National sayings and phrases - directly translated

[mapuc]

We have sayings in the country we live in. For people who live in these country these sayings are normal, but directly translated into English it may sound weird.

So I will start with some sayings and phrases used in the Danish language.

Let's fart about the price
There's no cow on the Ice
just pat the horse


So what kind of sayings or phrases do you have in your country who will sound weird directly translated into English

Each of these sayings or phrases has they equivalent in the English language

Markus

[Eisenwurst]

Here in Australia we speak a modified form of English developed from our convict ancestors.

Some examples:-

" They couldn't run a chook raffle".

" She bangs like a dunny door in a hurricane".

" Check out her Arthritis".

[Catfish]

Not related to anyone :O:
"Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei."

~All in life has an end, only a sausage has two.

[Commander Wallace]

My dad had a saying that I'm sure others have heard too. " Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you." Translated, the law of averages catches up with everyone at some point.


My lady has told me at one point or another, " You know, you could screw up a one car funeral. " :D

[Rockstar]

I imagine there are a lot of sayings in American English that have been taken from other languages. We are a melting pot you know. ;)

One of my favorites which I think is of Slavic origin is: "Not my Circus, not my monkeys." I really like that one.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Two of my favorites are, "Boat really means Break Out Another Thousand." and " A gold mine is a hole in the ground with a liar at the top."

[Reece]

Here in Australia we speak a modified form of English developed from our convict ancestors.

" She bangs like a dunny door in a hurricane".
Oh you are awful, but I like it!! :har::har:

[Aktungbby]

Sweatier than a sinner in church

[Von Due]

I particularly like the Welsh equivalent to "it's rainimg cats and dogs":

It's raining old ladies and sticks

Something about the visual of it :D

[ET2SN]

I imagine there are a lot of sayings in American English that have been taken from other languages. We are a melting pot you know. ;)

One of my favorites which I think is of Slavic origin is: "Not my Circus, not my monkeys." I really like that one.

Here's a long shot you may have heard, "May a chicken kick you backwards". :D

I can almost remember how to say it in Slovak, I heard it from a bunch of relatives over the years, and I still have NO idea what it really means. :doh:

[Catfish]

"Doch selten hält das rote Licht
von nah, was es von fern verspricht"

Favourite quote from a friend when we approached a traffic light, but it certainly means something different :O:

"Seldom the red light close keeps the promise, it promises from far away."

Most of those sayings rhyme in german, so some is wasted after translation. And there is no english word for "doch" :hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

"A few sandwiches short of a picnic"

[mapuc]

Most of those sayings rhyme in german, so some is wasted after translation. And there is no english word for "doch" :hmmm:

An off topic answer to Catfish
I think the word "However" comes closes to the German word Doch.

Markus

End of an off topic....

[Aktungbby]

"A few sandwiches short of a picnic"...one brick short of a load (that's load in the very derogatory sense):D

[Jimbuna]

"Barking up the wrong tree"

[Sean C]

My grandmother had a lot of funny sayings. I can't remember all of them. But one that always made me laugh was what she said when someone did something stupid:


"You ain't got the brains God gave a wooden goose!"

[Eisenwurst]

"I'm drier than a pommie's bathmat".- Let's go and have a drink !:)

[GoldenRivet]

Some i have heard float around in Texas... where much like our aussie friends, everything is bastardized english in which many things that wouldnt normally have a contraction, in fact do, and sometimes two or three, even four words flow together to form a sort of single sound.

"Its' Hotter'n two squirrels screwin'n'a whool sock!" - ie. very hot outside

"Drunker'n Cooter Brown." - ie. Very drunk.

"Runs lak-a-scalded dog (or; ape)." - ie. your car, motorcycle, etc is capable of great speed.

"Fixin' to" - ie. i am preparing to do some task. (Fixin' to Eat - Fixin' to go to dinner etc)

"Same difference" - an odd way of saying that two apparently different proposals or problems etc are in fact the same no matter which way you view them.

:shucks:

[Reece]

What's the definition of pain: Teeth marks in the dunny door. :oops:

[Jimbuna]

Beat around the bush - To be indirect, and perhaps even reluctant or tricky, in saying or doing something.

[Rockstar]

You're "dumber than a bag of hammers" or "slower than steam of 'poop'. I use those one a lot when I was in the service.

[Sean C]

"Fixin' to" - ie. i am preparing to do some task. (Fixin' to Eat - Fixin' to go to dinner etc)

"Same difference" - an odd way of saying that two apparently different proposals or problems etc are in fact the same no matter which way you view them.


I heard these all the time growing up ... and still do.


