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.

[NiceGerbil]

A couple from Mumsnet which has more USA posters now.

Getting really annoyed and insisting that people shouldn't use the words

Fag (cigarette)
Thug (apparently racist connotations in USA)
There was another one the other day but I've forgotten what it was!

People from UK saying yeah but it doesn't mean that here weren't listened to at all. It's a UK website! Annoying.

[alexdgr8]

somebody on a previous thread was quite rude to me when i said that i had just discovered that americans consider oriental to be a racist term.
i found this strange, as it does not have that connotation here in london. a prestigious college is named, the school of oriental and african studies. many overseas students come/came ! to study there. including from the far east.
i can't see what's wrong with it. it just means eastern.
if words have changed their meaning or acceptability, then there should be some official list or something.
i like scottish and irish usage, but it can be puzzling.
when i was a child in hosp, an irish nurse was very severe and said i was bold, which pleased and puzzled me, as i was bed-bound and couldn't move my legs. to me it meant robin hood, bold and brave. but she was cross and scolding. difficult time.

[BluebellsGreenbells]

‘Fine’ to mean not fine


Biggest pet hate at the moment ‘need suggestions for x hit me with them’

Hit me? Why are we changing the language?

[Miljea]

Interested in the Scottish use of 'yous' as a plural to 'you'.

You hear it in Australia, too, but far more commonly in rural areas.

My ILs used to say 'Hooray', as in HOO-ray, meaning 'goodbye'. Also, they'd describe a tame animal as being 'quiet'.

[ScandiCrimeFan]

In my part of Sweden, you can use the wording ‘to be permitted’ to mean making a good/right decision. So I might say ‘it was freezing outside, so I was permitted to wear my hat’ (meaning the cold weather ‘permitted’ the use of a hat).

My friends from the south used to take the piss out of this, and ask who gave this permission to wear a hat. My parents? The Government?

[JustWatch]

@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.

Twat and cunt mean the same thing here too or do you mean the reaction you get from saying twat in the US it is the same saying cunt.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

I once read a novel that had been imperfectly ‘translated’ from American English. ‘He patted her fanny as he went past,’ was one ‘gem’.
(The book was rubbish, too.).

[NwaNaija]

Nigerians say 'Can you imagine?!' to be mean something like 'Unbelievable!' or 'What the heck?!'

Also 'I'm coming' means both 'I'm on my way to you this minute' and 'I'll be there later'. They could be walking away and still say 'I'm coming' which means 'Give me a minute' or 'l'll be back shortly'.

[pinbinpin]

that's how I use "Can you imagine?" And I am not Nigerian.

Indian colleagues of mine say "please revert" for please reply/please let me know when revert to me means "put back as it was"

[NwaNaija]

@BluebellsGreenbells

‘Fine’ to mean not fine

Biggest pet hate at the moment ‘need suggestions for x hit me with them’

Hit me? Why are we changing the language?

Lol ...Ones I've heard mostly in American movies and from American Youtubers.

'Hit me/you up' means Call me/you.
'Beat my face' means Apply make up to my face.
'Pull up' - Approach someone for a fight.

[FunnyItWorkedLastTime]

I am familiar with “please revert” to mean “get back to me”/“respond”. It’s corporate rather than Indian IMO, although it’s a bit ridiculous because surely “respond” is a perfectly good existing word.

[janaus50s]

Aussie plural of you is ‘youse’. Lol

[JustWatchMe]

Plural of you in rural Northern Ireland - is y'oons - a contracted version of you ones.

[Insert1x20p]

South African friends used to say they were going to do something" just now", meaning"in a while". That led to some confusion between us

ha- yes! If they want to say they'll do it immediately they say "now now"

In HK we are the land of the "la" so if you want to emphasise something you just say la on the end- it also sort of means "isn't it?", so you might see a puppy and say "so cute la". Most commonly used as "Ok la" which pretty much just means "ok". It's basically a national tic.

[weebarra]

I do love 'outwith' as a word.

[LakeGeneva]

The Scottish 'how' confuses people. As in 'how d'you mean' = 'what d'you mean?' Also blank looks from the English when you talk about 'clapping the dog' - we're not applauding it; we're stroking it.

[LakeGeneva]

Just thought of another Scottish 'how' - it can also mean 'why'. Eg 'how do you think that? ' = 'why do you think that?'

[LizzieAnt]

'How d'you mean?' also means 'What do you mean?' where I am in the South of Ireland.
'How come?' means ''Why?'

[NiceGerbil]

How do you mean has spread you hear that in London a lot

[TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot]

The Scottish 'how' confuses people. As in 'how d'you mean' = 'what d'you mean?' Also blank looks from the English when you talk about 'clapping the dog' - we're not applauding it; we're stroking it.

That reminds me of my Scottish former flatmate telling me a story about how a boy she knew when she was young gave her dog a round of applause when he was told he could clap him if he liked. She thought it was a really funny story about how daft the boy was. My reaction was what else was he supposed to do when told to clap?

"How do you mean?" is used in England too, but I don't think it has quite the same meaning as "what do you mean?" More like "what do you mean and why?"

'How come?' means ''Why?'
That's commonly used in England too.

[TramaDollface]

Calling me a cunt or a fanny would be totally ok

[Madamfrog]

'You' is the plural though, originally - the singular is thou. In fact in English you are super-formal and say vous/Sie/usted etc to everyone including animals

[MadamBatty]

I’m Ireland, young fella or young one for a boy or girl.

[NwaNaija]

'How come?' means ''Why?'

This is us too. [ grin]

Also, I've always wondered why 'clapping the anything or anyone ' means applauding that thing/person. I thought it's always been 'clapping for anything/anyone'.

Same with 'shouting me' instead of 'shouting at me'.

I haven't heard this everywhere though. Mostly online.

[oneglassandpuzzled]

@StrictlyAFemaleFemale

Danes sometimes ask me (when theyre trying to be nice and speaking english to me) if Im feeling fresh which Ive always thought meant cheeky, sometimes with sexual undertones. 'Dont get fresh with me'. In Danish it means are you refreshed and ready to start the day/work/meeting or whatever.

I've heard Scottish friends (Glasgow) use fresh in the same way. But back in the late eighties.