What are some of the phrases or terms used in your culture that you've seen used differently in other cultures?

[NwaNaija]

Following this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3988409-Why-is-Mummy-Daddy-considered-posh-Other-cultural-differences?pg=1,
I think this question was buried under the first post so I'm making a new thread for it.

What phrases or terms do you use in one country/culture but means something else in another country/culture?

I'll paste the responses I can remember seeing on that thread, including my posts on it. Sorry I have too much time on my hands and enjoy conversations on cultural differences and similarities.

In Ireland, "I got sick" refers to vomiting, "I was/am sick" means any kind of illness. We don't use the word "poorly" to refer to feeling unwell.

Also, if you ask an Irish person to do something and they say "I will, yeah", that means they won't do it - well not immediately anyway.

Ha! That one reminds me of the Welsh "I'll do it now, in a minute" 😆

Americans use ‘momentarily’ to mean ‘in a moment’

‘Momentarily, dinner will be served.’

Brits use it to mean ‘for a moment’.

‘He paused momentarily to clear his throat.’

In Swahili, one phrase for going to the toilet translates literally as 'help yourself'. In some parts of Kenya, the English phrase 'help yourself' carries the same meaning - one friend (in Kenya) had guests round and served a buffet dinner. Her guests were very bemused when she invited them to help themselves....

My favourite one I've discovered after years of living here in the UK (am originally American) is HOMELY.

In the UK, it's a complement to call something homely (cosy and comfortable). But in America, it's a huge insult (butt ugly).

Another one I've only recently come to discover is bummer. In America, a bummer is simply "a disappointment." Obviously, it has a much MUCH different meaning here.

@HeLa1

Also Nigerian, it was a shock to learn that saying “I’m through” to mean I’ve completed a task wasn’t really a done thing in the uk

Omo/Nwanne/etc, I just dey hail o!

@HeLa1 Forgot to @

In portuguese there is a formal "you".

It always got stuck in my throat having to call my university course director "you"! Always felt like I was referring to him like a kid in the street or my school friend

Oh and PUSH means PULL!!! (spelled puxe but exact same sound)

I always have to try a door both ways

I had a long conversation once with a Dundonian once about the difference between “no affy weel” and “affy no weel” in English this would be “not awfully well” and “awfully not well” the first meaning a bit under the weather, the second a terrible possibly terminal diagnosis (important to understand the difference!)

@Goingtothebudgies

England: I live in London. Scotland: I stay in Edinburgh.

I once asked an English colleague if she stayed near the town centre. She looked confused then said, "er, sometimes? "

In Spain people will repeat offers of food and drink at least 3 times, so the polite thing if you don’t know someone very well is to say no first and wait for them to insist.
In many other countries this will result in no repeat offer and you will end up thirsty/hungry and feeling like a bit of an idiot 😄

I once had a Scottish flatmate who would use "just now" to mean "right now." To me (SE England) "just now" means "just a moment ago."

@Miljea, 'dreckly' is just the same in parts of East Anglia.

I spent time in southern Africa, where someone saying, 'Mr Mokete is late' doesn't mean that Mr Mokete is delayed. It means that Mr Mokete is dead.

@NeedToKnow101

Jerk

Firs time I heard about Jerk Chicken was in the UK. I found it really funny each time I heard it because I was already familiar with people in the US using 'Jerk' as an insult. 'Poor chicken', I thought.

An American boyfriend irritated me by saying 'I don't care', when given a choice. I was brought up to think 'Don't care was made to care!' and found him unappreciative and rude. Turned out he was being obliging, 'I don't mind'.

And I'm Welsh, and had no idea 'now, in a minute' was at all contradictory, and that things weren't to be found 'by there'.

Not phrases.

But where I’m from there is no need to be dishonest or avoid an issue, I sometimes find British people I don’t know hard to understand because it is quite common for people to avoid saying what they actually mean.

I just don’t get why some people avoid saying what they actually mean.

Like “I don’t mind” actually means “I really do mind” well why not just say that?

Always cracks me up when a book refers to an American man putting on his pants and suspenders. Very different look in the UK! Confused me a lot when young.

@Joolsin

In Ireland, "I got sick" refers to vomiting, "I was/am sick" means any kind of illness. We don't use the word "poorly" to refer to feeling unwell.

Also, if you ask an Irish person to do something and they say "I will, yeah", that means they won't do it - well not immediately anyway.

In Nig. too, "I'm sick" means I'm unwell/ill and nothing to do with vomiting. We just say vomit/vomitting/vomitted or threw up if that happened.

Also "poorly" (without context) at first sounded like someone talking about being poor or doing something badly and nothing to do with being ill.

@bathorshower

In Swahili, one phrase for going to the toilet translates literally as 'help yourself'. In some parts of Kenya, the English phrase 'help yourself' carries the same meaning - one friend (in Kenya) had guests round and served a buffet dinner. Her guests were very bemused when she invited them to help themselves....

😂😂

One that comes up on here is the Scottish use of ignorant to mean rude as in 'she was ignorant' meaning 'she was rude'

@DelurkingAJ

I would like a plural version of ‘you’ in the UK. I find it difficult when someone says (pre COVID!) ‘would you like to...’ is that just me? Me and DH? Me, DH and DC? And if you ask them and it was just me then I feel like I’m fishing for a wider invitation! Argh!

"You" is the plural (or formal) version. The singular (or informal) is "thee".

For me it's the word "Twat". Where I was brought up, it had two meanings. "To hit" or a mild "don't be a silly sausage" type meaning. Really jokey and not at all offensive.
Where I live now it's considered really offensive.

@Witchend same here - moved away for uni and used it during my first week in a packed student union bar and I swear there was a huge intake of breath and the place went silent!! I really had no idea what I had said!!!

Asian: in the UK means Pakistani, Indian and there abouts.
In NZ and Oz it means Japanese, Chinese and thereabouts.