When I moved from southern to northern Virginia, people often asked me if I was from Kentucky or some such because I said things like "y'all" and "over yonder". I was constantly having to explain that I was from the very state we were in.


Just goes to show how much language can vary ... even in a relatively small geographic area.

[Jimbuna]

Blow your socks off - Something which ‘blows your socks off’ is an astonishingly good thing.

[Aktungbby]

Beat around the bush - To be indirect, and perhaps even reluctant or tricky, in saying or doing something....not in Phuket! and "a hell of a 'git' you got''!:O:

[Commander Wallace]

You're "dumber than a bag of hammers" or "slower than steam of 'poop'. I use those one a lot when I was in the service.




My dad said something similar. " You're dumber than a box of rocks."


I have used that saying a lot in my life. :yep:

[Jimbuna]

To cost “an arm and a leg” - If something costs an arm and a leg, it’s very expensive.

[mapuc]

Some more Danish sayings.

The tip of a jet fighter
Cost a farm

These two is related to something that cost a lot of money.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

To steal someone’s thunder - means to take credit for something someone else has done.

[Jimbuna]

"A few sandwiches short of a picnic" - Someone that lacks common sense might be described as "a few sandwiches short of a picnic."

[Von Due]

"Funker som juling" = "Works like a beating/thrashing" - Works real well

[mapuc]

Another Danish saying

Cold in my butt

This means that a person is 110% uninterested in anything or anyone

Markus

[Catfish]

"Rutsch mir den Buckel runter"
"Slip down my hump"
~"I don't care" (directed at a person)

[Jimbuna]

"Anorak" - Someone that's a little bit geeky, with strong interests or expertise in a niche area.

[d@rk51d3]

Teeth marks in the dunny door. :oops:

I thought that was a sign of constipation.

[Reece]

either way it's pain!! :D

[Eisenwurst]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCSKD_pn2Rk

VERY dated but informative, on topic.

Reschs...the beer of Sydney for us old blokes. :)

[Jimbuna]

"Bagsy" - Calling "bagsy" is the equivalent of calling "shotgun" or "dibs" when something, like the front seat of the car, is offered up to a group.

[Catfish]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCSKD_pn2Rk
VERY dated but informative, on topic.
Reschs...the beer of Sydney for us old blokes. :)

I'd be LOST i tell you :oops:

[Catfish]

"Anorak" - Someone that's a little bit geeky, with strong interests or expertise in a niche area.
Huh, here an "Anorak" is a parka, some clothing to hold off stark wind. Which is an Inuit word i think

[Sean C]

Cold in my butt

"Rutsch mir den Buckel runter"
"Slip down my hump"




:har:

[Catfish]

"Von etwas die Nase voll haben"
literally to "have a full nose of something"

~To be fed up with something.

[Jimbuna]

Huh, here an "Anorak" is a parka, some clothing to hold off stark wind. Which is an Inuit word i think

Same in the UK but also used in the term I referred to above.

[Jimbuna]

"Bender" - Someone on a spree of excessive drinking and mischief is "on a bender."

[Catfish]

I remembered a silly german proverb like

"Der hat Tomaten auf den Augen"
literally "He has tomatoes on his eyes"

Meaning he is dumb, or intentionally blind

[Von Due]

Ta Det Piano - Take it piano! - Calm down!
Fullstendig Texas - Completely Texas - Completely and utterly chaotic and crazy
Bite I Det Sure Eplet -Bite The Sour Apple - Resign, give up
Det Er Ugler I Mosen - There Are Owls In The Moss - Something suspicious/sinister is going down

The last one is absurd even in Norwegian, but its origins are in the Danish Der Er Uller I Mosen - There Are Wolves In The Marsh/bog which does sound a tad more ominous.

[mapuc]

Ta Det Piano - Take it piano! - Calm down!
Fullstendig Texas - Completely Texas - Completely and utterly chaotic and crazy
Bite I Det Sure Eplet -Bite The Sour Apple - Resign, give up
Det Er Ugler I Mosen - There Are Owls In The Moss - Something suspicious/sinister is going down

The last one is absurd even in Norwegian, but its origins are in the Danish Der Er Uller I Mosen - There Are Wolves In The Marsh/bog which does sound a tad more ominous.

Have to correct you
"Der Er Uller I Mosen" in Danish it's "Det er ugler i mosen" directly translated There are owls in the bog

Markus

[Von Due]

Have to correct you
"Der Er Uller I Mosen" in Danish it's "Det er ugler i mosen" directly translated There are owls in the bog

Markus

From what I understand, the "uller" (probably Jutlandic) is from way back when wolves in Denmark were more common. When the wolves disappeared, the "uller" changed to "ugler". Anyway, that's just what I learned and it could be wrong.

