What the British say - and what they mean!

shoppie
shoppie Posts: 618 Member
edited October 5 in Chit-Chat
Thought this might help! :laugh:
http://twitpic.com/4xha23

Replies

  • erxkeel
    erxkeel Posts: 553 Member
    Very Interesting. ^
  • rockchick90
    rockchick90 Posts: 125
    haha, part of it is true!
    "we'll have lunch sometime" knowiing full well it's never going to happen haha
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Haha! I think most of them are true for what we say and what we mean! :laugh:

    Do others really think "what others understand"??
  • shoppie
    shoppie Posts: 618 Member
    Funnily enough, I think it say Brit versus Euro because its more of a native english speaker versus non-native - i.e. if someone took a lot of the things we say literally they mean something quite different! I would be quite interested in how many Americans also use/ are there similar things they say that mean something quite different??
  • AmberMagdalena
    AmberMagdalena Posts: 461 Member
    Well you know the kids have those american slang terms. Saying someone is "bad" when it means they're, like super sexy.

    My sisters say "I was sick" which means mad.

    But of course we all sound like uneducated hillbillies compared to Brits, anyway. :laugh:
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Well you know the kids have those american slang terms. Saying someone is "bad" when it means they're, like super sexy.

    My sisters say "I was sick" which means mad.

    But of course we all sound like uneducated hillbillies compared to Brits, anyway. :laugh:

    You should hear some of the brits! Many people over here sound like uneducated people too! :laugh:
    We've all heard "bad" as a good thing, and "sick" as a good thing too LOL
  • AmberMagdalena
    AmberMagdalena Posts: 461 Member
    Well you know the kids have those american slang terms. Saying someone is "bad" when it means they're, like super sexy.

    My sisters say "I was sick" which means mad.

    But of course we all sound like uneducated hillbillies compared to Brits, anyway. :laugh:

    You should hear some of the brits! Many people over here sound like uneducated people too! :laugh:
    We've all heard "bad" as a good thing, and "sick" as a good thing too LOL


    Phrase I was sick means like "I was angry to the point of disgust", basically.

    In slang terms....lol
  • shoppie
    shoppie Posts: 618 Member
    I have always wondered what 'sick' meant. What about you are sick then? Frustratingly, I even think it varies regionally, never mind by country! I have definitely taken something literally when someone was trying to be ironic/ funny though.

    And yeah don't worry, Jerry Springer came and did a UK show once and he managed to find a lovely shower here too :sick:
  • Carfoodel
    Carfoodel Posts: 481 Member
    oooh they are all sooo true lol - love it.
  • Booboo78
    Booboo78 Posts: 169
    Here's another tip to add:

    What the British say: Lovely weather, ain't it!
    What the British mean: This weather is awful, I was just being facetious.
    What others understand: Er....but...it's raining heavily?

    Yup, sarcasm and weather, it's what we Brits are all about :smile:
  • ciaobellakiss
    ciaobellakiss Posts: 142
    Haha. Oh the British.
  • deadbeatsummer
    deadbeatsummer Posts: 537 Member
    Well you know the kids have those american slang terms. Saying someone is "bad" when it means they're, like super sexy.

    My sisters say "I was sick" which means mad.

    But of course we all sound like uneducated hillbillies compared to Brits, anyway. :laugh:

    You should hear some of the brits! Many people over here sound like uneducated people too! :laugh:
    We've all heard "bad" as a good thing, and "sick" as a good thing too LOL


    Phrase I was sick means like "I was angry to the point of disgust", basically.

    In slang terms....lol

    In the UK in slang terms, 'That was sick' can mean 'that was amazing', or 'That was disgusting'.
  • LauriesTrying2BeFit
    LauriesTrying2BeFit Posts: 414 Member
    im in uk and completely agree with that haha!
  • BrokenBarbiexoxo
    BrokenBarbiexoxo Posts: 91 Member
    haha I am British and agree with this 100%!!! :laugh:
  • Spence_
    Spence_ Posts: 139 Member
    'I have a few minor comments...' (re-write it completely).

    Agree with this one. Normally after I've spent hours re-writing a colleague's press release or ad, I'll return it with a 'just a few tweaks...' comment. Wouldn't want to hurt their feelings, right? :p
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
    Early morning awesome!
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    I was ready to get up in arms and be all "STEREOTYPING IS BAD AND WRONG AND BLAH BLAH BLAH" but then I read it and agreed with everything on the list.

    Bugger.
  • TheLittleVoice91
    TheLittleVoice91 Posts: 80
    Proud to be British! Haha I Love it!
  • HunterKiller_wechange
    HunterKiller_wechange Posts: 369 Member
    What a spiffingly splendid post! :)
  • AtticusFinch
    AtticusFinch Posts: 1,262 Member

    Yup, sarcasm and weather, it's what we Brits are all about :smile:

    .. and damning with faint praise of course. Good article.

    I think 'being pissed' is another area for confusion for Europeans and Americans - in the UK that would mean becoming drunk, in the US angry. Let's not even start on 'fanny'. :drinker:
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member

    Yup, sarcasm and weather, it's what we Brits are all about :smile:

    .. and damning with faint praise of course. Good article.

    I think 'being pissed' is another area for confusion for Europeans and Americans - in the UK that would mean becoming drunk, in the US angry. Let's not even start on 'fanny'. :drinker:

    ... or *kitten*... :smokin:
  • MrsM1ggins
    MrsM1ggins Posts: 724 Member
    "can I bum a *kitten*?" Brits hear "can I have one of your cigarettes?"...
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    If you get down to the local dialects you could also have what the Northern Irish say as yer man. What we mean is yonder man, or him. What others hear is your man.
  • Flissbo
    Flissbo Posts: 302 Member
    haha this is sooo true!
  • Laura80111
    Laura80111 Posts: 958 Member
    bumpity bump:happy: for later
  • ScarlettIsSpiffing
    ScarlettIsSpiffing Posts: 121 Member
    ha ha sooo true, I often have to explain what I'm waffling on about to my MFP friends across the pond, maybe this'll help them understand me better ;)
  • sandrajune72
    sandrajune72 Posts: 492 Member
    Haha. Oh the British.

    We are a funny bunch! But most of us are lovely! :tongue: :laugh:
  • MissMaggie3
    MissMaggie3 Posts: 2,464 Member
    Not bad at all!
  • EmmaM2211
    EmmaM2211 Posts: 536 Member
    I think I have used almost all of these today...

    Another of my favourites - "I was just thinking that" = "I'm going to steal your idea and claim it as my own"
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