Jump to content

Menu

Words or phrases you like in another dialect


Ginevra
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've just recently finished reading a novel set in Great Britain. Part of what I love about reading a novel with British writing is some of the words used, things we say differently where I live. I like "cash point" better than ATMs; I like "biscuits" to mean what we call cookies. I like "trolly" for a shopping cart. I even like "bloody..." as a soft swear.

 

What words do you like in a different dialect? Does anyone admire American words, LOL? I don't really think there are any US regional dialect words that I like better than in my own region.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like "maths" instead of the American "math".  DD and I just listened to a great audio book, and one of the characters was a Scottish teen boy, he'd occasionally say "Shite" and I kind of liked it that way :thumbup1:   I also like that in Britain your resume is your CV and that their bachorlette parties are "hen parties" 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

My Mom does not consider bloody a SOFT swear...

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

I don't consider bloody a swear, but my welsh inlaws do. My mil is always getting after my fil for saying bloody. I think it is too funny.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like "maths" instead of the American "math". DD and I just listened to a great audio book, and one of the characters was a Scottish teen boy, he'd occasionally say "Shite" and I kind of liked it that way :thumbup1: I also like that in Britain your resume is your CV and that their bachorlette parties are "hen parties"

I like "hen parties," too. That was mentioned in the book I read.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the south:

Bless her heart

Catty Corner

 

From our friends across the pond:

Rubbish

Don't get your knickers in a twist

Gobsmacked

The bees knees

Rubish

Wanker

Hunky dory

 

To be honest, I know some swear words in other languages but I don't think there is anything quite as satisfying as a good American expletive.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dh runs a test lab here but also communicates daily with the test lab in India. We've grown to love their phrase 'do the needful'.   We use it all the time. An example- the kitchen hasn't been cleaned. I tell my kid 'do the needful'. 

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like "maths" instead of the American "math".  DD and I just listened to a great audio book, and one of the characters was a Scottish teen boy, he'd occasionally say "Shite" and I kind of liked it that way :thumbup1:   I also like that in Britain your resume is your CV and that their bachorlette parties are "hen parties" 

OT -  LOL - reading 'maths' is like nails on a chalkboard for me. For some petty reason, it just annoys me. Like when some dialects add -r to the end of words like 'idea-r"  *shivers*.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We use quite a few British terms.  One of my favorites was used by a work colleague from the UK after lunch when he offered to go buy some ice lollies for us.  We had no idea what he was talking about and he didn't  know our term for the treat, Popsicles.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OT -  LOL - reading 'maths' is like nails on a chalkboard for me. For some petty reason, it just annoys me. Like when some dialects add -r to the end of words like 'idea-r"  *shivers*.

 

'Math' used to have the same effect on me but I'm used to it now.  It seemed so unfinished: just one math rather than all the maths.

 

In my home town we add a sound that's somewhere between an r an l and a w to the end of vowels words.  My name is pronounced more like lauraw.  I don't have that accent (it's class-based) but I grew up around it.

Edited by Laura Corin
  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like oi instead of our hey.

 

Dh and I watch a lot of British shows (mostly mysteries) on Acorn TV. While I haven't picked up any of the words from watching, they no longer sound unusual to me. 

 

I never thought of catty corner as southern U.S. I'm from NJ and we said catty corner. 

Edited by Lady Florida.
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We use quite a few British terms. One of my favorites was used by a work colleague from the UK after lunch when he offered to go buy some ice lollies for us. We had no idea what he was talking about and he didn't know our term for the treat, Popsicles.

 

Ooooh! I want to say "ice lollies" now!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never thought of catty corner as southern U.S. I'm from NJ and we said catty corner.

I thought kitty corner was the southern way. I grew up in New York and always say catty corner. Edited by kewb
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

biffy for bathroom

bog roll for toilet paper

fry up for bacon, eggs, beans and panckes type of breakfast

mozzies for mosquitos

cwtch ryhmes with butch, it is welsh for cuddle.  we always say to the kids to come have a cwtch up.

