"Prang the car" Vs "Write the car off"...

[Mehrgan]

Hi,
Are these two verbs the only terms used with accidents? How about the most common verbs?

May I have some examples of how the two verbs or their nouns are used?

So many thanks in advance.

[Ouisch]

"Prang" is strictly BrE. I guarantee you that at least 98 percent of AmE speakers would not understand what was meant by "prang the car." The most common term in AmE when a car has been involved in an accident and is beyond repair is that the vehicle has been "totaled." It is understood that when a car has been "totaled" that the insurance company will "write the car off."

[5jj]

"Prang" is strictly BrE. I guarantee you that at least 98 percent of AmE speakers would not understand what was meant by "prang the car."

A fair number of speakers of BrE wouldn't understand it nowadays, either. If someoneone of my advanced age uses it, s/he is likely to cause a raised eyebrow.|

[SoothingDave]

Is that conjugated the normal way, pring/prang/prung?

[Johnson_F]

'Prang' is a regular -ed verb.

[BobK]

A fair number of speakers of BrE wouldn't understand it nowadays, either. If someoneone of my advanced age uses it, s/he is likely to cause a raised eyebrow.|

Captain Bigglesworth used to prang Sopwith Camels. (Biggles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

I have heard it used more recently, but as a noun (euphemistic: 'I had a bit of a prang on the way to work, but there were only a few scratches.' Even that sounds a bit dated though.)

b

[BobK]

To answer the original question, there's an expression that I think spread from the world of Formula 1: 'to have a shunt'

b

PS And when several cars are involved (on a motorway, say) it's 'a pile-up'.

[Mehrgan]

To answer the original question, there's an expression that I think spread from the world of Formula 1: 'to have a shunt'

b

Thanks. Is "to get a shunt" the most (or one of the most common terms) used in BrE? I suppose as one of dear posters put above, "totalled" is commonly used in AmE. Cheers!

[BobK]

Have - see my last post (to which I've added a PS).

b

[Tdol]

Is "to get a shunt" the most (or one of the most common terms) used in BrE?

Get shunted is used in BrE.