[mapuc]

From what I understand, the "uller" (probably Jutlandic) is from way back when wolves in Denmark were more common. When the wolves disappeared, the "uller" changed to "ugler". Anyway, that's just what I learned and it could be wrong.

Now you have learned me something I didn't knew. So I made a search and found this

Translated from Danish

We know it was called wolves in the bog in the 17th century, because then the term appeared in an extensive collection of proverbs published by priest and linguist Peder Syv (1631-1702). But we also know that it changed in the 18th century to owls in the bog.

So thanks for learning me something new.

Markus

[Von Due]

[Translation from Danish]


Thank YOU! Very cool getting the details!

[Catfish]

^ very interesting :)

And i think i just found out where your name comes from, Mr Due. Yes i'm a bit slow :haha::D:up:

[Von Due]

And i think i just found out where your name comes from, Mr Due. Yes i'm a bit slow :haha::D:up:

The Von Due name, I blame it on my liking for movies like Airplane, cartoonists like Sergio Aragones and F'Murrr, and cheeses, Swizz or not. Also blaming my reluctance to spending Eons on coming up with names too complicated to remember anyway.

[Jimbuna]

"Blinder" - To "pull a blinder" involves achieving something difficult faultlessly and skilfully.

[Von Due]

Korka - Corked - To be dense, stupid
Helt På Jordet - Totally Out On The Field - To have no clue, no idea and every guess and assumption are completely wrong.
Brødgjøk - Bread Cuckoo - A stupid person
Konge - King - Awesome

[Jimbuna]

"Bob's your uncle" - The very British equivalent to "Hey presto!" or "Et voila!"

[mapuc]

Painting the devil on the wall - produce something excessively negative; immediately believe the worst
Rats in the attic - If a person is a little crazy
rotating fart in the cap - same as above, a person is a little crazy

Markus

[Catfish]

^ "Den Teufel an die Wand malen"
is the same in german, "Painting the devil on the wall", and means the same as Mapuc wrote.

"Der hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank",
literally "He has not all cups in the locker"
meaning he is pretty dumb.

[mapuc]

"Der hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank",
literally "He has not all cups in the locker"
meaning he is pretty dumb.

Same in Danish
You are certainly not the one who has the most cups in the closet

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Bog-standard" - Something that is "bog-standard" is completely ordinary with no frills, embellishments, or add-ons.

[Catfish]

"Da beisst die Maus keinen Faden mehr ab."
~ "The mouse does not bite the thread off anymore"
Meaning "This is exactly so/there is no changing that."


(Arbitrary knowledge editor insert: Old german farmer's houses and sheds were always subject to mice eating up corn and seeds and bread, so traps were invented to catch/kill them.
One of those traps had a thread barring the way to bread or cheese, that had to be gnawed through in order to get to the food, and this thread also held a heavy wooden block towering over the path.
So when a mouse had bitten through the thread the block came down with negative effect for the poor mouse, so the latter did not bite through any thread anymore.)

[Rockstar]

"Well slap me nekid and call me bubba." (In North Carolina you dont get naked you get nekid :))

I heard someone from North Carolina say that. Had to do with being shocked or surprised by what someone else said. After hearing it for the first time the rest of us just fell silent, looked at each other then busted up in laughter.

Then there's "he's a few skivvies short of a full sea-bag" meaning the person isn't too bright.

[Jimbuna]

"Botch job" - A repair job that's been completed in a hurry and will probably fall apart reasonably soon is considered a "botch job."

[Aktungbby]

/\ otherwise known as " Shoddy goods" from the American Civil War. First used to label recycled wool cloth it became a real issue when equipping the Union army with blankets and wool uniforms for 4 year conflict... with 600,000 casualties.

[Jimbuna]

"Budge up" - An informal way of asking someone to make room where they are sitting for you to sit down, too, would be asking them to "budge up."

[Von Due]

Søttenhundre og pil og bue - Seventeen Hundred And Bow And Arrow - A long time ago

[Jimbuna]

"Builder's tea" - The name of a strongly-brewed cup of English breakfast tea with milk -- the way that tea is most commonly drunk in the UK.

[Catfish]

"Die lautesten Menschen haben meist nicht die leiseste Ahnung"
~"The loudest people mostly have not the quietest idea"
The largest bigmouths mostly have not the slightest idea.
Fits well right now, for the US or UK :O:

[Catfish]

^ In a similar vein:
"Eigenlob stinkt"
Self-praise stinks (meaning exactly that)

[Jimbuna]

"Butchers" - "Butcher's hook" is Cockney rhyming slang for "look." Therefore, if you're "having a butchers," you're having a look at something.

