Strange American sayings from an English Perspective
Replies
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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 mother0 -
Could be.
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.
FUBAR and SNAFU are both military terms. Well, slang. (I met my BF at a bar called Fubar. Totally appropriate.)
Zero dark thirty is another one I first heard from a Marine.
Yeah, BFE could be military. Never thought about that. I am around a lot of military personnel.0 -
life imprisonment Britain means about 15 years . Life imprisonment US about 700 years0
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I wish that were true. (The US part.)life imprisonment Britain means about 15 years . Life imprisonment US about 700 years0 -
I am from Ohio and I have heard that phrase a lot.
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.0 -
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.0 -
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
The ladies that I know who use the expression are far too polite to use "your mother." Their insults are always disguised, and "bless your heart" can also be used to literally mean "bless your heart." Context and tone matter, but it is most definitely also used as an insult, particularly during cocktail hour.0 -
I'm American and have never heard nor used those phrases.0
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Nope. Started in the military.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.
A lot of people use it outsie the military, though.0 -
My favorite difference is "knock up". Being told "I'll knock you up in the morning" has COMPLETELY different meanings in the US and UK.0
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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.
We say it in Texas, too, but I most often heard it when I was in the military.0 -
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.
We have a bar in MI named BFE that's in the middle of a cornfield.0 -
Nope. Started in the military.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.
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? ;-)0 -
"Can I bum a *kitten*?" means something completely different on the other side of the Atlantic.
Now that was funny!0 -
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
Yeah, I see this most often, but it doesn't mean it's any less of an insult. For example, "She is just not very smart at all, but bless her heart, she just doesn't know any better!"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
"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.0 -
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."0 -
I work for the Texas Dept of Ag, and we recently gave a training to some folks from Bosnia. I facepalmed so many times at the awkward phrases my coworkers were using during their presentations, like:
"More seed than you can shake a stick at"
"Needle in a haystack"
"Need to pick your brain"
"That said" (I HATE this one.)
Idioms like that are not going to be understood by non-Americans, especially ones that don't speak English as a first language! Hahaha, it was funny to me anyway.0 -
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... xD0
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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 boy0 -
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."
Because most Americans don't actually think about the words coming out of their mouth, unfortunately.0 -
Not so much about American sayings, but forum censorship... The weirdest I ever saw was on Petfinder's forums, where instead of replacing "bad words" with ****, they had alternate word replacements, which might have been alright, but some of the words they deemed "bad" were just bizarre. I can appreciate that some people take offense to the b-word used in certain ways, but when you really are talking about a female dog, it shouldn't be a problem.
The worst, in my opinion, was the word "anal," which was replaced with "rear end." Any questions about someone's dog's impacted anal sacs got changed to "impacted rear end sacs." So you post something trying to sound educated and informed, and you sound like a squeamish 10 year old. :ohwell:
They replaced the forbidden words with "I have a potty mouth" on Petfinder forums. It was too funny!0 -
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"0 -
Where 'Muricans and Everyone knows... We like big butts and we can not lie, you other brothers cant deny when a girl walks in with and itty bitty waste and a round thing in your face ... You know she squats
Ah. Bitty. That always gets me.
http://youtu.be/AOfI48IWESo
Dust? Anyone? Dust?0 -
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."
Good ones! but you forgot "Happier than a pig in *kitten*"0 -
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.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
"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.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
"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
Hehe, but if you get the day off from work to celebrate something, like Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, Independence Day, then it is called a holiday. If you ACTIVELY go somewhere on those days off and take a trip, then it's a vacation. :-)
And yeah, my mom has been wearing a fanny pack to exercise since I was about 5 years old. Hehehe, I make fun of her all the time.0 -
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"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.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw
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