Strange American sayings from an English Perspective

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  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 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.

    why is it racy?
    You must know what randy means!

    My understanding was that in Scotland, "Randy" meant queer. We once put a shipmate up to ordering beer by going to the barkeep, making a upward gesture with his forefinger and middle finger and saying "Two beers Randy."
    My understanding was that meant "Up your kilt, *kitten*."
    Hmm. I've only ever heard it in the context of "horny."
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Ok I'll concede
    on the math question, but come on they ain't sneakers they're TRAINERS
    Trainers are the people that you work with to learn how to do something. Them jobbers you put on your feet when you go to the gym? Those are called tennis shoes or just tennies. Even if you've never played tennis in your life. Or if you simply must, "gym shoes". But don't. Sigh. My husband says "sneakers" a lot too. He is wrong. :wink:
    It's a Yankee thing. They're sneakers to me. Always have been and always will be.
    A Yankee thing to say "sneakers"?! I don't think so. My better half has spent 90% of his life in Texas (with a few years in Florida).
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Ok I'll concede
    on the math question, but come on they ain't sneakers they're TRAINERS

    Trainers? Seriously??? Hahaha. Although, mine might be worse. I call any kind of athletic shoes tennie shoes (like tennis shoes), even if they're not for tennis. Anyone else do this?

    We called them "Tenny-runners."
    Weird! I've been known to say that too, but only when in the upper mid-west!
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    I hate it when

    Now that's interesting, too.

    I thought Americans say "I hate when"?
    We say both, depending on the rest of the sentence.

    Oh, ok. Examples of each, please?
  • kikidee12
    kikidee12 Posts: 27
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    "Could care less..."

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

    That's not the correct expression. It is "couldn't care less."

    As for the other American expressions, we are far more colorful in the South.

    "That dog won't hunt."

    "Sweating like a *kitten* in church."

    "Well, aren't you a pretty thing."

    "Bless your heart."

    I know the last two have a double meaning..... but don't know what it is....

    They're both insults, most commonly said by older women to younger women, and basically mean, "you're stupid."

    "Bless your heart" is not an insult. It is meant to follow an insult. I am a lifelong southerner with southern grandmothers. When I was younger, I observed that if there was something unpleasant to be said about someone then bless their heart must follow the insult.

    For example, your mother
    ^^ this
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
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    Dust? Anyone? Dust?
    I always wondered if she meant "dust" or "dust"! Like, "specks of dust", or "garbage"...?

    Dust as in you need to dust your desk I think?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv7qh_XL_yM

    I have watched this episode so many times :laugh:
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 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.

    why is it racy?
    You must know what randy means!

    My understanding was that in Scotland, "Randy" meant queer. We once put a shipmate up to ordering beer by going to the barkeep, making a upward gesture with his forefinger and middle finger and saying "Two beers Randy."
    My understanding was that meant "Up your kilt, *kitten*."
    Hmm. I've only ever heard it in the context of "horny."
    I always forget about this one. What do they use to shorten the name "Randall"?!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Ok I'll concede
    on the math question, but come on they ain't sneakers they're TRAINERS
    Trainers are the people that you work with to learn how to do something. Them jobbers you put on your feet when you go to the gym? Those are called tennis shoes or just tennies. Even if you've never played tennis in your life. Or if you simply must, "gym shoes". But don't. Sigh. My husband says "sneakers" a lot too. He is wrong. :wink:
    It's a Yankee thing. They're sneakers to me. Always have been and always will be.
    A Yankee thing to say "sneakers"?! I don't think so. My better half has spent 90% of his life in Texas (with a few years in Florida).
    Where are his parents from?

