Strange American sayings from an English Perspective

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  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Do other people use the phrase the *kitten* hole of no where to describe, in somewhat derogratory terms somewhere small/out of the way/no where near anything interesting.

    We end the south use the phrase "BFE" or "bum f\/cked eqypt" to describe the middle of nowhere/small town.

    For example
    "where are you from in Alabama?"
    "BFE"
    "oh, so a pretty rural place, huh?"

    I have no idea where this phrase came from.
    Must be pretty specific to where you live. I know I'm a Yank and all, but I've lived in the South (rural Georgia and north Florida) for almost nine years and I know a lot of southerners, including half my BF's family. I have never heard that phrase.

    The first time I heard the phrase was from my brother when he came home from basic training after joining the Marines. That was in the 80s. I've always attributed it to the military.

    As a military brat I had always heard BFE as well... and I use it quite often.

    Also the boonies or the sticks mean the same thing... the middle of nowhere.

    Bumf*** is one we use a lot.

    Don't know what shocked the board there, but bumph is paperwork.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    BTW school in the UK is where you go between 5 and 16 or 18; college is a further educational (FE) esablishement for 16+ and University is a Higher Educational (HE) establishment for 18+. Universities can offer and validate their own awards, colleges offer awards that are nationally available.
    Could you explain a little more about this? What does offer or validate awards mean, and what does "nationally available" mean? I don't have the cultural context to guess the meaning.
  • dirty_dirty_eater
    dirty_dirty_eater Posts: 574 Member
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    Question for you UK types.

    Is the Spotted **** you get in a can any good, or should I hold out for something like someone's mom used to make?

    Never eaten it to be honest, but I have to be honest I prefer homemade with things like that. Can give you a recipe if you like

    spottedDpud_zps60d552ac.jpg

    Looks good. I became interested in "puddings" from reading Patrick O'Brian books. Some of the descriptions were enticing.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    A couple of things spring to mind:

    re: censorship - while watching the US version of Top Gear, I was amazed to hear the phrase "holy s..." beeped out twice, yet the when the presenter said, in the very next sentence, "holy c...", that was not beeped. How does that work?

    crap is pretty innocuous over here, compared to sh.. - you can say sugar instead - in the context of "Oh sugar! I forgot my keys!"
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    I always found people from across the ways saying "Can't be arsed" or CBA on forums pretty funny.

    My husband said he worked with a dude named Randy and all the Austrailians thought it was HILARIOUS that you'd name your kid something as racy as Randy.

    Yes in UK too - randy means - well, how shall I put it? More than a little interested in the opposite (or same indeed!) sex :embarassed:
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Also: Calling a shopping cart a buggy. Please tell me I'm not the only one that does this!

    no, it's a trolly
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    English descriptions of car parts and models is interesting. The boot, the bonnet, a caravan, a lori (sp?)

    lorry
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    They snicker at you if you order a "Scotch" in Scotland.
    Cheeky buggers.

    What do they call it over there? A whiskey?

    Why would you ask for Irish or American whisky anyway? Asking for scotch whisky is a tautology. :drinker:
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Northeast and Midwest are TOTALLY different places, culturally speaking! I grew up in the Northeast (upstate NY).
    That's gotta be it then! His grandpa's family is out of Buffalo, and it was kinda home base for a lot of years... Thank goodness I didn't pick that up the year I lived there!

    Here's one. Does anybody call that red stuff you put on pasta or the other stuff you put on french fries (or chips, if you prefer) "gravy"? I can't remember if that one came from WNY or Rhode Island...

    No gravy is brown, made with meat juices and cornflour. The red stuff we put on chips is probably ketchup? On pasta would be some kind of tomato sauce, passata, or red pesto???? Don't know what you mean. Not the same as we'd put on chips anyway (unless you met a faddy Brit who puts ketchup on everything - there are some!)
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
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    OMG! Real Mincemeat is my favorite pie in the universe. I can't find it around here anymore. I like mine with lard and venison.
    Maybe I'll send you one for the holidays then (see what I did there? :wink: ), because I make it with suet and venison that I ground up myself after my friend shot and butchered it. (apologies to rml_16) If lard works just as well as suet, it'd make my job a whole lot easier!