[Catfish]

This is not a saying of course, but a rhyme..

"Weil wir doch am Leben kleben
muß man abends einen heben

So ein Virus ist geschockt
wenn man ihn mit Whisky blockt

Auch gegorner Rebensaft
einen gesunden Körper schafft

Auch das Bier in großen Mengen
wird den Virus arg versengen

Wodka, Rum und Aquavit
halten Herz und Lunge fit

Calvados und auch der Grappe
helfen Mutti und dem Papa

Ich will hier nicht für Trunksucht werben,
doch nüchtern will ich auch nicht sterben"

Will not translate since the rhyme would not "survive" this :03:

[Eisenwurst]

"Fair suck of the sauce bottle" - give me a break will ya !

[Jimbuna]

"Cack-handed" - A task performed in an awkward or uncomfortable fashion, usually clumsily, would be described as "cack-handed."

[Jimbuna]

"Chinwag" - A "good old chinwag" is a good chat, catch up, or gossip with someone.

[Jimbuna]

"Chockablock" - Something full to the brim, or rammed, could be described as "chockablock."

[Jimbuna]

"Chuffed" - Overjoyed; full of pride.

[Jimbuna]

"Codswallop" - Something untrue -- often made up for dramatic effect.

[Aktungbby]

This is not a saying of course, but a rhyme..

"Weil wir doch am Leben kleben
muß man abends einen heben

So ein Virus ist geschockt
wenn man ihn mit Whisky blockt

Auch gegorner Rebensaft
einen gesunden Körper schafft

Auch das Bier in großen Mengen
wird den Virus arg versengen

Wodka, Rum und Aquavit
halten Herz und Lunge fit

Calvados und auch der Grappe
helfen Mutti und dem Papa

Ich will hier nicht für Trunksucht werben,
doch nüchtern will ich auch nicht sterben"

Will not translate since the rhyme would not "survive" this :03:Because we're sticking to life
you have to lift one in the evening

Such a virus is shocked
if you block it with whisky<SCOTCH spelled correctly!:yeah:

Also fermented vine juice
creates a healthy body

Also the beer in large quantities
will severely scorch the virus

Vodka, Rum and Aquavit
Keep your heart and lungs fit

Calvados and also the Grappe
help mum and dad

I don't want to promote drunkenness here,
but I don't want to die soberly either"
:arrgh!: :Kaleun_Cheers::()1::Kaleun_Party:

[Jimbuna]

"Cost a bomb" - Expensive.

[Jimbuna]

"Curtain twitcher" - A nosey neighbour, often caught peering out on their street's activities from a curtained window, might be referred to as a "curtain twitcher."

[mapuc]

"going out to press today's newspaper"
Here in Denmark a person can say to his friends if he need to go to the toilet.
I have to go out to press today's newspaper.

This saying has it's origin from the time when sailing ships was the only transportation at sea over a longer distance.
it was only on the ships common toilet the sailor could share stories with each other.

Markus

[Von Due]

Drove off to Mother Nature - (Car) Veered off the road.

[Jimbuna]

"Doddle" - An easy task is a "doddle."

[mapuc]

Here are some more Danish saying directly translated.

Have a stick in the ear- This is when a person is really drunk

Pouring water out of the ears-When a person talk rubbish

Now that goat is shaved- When a person have solved a difficult task.

It's blowing half a pelican-When it's very windy.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Dog's dinner" - A "dog's dinner" is a mess or fiasco -- sometimes also referred to as a "dog's breakfast."

[Catfish]

"Ins Fettnaepchen treten" (Ins or In's is an abbreviation for "In das")
Literally "To step into the fat cup/dish"
Meaning ~ "To put one's foot in it" or coll. "to put one's foot in one's mouth"

Comes from older german farm houses, those houses were also called "Rauchhaeuser" (~smoke houses, but you lived in it). The fireplace was open, there was no real chimney (only two openings at the roofs ends, called Eulenloch or Owl's hole), so heat but also smoke was gathering. Sausages and bacon were hung under a timber frame near the fireplace to be smoked, and since the meat lost water and fat there were cups or dishes placed under those meat chunks.
If a visitor had only eyes for the sausages he would step into the dishes, what was considered as embarassing and a major 'fauxpas'.. which is french and means literally "wrong step", maybe or not coming from french farmhouses that .. ok i'll stop.

[Jimbuna]

"Full of beans" - Someone that's energetic, lively, or enthusiastic might be described as "full of beans."

[Jimbuna]

"Gaff" - "Gaff" is an informal word for "home."

