. Again, do leave a comment if I've missed any examples. As an afterthought, I will say this too. There does appear to be a very slight difference between the British chip and the American fry. A fry is normally thin, rather crispy, has a rough exterior and salt is usually added immediately after leaving the fries so that it sticks to the product. Chips, on the other hand, are typically thicker, fluffier on the inside than fry, typically have a smoother exterior, and doesn't usually have salt added until their dry already. Also, they seem to go better with vinegar than fries. I have an idea where I might go to a few fast food places in the UK and see if I can determine if what they serve is a chip or a fry, but that's a video for another time. Ideally, when the UK isn't under lockdown. So I hope that this little video has cleared up some confusion and the in-now-know-your-chips from your fries. If you've any further questions, just drop them in the comments and thank you all for watching. Be sure to like, share and subscribe and ding the little bell, since less than 5% of my viewer base is actually subscribed, so it would mean a lot. Also, contrary to popular belief, I do upload just rather slowly. Thank you very much for watching this video and I'll see you all next time. Ta-ta!