One of the most entertaining and sometimes frustrating things about being married to a Brit is our difference in the usage of the English language. Add to this my subculture of Mormonism and Simon's talent for hilarious phrases. It took some adjustment for me when I lived over there, actually, it was an adjustment for both of us. Then, when I moved back to the states I would have situations in which I couldn't remember which word went with which country. One of my favorite things to do when I lived in England was to tell people "oh, that's how we do it/say it in America." Any time I did something weird or off the wall I would tell people that it was normal in America.... they just had to believe me - well, I guess they didn't have to but they weren't in any position to question me on the subject since I am, in fact, an American and they aren't.
Here are a few translations for your enjoyment.
crib - cot
stroller - pram or pushchair
Binky - dodo or Dodie
trunk (of the car) - boot
hood - bonnet
yard - garden (the yard is the garden... not just the part that has flowers or veggies)
cigarette - fag
napkin - serviette
panties - knickers
bangs - fringe
zucchini - courgette
egg plant -aubergine
Knocked up in England means you went and knocked on some one's door.
A fanny in England is slang for female anatomy - so if you mention your fanny pack you will get some giggles and blushes.
Here are a few of my favorite expressions of Simon's;
You can't polish a turd - meaning - it's (whatever brought the saying on) beyond all hope, you can't make it any better.
Like rocking horse poo - meaning - it's rare (how often do you see rocking horse poo.)
Nuttier than squirrel poo
Okay so all of my favorites involve poo... so I leave it at those ones.
Some of my favorite misuses of phrases from Simon are...
He thought "float your boat" was bad and "pushing your buttons" was good. As in "geez, I didn't mean to float your boat!" and "Does that push your buttons?" wink wink.
One time we were cancelling some plans, I don't remember what it was but I do remember I was really glad to be getting out of whatever it was. When Simon was on the phone to the person he kept saying that we'd "take a rain check." I was in the background mouthing "NO! NO! NO! We won't take a rain check, we don't want to do this later." He kept saying it to the person... when he got off and we talked I figured out that he didn't really know the expression meant we would do it at a later date.
and my all time favorite...
He got in an argument with a guy in a bar and told the guy to "choose the right," a staple statement of Mormon culture.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
You speak English - I talk American
Posted by Christy at 1:31 PM
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14 comments:
The slang is always the biggest trouble when traveling between English-speaking countries. Even when I had Aussie dialect down and could actually understand what people were saying, the slang still plagued me. Like the time I told a very nice, uptight woman after dinner that I was "absolutely stuffed" and couldn't figure out why she looked mortified and my companion and her teenage daughter were giggling uncontrollably. Turns out that stuffed in more modern usage mostly means "tired" but to a woman of her age and upbrining she would have interpreted somewhere beyond "screwed" toward a term I won't use on your G-rated blog. But my favorite Aussie term had to be "Kangaroos loose in the paddock" which is the same as "not playing with a full deck" or "having a screw loose."
It's so fun. I could do this all day. But I'll stop now.
"Choose the Right" as a bar song kind of has a whole new meaning to it. :)
Haha...he does have some funny sayings. I know that when people are around him that aren't used to him (Like Destry) they have a hard time understanding everything that he is saying. Pretty awesome stuff.
I never knew the fanny one! Learn something new every day :)
This is one of the funniest posts I've read in a long time. Thanks for the laughs!
Thanks for the entertainment...thanks for sharing!
I have also been educated. Very funny stuff.
Choose the right. That's awesome. If someone ever said that, there's no way I could fight them. I would be laughing too hard.
Awesome phrases --very fun. I was in England as a teenager (a long time ago) and could not understand a word of what anyone said--they could have been speaking Russian for all I knew.
I love the mixed up statements: "push your buttons and float your boat". I bet it was hard to live over there and always remember the different words and meanings. That's confusing! So, when he told those people about taking a rain check, did they take him up on it?
Great fun! I would write a longer comment, but someone is knocking me up.
Hey! I found you from STM's blog -- don't have time to do much perusing, but I'm glad I stumbled onto your blog! It has to be hilarious being married to each other sometimes. Loved the "choose the right" one!
hey girl! When are you guys coming in town again? i think you said the end of july? i will be in idaho, but am coming back the 31st for an art show. are you still going to be here? i want to play! sure wish i was going to be here to go on runs with you, that would've been the dreamiest. i've found the prettiest hikes around these parts. we miss you guys!
HA! I love it! Aaron also has his fair share of phrases I'd never heard of until we met- same country, but REALLY different upbringings. He actually says the squirrel one, but it's nuttier than a squirrel "turd". Also there's "Does the pope wear a funny hat (are you kidding, of course!)?", "I could eat the ass out of a dead donkey (I'm really hungry), "Taking a pig to market in a cadillac" (doing something unnecessary, making it harder than it has to be). The list goes on and on....
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