Hi Maisie It could be due to the many methods of communication we have these days (TV etc), but I would say most Brits would know what a Rammy is or refers to I have never ever heard the word rambunctious, I presumed it was a misspelling of rumbustious and the OED seems to back that up Certainly some very old words have been retained in the US when the rest of the world in the main have moved on, the use of grand uncle or aunt springs to mind but in this case it appears the US has taken a word and altered it, presumable through mishearing or misspelling at some point in time, as Anne said it appears to have its earliest recording as 1830 Not that I think its that important in the great scheme of things but interesting to see how words & phrases mutate over time and space Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 30/11/2015 15:46, Maisie Egger via wrote: > More: Just as rammy is an unheard of word on this side of the pond (USA), > rambunctious is a very common word to describe unruly, loud and noisy > people, particularly children. I have no recollection of questioning the > word or its use when I first came to the the USA. I just 'knew' what was > meant within the context of what was being said. America seems to have > retained some older words and phrases that are no longer used elsewhere, as > well as lots and lots of made up ones as language continues to be fluid. > (How I loathe tech words such as 'message me,' instead of 'send me a > message'!) > > https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rambunctious > > (Informal - chiefly Canada and USA) > > Maisie --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus