Why do they call it a yard?

The term, yard derives from the Old English gerd, gyrd etc., which was used for branches, staves and measuring rods. It is first attested in the late 7th century laws of Ine of Wessex, where the "yard of land" mentioned is the yardland, an old English unit of tax assessment equal to 1⁄4 hide.

Why is a yard called a yard?

A yard was originally the length of a man's belt or girdle. In the 12th century, King Henry I of England fixed the yard as the distance from his nose to the thumb of his outstretched arm. A yardstick is equal to one yard or 3 feet. An rectangular football field measures 100 yards between the goal lines.

Why do Americans call their garden a yard?

Because in the US garden is a cultivated patch of flowers or food crops, and yard is generally a grassy lawn or an uncultivated expanse. Now go drink your tea, I'll make some coffee. In America, we call our grass/flower space a yard. The British call it a garden.

What do they call a yard in UK?

In the suburbs, yards are generally much larger and have room for such amenities as a patio, a playplace for children, or a swimming pool. In British English, these areas would usually be described as a garden, similarly subdivided into a front garden and a back garden.

Where did the term back yard come from?

The word is sometimes hyphenated, back-yard, or spelled as two separate words. It's been in use since the 1600s, combining back and yard, from the Old English geard, "enclosure, garden, or court."

What Is The 1000 Yard Stare?

Do British people say yard?

In both British and American English, a yard is an area of ground attached to a house. In British English, it is a small area behind a house, with a hard surface and usually a wall round it.

What do Brits call a garden?

In British English, a garden is a piece of land next to a house, with flowers, vegetables, other plants, and often grass. In American English, the usual word is yard, and a garden refers only to land which is used for growing flowers and vegetables.

Why is garden called garden?

Etymology. The etymology of the word gardening refers to enclosure: it is from Middle English gardin, from Anglo-French gardin, jardin, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German gard, gart, an enclosure or compound, as in Stuttgart.

Does garden mean yard in England?

In the UK, a garden is what's called a yard in the US — any bit of land just outside of a house. The phrase "garden variety" means "ordinary:" "Oh he's just a garden variety mixed-breed dog, nothing fancy."

What is a yard in London slang?

Yard – your house. Younger – a sibling, someone younger than you. As in, 'come here, younger. '

Why do Brits like gardening?

Others enjoy gardening because plants can brighten up a home or a garden (63 per cent) or find it therapeutic to watch something grow. And 66 per cent want to do more fruit and vegetable growing from seeds and plants to keep themselves fed.

Is Lawn British or American?

Etymology. Lawn is a cognate of Welsh llan which is derived from the Common Brittonic word landa (Old French: lande) that originally meant heath, barren land, or clearing.

Is a garden British English or American English?

In British English, a garden is a piece of land next to a house , with flowers, vegetables , other plants, and often grass . In American English, the usual word is → yard , and a garden refers only to land which is used for growing flowers and vegetables.

Why is 12 inches called a foot?

Here is what our units were based on:

The measurement we use today called “foot” is 12 inches long and was actually the length of King Henry I's foot. The inch was the length of 3 grains of barley end-to-end or the width of a man's thumb. The length between someone's outstretched arms was called a fathom.

How did a foot become 12 inches?

Originally both the Greeks and the Romans subdivided the foot into 16 digits, but in later years, the Romans also subdivided the foot into 12 unciae (from which both the English words "inch" and "ounce" are derived).

Why is an inch an inch?

The unit derives from the Old English ince, or ynce, which in turn came from the Latin unit uncia, which was “one-twelfth” of a Roman foot, or pes. (The Latin word uncia was the source of the name of another English unit, the ounce.)

Do British houses have backyards?

What are British houses like? British houses vary a lot in their appearance but many British houses have gardens, with both front and back outdoor spaces. Gardens can range from small courtyards to large plots of land with landscaping, lawns, and outdoor living areas.

Do houses in England have backyards?

While buildings opening directly onto a street may not have a front garden, most will have some space at the back, however small; the exception being back-to-back houses found in northern industrial towns in England such as Leeds, but now mostly demolished.

Why is it called the Garden of England?

Kent is sometimes known as the "Garden of England" for its abundance of orchards and hop gardens. In particular the county produces tree-grown fruits, strawberries and hazelnuts. Distinctive hop-drying buildings called oasts are common in the countryside, although many have been converted into dwellings.

What is garden in the Bible?

The four gardens include the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden of Golgotha, and the Garden of God. Each garden is distinct in of itself and yet each one describes your position with Christ. Each garden also serves a particular role in God's eternal plan for mankind.

What do Americans call a garden Centre?

A garden centre (Commonwealth English spelling; U.S. nursery or garden center) is a retail operation that sells plants and related products for the domestic garden as its primary business.

What is the Old English word for gardener?

From Middle English gardener, either calqued or loaned from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French gardinier. See garden, and compare German Gärtner (“gardener”), which is equivalent to a derivative of the German cognate to English garden, Garten (“garden”), + -er. Displaced native Old English wyrtweard.

What are garden people called?

On this page you'll find 12 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to gardener, such as: grower, horticulturist, caretaker, greenskeeper, landscaper, and nurseryman.

What do British call nail polish?

Nail polish (also known as nail varnish in British English or nail enamel) is a lacquer that can be applied to the human fingernail or toenails to decorate and protect the nail plates.

What do Brits call a kitchen?

The good news here is that American and British English use the same words to describe most of the rooms in a house: bathroom, bedroom, dining room and kitchen.