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.

[SimonJT]

@BowlerHatPowerHat

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

Its the same in the US, I lived in San Fran for a short time, if I referred to myself as Asian people would often look confused (I’m Pakistani).

[Smidge001]

@MrsMariaReynolds I'm English and would use the term 'bummer' to mean exactly the same as you. Ie a disappointment, or to mean 'what a shame'. For example, if I told someone that I went all the way to the shops but by the time I arrived, they had just closed... A perfectly normal response here in England would be to say 'bummer'.

Are you mixing up bummer with 'bummed'? Which can mean scamming a freebie off someone (eg "I bummed a cigarette off jo")

I can't think of any dodgy connotations to the phrase.... Im guessing you think it has something to do with gay men but i'm really not convinced.

[FestiveFruitloop]

The main ones I can think of are 'pissed', 'bum' and 'fanny' UK versus US usage. Easy to get in trouble with those.

[ImAllOut]

[quote Smidge001]@MrsMariaReynolds I'm English and would use the term 'bummer' to mean exactly the same as you. Ie a disappointment, or to mean 'what a shame'. For example, if I told someone that I went all the way to the shops but by the time I arrived, they had just closed... A perfectly normal response here in England would be to say 'bummer'.

Are you mixing up bummer with 'bummed'? Which can mean scamming a freebie off someone (eg "I bummed a cigarette off jo")

I can't think of any dodgy connotations to the phrase.... Im guessing you think it has something to do with gay men but i'm really not convinced.[/quote]
Yes I would think the gay men connotation too, I've heard people use that word as "banter".

As a PP said, I didn't realise 'now, in a minute' was contradictory until it became quite widely publicised through Gavin and Stacey, I didn't even realise how often I said it until my husband pointed it out.

[NwaNaija]

@SimonJT

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?

Oh I get you! Don't get me started on this. I had a whole post typed after reading @LaceyBetty's post because it reminded me of something similar to what s/he wrote and yours now too but my post sounded too much like a rant and I didn't want to take it there. 😂

[NwaNaija]

To be clear, the post wasn't aimed at LaceyBetty. I was just reminded of something after reading his/her post.

[bongsuhan]

This sums up British (?) English use:
teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-31-at-21.05.18.png

[NwaNaija]

Haha! This is very similar to the ranty post I decided against.

"Do you want to scoot over so x can sit there?" - meaning "Scoot over, you have no choice. This isn't really a request. You musn't say no".


Anyway, we use 'wicked' meaning evil/bad-hearted but have heard it here used to mean "awesome'.

[SpaceBlanket]

I've heard "fresh" be used as an insult in London - as in "fresh off the boat"

[WeeDangerousSpike]

I went on holiday to Scotland several years ago and was completely confused by a server in mcdonalds asking me if I wanted my food 'just now'. To me that meant in the past, just a minute ago, I genuinely couldn't figure out what she was saying! It took about two more instances, which added to context, before I realised they meant 'now' or 'asap' (I think, I still might not have it right!) also stay/live and outwith.

[wellthatsunusual]

@Dilbertian

I had a Scottish junior colleague who used to ask me "Will I do xyz?" I was very puzzled - I don't know, I'm not a prophet! Until I eventually understood that she used 'will' for 'shall/should'.

I had no idea this was not standard English. I'm not Scottish, I'm from N Ireland, but where I'm from we speak very similarly to Scottish people. I've always said 'will I?' I honestly don't think I have ever used the word 'shall' in my life. I have an English colleague who uses the word 'shall' and now that you mention it, it's always really noticeable that none of the rest of us use it.

I got my arse handed to me on a plate on Mumsnet once for saying I was 'affronted'. Affronted here means embarrassed, I have never heard it used in any other context and didn't know that it's not how it is used elsewhere.

[NwaNaija]

I also used 'Will I' but it changed somewhere along the line (don't even know when) because dd, being raised here, always said "Shall I?" I've just tried saying "Will I " and it sounds so strange to me now.

I also thought affronted was more like confronted/attacked (not necessarily violently) than embarrassed.

[ConfusedcomMum]

@SpaceBlanket

I've heard "fresh" be used as an insult in London - as in "fresh off the boat"

As a Londoner, I can confirm this is true. AKA 'Freshies' or 'Fresh pot'.

