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Do you tend to say "can" or "tin? Is this a regional thing? (feddit.uk)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by VioletTeacup@feddit.uk to c/askuk@feddit.uk

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I'm a southerner, but recently noticed I'm the only one who seems to say "tin" rather than "can". I think I got it from my Dad, who's from Birmingham. Meanwhile, my Mum (from Winchester) prefers "can".

Which do you/people in your area tend to prefer and is this a regional thing?

EDIT: It has come to my attention that I should probably have been more specific. I'm talking about the container that beans, soup, and other foodstuffs are sold in, not the many other uses for both of these words. Thanks for all the wonderful comments though, they gave me a good laugh!

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[–] Manfredolin@feddit.de 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think you tinnot use them interchanebly at all

[–] ZeroSkill_Sorry@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one thinking about that. I thought maybe it was a colloquialism I was unfamiliar with, like finna (up till 5 years ago, I had no idea that was a word).

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 8 points 1 year ago

Dialects are weird, right? But, personally, if I'm referring to the fictional Belgian adventurer I say tin; if it's the French burlesque dance routine it's can.

[–] rubikcuber@feddit.uk 7 points 1 year ago

Edinburgh calling. Food comes in tins. Juice comes in cans. Yes, you heard me.

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/scottish-people-refer-to-all-fizzy-drinks-as-juice-20160219106399

[–] Skua@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Tin: probably food but can be a drink if specified
Can: probably a drink but can be food if specified
Tinnie: beer

[–] Patch@feddit.uk 6 points 1 year ago

I switch between the two fairly freely. Pretty much always can for drink, but I think I marginally favour tin for food.

I'm in Swindon, which has a fairly mongrel West Country-meets-London-meets-Midlands accent, which probably explains the prevalence of both.

[–] peter@feddit.uk 5 points 1 year ago

I think I use both interchangably with no logic behind it

[–] Mane25@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago

Usually tin of food, can of drink. But only with about 80% consistency; sometimes I swap them. I'm from the south-east.

[–] TheNumberOfGeese@feddit.uk 3 points 1 year ago

Not quite a direct answer, but since watching Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, we've enjoyed referring to things in tins/cans as trapped potatoes, trapped beans etc.

[–] MuckleWiggles@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

I'll have a tin of spam, a tin of beans and wash that bad boy down with a can of McEwan's Export.

[–] GoodKingElliot@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

American expat in Scotland. I say can. But I understand tin.

[–] Blake@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

I’m from South-West Scotland, and I’d say tin for drinks and for food. A metallic container of Coca-Cola is “a tin of juice”.

[–] Christopher@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I can I can't??

[–] snake_case@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

I'm assuming this is about drinks rather than a tin of baked beans, but yeah as a southerner it's a can if it's thinner metal drinks container.