[mapuc]

Can you cook more soup on the story.
An example CNN has the last three days talked about this famous phone call- a Danish person can then say-Can you cook more soup on that story

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Gallivanting" - To "gallivant" means to roam, or to set off on an expedition, with the sole intention of having some light-hearted fun.

[Jimbuna]

"Give me a tinkle on the blower" - "Give me a call" or "ring me." The phrase is sometimes shortened to "give me a tinkle."

[Sean C]

"Give me a tinkle on the blower" - "Give me a call" or "ring me." The phrase is sometimes shortened to "give me a tinkle."


:o


A word of advice: next time you're in the states, be careful who you say that to. :har:

[Jimbuna]

:o


A word of advice: next time you're in the states, be careful who you say that to. :har:

:haha:

[Jimbuna]

"Gutted" - A football fan watches his team lose.

Not to be confused with literally being disembowelled, someone that says they're "gutted" is devastated or extremely upset.

[mapuc]

You're holding it(e.g a hammer) like a nun is holding a sailors "instrument"

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Hank Marvin" - "Hank Marvin" is Cockney rhyming slang for "starving."

[mapuc]

^
An off topic question.

Hank Marvin wasn't he part of the group The Shadows ?

Markus
End of an off....

[Jimbuna]

^
An off topic question.

Hank Marvin wasn't he part of the group The Shadows ?

Markus
End of an off....

He most certainly was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Marvin

Rhyming slang: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyming_slang

The construction of rhyming slang involves replacing a common word with a phrase of two or more words, the last of which rhymes with the original word; then, in almost all cases, omitting, from the end of the phrase, the secondary rhyming word (which is thereafter implied),page needed making the origin and meaning of the phrase elusive to listeners not in the know.

[O.Kusch]

Die Katze ist den Bach runter.

The cat went down the river.
It means there is nothing more to change.

Steif wie ein Brett or steif wie ein Ritter
Hard as a board or hard as a knight.
It means very drunk.

[Catfish]

"Um den heissen Brei herumreden"
~ "To talk around the hot mash"

Meaning ~
to talk and vaguely describe a lot, but never come to (or evade) the point.

[mapuc]

^There is a similar saying in Swedish

Walk like the cat around hot porridge
Means avoid speaking or acting directly about something

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Lurgy" - If someone's "caught the lurgy," they're suffering from cold or flu-like symptoms.

[mapuc]

Here are some Swedish sayings.

Behind the float
Means Do not understand what the matter is

Pray for their sick mother
Means To ask for something on behalf of someone else, when in fact it's the person who want it

Burn for something
Means Be very committed to something

It became a pancake of it all
Means When something has completely failed

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Minging" - Something unpleasant, unappetising, or highly unattractive might be described as "minging."

[Sean C]

Burn for something
Means Be very committed to something


This is also a phrase in American English. It can mean one of two things:


To go to hell for something one has done. E.g. "You'll burn for this."
Something similar to what it means in Swedish, except it's used only in a sort of lewd way. E.g. "I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burnin' for you!"

[Aktungbby]

"Hellbent for leather"...probably an American colloquialism of the British "hell for leather", referring to a cavalry saddle-basically: ruthlessly determind. As used in a typical :subsim: sentence: In WWII the British, Canadian, & American navies were hellbent for leather to keep the Atlantic an English-speaking lake!:D ie: Capt Johnny Walker and his creeping barrage tactics wasn't 'horsin' around mit das boots!

[Jimbuna]

"Mortal" - "Mortal" describes someone highly intoxicated or drunk in a sloppy manner.

[Jimbuna]

"Nick" - "The Nick" can refer to prison, while "to nick" also means to steal.

[Jimbuna]

"On it like a car bonnet" - This colloquialism might be said by someone that has the situation under control.

[Von Due]

Sette bukken til å passe havresekken - Have the billy goat looking after the bag of oats - Put someone in charge where they can exploit it for their own benefit, be it to enrich themselves or covering up their own wrongdoings.

[Von Due]

Tomme tønner rumler mest - Empty barrels rumble the most - Those who shout the loudest have the least significant things to say

[Jimbuna]

"On the pull" - Someone that's "on the pull" has gone out, usually on a night out, with the intention of attracting a sexual partner.

[Jimbuna]

"Over-egg the pudding" - Means embellishing or over-doing something to the extent that it's detrimental to the finished product.

[Jimbuna]

"Pear-shaped" - A situation which has quickly evolved into an accident waiting to happen might be described as "gone pear-shaped."

The phrase is reportedly old slang from the Royal Air Force and was used to described awry expeditions and flights.

