phrases - Difference between "On your mark, get set, go" and "Ready, steady, go"


Watching Kipper with my son tonight, I was struck by the phrase "Ready, steady, go!" I don't often hear this sequence. In my upbringing, it has been mostly "On your mark, get set, go!"


I had thought the difference might be between British English and North American English, but when I search for "Ready Steady Go," I get a whole lot of unrelated hits related to music.


Is there a regional preference in the usage of these phrases to start a race, or are they perhaps associated with particular sports?



Answer



The Oxford learner's dictionary does indicate that there is a dialect difference for ready, steady, go (see idioms):



ready, steady, go! (BRITISH ENGLISH) (also (get) ready, (get) set, go NORTH AMERICAN ENGLISH, BRITISH ENGLISH) what you say to tell people to start a race



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