Strange American sayings from an English Perspective

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  • 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:

    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.

    I'm happy to take your word for it :wink: Now, where's my Glenfiddich?
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Why would you ask for Irish or American whisky anyway? Asking for scotch whisky is a tautology. :drinker:
    I'll just order uisge beatha, how's that?

    And while I'm about it, how come "uisge" is pronounced "whisky" but "uilleann" is pronounced "illin'"?! :laugh: (Once I master Spanish, I really need to get down to learning Gaelic! After Icelandic, of course! I've got a deadline!)
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Now, where's my Glenfiddich?
    Ah, sweet memories... I don't drink anymore, but Glenfiddich will always be my favorite. :drinker:
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    I only know "pokamaho" cause my grams who is Irish used to say it. Plus other choice words. Please forgive if I'm not spelling it correctly so I googled pog mo hon, guessing that's the one.
  • jenbit
    jenbit Posts: 4,289 Member
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    Suprised I didn't see these.. Im from south florida...... More nervous then a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs... ANd my persont favorite is Nuttier then squirrel *kitten*
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    I was very impressed the first time I learned the term uisge beatha. Any culture that calls whisky the water of life has got their sh1t together.
    Well, to be fair, that expression is used in the local idiom in a surprising number of cultures (from Scandinavia through Europe to southern Russia), given that distillation of alcoholic beverages is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history. Before then we had to get by what the yeast could do for us. Not that I don't love a really delicious beer too!
  • dirty_dirty_eater
    dirty_dirty_eater Posts: 574 Member
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    I was very impressed the first time I learned the term uisge beatha. Any culture that calls whisky the water of life has got their sh1t together.
    Well, to be fair, that expression is used in the local idiom in a surprising number of cultures (from Scandinavia through Europe to southern Russia), given that distillation of alcoholic beverages is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history. Before then we had to get by what the yeast could do for us. Not that I don't love a really delicious beer too!

    See, told you that you knew stuff.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    Tagging for future amusement :smile:
  • maggie16sweetxoxo
    maggie16sweetxoxo Posts: 314 Member
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    "Omg like this is totally lame."
    - me (blonde American)
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    See, told you that you knew stuff.
    S'pose I do. Especially about words and stuff, because I adore language! Now that you mention it, it is rather like "Big Bang Theory" at Casa de Fullsterkur, actually... but with weaponry and weightlifting and bees.
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
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    I can't believe this thread is still going!! Well my lovely new friends it's 11pm here so I'm off to sleep and I'll look forward to reading more daft comments in the morning. G'night all x
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
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    in view of the impending season...

    'it's brass monkeys out there'!
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
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    In a bit of turnabout I would like to point out that the English phrase "taking the piss" is completely baffling to Americans.
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
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    In a bit of turnabout I would like to point out that the English phrase "taking the piss" is completely baffling to Americans.

    Added to this is "going out on the piss"
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 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.

    I'm happy to take your word for it :wink: Now, where's my Glenfiddich?

    There are some incredible bourbons, and honestly bourbon and Scotch are two different drinking experiences. I'm a big fan of Woodford Reserve, for example. The area where Scotch really differentiates itself though, at least for me, is with the heavy peat notes in whiskeys like Lagavulin, Oban, Talisker, and to a lesser degree, Highland Park. Those are in their own special, and rarified, world.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    in view of the impending season...

    'it's brass monkeys out there'!
    Winter is coming. :wink:
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
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    twerk team
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    In a bit of turnabout I would like to point out that the English phrase "taking the piss" is completely baffling to Americans.
    Doesn't that just mean "teasing/putting someone on" and "going out on the piss" means "going out drinking"?
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    In a bit of turnabout I would like to point out that the English phrase "taking the piss" is completely baffling to Americans.
    Doesn't that just mean "teasing/putting someone on" and "going out on the piss" means "going out drinking"?

    I thought it meant "beat the ish out of you".
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
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    In a bit of turnabout I would like to point out that the English phrase "taking the piss" is completely baffling to Americans.
    Doesn't that just mean "teasing/putting someone on" and "going out on the piss" means "going out drinking"?

    I thought it meant "beat the ish out of you".

    That would be braying someone, kicking the ish out of them, or hammering them. Which is also as a term for drinking "getting hammered".

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