UK sayings that arent in common use in the US

[wexford65 0]

So I have been here 4-5 years now and I STILL come across numerous things that when I say them the wife looks at me as if to say"huh?!!!". I guess they just aren't phrases used here in the US.

The latest was just last night. Her father posted a photo of his three daughters (my wife being one) on Facebook. They all looked so innocent that I couldn't resist posting a comment, "yes, looks like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths! ;-) "

I have now had the following email me to ask what the hell it means:

Her father (that was the one I had to handle delicately, some web definitions indicate it is a slightly derogatory term, it is NOT)

Her mother

Both sisters

3 assorted friends

...oh, and my wife asked me what it meant too.

Some recent classics.

Upon being tired announcing to my wife that I was 'knackered'.

Hearing a Brit in a local British pub say he was 'well chuffed' and having to explain to my wife afterward it wasn't a medical condition but that he was happy.

Telling my wife a saucepan was on the 'hob' and have her stare at me until I explained it was the cooker.

There are hundreds more but I won't ramble...

So, do you have any classics?!

Paul

Edited July 7, 2009 by wexford65

[TBoneTX 45,538]

No, but if I can recall this joke, it may pertain:

A Brit visited the U.S. for the first time, and went to the Midwestern farm belt. Impressed with the agricultural production, he asked, "Do you eat all of this food when it is harvested?" His American host answered, "We eat what we can and what we can't, we can."

The Brit found this hilarious, and told his friends upon returning home: "And you know what the Yankee said to me? He said, 'We eat what we are able and what we cannot eat, we put into tins."

Si, man.

[Sherri and Matt 1]

I am completely shattered. (tired,exhausted)

We went out and got pissed. (drunk)

The dog just nicked something out of the bin. (stole something from the trash)

Went to the store to get some bits and bobs.

Trousers = pants, pants= boy's underwear.

His mother thinks he is the golden balls. When I asked what that one meant, he said the butter wouldn't melt in his mouth thing. Which I still didn't completely get without some thought....

I learned some very interesting curses from my father-in-law to be, but it's hard to repeat them here.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

"pissed" always causes confusion - were you angry or drunk? (hopefully not both at the same time)

[Eastsussex 0]

Oh my God, this is such a fun topic!

The absolute best was when a British friend of mine who's also moved over here said he asked an American colleague to meet him at "half-six". The American colleague said, "What, three o'clock?" Isn't that just the best!!!

In conversation with American pals, I have also said "chalk and cheese", and the person hadn't heard of that expression, and I've also said "nappy" and "You look as if you're off to Ascot" - not surprising that they didn't get those!

Oh - I've just remembered a brilliant one. My husband and I were throwing a fancy-dress party. I asked an American friend what he was planning to wear. He said he was going to wear a tux. "Well, that's not very imaginative", I said. He looked really puzzled. Turns out that all our American friends thought "fancy dress" meant formal wear, and we should have said "costume party". HAAAAAAAAAA!

Edited July 7, 2009 by Eastsussex

[wexford65 0]

OK, not strictly speaking UK/US but I used to go out with a lovely Irish lass. We were in Oosterhaut in The Netherlands and at a very nice restaurant with 6-8 others, a treat from our hosts. After the meal we went to another room where there was a pianist and the guys were being given cigars etc etc. As the server was producing these expensive cigars (a long process including the ceremonial snipping off of the end and dunking it in liquor) my girlfriend at the time made a totally innocent comment "cigars are nice but you can't beat the smell of a pipe".

Well, the guy producing the cigars nearly dropped the glass of liquor, started coughing and excused himself saying he would return shortly.

Within a few seconds an awkward silence at the table was broken when one or two who had been desperately trying to stifle laughter started laughing loudly. I was as confused as my girlfriend and we sat mystified at was was wrong.

Finally, a guy leaned over and quietly told me that 'the pipe' was the common local reference to a #######. Also, that a pipe, the kind you smoke, wasn't referred to as a pipe. Needless to say my girlfriend was absolutely mortified. The cigar guy had gone back to his colleagues and several were standing in a doorway laughing their asses off.

We all ended up laughing about it. I will never forget that evening...

[TracyTN 237]

The absolute best was when a British friend of mine who's also moved over here said he asked an American colleague to meet him at "half-six". The American colleague said, "What, three o'clock?" Isn't that just the best!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

And - always call cigarettes 'cigarettes'. I'm just sayin'!