[JustWatch]

You ones/all - plural for you I don’t know many people who don’t attempt to elaborate on the plural you a bit further. I don’t think you serves the singular and the plural adequately.
Scots say it’s fine and mean refined/exceptional/excellent - everyone else means it’ll do.
Love the way the Aussies use ordinary - as in its a bit basic as my kids would say.

[EileenGC]

In Spain we call the flu 'gripe' and the cold 'resfriado'. In Mexico (and maybe other Latin countries?) the flu is 'resfriado' and a cold, 'gripa'.

This led to a lot of confusion with a previous Mexican housemate. He'd come out of his room saying 'oh, I've got 'gripa' (that's flu for me), my nose is so runny today'. I couldn't understand why he was describing cold symptoms when talking about the flu and viceversa. He once asked me if I'd gotten the cold vaccine. I was really confused as I'd never heard of one before

[EileenGC]

I'd also love for the English language to have a formal 'you'. Or even better, for all other languages to drop theirs!

It's strange when I mostly speak in English with someone who back home (Spain) I'd refer to as usted instead of tu. There is only you which in my mind will only ever translate to tu, so to me we have an informal relationship and I don't need to formalise your pronoun and verbs when talking to you. Then we're in a group and for whatever reason we need to switch to Spanish, French or German and I'm constantly making a fool out of myself. People think I can't speak neither language properly as I keep switching between the formal and informal you.

[Bairnsmum05]

I never knew that "will I" and "just now" were so unusual elsewhere 😂 one I've seen recently and had confused me. Scottish people would say mortified meaning embarrassed however some English people have used it differently.

[powershowerforanhour]

Sometimes here in NI you hear "annoyed" to mean "sad".

Never got the American "I could care less", which doesn't make sense.

[pallisers]

Great thread.

Where I'm from in Ireland we use "your man" (well pronounced yer man usually) to denote someone we are about to talk about. I was in the US and we had a major incident during a program I was running for our CEO because of sexist talk from a Texan guy (imagine!) favoured by the previous CEO. In discussions about how to respond I said to the CEO "well the problem about your man is ..." and he interupted me to say "Pallisers he is not MY man"

In the US they also say 10 off to mean ten to when saying time. Well at least I think they do. almost 30 years in and I still have to ask for clarification.

I have never heard affronted used to mean anything other than insulted/annoyed.

[Cherryberrypies]

This has made me howl as I had a Scottish colleague who use to ask me if I stayed near work and I use to say yeah at my boyfriends house. But you’ve just made me realise what she meant. I just thought she was really invested in my sleeping arrangements as she asked me a few times.

[Cherryberrypies]

@Cherryberrypies

This has made me howl as I had a Scottish colleague who use to ask me if I stayed near work and I use to say yeah at my boyfriends house. But you’ve just made me realise what she meant. I just thought she was really invested in my sleeping arrangements as she asked me a few times.

@0blio I did quote your comment but it didn’t work for some reason

[Joolsin]

@pallisers

Great thread.

Where I'm from in Ireland we use "your man" (well pronounced yer man usually) to denote someone we are about to talk about. I was in the US and we had a major incident during a program I was running for our CEO because of sexist talk from a Texan guy (imagine!) favoured by the previous CEO. In discussions about how to respond I said to the CEO "well the problem about your man is ..." and he interupted me to say "Pallisers he is not MY man"

In the US they also say 10 off to mean ten to when saying time. Well at least I think they do. almost 30 years in and I still have to ask for clarification.

I have never heard affronted used to mean anything other than insulted/annoyed.

And "your one/yer wan" to refer to a random woman!

[LadyJaye]

As a Scot, my hackles are raised by this idea of 'UK English'.

Modern Scots is practically a language apart from English (I give you 'outwith' as an example), not to mention the myriad dialects therein: somebody from Ayrshire speaks very differently to somebody from Aberdeenshire, or Orkney.

Furthermore, I think most Mancs/Scousers/Geordies etc would get quite het up at the thought of being classed as 'English' speakers.

Also, in Scots, we have a plural pronoun: it's 'yous'. Works fine.

[JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn]

Pissed in US is angry, in UK it means you're drunk.

Fag in UK is a cigarette, in US it means you're gay.

Saying twat in US is akin to saying c**t.

[Rathmobhaile]

I'm Irish and apparently it's not the thing to say to your new American employer "I went out last night and had some great craic".

I agree about if an Irish person says "I will yeah" to something you've asked them to do they have no intention of doing it. You have to watch for the tone it's said nit the actual words!