[mapuc]

Reading one of Platapus comment in one of my other threads made me remember another Saying in Denmark

the dot over the i
Means -that you more or less make the final details for the product.

Markus

[Aktungbby]

...and cross yer 'T's too!:D

[mapuc]

While watching the live coverage from USA I once again recalled another saying

The train has left
Means - It's too late
E.g. For "politician" and their supporters the train has left.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

"Pea-souper" - A "pea-souper" is a thick fog, often with a yellow or black tinge, caused by air pollution.

[blackswan40]

One of my late farthers old sayings was many a miccle makes a muckle


many small things can add up to make a big thing

[Jimbuna]

"Pop your clogs" - To "pop your clogs" means to die.

[stoppro]

what you lose on the swings you make up on the merry-go round---another way of saying "what comes around goes around"

[Jimbuna]

"Poppycock" - Something that is nonsense, rubbish, or simply untrue might be described as "poppycock."

[Jimbuna]

"Quids in" - Someone who's "quids in" has invested in an opportunity which is probably going to benefit them massively.

[Jimbuna]

"Shirty" - Someone short-tempered or irritated might be described as "shirty."

[mapuc]

Thank you for all your comments.

I've learned new words in English I never knew existed and some in German.

Markus

[Aktungbby]

"Quids in" - Someone who's "quids in" has invested in an opportunity which is probably going to benefit them massively.Not to be used in the boudoir....ever!:O:

[Jimbuna]

"Skew-whiff" - Something that is "skew-whiff" is askew.

[Jimbuna]

"Skive" - "Skiving" is the act of avoiding work or school, often by pretending to be ill.

[Jimbuna]

"Smarmy" - Someone that comes across as scheming or untrustworthy might be described as "smarmy."

[Jimbuna]

"Sod's law" - A British axiom that boils down to the idea that: "If anything can go wrong, then it definitely will go wrong."

[Jimbuna]

"Spanner in the works" - An event that disrupts the natural, pre-planned order of events could be described as a "spanner in the works."

[AVGWarhawk]

Drier than a popcorn fart.

[Jimbuna]

"Spend a penny" - To "spend a penny" is a polite euphemism for going to the toilet.

[Jimbuna]

"Splash out" - To "splash out" means spending significant amounts of money on a particular item or event.

[Aktungbby]

"Up the gumstump"; to have a whole lotta sumpin':ie: we ate burgers 'up the gumstump' at the Superbowl party...

[Jimbuna]

"Swot" - Similar to "nerd" or "geek" but less derogatory -- someone that takes academic study very seriously might be described as a "swot."

[Jeff-Groves]

Juiced
Depending on how you use it has several meanings.
Lance Armstrong was Juiced!
Look at that drunk! He's juiced!
I was wiring a porch light and I got JUICED!

[Jimbuna]

"Take the biscuit" - If someone has done something highly irritating or surprising in an exasperating fashion, you might say that they've "taken the biscuit."

[Eisenwurst]

"Mad as a 2 Bob Watch" :- Completely insane, also a product very poorly/stupidly made.

[Jimbuna]

"Tickety-boo" - Something that is "tickety-boo" is satisfactory and in good order.

[August]

"Knock it off!" An American term used since the 1800's to tell someone to immediately cease some usually irritating or disruptive activity.


Example:


Person A: (Starts humming a dirty song in Church)

Person B: "Knock if off with your blasphemy Earl!


It originated as a request to an auctioneer to end the bidding (by knocking his gavel).

[Jimbuna]

"Waffle" - When someone makes a great speech while skirting around a subject or saying little of any value, you might say that they're talking "waffle," or that they're "waffling."

[Texas Red]

“Stop the cap!” popular among young kids. Cap means lying, so you are essentially saying “Stop lying!”

“That’s so extra!” popular among my peers too, extra means unnecessary. So they are saying “that is so unnecessary”

[Sean C]

"Tickety-boo" - Something that is "tickety-boo" is satisfactory and in good order.


:har: Alright, now I think you're just making these up.


Edit: My wife just pointed out the American phrase "hunky-dory", which means pretty much the same thing. I had forgotten about that one.

[Jimbuna]

:har: Alright, now I think you're just making these up.


Edit: My wife just pointed out the American phrase "hunky-dory", which means pretty much the same thing. I had forgotten about that one.

Used mostly down south as opposed to up north (Gods country).

[Jimbuna]

"Wally" - Someone silly or incompetent might be described as a wally.

[Aktungbby]

:har: Alright, now I think you're just making these up.


Edit: My wife just pointed out the American phrase "hunky-dory", which means pretty much the same thing. I had forgotten about that one.