Edited July 7, 2009 by TracyTN

[wexford65 0]

OK, OK one more.

Went to the doctor at the request of my wife to get a checkup. When when he asked what was wrong I replied "I just need the full MOT to keep the wife happy".

A few minutes of explanation on what the hell an MOT was then ensued. Never again will I make that mistake.

[Welshcookie 17]

When I first started dating my husband we were chatting about the upcoming New's Years bash and he announced loudly that he was going to wear his suspenders...me and my friend looked at each other like this ....I wondered what freaky guy I had hooked up with.

Then another day he said he would grill the roast we had planned for dinner.....I was appalled and pointed out that putting a lump of meat like that under the grill would never work!

My favourite which still makes me giggle, a British friend of ours telling us something and ended it with ".....I told him, I don't care what he wants me to do, I can't be arsed!" Later my husband asked me "why did he say that he couldn't be 'asked' when it's obvious he was 'asked'??"

Oh the fun we've had......

[Hannah+Vito 0]

i get this all the time, my father-in-law refers to me at times as speaking another language and he still doesnt understand half of what i say.

the best comment i have seen posted was two countries separated by a common language.

you really wanna have some fun introduce them to realms of blackadder my father in law loves it.

I got stuck with the times too, plus having to remember that dates are put down backwards so month/day/yr instead of day/month year and so on and nicked knackered ect but best of all instead of becoming Americanized lol I've rubbed off on my husband...he got stopped on the train once and asked where in England he was from (think they were English too and detected the accent.) Hes particularly interested in learning about beer and likes referring to things correctly like commenting on Guinness isnt a beer and neither is Heineken and suh. plus my dads got him on the Burton when we go over.

also got him dropping vowels now. but i still get looks from him oand others when he doesn't understand, what i mean.

[Hannah+Vito 0]

oh forgot one Italian/American friend i lived with had a crush on another housemates friend who came back with her in a group from a night on the town and she was excitedly chatting to me about hat had happened with my friend on the floor between us excitedly listening to what we were saying like a puppy till she went about the squaddies they saw come into the pub.

slowly his face turned to this and sure enough he pipped up after complete silence through the whole conversation and asked arn't they those fish things with tenticles?? he couldn't work out what they were doing in the local pub

[Gemmie 142]

I love this topic, it cheered me up today.

My in-laws also think it's funny when I come out with lines they don't understand. They just look at my fiance and ask "...what did she say?"

My fiance also gives me the wide-eyes when I end a sentence with "that is" or "aint it" etc.. the other day, he heard someone on a British programme say "Bob's your father's brother!" and I could feel him behind me trying to work it out! I taught him what "Bob's your uncle" means, and now he says he wants to use it at work when he talks to customers.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Gemmie

[wexford65 0]

I wont get into the details of it but lets just say I caused an 'issue' when asking if my father in law had ever had spotted ####### when discussing British food. Luckily he has a GREAT sense of humor (almost British!) and we laughed ourselves silly.

Last thought. I saw a commercial a few weeks back here in FL that took the mickey out of the Brits. When they used the word wanker in it I nearly choked. I don't think Americans realize how surprising that would be in the UK. I think the context was one guy calling another a wanker. I think they think it is like calling someone a sod or something.

[Hannah+Vito 0]

I wont get into the details of it but lets just say I caused an 'issue' when asking if my father in law had ever had spotted ####### when discussing British food. Luckily he has a GREAT sense of humor (almost British!) and we laughed ourselves silly.

Last thought. I saw a commercial a few weeks back here in FL that took the mickey out of the Brits. When they used the word wanker in it I nearly choked. I don't think Americans realize how surprising that would be in the UK. I think the context was one guy calling another a wanker. I think they think it is like calling someone a sod or something.

omg i wanna see this ad lol

how did everyone get through the july 4th holiday. this was my first and as expected the "do you have july 4th over there" comments and rubbing in explaining that many years ago on the 3rd there was a british flag and the day after it was ours. umm yeh i know. got it. lol

[wexford65 0]

Actually most that ask me don't understand why we don't "do" the 4th until I ask them what the Independence in Independence Day means. They start to explain and then start to blush and say something like "oh, sorry, I didn't think" or something...

I love the 4th as my wife makes some amazing apple, blueberry and blackberry cobbler...DELICIOUS!