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!
It’s always a tin of beans, but it could be a can of soup…
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.
I call them tins when I want to sound British, personally.
I think I use both interchangably with no logic behind it
Tin of beans
Can of beer
This is the way.
Can of drink and tin of food … this is the way
Can of beans and a tinny?
Tin of beans and a canny
(Not really)
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.
Usually tin of food, can of drink. But only with about 80% consistency; sometimes I swap them. I’m from the south-east.
Bowie sat in a tin can
I think you tinnot use them interchanebly at all
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).
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.
I always use tins for cupboard food like beans, soup, and tinned tomatoes. For cans of pop or beer I use cans normally but sometimes I use tins. Sometimes up here in the north east you’ll hear people refer to tins of beer as tinnies.
Tin: probably food but can be a drink if specified
Can: probably a drink but can be food if specified
Tinnie: beerEdinburgh calling. Food comes in tins. Juice comes in cans. Yes, you heard me.
I’ll have a tin of spam, a tin of beans and wash that bad boy down with a can of McEwan’s Export.
American expat in Scotland. I say can. But I understand tin.