Used mostly down south as opposed to up north (Gods country).I've occasionally announced on auspicious occasions that "my 'hinky-dory' is 'tickety-boo" and used to visit a small bar near the family lake cabin in Wisconsin called the Hunky Dory. I always knew it meant swell but thought it referred to a 'dory' ie a small but trim rowboat...:hmmm:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Fog_Warning_%28lightened%29.jpg/1920px-Winslow_Homer_-_The_Fog_Warning_%28lightened%29.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Here's me thinking it was Bowies fourth studio album :doh:

The whole Hunky Dory album reflected my newfound enthusiasm for this new continent that had been opened up to me. That was the first time a real outside situation affected me so 100 percent that it changed my way of writing and the way I look at things.[9]
– David Bowie discussing how America impacted the album, 1999

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunky_Dory

[Aktungbby]

...having 'Fallen to Earth' too many times can alter a Man's concept of hunky-doriness!:D

[Catfish]

^ yes, he did not succeed and became spoilt as (and by) the human race :shucks:

[bstanko6]

In an American jail, when an inmate can’t believe something is true he says:

“Man, that is some ho a$& sh@&!!”

[Jimbuna]

"Wangle" - If you've "wangled" something, you've accomplished or attained something through cunning means.

[Von Due]

Bak mål - behind the goal - utterly clueless
På bærtur - out picking berries - utterly clueless

[Von Due]

Ligner ikke grisen - Doesn't look like the pig - Looks like a complete mess/disaster or someone being really ugly to look at

[Von Due]

Hvor David kjøpte ølet - (tell someone) Where David bought the beer - Give someone a few choise words, threaten to (verbally) slap someone for being untolerable, or to tell someone how to properly do something.

[Jimbuna]

"Whinge" - To "whinge" means to moan, groan, and complain in an irritating or whiney fashion.

[Jimbuna]

"Wind your neck in" - If you want to tell someone to not concern themselves with issues that don't directly affect them, you might tell them to "wind their neck in."

[August]

"Wind your neck in" - If you want to tell someone to not concern themselves with issues that don't directly affect them, you might tell them to "wind their neck in."


Wouldn't that be the obvious rejoinder to "Stick your neck out"? :)

[Jimbuna]

Wouldn't that be the obvious rejoinder to "Stick your neck out"? :)

Yeah, come to think of it, yes :)

[Jimbuna]

"Wind-up merchant" - Someone that makes comments just to spark controversy or argument might be labelled a "wind-up merchant."

[Aktungbby]

"Wind-up merchant" - Someone that makes comments just to spark controversy or argument might be labelled a "wind-up merchant."Egad! I thought that would be ":subsim: merchant"... 'specially in the political threads!:O:

[ET2SN]

"Wind-up merchant" - Someone that makes comments just to spark controversy or argument might be labelled a "wind-up merchant."

That could be a spiffy title under our names. :haha:

[Jimbuna]

I could add that title to a few on here, believe you me :)

[Jimbuna]

"Zonked" - Exhausted; tired.

[Jimbuna]

‘Ace’ – a British slang term that means something that is brilliant or excellent. Can also mean to pass something with flying colours.

[Jimbuna]

'Brass Monkeys' - A more obscure British term, ‘brass monkeys’ is used to refer to extremely cold weather. The phrase comes from the expression, ‘it’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’.

[Catfish]

"Jemandem auf den Leim gehen"
Literally "to get on someone's glue"

~To fall on someone's line / to believe something untrue

e.g. "Er ist Trump auf den Leim gegangen" :03:

[Jimbuna]

‘Bugger all’ – a British slang term used to be a more vulgar synonym for ‘nothing at all’.

[Jimbuna]

Butchers hook - This is the cockney rhyming slang version of having a gander, to look at something.

[Jimbuna]

Chunder - Not a wonderfully melodic word, ‘chunder’ is part and parcel of British slang terms. Meaning ‘to vomit’ or ‘to be sick’, ‘chunder’ is almost always used in correlation with drunken nights, or being hugely ill and sick.

[Jimbuna]

Damp Squib - More of an usual term, a ‘damp squib’ in British slang terms refers to something which fails on all accounts, coming from the ‘squib’ (an explosive), and the propensity for them to fail when wet.

[Jimbuna]

Do - A “do” is essentially a party

[August]

Do - A “do” is essentially a party


The American version might be "to do". as in "Are you going to the big To Do up at the VFW this weekend?"

[Von Due]

Came like Christmas eve to the missus - Something that happened suddenly and unexpected

To be between the tree bark and the wood - To be in a difficult situation like being torn between two tough choices.