Rwy'n dy garu di means i love you in welsh. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Growing up in Australia, we ate fairy floss.  In the US, it goes by the name cotton candy.

 

(Using the word rubber instead of the American equivalent eraser resulted in my teenaged sister being ridiculed at school.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Growing up in Australia, we ate fairy floss. In the US, it goes by the name cotton candy.

 

(Using the word rubber instead of the American equivalent eraser resulted in my teenaged sister being ridiculed at school.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Oh, Fairy Floss is a much better name than cotton candy!

 

I can see a lot of teasing potential in saying rubber for eraser..."Say, mate, could you spare me a rubber? I've left mine at home."

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

cwtch ryhmes with butch, it is welsh for cuddle.  we always say to the kids to come have a cwtch up.

Rwy'n dy garu di means i love you in welsh. 

 

Do you speak Welsh?  DD16 is trying to learn Welsh on Duolingo but we don't know anyone who speaks it. (sorry for the sidebar!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you speak Welsh? DD16 is trying to learn Welsh on Duolingo but we don't know anyone who speaks it. (sorry for the sidebar!)

To continue the sidebar, have you seen that detective show set in Wales on Netflix - I think it's called Hinterland? They filmed the whole thing twice, once in English and once in Welsh. Not sure if the Welsh version is available on Netflix, but maybe you could find it somewhere?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought it was "ketty corner" ...?

 

I learned most of my English from watching television. I don't know where I learned to say that word, though. Now that I know there are two other ways to say it, I'll have to ponder on which I'd like to begin to correctly use!

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I took one of those regional dialect quizzes, both "catty corner" and "kitty corner" were options. There were a couple others, too. In this region, I have always heard "catty corner" (mid-atlantic).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like oi instead of our hey.

 

Dh and I watch a lot of British shows (mostly mysteries) on Acorn TV. While I haven't picked up any of the words from watching, they no longer sound unusual to me. 

 

I never thought of catty corner as southern U.S. I'm from NJ and we said catty corner. 

I like oi too.

 

I want to say things like

"Oi! The line starts back here lady!"

and 

"OI! Pay attention! You're holding up traffic here!"

 

I just grumble in Spanish instead. :)

 

 

It also drives my husband nuts that I say something is "paining me." He says that's not correct. :/ I've always said it, I don't know where it came from or if it's regional?

Edited by helena
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Mom does not consider bloody a SOFT swear...

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

Same here with my dad.  It was one of my grandpa's favorite words though, LOL.  Growing up we had "nose bleeds" never a "bloody nose."

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we were in NZ I picked up the habit of saying "two dollars fifty" instead of "two fifty" and for some reason I still do it, 8 years later!  I also like "bub" for baby.

 

DH likes to say when things are going well and he is just relaxing/hanging out that he is "boolin'"  (not too sure about the appropriate spelling).  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've adopted the Danish word hygge. I also like morgenfrisk.

I remember hearing about "hygge" in a web article called something like "Ten awesome foreign words you should adopt." Or whatever. Another one from that list was "wabi sabi," which I might not have remembered except that there is (used to be?) a member here with that username.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought it was "ketty corner" ...?

 

I learned most of my English from watching television. I don't know where I learned to say that word, though. Now that I know there are two other ways to say it, I'll have to ponder on which I'd like to begin to correctly use!

I sat "rett up" to mean gather stuff. I say kitty corner. I'm in IN. ( I have a whole vocabulary full of ruralisms that drive dh batty.) My dad called the bathroom the biffie. I have stolen the southern " bless your heart". So useful.

Edited by joyofsix
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you speak Welsh?  DD16 is trying to learn Welsh on Duolingo but we don't know anyone who speaks it. (sorry for the sidebar!)

 

no I don't, sorry.  Just a few phrases.  Even my inlaws aren't fluent.  Apparently Welsh is a dying language. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...