NA/EU Slang/Sayings Problems?!
By
Ael Rhiana,
Posted on: 2011-03-20 01:21 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Quote:
Carp! i keep forgetting that my associations are a bit outside the norms for baseline US culture. Eh, that's what i get for having the sort of friends that i have. |
Originally Posted by Rikis
I've been living in the U.S. for 17 years and only knew spunk as a positive adjective. You know, full of life, energetic. It wasn't until this thread that spunk having a vastly different meaning even crossed my mind.
|
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Quote:
Nope - genuine. "Pull the other one, it's got bells on it" is a perfectly valid "You're kidding" bit of UK slang.
|
Originally Posted by Melancton
Of course, he may have been pulling my leg on that last bit... should I have asked him to pull the other one?
 |
Ah, just spent a while reading and chuckling. Yes, in the UK the most common use for a f ag is to set it alight.
I love all of the things people have pointed out in this thread. The good news for all of you US-types is that thanks to the wonders of film and television, we understand what you mean when you say most things. But the amount of British material that has gone the other way is more limited, so we know that some of you won't understand why we all snigger when you mention "patting someone on the fanny".
Anyway, worth a read, for the crack if nothing else.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
Great site for English to .... um ... English translations.
http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml
This explains the English to Johnny Foreigner!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ae2kYqg-E4
Do what Son?
Allodoxaphobia is the fear of opinions.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. MARCUS AURELIUS (121-180 AD)
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Biowraith
I'm not sure I've encountered bugger as an adjective. It's usually either a verb (bugger off, bugger it, now we're buggered) or a noun (those little buggers, bugger all, crafty old bugger). The same being true of it's non-slang meanings, though I'm less inclined to post examples of that...
As for "rogering", I'm not sure how widely it's used (probably depends on area), but yeah it's proper UK slang. I vaguely recall some comedian years ago doing a bit about visiting the US, encountering an advert for "Kenny Rogers Chicken", and taking it to be some sort of public announcement. |
Which makes us wonder if Sir Roger Moore's parents didn't have a very strange sense of humour
Thelonious Monk
Quote:
I thought he was shooting straight with me, but I thought a bit of caution and verification was in order.|
Originally Posted by Master Zaprobo
Nope - genuine. "Pull the other one, it's got bells on it" is a perfectly valid "You're kidding" bit of UK slang.
|
When I had met him, we chatted a bit and when I seemed to know something about British military history, he showed me his beret with his unit insignia on it and asked if I recognized it. He about passed out when I replied, "The Royal Scots Greys--Sgt. Ewart takes the Eagle at Waterloo." I don't think he had ever met an American that knew about that before. Ultimately, I wound up with a copy of Lady Butler's "Scotland Forever!" hanging in my office.
He was working as a liaison to a large American corps, and told the story about how he had announced to the HQ unit that they were deploying for a training exercise into the field, "so all you clerks pack up your papers, pencils and rubbers, because you're going to need them!" and it escaped him as to why the entire unit broke out into laughter.
Of course, announcing to a British unit that appearance is important, and all pants had better be pressed with a sharp crease in them would presumably bring the same reaction.
"America and England, two nations separated by a common language" is how Mark Twain is supposed to have put it.
"How do you know you are on the side of good?" a Paragon citizen asked him. "How can we even know what is 'good'?"
"The Most High has spoken, even with His own blood," Melancton replied. "Surely we know."
I call my exfoliating sponge a Poof as well. I was born and raised in Florida, so I don't think that's British*.Though I also like (who did this commercial? Lever 2000?) "Lather Thingie".
*Then again, my mother and I are both Anglophiles, and there are a lot of things that I say that other Americans ask me "What?!"
Like String Trimmer. That IS the official name for it, you know. But most Americans call it a Weed Whacker.
Quote:
Yeah, the British would be the ones confused when you use that term when indicating there's an exfoliating sponge in the shower if they need it. To the British, Poof is slang for a homosexual man.
|
Originally Posted by Sapphire7
I call my exfoliating sponge a Poof as well. I was born and raised in Florida, so I don't think that's British*.
|
Quote:
Or also, a footstool.
|
Originally Posted by Biowraith
Yeah, the British would be the ones confused when you use that term when indicating there's an exfoliating sponge in the shower if they need it. To the British, Poof is slang for a homosexual man.
|
Different pronunciations, though. A 'poof' (footstool) rhymes approximately with 'roof', whereas the homosexual man sounds more like "p'f" (I'm struggling to find another word that actually rhymes with that version).
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.* woof!
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
ok, so like many of us 'muricans on here, i've spent years watching British shows and feel pretty familiar with alot of the slang (you guys do get extra points for creativity), BUT i am still confused about one term in particular........"and Bob's your uncle"......... seriously? wth? would some tea drinker PLEASE tell me what the **** that means?????
i look forward to our chance to play together, and all the funny language faux pas' that will crop up mid mission (mission banter being a huge piece of my enjoyment of this game).
though i do intend to use Electric-Knights "good wank" suggestion, and feign ignorance of the language when confronted
p.s. though your slang is great, imaginative, and quite funny, it does fail at being intimidating. as a native of inner city neighborhoods, slang was used to make one self seem "hard", the heavier the slang, the "harder" you were (minds out of the gutter folks, you know what i mean). i can't see trying that with British slang, don't think i could get thru a whole sentence without laughing at myself, so you guys lose the extra points i gave you for creativity.....
