Bob Norman wrote:
>
> David-M wrote:
>
> > Bus is actually a contraction of omnibus, and van is a contraction of
> > caravan.
> > In Britain they call luxury buses 'coaches'.
> > Actually, if you give your ??? a name, you can avoid the whole thing and
> > just say 'lets go in Delilah' or whatever.
>
> I thought that a Caravan was a trailer, ie: a non-motorized camper that
> you tow behind your automobile.  What would you call a motor home? Do
> you have those big ol' things? I was in England for a couple of months
> during the summer of '92 and don't recall seeing one.
>
Yes, you are right about the current meaning of 'caravan' in Britain,
but the origin of the word 'van' is still caravan.
I don't think they have big motor homes there. Where would you go in one
and where would you park it?
I know they used to call the station wagons with the wood ('woody'
here), a 'shooting brake'. I think it was because they were used to
transport hunting parties.
Camping is not that popular in Britain due to the lousy weather.