    I would love you and your stone lifting awesomeness forever! No suet is the best. I just haven't seen suet (except for bird feeder suet) anywhere in a bajillion years.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    They snicker at you if you order a "Scotch" in Scotland.
    Cheeky buggers.
    WTF would you order? Just "whisky", and it's assumed? Do you have to specify single-malt? Inquiring minds want to know!!

    I was told to ask nicely for whiskey and if I were judged worthy, I'd be given the good stuff. If not, I'd be overcharged for the low end.

    Which is why you order by name and don't water it down. If you must, get a glass of water on the side, stick your finger in it and flick it into your whisky glass.

    Or order a Jameson. :flowerforyou:

    Go on then! I dare ya!!
  • PAnn1
    PAnn1 Posts: 530 Member
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    life imprisonment Britain means about 15 years . Life imprisonment US about 700 years
    It depends on the state. In Wisconsin Life was always 24 years and a day. Where the "day" comes into play, I don't know. Then if they had served jail time waiting for trial/sentencing, that's considered a credit against the sentence.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

    We don't have highways and interstates. We have motorways (tend to refer by number, e.g. M1; M62 etc) A roads and B roads or minor roads.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

    It's an off ramp =]

    Oh the road you take to join or exit the motorway is called a slip road.
  • PAnn1
    PAnn1 Posts: 530 Member
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    Do other people use the phrase the *kitten* hole of no where to describe, in somewhat derogratory terms somewhere small/out of the way/no where near anything interesting.

    We end the south use the phrase "BFE" or "bum f\/cked eqypt" to describe the middle of nowhere/small town.

    For example
    "where are you from in Alabama?"
    "BFE"
    "oh, so a pretty rural place, huh?"

    I have no idea where this phrase came from.
    Must be pretty specific to where you live. I know I'm a Yank and all, but I've lived in the South (rural Georgia and north Florida) for almost nine years and I know a lot of southerners, including half my BF's family. I have never heard that phrase.

    I'm from north Idaho and we say it here.
    Wisconsin, too.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Here's another one. The road next to the highway/interstate, do you call it: 1) access road 2)feeder road 3) service road or 4)something completely different?

    It's an off ramp =]

    Access road... and the off ramp is only part if it as there is a road that parallels the highway.

    Access road in the UK is only for maintenance - don't try driving on one! You'll get done!
  • AmericanExpat
    AmericanExpat Posts: 158 Member
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    Jello is not usually for parties,

    Unless it's a Jello mold. Those are yummy! And something else I can't have. :frown:

    or Jello shots...
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    I work with a lot of English and Scots. One of the things that I didn't really notice but they picked up on right away was the American misuse of the phrase "out of pocket". It is intended to mean that something is going to cost you directly. I hear it often used to describe someone that is not available, e.g. "Ron will not be on the call, he is out of pocket."

    The fanny, *kitten*, aluminium arguments aren't really sayings; just colloquial nuances.

    Out of pocket slightly implies you've been overcharged,or you've wasted your money or lost out in some way.

    Except in the context of claiming your expenses in some kind of business setting - claiming "out of pocket" expenses means you claim actual sums you've laid out like your bus fare, or the cost of a meal you can provide a receipt for.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Access road in the UK is only for maintenance - don't try driving on one! You'll get done!
    Does "get done" mean squashed flat by heavy equipment, or get in trouble with law enforcement? Or both?
  • dirty_dirty_eater
    dirty_dirty_eater Posts: 574 Member
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    They snicker at you if you order a "Scotch" in Scotland.
    Cheeky buggers.

    What do they call it over there? A whiskey?

    Why would you ask for Irish or American whisky anyway? Asking for scotch whisky is a tautology. :drinker:

    Not a fan of Irish whiskey, but there are some damn fin American bourbons out there to match anything from Scotland. A different experience to be sure, but the quality is there.

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