5 American expressions the Brits DO NOT get!

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  • Mildoc
    Veteran Member
    • Jul 2011
    • 3118
    • Copperas Cove TX
    • BT

    5 American expressions the Brits DO NOT get!

    Written by a Brit; please excuse the spelling. Wish THEY spoke ENGLISH!


    “Bite me!”
    What is this? A gesture of masochistic defiance? A ‘sticks and stones’ statement of invulnerability? It’s just I’m fairly sure that the relationship between a biter and bitee tends to favor the one with the teeth, otherwise vampires would be afraid of necks. So the invitation to bite is hard to fathom, given the context in which the phrase is used. Or is there an implied bodily location where the biting should take place, which would return the power to the bitee? Are you saying “bite me on the ass” or “bite me on my unmentionables”? Or is it a threat, as in “OK, seeing as you’re so smart, bite me and see what happens”? A little clarity, please! [I LIKE the last interpretation!]
    “Blow smoke up your ass”
    Sycophants often have to do degrading things in order to truly express the intensity of their positive feelings, but even the most monstrous egos in the world of showbiz would surely halt at accepting an offer of smoke blown up their fundament, whether as a gesture of extreme approval or some kind of fire-based cleansing ritual. It’s not only gross, but a serious health risk to everyone concerned. Which leads me to conclude that the only sane answer to someone saying “Hey I’m not trying to blow smoke up your ass” is “I should bloody hope not!”
    “Oh snap!”
    Oh what? Snap? Snap what? What ARE you on about? And what purpose does this expression serve? Are you saying it to commend a smart-ass for their witty quip, or pat them on the head condescendingly for trying? Is it one of those phrases that started out as a high fiving “oh you got SERVED” and has now ended up meaning an eye-rolling “nice try, Seinfeld”? It’s just that we’d probably be quite good at saying it, if it turned out to be the latter. Eye-rolling is a British specialty, after all.
    “Could care less”
    A minor niggle, but a niggle nonetheless. When people say they couldn’t care less about something, that means there is literally no amount of care left in their care sack for the issue in question. Their feelings are entirely devoid of caring, on this topic. They’ve pulled up the bucket from the care well and it is empty. When they say they COULD care less, that means there is still some residual care, lying at the bottom of the well, should anyone wish to go and get it. If anyone ever said “he could care less” meaning “he’s still got some leftover issues about it, but they’re on the wane,” it would be fine, but no one ever does. They only ever use it to mean “he couldn’t care less.” So why not SAY that? That’s what the British do. [Always confused me too!]
    “Momentarily”
    I only found out about this the other day, but it’s a good one. It seems that our two great nations have different understandings of the same word. Suppose you have friends coming over to stay, and they send a text message when they’re just around the corner, just to be sure you’re ready for them: “Hi! We’ll be there momentarily!” In America, this means “we’ll be there in a moment,” but in the UK, it means “we’ll be there FOR a moment.” [I just WISH it meant the last Brit interpretation!!!!!]
    Last edited by Mildoc; 08-13-2012, 04:46 PM. Reason: added text
    We all have to go sometime, just not yet!
  • RAFlorida
    Veteran Member
    • Apr 2008
    • 1179
    • Green Swamp in Central Florida. Gator property!
    • Ryobi BT3000

    #2
    That is some mind twisting there!

    But I do agree with you and them on the last, “Momentarily”! Please check your PM, the one phrase the Brits have that I couldn't post in the open deserves a little chuckle.

    Comment

    • jackellis
      Veteran Member
      • Nov 2003
      • 2638
      • Tahoe City, CA, USA.
      • BT3100

      #3
      There's some cute cliche about how the Americans and Brits are divided by a common language.

      My wife has relatives in England and we have some friends over there from my days working in London, so I've come across a number of other words and phrases that inspire good natured ribbing and confusion from time to time. To wit, some of the more colorful and risque) ones include:

      A *** is BE (British English) slang for a cigarette.

      Pants are what you wear underneath your trousers.

      Knickers are a type of pants worn by women that are meant to get a man's attention when the woman's trousers or skirt comes off.

      Bollocks is used in the same way as BS.

      Bangers are sausages.

      You don't get drunk in the UK, you get pissed.

      The Brits sit on their bums. Fanny is their word for...well let's just say it's the part of the female anatomy (often barely) covered by her knickers.

      When someone is "tipped" to do something, it means they've been chosen.

      They call them solicitors. We call them lawyers.

      They call it the pavement. We call it the sidewalk.

      The Brits also have a terrific sense of humor. We were visiting a part of Gloucestershire where many of my wife's farmer cousins live. There was a pub a few miles from the B&B we stayed in (which my wife's great or great-great grandparents occupied as tenant farmers) that had outstanding food. The guest barman's response to our question about the evening's specials was, "whatever the poacher brings in".

