Words or phrases you like in another dialect

[Ravin]

Two days on liberty in Darwin and "no worries" has been in my vocabulary ever since.

[Daria]

I like the English use of "clever".  I also seem to have picked up the habit of calling my child "love", which comes from an Irish friend of mine.  

[eternalsummer]

we also use the Kiwi use of "keen"

 

occasionally I will still say "how are you going?" instead of "how are you doing?" or "how is it going?"

[diplomum]

Pegasus, rydw i'n siarad Cymraeg. Yn y Gogledd mae'n fyw ac yn iach.

 

(Now I see why my Dad turns off his autocorrect! That was a pain to type!)

[Slache]

lol, I say that about 10 x a day.

 

Mostly when the Tupperware falls on my head, again .

All of my up high stuff is in baskets. Actually everything is in baskets except for dishes. Nothing falls on my head.

[mellifera33]

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'. 

 

Thanks to your post, I used this one last night when I was trying to do several things at once plus tell the kids what they were supposed to do. They gave me a look, but knew what I meant. :)

[Guest]

All y'all is my fav...

[Annie G]

Thanks to your post, I used this one last night when I was trying to do several things at once plus tell the kids what they were supposed to do. They gave me a look, but knew what I meant. :)

 

I find that's when I use it, too...when there is a lot going on and the people I'm with KNOW what needs to be done but aren't getting with the program.  When I'm stressed, saying do the needful comes out a lot nicer than 'will you get off your butt and go do the things I asked you to do?'   

[wintermom]

There are some very charming expressions in English that our friends from India use, and they sound even better with their accent. I'm sure it doesn't look in type as good as it sounds with a super positive Indian voice; "That was the most excellent dinner you made!" 

[Laura Corin]

All y'all is my fav...

 

When Husband and I were courting, it was very helpful that he had a plural 'you' in his vocabulary, so I knew whether our group of friends was being invited or whether it was just me (he's Texan).

 

In Scotland, different areas use 'Yous' or You-ens'.  As a southern English person, I lack a plural 'you'.

[Kathleen.]

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

 

Regards,

Kareni

Thanks for clearing that up. I couldn't figure out what floss was. I kept imaging dental floss.

☺

[Laura Corin]

Thanks for clearing that up. I couldn't figure out what floss was. I kept imaging dental floss.

☺

In Britain it's candy floss.

[AHASRADA]

I'm from New England, we say kitty corner.

 

As expats living in Canada, we enjoy the term "washroom" instead of restroom, powder room or bathroom.

 

We mostly use a lot of Arabic colloquialisms that express our exact intentions more clearly than any English word.

 

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[lllll]

nm

Edited November 30, 2016 by cathey

[Guest]

we also use the Kiwi use of "keen"

 

occasionally I will still say "how are you going?" instead of "how are you doing?" or "how is it going?"

What is the kiwi use of keen?

 

I like the word keen.

[Lady Marmalade]

I like pronouncing herbs and spices like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey do.  Drives my kids bonkers, but I feel elevated when I do it.   :)

[Bluegoat]

French:  for some reason I often find myself saying that I am going to "open the lights" or "open the radio" which is something I've picked up from Quebec.

 

Scottish:

Gurning - for pulling horrible faces

Greeting - crying

 

Canadian:

"One can short of a two-four - not quite all there.  This is related to the way beer is sold in parts of Canada

 

Newfoundland:

Mausey - means cloudy or foggy

"Stay where you're to till I comes where you're at"

[Laura in CA]

All y'all is my fav...

My husband and I met in New Jersey. Sometimes we still say "youse guys" (sounds more euphonious than "you guys" :)

 

I grew up in WNY and never heard anything other than kitty corner. Apparently they still use "budge" in WNY to mean the opposite of its usual meaning — there it means to cut in line (!). I was waiting in line at a Broadway play last year and someone from Buffalo was talking about "budging" :)

 

Being Anglophiles AND having lived in German- and French-speaking counties, my family and I use expressions from all 3 languages that don't have an exact equivalent in American English ... of course I can't think of any right now. I'll come back and edit when I do. Oh, and we use some Korean expressions when we don't want people to know what we are talking about :)

And being in CA we have picked up some Mexican slang. My son is particularly fond of "flojo" :) ... somehow it sounds better, and more languorous, than "lazy" :)

 

My parents always said "uff da" (Norwegian). The Korean "aigoo" is another popular all-purpose word we use that is also fun to say.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Laura in CA

[thessa516]

How bad is "wanker"? Is it a soft curse word? I'm thinking I might want to use it for idiots driving down the road looking at their cell phones. But, uhh, my children may hear me and repeat it... lol! But, I kind of like wanker. It sounds better, but worse than a**hole.

[Junie]

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."

 

I switched to the term "nose bleed" after a particularly uncomfortable moment while having dinner with some folks from the UK.

[Rosie_0801]

How bad is "wanker"? Is it a soft curse word? I'm thinking I might want to use it for idiots driving down the road looking at their cell phones. But, uhh, my children may hear me and repeat it... lol! But, I kind of like wanker. It sounds better, but worse than a**hole.

 

Medium level curse word, I'd say. Not what you'd want your kids repeating, but there are definitely worse words.

[bibiche]

In Britain it's candy floss.

Cotton candy, fairy floss and candy floss are all infinitely more appealing than what it's called in French when one thinks about it. Barbe à papa?! Beurk!

[bibiche]

Not what you'd want your kids repeating, but there are definitely worse words.

Ooh, what are they, Rosie? ;P

[Guest]

Cotton candy, fairy floss and candy floss are all infinitely more appealing than what it's called in French when one thinks about it. Barbe à papa?! Beurk!

What the heck is that? Dad's haircut?!

[bibiche]

What the heck is that? Dad's haircut?!