Oh yeah, that was the time that girl got her whatchamacallit stuck in that guys dooblickitz and then what his name did that thing with the lizards and it cleared right up.
screw your joke, i want "FREEM"
Quote:
The full expression, as discussed elsewhere on these boards, is "Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt". The meaning is essentially "and that's everything sorted out."|
Originally Posted by Traegus
BUT i am still confused about one term in particular........"and Bob's your uncle"......... seriously? wth? would some tea drinker PLEASE tell me what the **** that means?????
|
To make a chicken pilaf, brown some chicken with skin on for a few minutes, add an appropriate amount or rice, and a tablespoon of curry powder, stir for one minute, turn over the chicken, add water to cover the chicken, mixed vegetables and a sliced lemon, cover, simmer for 10 minutes (stirring occasionally), and Bob's your uncle, you have a delicious meal.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
Quote:
And when you add "ter" on the end, the two are interchangeable!
|
Originally Posted by Electric-Knight
woof!
|
Quote:
Been dating a british girl for a few months now and this one really floored me. So now I always check when her full stop is coming. She finds that amusing, and I enjoy hearing that she opened ' some tinned tomAHtoes' with dinner.|
Originally Posted by Minotaur
A period is something a woman has once a month, a "." is a full stop
|
Can someone in the UK PLEASE tell me why some of you pronounce bagel as "buy-gull" instead of "bay-gel" ?!
Somewhat appropriate to this thread and something that JUST happened at my place of employment...
I work for a company that has its headquarters in the UK. My office is in the US. One of our sales teams just sent out a pat-on-the-back type email for the great week they had. In this email, there are some pictures of the folks on the team. One of them is making a two-fingered gesture which is quite harmless here but somewhat rude in the UK.
And yes, there were several of our UK colleagues cc'ed on that email.
@Quasadu
"We must prepare for DOOM and hope for FREEM." - SirFrederick
Re: the 'Bob's your uncle' thing the explanations earlier define it pretty well, the phrase's origin is a little more murky. The explanation I'm familiar with is that dates back to the late 19th century when the Prime Minister of the time, Robert Cecil appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour to a plum job in Government. Thus he got the job because Bob was indeed his uncle.
Allodoxaphobia is the fear of opinions.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. MARCUS AURELIUS (121-180 AD)
Quote:
Odd since the normal American version of that "V" gesture has the hand with the palm out (peace sign), and the rude version has the hand with the palm towards the gesture maker (flipping off).|
Originally Posted by Quasadu
Somewhat appropriate to this thread and something that JUST happened at my place of employment...
I work for a company that has its headquarters in the UK. My office is in the US. One of our sales teams just sent out a pat-on-the-back type email for the great week they had. In this email, there are some pictures of the folks on the team. One of them is making a two-fingered gesture which is quite harmless here but somewhat rude in the UK. And yes, there were several of our UK colleagues cc'ed on that email. |
Allegedly one of the Presidents Bush was in a motorcade/parade in Australia and was making the "V" with the hands the wrong way 'round, but i have no idea if that's true. However, it's rather funny if it did happen.
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Quote:
I believe (although to some extent a guess) that's the Yiddish pronounciation which some older English Jewish people would have used and passed on.|
Originally Posted by Bill_of_Rights
Can someone in the UK PLEASE tell me why some of you pronounce bagel as "buy-gull" instead of "bay-gel" ?!
|
Around the turn of the 20th century, many Jews in London spoke Yiddish and never learned English, their children learned English but could also speak Yiddish. It helped as Jews from all over central/eastern Europe could talk to each other in a common language. My grandfather spoke English, and remembered some Yiddish, and he used the buy-gel pronounciation, and my father does also. I tend to use bay-gel most of the time.
A real bagel is a very different thing to the mass produced items you often see, and is I believe boiled before baking to give a very distinctive texture.
It's true. This game is NOT rocket surgery. - BillZBubba
Quote:
I'm not certain, but would someone with a particularly thick Liverpudlian accent not sound like they're saying "buy-gull"?
|
Originally Posted by Minotaur
Quote:
|
Okay, Here's one that my mum used to say, and this may flummox some EU people too.
"Well. I'll go to the foot of our stairs".
Used when something totally unexpected happens either good or bad.
Reminds me of a saying my father used to say to me . .
"save that for your bottom drawer"
as in save that item ie, teatowels, cups and silly things like that, for when I get married!!
Quote:
I thought the same thing. That pronunciation of that word reminded me instantly of everything I've ever heard Ringo Starr utter.
|
Originally Posted by Biowraith
I'm not certain, but would someone with a particularly thick Liverpudlian accent not sound like they're saying "buy-gull"?
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
Some of my characters