      Comment

      • TB Roye
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2004
        • 2969
        • Sacramento, CA, USA.
        • BT3100

        #4
        Combine this with Cab's tread and I wil have another 500 miles to increase LOML knowledge. Boy this site is educational.

        Tom

        Comment

        • leehljp
          Just me
          • Dec 2002
          • 8445
          • Tunica, MS
          • BT3000/3100

          #5
          Not a British or American miscommunication - but being a little hard of hearing, there is one word that is used quite often that I don't get. The word "bomb" is one that is hard for me to figure out when used to describe an event or thing (other than an explosive device). "It was a 'bomb' "! . . . Do they mean it went beyond all expectations . . . or fell flat? If I don't hear the inflections, it is hard for me to tell what people mean by that word! Drives me nuts!
          Last edited by leehljp; 08-13-2012, 11:12 PM.
          Hank Lee

          Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

          Comment

          • RAFlorida
            Veteran Member
            • Apr 2008
            • 1179
            • Green Swamp in Central Florida. Gator property!
            • Ryobi BT3000

            #6
            Hank, I'm like you on that word.

            I kind of thought that it might mean something was a wash out, no good, etc. But I just found out there's a whole bunch of meanings to the word "bomb". Just take a gander at the link in this post:

            http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bomb

            You'll have to scroll down for all of 'em.
            And found another in reference to bomb; The F-bomb, which just made it into the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Please forgive me for including that one in this post, only trying to add how many bombs there are.

            (one time I said the word gander and a woman said she didn't see any male goose anywhere! From that point on, I used the word infrequently. Just had to tonight.)
            Last edited by RAFlorida; 08-14-2012, 01:58 AM.

            Comment

            • cabinetman
              Gone but not Forgotten RIP
              • Jun 2006
              • 15216
              • So. Florida
              • Delta

              #7
              It was a "wash out".

              Sounds like a group bath.

              .

              Comment

              • RAFlorida
                Veteran Member
                • Apr 2008
                • 1179
                • Green Swamp in Central Florida. Gator property!
                • Ryobi BT3000

                #8
                Mike, I'm beginning to think

                you was a hippy, man! lol

                Comment

                • cabinetman
                  Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                  • Jun 2006
                  • 15216
                  • So. Florida
                  • Delta

                  #9
                  Originally posted by RAFlorida
                  you was a hippy, man! lol
                  WAS???

                  BTW..."hippy" might qualify. She was a bit hippy, but lost the weight.

                  .

                  Comment

                  • jdon
                    Established Member
                    • Feb 2010
                    • 401
                    • Snoqualmie, Wash.
                    • BT3100

                    #10
                    Years ago my wife and I were recommended a B&B in York as being "quite homely", as a compliment.

                    Comment

                    • cabinetman
                      Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                      • Jun 2006
                      • 15216
                      • So. Florida
                      • Delta

                      #11
                      Originally posted by jdon
                      Years ago my wife and I were recommended a B&B in York as being "quite homely", as a compliment.
                      I thought it was "homey", but that might refer to the local boys.

                      .

                      Comment

                      • LinuxRandal
                        Veteran Member
                        • Feb 2005
                        • 4889
                        • Independence, MO, USA.
                        • bt3100

                        #12
                        A bee in your bonnet and giving you the boot, and they might wonder about your driving. that said, I used to ask for an English to an English dictionary at bookstores, and get a weird look.
                        She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

                        Comment

                        • BobSch
                          • Aug 2004
                          • 4385
                          • Minneapolis, MN, USA.
                          • BT3100

                          #13
                          Originally posted by LinuxRandal
                          A bee in your bonnet and giving you the boot, and they might wonder about your driving. that said, I used to ask for an English to an English dictionary at bookstores, and get a weird look.
                          I've got a British to American English dictionary. Came in handy when I first got hooked on English mysteries.
                          Bob

                          Bad decisions make good stories.

                          Comment

                          • scmhogg
                            Veteran Member
                            • Jan 2003
                            • 1839
                            • Simi Valley, CA, USA.
                            • BT3000

                            #14
                            I came from London to North Hollywood, CA, when I was seven. I had difficulty with:

                            Lorry=truck
                            Lift=elevator
                            Boot=car trunk
                            Bonnet=car hood

                            Many more that I can't remember. But, I really thought I got away with something when I got my school outfit. At that time, boys did not wear long pants until they were fourteen. My school uniform was grey wool shorts, maroon sport jacket, white shirt and maroon and grey striped tie[St. Andrews]. Why they decided on shorts in a cold damp country, I'll never know.

                            Steve
                            I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Bertrand Russell

                            Comment

                            • leehljp
                              Just me
                              • Dec 2002
                              • 8445
                              • Tunica, MS
                              • BT3000/3100

                              #15
                              Until recently (I think) the British "million" and an "International / US "million" were quite different!
                              Hank Lee

                              Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                              Comment

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