Do you sometimes wonder what others are talking about?

Question

I've noticed when we in the uk ask a question, sometimes our expressions seem to be misunderstood. Amongst the answers you see people ask "what does that mean" So I think it would be a good idea if we all swapped an expression to share with others.
My contribution is from the uk.
A minger or minging is something or someone not very attractive.
Bangers can be sausages or fireworks
F*gg*t is a kind of meatball made from liver
F*g is a slang term for a cigarette
I believe these last two items are offensive in the States, so I hope I have not caused offence. They are very innocent words in the uk and the reason I thought of this question in the first place.
Thanks for taking part in this one, I'm looking forward to learning something new. x
btw, when I previewed this q it wouldn't accept those two f words, I had to remove the vowels, so this tells me it must be offensive somewhere!! so I'm sorry

Fiddy lmao

Midnite R Yes!

I knew you's teach me something!

gldnsilnc Light on no one home = away with the fairies

kiwi bun in the oven=in the pudding club or up the duff. Biscuits are crisp

Iritadragon. blacktop road=tarmac shingles= loose chippings on paths and drives. or a nasty very painful illness
As for oap!! lol clever to work that out, terrible term don't you think? We're not old, just a bit frayed round the edges!

dolly k. yes the things kids say now are very hard to understand. Example, they mean wicked to be something great when really it = evil

Goldwing. last train to the coast= kicking the bucket or being in God's waiting room.

Think we've swapped a few ideas here, got any more anyone ? .

Answer 1

I suspect that all of us here that are over 50 or so, are fully acquainted with British slang. It is considerably different than here in the US...I find it almost funny to hear the word, :"Bloody" as a adjective curse word...doesn't come across as a curse word to me. I suspect that much of our slang is a mystery to Brits..."catch the last train to the coast" is very American for "dying." Strange, but that is how it is. But if you really want to get into some strange idioms, try French!
Here, a "smoking f a g" is very different than a cigarette in an ashtray :-) In fact, I am not sure if it is a compliment to a Gay man, (as in hot as hell) or an insult....who in the heck knows!

Answer 2

Over the years I have heard many expressions that are offensive in other parts of the world but not here in the USA. It's hard to keep up for times and expressions change so quickly, so I just ask the other person what they mean and do not take offense. If you think a few words are a bit offensive you ought to hear what they use in the "deep south" of the USA. There are whole phrases that would curl your hair, but some are real fun too.

Answer 3

I realise that Americans spell use different words and spell some differently. I was in the dry cleaning business and American's call trousers pants which has caused me some problems in the past and some time wasted looking for some underpants. It does not really bother me except when they write check when the mean cheque. The two words have completely different roots. They just happen to sound the same.
Sorry about that just felt like ranting on a bit

Answer 4

Syl baby, really--I'm not ignoring you!! REALLY.

It is just that I am going through a major brain fart here...

ah, that reminded me: what you call petrol, we call gas. But unfortunately, as well as the liquid that cars run on (and isn't it an oxymoron to name a liquid "gas"?), there is the stuff that comes out of our rear ends, also known by the same word.

Our black top roads (which are a mixture of tar and gravel) are called something very different in Britain. (Bitumen? Shingled?)

And your boots, are our trunks, which can also refer to a woman's @ss.

Pansies are a wonderful flower, which for my Dad's generation also described a limp-wristed bloke.

You've already outlined my generation's version.

Fruit or fruitcake was used to refer to a mentally challenged man. And I am sure by now you already have words for the female of that species running through your mind.

I was feeling particularly pleased with myself this morning when I finally figured out what OAP stood for. I SWEAR you English do this to us on purpose!

And how you can refer to the ATLANTIC OCEAN as a pond really makes me wonder why the British have such a rabid need for understatement.

Answer 5

Yeah, your last 2 entrys are offensive over here. Certainly not meatballs or cigarettes.
Now, lets see....... If we "knock someone up" we are NOT going over to their homes to call on them. It means we have had sex, and "put a bun in the oven"
If we have tea, we are having a cup of tea, and maybe a piece of cake or something. and not having supper.
Biscuits are not sweet cookies, but are rather bits of dough of a rough bread-like substance.

Answer 6

hi sylvia, in ireland a p ussy lol is a cat , yet i cant post it in a question, a f ag is a ciggerette also, a h oe is something used in the garden, b itch is a female dog, a minger is a smelly person, shift is to engage in s ex....i found that one out when i told a bunch of lads hanging around that if they did not move i would shift them, they were on the ground p issing themselves. had to ask my son...on the meet is kissing, fanny is a female part and rude, but its said lightly in other parts of the world....b astard is what used to be said of children born out of marraige and quite offensive, jesus was seen to be taking the lords name in vain and never allowed to be said in our house, or risk getting your ears boxed. on that note my children have a complete langauge of their own ,that would take all week to explain......x

Answer 7

bangers are also known in the uk as cars
faggots are know as meatballs also faggots are know as old people in the uk butt and *** s for cigarettes butt being the end of the *** , and half of the so called innocent word sound worse then the swear words ! come on its the uk u talking about

Answer 8

f * g is a cigarette and never heard of the others as used in your explanation but can understand the confusion. where I grew up a " pig " stood for
" pretty interesting girl " yet my cousin who lived in a different state said it meant just the opposite. sometimes the slang terms can vary drastically.

Answer 9

I sometimes wonder what other young people are talking about, when they use words that have no translation in the English dictionary. Or if they write with funny shortcuts; like u instead of you. They are so hard to read, and I just dont bother.

Answer 10

every word you mentioned,i use, and this is the one annoying thing on yahoo answers, people in other countries dont have stars in the middle of a word,or is it because us in the UK are special,oh no i'm going to get a load of thumbs down now by people from other countries for saying we are special,oh well, i can take it!