Strange American sayings from an English Perspective
Replies
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Ahhh some more(not as good):-
"You don't know squat"
"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!!
"I'm doing the math" ....it's "Maths" not "Math"
"Vacation" .... no it's not it's a holiday!
"He was pissed" ..... In England this would mean he was very drunk
"You don't know squat" - No one says that anyway. It's "you don't know *kitten*"
"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
"I'm doing the math" ....it's "Maths" not "Math" - Ummm.....no. It's math.
"Vacation" .... no it's not it's a holiday! - No, Christmas is a holiday. Thanksgiving is a holiday. Going to Disneyland or Vegas is a vacation.
"He was pissed" ..... In England this would mean he was very drunk - Drunk people can be pissed. Pissed people can be drunk. They work well together.
Thanksgiving aint a holiday or a vacation
As for no one under 70 wearing a bum bag then you ain't seen many runners matey boy
Wrong. I AM a runner. We don't wear fanny packs. There are some who wear hydration belts to hold water bottles and you'll see the occasional Spi-belt as well, but runners aren't wearing fanny packs. And Thanksgiving is a holiday. Sorry matey boy.
don't think you've quite grasped the light hearted aspect of this post .....0 -
That expression has been around in the US for as long as I've been alive, at least.
Yeah, I'm not suggesting that no Americans understand the expression. I could be wrong, but I think it's been an expression over here (UK) for a lot longer, and maybe crossed the Atlantic relatively recently through British film/tv & got a bit lost in translation? Believe me, plenty of British people say stupid ****, just never heard a Brit say "could care less".
Did you watch the video? I've only heard "could care less" said by Americans.
That's not the correct expression. It is "couldn't care less."
Then you're hanging out with uneducated Americans. The expression is "couldn't care less"
There are just a lot of people who don't understand it. I've heard peopel actually argue in favor of "could care less" and insist it's the correct phase with some very roundabout reasoning.
People here also write suppose to instead of supposed to. It's because they hear something wrong and think they heard it correctly and then it takes off with a life of its own.
No American who actually KNOWS things like this says "could care less."0 -
Ahhh some more(not as good):-
"You don't know squat"
"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!!
"I'm doing the math" ....it's "Maths" not "Math"
"Vacation" .... no it's not it's a holiday!
"He was pissed" ..... In England this would mean he was very drunk
see, I never understood calling it "maths" instead of math. Why is it plural? Now, "doing the numbers" that fine. But not maths. It just looks wrong to me.0 -
Thread moved to a more appropriate section. Just make sure to watch the language and innuendos guys, dont want to have to send out any warnings or blocks. Have fun!0
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Probably from "mathematics."Ahhh some more(not as good):-
"You don't know squat"
"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!!
"I'm doing the math" ....it's "Maths" not "Math"
"Vacation" .... no it's not it's a holiday!
"He was pissed" ..... In England this would mean he was very drunk
see, I never understood calling it "maths" instead of math. Why is it plural? Now, "doing the numbers" that fine. But not maths. It just looks wrong to me.0 -
Brits say "I'm going to Hoover the carpet". Literally I thought it meant "going down", but found out it meant that they were going to vacuum their house.:laugh:
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Ahhh some more(not as good):-
"You don't know squat"
"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!!
"I'm doing the math" ....it's "Maths" not "Math"
"Vacation" .... no it's not it's a holiday!
"He was pissed" ..... In England this would mean he was very drunk
see, I never understood calling it "maths" instead of math. Why is it plural? Now, "doing the numbers" that fine. But not maths. It just looks wrong to me.
because its short for mathematics0 -
"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
It's not Americans wearing fanny packs that is funny. It's the name fanny pack. A fanny means something completely different in the UK. My Brit friend delicately calls it a "lady's front bottom," and the word fanny is apparently almost as offensive there as the c-word is here. And the c-word is used pretty casually there.0 -
OK, I just asked because I thought you misunderstood the point of the original post, ie. that Americans have this expression "could care less". My mistake. :ohwell: And don't worry, I've learned plenty about the US from real life. No offence meant.
Did you watch the video? I've only heard "could care less" said by Americans.
That's not the correct expression. It is "couldn't care less."
I'm happy to see that you're learning so much about the U.S. from a British comedian.
Yes. I watched the video, and I have seen it before.
The people using "could care less" are uneducated.
And, by the way, I am an American.
No offense taken. We make fun of those idiots just as much as David Mitchell.
