Are there any words or phrases that seem to be unique to your country?

Perhaps one word or phrase where you come from might have another meaning where I come from?

Post examples below and lets find out some fun trivia about where we come from :)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Vicke on June 30, 2010 at 6:38am

I don't see Sweden represented in this thread yet. So i'm here to change that!

In Sweden we actually have a word for "Not to much, not to little"

A bit -nothing- Alot
Lite -lagom- Mycket

Another english word for it could be "just right". But i just can't see people saying

- How much pasta do you want?
- Just right
- Ok. Not to much not to little then, here you go.

Cause with our word we could do that. It's a bit weird.

K-ModPermalink Reply by Gumbo123 on July 1, 2010 at 1:42pm

not really a "foreign" country but in South Louisiana the locals who still speak Cajun French are fond of shouting "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" which in English would be "Let the good times roll!"

Permalink Reply by Fiona van den Bergh (Lamia) on July 28, 2010 at 12:16pm

In Holland we have a whole lot of words you guys don't use;)

Permalink Reply by Xantiago P on August 20, 2010 at 10:49pm

Also here in Argentina, but I guess they're all talking about English terms :/

BTW, say hi to princess Maxima from me :)

Fiona van den Bergh (Lamia) said:

In Holland we have a whole lot of words you guys don't use;)

Permalink Reply by Emmanuel (Tarsiemaraw) Ramos on August 24, 2010 at 8:33pm

Balaha na si Batman (Leave it to Batman) :P

Permalink Reply by Callum Aitchison on August 28, 2010 at 11:03pm

My Dad's up North and my Mum's South. So my mum sometimes says scones like [scownes] and sometimes [sc on es] I personally say the second one. These aren't really words or phrases or words but some Americans think the way we pronounce "rock" funny.

Dan Kossick said:

A small segment from the North East England phrase book:

Whats the crack like? (what is going on)
I had a blag of the bandit and lost a tenner. (I tried my luck on the fruit machine and lost ten pound)
You wanna go like? (Sir if you are not careful, I will fight you)

You see, up north, we're a lot more common, and don't speak as posh.

Also I'd like to question a popular misconception I've seen on American programs. Warm lager :S. Never seen it before, we like our lager chilled. Our ales are kept at a warmer temperature however so it's probably where it comes from.

Permalink Reply by Callum Aitchison on August 28, 2010 at 11:16pm

Here (UK) we say bonnet not hood (US) of a car. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world.

Just read through this lot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differenc...
And this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_words_not_widely_used_...

Permalink Reply by Ceci Marino on September 16, 2010 at 7:34am

Well In Denmark we have theise lines:
"Du skal feje foran din egen dør, før du fejer for andres" (You sould sweep infront of your own door before you sweep infront of others)
And " Man skal ikke kaste med sten når man selv bor i et glashus" (you sould not throw with rocks when youself are living in a house made of glass)

Permalink Reply by Joan Swift (Bazingabeast) on September 18, 2010 at 10:20pm

Contrary to popular belief we do not say 'Mad For It Our Kid' here in Manchester, England - Oasis are lying to you LOL.

It makes me giggle (I'm such a child) when I see an actor on an American show saying 'fanny' for ass..... a fanny over here is a lady's bits!!!

Eddie Izzard has got it right, when he says that in England when we say something is bollocks it means it's rubbish, but then when it's the dog's bollocks, it's something very good.....

Permalink Reply by Anna Sheehy ( The Cheeto Badger) on September 22, 2010 at 5:53am

One of the few words I remember having trouble with in America ( I'm an Aussie), was "Crash Hot". We only this in the context of something that is NOT crash not, meaning not great, alright but not that good. No one understood it at all.
Also I'm not sure if any fellow Australians noticed this,but I found that most Americans can't say Aussie correctly, all my American friends put a strange emphasis on the "au" part, which makes it sound slightly French, which is strange because all my French/Mauritian friends can say Aussie fine!

Permalink Reply by Roslyn (Polphin) on October 14, 2010 at 5:55pm

Im from scotland and we call pants - trousers and underwear - pants :)

Permalink Reply by Simon Burkhalter(ITburparrotfly) on November 24, 2010 at 5:00pm