Re: Bus boys: two nations divided by a common language

[Art Protin <protin@USL.COM>]

Nick Nicholas <nsn@MULLIAN.EE.MU.OZ.AU> quotes & comments

> To Matthew Faupel respond I thus:
>
> #JC: Now I have discovered that the proper British equivalent is
> #JC: "commis waiter" (rhymes with "Tommy").  I got this from a neat
> #JC: little book by Norman Moss, a Briton raised/reared in the U.S.,
> #JC: called >British/American LanguageDictionary< (no flames about
> #JC:  that title, please).
> #Never heard of "commis waiter" in my life I'm afraid - I'd have a
> #better chance of understanding "bus boy" than that.
>
> Me neither. In this country, that's what waiters do...

The difference between waiters and busboys is
waiters wait on customers, in ways like taking orders, bringing
        food, bringing the bill, etc;
busboys "bus" the tables, cleaning away the plates, utensils,
        change the linens, layout a clean setup, but rarely do
        busboys deal directly with customers.

    thank you all,
    Arthur Protin


Arthur Protin <protin@usl.com>
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