My own experiences with the English and Welsh are mostly from working with upper-class solicitors while living in Asia, so I understand that my own perspective is also probably skewed a bit. Good drinkers though. lol! :drinker:0 -
I've never heard "doing the maths"! Hahaha.0
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And listening to Mel B. pronouncing "juggle balls" as "joogle bolls" is hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzXkGfNesms
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
thats why its ssssoooo funny in a very childish way"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
It's not Americans wearing fanny packs that is funny. It's that a fanny means something completely different in the UK. My Brit friend delicately calls it a "lady's front bottom," and the word fanny is apparently almost as offensive there as the c-word is here. And the c-word is used pretty casually there.
but 'being a right fanny' means being a wuss or a sissy or a bit weak and has nothing to do with the c word. The c word should only be used in very special circumstances as its very rude0 -
My BF plays some computer game and the people on his "team" are mostly from the UK and they talk to each other. So one day they were havign a discussion similar to this one and I told him to ask them about fannies. LMAO"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
It's not Americans wearing fanny packs that is funny. It's that a fanny means something completely different in the UK. My Brit friend delicately calls it a "lady's front bottom," and the word fanny is apparently almost as offensive there as the c-word is here. And the c-word is used pretty casually there.
Thing is, he lived in Ireland for six months and he has watched far more British TV than I have. I would have thought he'd have known that word, but he didn't. He does now.0 -
"Vacation" .... no it's not it's a holiday!
Holiday for us Americans are days like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine's Day, Halloween. Not a trip.
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One word: Bollocks.0
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Actually I wear one at every Amusement park I go to. I don't give a **** what other people think. It just makes carry money and stuff around easier and not have myself worry if something is going to fall out of my pocket. Anyway, I'm sure the ladies aren't staring at the fanny pack, but the physique!"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
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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.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.
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.0 -
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.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.
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.0 -
I was watching House Hunters International one time, and the buyers kept saying they wanted a really big garden for their kids to play in. I was like "Why would they want their kids to play in a garden? Aren't they afraid they will mess up all their plants and flowers?" Hahaha0
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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?
re: "math" or "maths". The Americans treat "mathematics" as a singular noun, so shorten it to "math". The Brits treat it as a plural noun, so preserve the "s" when shortening. Hence the difference.
re: the Irish. "Craic" is indeed funny, but I was particularly amazed at the prevalence of the word "Feck" in Ireland. When my ma-in-law first said it, I nearly fell off my chair...0 -
I always wondered if she meant "dust" or "dust"! Like, "specks of dust", or "garbage"...?Dust? Anyone? Dust?0 -
Only amongst certain people/situations. I wouldn't casually drop it into conversation!"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
It's not Americans wearing fanny packs that is funny. It's the name fanny pack. A fanny means something completely different in the UK. My Brit friend delicately calls it a "lady's front bottom," and the word fanny is apparently almost as offensive there as the c-word is here. And the c-word is used pretty casually there.0 -
Actually I wear one at every Amusement park I go to. I don't give a **** what other people think. It just makes carry money and stuff around easier and not have myself worry if something is going to fall out of my pocket. Anyway, I'm sure the ladies aren't staring at the fanny pack, but the physique!"Fanny pack" ..... that ones ssooo funny!! - No one below the age of 70 would either wear or purchase one of those hideous things, so pretty much not a real staple of American life.
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No mate their staring at the fanny pack!0 -
I used to be able to make my niece laugh at dinner by offering her a piece of butt turd bread but then she grew up0
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Yeah, I think that trait applies across the class structure!
OK, I just asked because I thought you misunderstood the point of the original post, ie. that Americans have this expression "could care less". My mistake. :ohwell: And don't worry, I've learned plenty about the US from real life. No offence meant.
Did you watch the video? I've only heard "could care less" said by Americans.
That's not the correct expression. It is "couldn't care less."
I'm happy to see that you're learning so much about the U.S. from a British comedian.
Yes. I watched the video, and I have seen it before.
The people using "could care less" are uneducated.
And, by the way, I am an American.
No offense taken. We make fun of those idiots just as much as David Mitchell.
My own experiences with the English and Welsh are mostly from working with upper-class solicitors while living in Asia, so I understand that my own perspective is also probably skewed a bit. Good drinkers though. lol! :drinker:
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"Can I bum a *kitten*?" means something completely different on the other side of the Atlantic.
I had to laugh at a forum post I saw the other day (yesterday? Tuesday?) where someone said in the title that they were going to give up unhealthy things like *kitten*... I laughed when I realized it had to have been written by a Brit.0 -
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.0 -
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.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.
Na, not to specific... I live in rural North East Georgia and we say this all the time, except we add an East before it.
Our town is so "hidden" the people in the town 13 miles down the road from us rarely knows where it is...
So, we just got into the habit of when some one from Gainesville asks where we live, we reply East BumfVck Egypt...0 -
One word: Bollocks.
Bollocks to you, too!!0 -
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.
why is it racy?0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw
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