    It may be said other places, but it's most prevalant up North.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    Ok I'll concede
    on the math question, but come on they ain't sneakers they're TRAINERS
    Trainers are the people that you work with to learn how to do something. Them jobbers you put on your feet when you go to the gym? Those are called tennis shoes or just tennies. Even if you've never played tennis in your life. Or if you simply must, "gym shoes". But don't. Sigh. My husband says "sneakers" a lot too. He is wrong. :wink:
    It's a Yankee thing. They're sneakers to me. Always have been and always will be.
    A Yankee thing to say "sneakers"?! I don't think so. My better half has spent 90% of his life in Texas (with a few years in Florida).

    Anyone saying "sneakers" in Florida is a transplant, or maybe from Miami. The first time I heard it was via a friend from New Jersey.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
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    Actually, the weirdest thing as a Brit was hearing people in American TV dramas using the phrase "it's your call". Over here, we only ever say "it's your choice/decision". When I was younger, I thought they were actually talking about an actual phone call or something! I only managed to figure it out in my mid-teens... xD

    Bless your heart.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 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 am from Ohio and I have heard that phrase a lot.
    Me too, from Ohio and having heard it basically all my life.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I hate it when

    Now that's interesting, too.

    I thought Americans say "I hate when"?
    We say both, depending on the rest of the sentence.

    Oh, ok. Examples of each, please?
    I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. But I say both in conversation.
  • Inkratlet
    Inkratlet Posts: 613 Member
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    FUBAR and SNAFU are both military terms. Well, slang. (I met my BF at a bar called Fubar. Totally appropriate.)

    I always thought FUBAR was an IT term.
    Nope. Started in the military.

    A lot of people use it outsie the military, though.

    Watching "Saving Private Ryan" was the first time I heard FUBAR. Hehe, then when I was in the military I heard it quite often.
    Anyone hear of a Charlie Foxtrot? ;-)

    CF... Hmmm

    Cluster *kitten*?
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I had an argument once about the pronunciation of the word syrup. Do you say it like "sirrup" or "seerup"?

    Also the word mischievous. There is no letter "i" after the letter "v". Stop pretending like there is one!
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
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    They are called shoes
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I had an argument once about the pronunciation of the word syrup. Do you say it like "sirrup" or "seerup"?
    Something in between, actually.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    FUBAR and SNAFU are both military terms. Well, slang. (I met my BF at a bar called Fubar. Totally appropriate.)

    I always thought FUBAR was an IT term.
    Nope. Started in the military.

    A lot of people use it outsie the military, though.

    Watching "Saving Private Ryan" was the first time I heard FUBAR. Hehe, then when I was in the military I heard it quite often.
    Anyone hear of a Charlie Foxtrot? ;-)

    CF... Hmmm

    Cluster *kitten*?

    Yup. Most commonly used on my deployments, hehehe.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    I hate it when

    Now that's interesting, too.

    I thought Americans say "I hate when"?
    We say both, depending on the rest of the sentence.

    Oh, ok. Examples of each, please?
    I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. But I say both in conversation.

    Oh ok, no worries.
  • SkinnyBubbaGaar
    SkinnyBubbaGaar Posts: 389 Member
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    Greetings from Texas:


    You better watch your step Bubba, 'cause I'm fixin' to put my boot up your *kitten*.
  • mmckee10
    mmckee10 Posts: 405 Member
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    "Could care less..."

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

    That's not the correct expression. It is "couldn't care less."

    As for the other American expressions, we are far more colorful in the South.

    "That dog won't hunt."

    "Sweating like a *kitten* in church."

    "Well, aren't you a pretty thing."

    "Bless your heart."

    I know the last two have a double meaning..... but don't know what it is....

    Let me explain... My best friend was from the south (Alabama) and she would always stuff like this. LOL

    "Well, aren't you a pretty thing"
    1) You actually are pretty.
    or
    2) Yikes. Not pretty at all. (But Southerners are ALWAYS polite. or passive aggressive if polite isn't possible LOL)

    "Bless your heart"
    1) You are a good person. You did something well. You have your heart in the right place.
    or
    2) Go to hell.

    You can normally sense sarcasm if the 2nd meaning is being applied. haha

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