Bull vs. Ox and Holiday vs. Vacation

[Ducklet Cat]

Hello,

1- Are bulls and oxen the same? Are two words used interchangeably or what?

2- What is the difference between holiday and vacation?


Thanks

 

[Anglika]

#1 Oxen are castrated male cattle and are often used to pull carts; Bulls are uncastrated male cattle used for breeding more cattle..

#2 No difference in themselves. The UK takes holidays; the US takes/has vacations.

 

[Ouisch]

In AmE, a holiday is a special day of remembrance or celebration, such as Christmas or Memorial Day. A vacation is time taken off from work or school and relaxing or perhaps traveling, for example: "We spent our summer vacation at Disney World." "My kids did all the cooking and house cleaning on my birthday - I felt like I was on vacation!"

 

[BobK]

...
#2 No difference in themselves. The UK takes holidays; the US takes/has vacations.

In AmE, a holiday is a special day of remembrance or celebration, such as Christmas or Memorial Day. A vacation is time taken off from work or school and relaxing or perhaps traveling, for example: "We spent our summer vacation at Disney World." "My kids did all the cooking and house cleaning on my birthday - I felt like I was on vacation!"

When I worked for a multi-national firm, we used both - with a conflation of these two meanings. Christmas Day was a 'holiday', because everyone was out of the office - as was the "Early Spring Bank Holiday" (for example). 'Vacation' was those days that an individual chose to take off.
(I don't know if this is a widely-recognized distinction, but it seems to me a useful one.)

b

 

[Ducklet Cat]

Thanks dear friends