Barbe = beard. (barf!)

[sarasue7272]

When Husband and I were courting, it was very helpful that he had a plural 'you' in his vocabulary, so I knew whether our group of friends was being invited or whether it was just me (he's Texan).

 

In Scotland, different areas use 'Yous' or You-ens'. As a southern English person, I lack a plural 'you'.

You-ens! My grandfather says that. He is in rural Alabama.

[Alessandra]

 

I also loved the way my Scottish great-aunt described a cold, grey day but without rain as 'fair'.

 

 

On a day with thick, but not quite black, clouds, my mother would say, "Och aye, I think the sun is trying to get through."

 

A fairly steady, but not quite violent downpour was "a wee mist."

[Desert Strawberry]

  Tuchus, bubeleh, bubbe, mameleh, ima, imaleh, latke, mitzvah, shiksa, and meshugenah are all Yiddish words that still linger from my childhood. There are others, but they are fading as my mother has been gone for some years now, so I hear them less. There is nothing that warms my heart like hearing my Cajun husband speak Yiddish to my children. Seriously makes me tear up.

  I use southernisms liberally. The locals here find them terribly endearing. I hope I don't forget them. I have learned a priceless skill of speaking both gently and brutally at the same time. I southern lady can say, "God bless him, it's not his fault, he's just stupid." Without it sounding the least bit harsh.

  

   

 

 

[Desert Strawberry]

Oh, I love fairy cakes. We often have a spot of tea. And a bit of something. Tea biscuits are a specific class of less sweet cookie. Kind of a sweet cracker. 

[diplomum]

Wanker literally means someone who is, erm, self pleasuring. Just so you know if you decide to adopt it.

[Mabelen]

Wanker literally means someone who is, erm, self pleasuring. Just so you know if you decide to adopt it.

A male, to be more precise. Isn't the American term jerk kind of along the same lines though?

[thessa516]

Medium level curse word, I'd say. Not what you'd want your kids repeating, but there are definitely worse words.

 

Rosie, I can't like your posts anymore because you're a Moderator. Consider it LIKED. :) 

 

I looked up wanker in the urban dictionary. Yeah, I probably shouldn't use that one with the kids around. I had no idea what it meant!  :lol:

[Lawyer&Mom]

So many great Britishisms. I really like flatmate instead of roommate. Because usually you share a flat and not a room.

 

I also like the produce names. Aubergine instead of eggplant. Mange tout instead of green beans. Courgette instead of zucchini. Yes, they are just Brits trying to sound French, but what's wrong with that?

[Seeking Squirrels]

I apparently use a lot of British phrases but don't really notice because I've just picked them up from British tv and radio programs. It's only brought to my attention when my mom or whomever I'm talking to does a slight head tilt like "huh?" I often get a wee bit British when I'm frustrated at something, the curses are more satisfying to me lol. 

 

 

I live in Utah and I've always heard "kitty corner". 

[scoutingmom]

I switched to the term "nose bleed" after a particularly uncomfortable moment while having dinner with some folks from the UK.

I've always called it a nose bleed..... but then again, I'm the one who mentioned my Mom considers Bloody as a bad curse.

 

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[scoutingmom]

Not sure if this is from somewhere or just my childhood family....

 

Stirred Egg (Scrambled eggs).

 

Just thought I'd mention some US ones I notice as a Canadian (don't necessarily like them)....

 

Candy Bar (Chocolate bar.... candy bar makes me think of a hard candy)

Restroom (Washroom... I'm not going in there to rest!)

 

I know a lot of British because of my Mom, lots of American because of TV, and lots of Canadian because I'm Canadian...

 

 

 

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[Laura Corin]

So many great Britishisms. I really like flatmate instead of roommate. Because usually you share a flat and not a room.

 

I also like the produce names. Aubergine instead of eggplant. Mange tout instead of green beans. Courgette instead of zucchini. Yes, they are just Brits trying to sound French, but what's wrong with that?

 

Mangetout are actually those flat pea pods that have tiny peas in them.  Not sugar snaps, the flat ones.  We call green beans (the small thin ones) French beans.

 

I think the naming differences are due to British influence from France (proximity, interest in French cooking) as opposed to immigration from Italy into the US (zucchini).

[Guest]

A male, to be more precise. Isn't the American term jerk kind of along the same lines though?

Jerk is along the same lines, as a literal translation, but it is widely viewed as a soft swear; the softest of swears, as most people say it liberally and don't care if their kids adopt it.

 

ETA: deleted something inaccurate.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Quill

[MyLittleBears]

My sisters in law went to college in Canada, married Canadians in their 20s and stayed there. My MIL was in the hospital in the US and sister in law kept asking the nurses to send her a "physiatrist?" Apparently this is Canadian for physical therapist or something? She is american and knows our word for it, but kept insisting on saying physiatrist for physical therapist, so the poor confused nurse finally sent her a psychiatrist!  :tongue_smilie:

[MyLittleBears]

dp

Edited July 11, 2016 by MyLittleBears

[Desert Strawberry]

Mangetout are actually those flat pea pods that have tiny peas in them.  Not sugar snaps, the flat ones.  We call green beans (the small thin ones) French beans.

 

I think the naming differences are due to British influence from France (proximity, interest in French cooking) as opposed to immigration from Italy into the US (zucchini).

Snow peas are the thin, flat ones. 

 

Green beans are haricot vert. (Air ih ko vair) they are a bit more slender than American beans, I find. I think the same as you are describing.

[Ravin]

Today I had the occasion to use the expression "cashed up bogan." Thanks, Rosie!

[Lady Florida.]

I like the term loo instead of bathroom or restroom (I'm usually not taking a bath or resting when I'm in there anyway lol). I don't use that word, but I like it better than our words.