[Aktungbby]

Do - A “do” is essentially a party IN Senior-care rest homes, it's called do-do!:O:

[Jimbuna]

Dodgy - In British slang terms, ‘dodgy’ refers to something wrong, illegal, or just plain ‘off’, in one way or another.

[Jimbuna]

Fortnight - ‘Fortnight’ – a British slang term more commonly used by virtually everyone in the UK to mean ‘a group of two weeks’.

[Jimbuna]

Grockel - It is used as a derogatory word for tourists.

[Aktungbby]

Dodgy - In British slang terms, ‘dodgy’ refers to something wrong, illegal, or just plain ‘off’, in one way or another.

Fortnight - ‘Fortnight’ – a British slang term more commonly used by virtually everyone in the UK to mean ‘a group of two weeks’. A dodgy fortnight is one spent in a cheap motel.... milling about smartly w/o benefit of matrimony!:O:

[Sean C]

Jim's last post reminded me of something my sister told me when she was attending the College of William and Mary years ago. It's by no means a national saying; as far as I know having been confined to the college and its surroundings. But she said that they referred to tourists as "tourons".


This is a portmanteau of the word "tourist" and another ... less flattering word. The reason being that Colonial Williamsburg is one of the more popular local tourist attractions, and the visitors were always pestering the busy students for directions*.


The student body had apparently even gone so far as to print their own "tourist maps", which included many, many (far too many) points of interest - such as the "butcher's shop", the "baker's shop" and ... you guessed it: the "candlestick maker's shop". The map also depicted a police station on every single corner in the city. (We have a lot ... but not that many.) These maps were eagerly handed out to any poor, unsuspecting tourist who happened to have the bad luck of asking a W&M student where the nearest bus stop was located.


And we wonder why the rest of the world thinks we're ****heads. :hmmm:


* I feel I should mention that this was long before everyone had an exact, up-to-date map of the world in their pocket showing their real-time location. And I should also mention that Williamsburg is [was?] home to a traffic intersection called "confusion corner" - and for good reason. Once, when I was visiting my sister at the college, I had to try and navigate this intersection. None of the lanes (which seemed to come from many random directions) lined up with one another through the intersection, and all of the traffic lights were mounted on poles which were so far from the roadway that which lane they controlled was a complete mystery.


Add to that the fact that the entire intersection is surrounded by dense forest - so much so that the traffic lights themselves and even the oncoming lanes were difficult to identify - and you can imagine why this is a complete nightmare for all but the most seasoned local drivers.

[Jimbuna]

Jammy - Is a descriptive word, used to describe someone who is extremely lucky for something, without putting in much effort for it.

[mapuc]

Some more Danish sayings directly translated

Acting for the gallery - Means Theatrical or hypocritical performance, especially to please someone

The Devil and his pump stick - Means in this case a longer explanation
- Is perhaps a pre-Danishization of the Latin baptismal ritual: Abrenuntias Satanae ... an omnibus pompis ejus (Do you forsake the devil and all his being), where pompis has become a pumping stick.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Kerfuffle - Describes a skirmish or a fight or an argument caused by differing views.

[Jimbuna]

Minging - Is an alternative to the word “disgusting” or “gross”.

[Jimbuna]

Muck - Muck is a substitute for “dirt”

[Jimbuna]

Our Kid - It is a term denoting your younger brother/ sister, or close family member such as a cousin.

[mapuc]

In the radio earlier today I heard a local sentence I never have heard before.

To poop a snowmand Meaning = A person is really terrified or nervous.

Markus

[August]

Minging - Is an alternative to the word “disgusting” or “gross”.




Interesting. I thought it meant petty or whining based on the usage I heard in the wife's beloved English mysteries.

[Sean C]

Reminds me of the interesting [to me] difference between the U.K. and U.S. meaning of a certain word - which I'm not entirely sure is not too vulgar [in the U.K.] to post here:

Fanny


In the U.S. it refers to a person's backside. Apparently in the U.K. it refers to a woman's ... "frontside". I wonder how it got two meanings which are so far apart, and yet so close together. :haha:

[Jimbuna]

Interesting. I thought it meant petty or whining based on the usage I heard in the wife's beloved English mysteries.

As far as I'm aware and for sure up in Northern England:

Whinging - complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.
"stop whingeing and get on with it!"

[Jimbuna]

Reminds me of the interesting [to me] difference between the U.K. and U.S. meaning of a certain word - which I'm not entirely sure is not too vulgar [in the U.K.] to post here:

Fanny


In the U.S. it refers to a person's backside. Apparently in the U.K. it refers to a woman's ... "frontside". I wonder how it got two meanings which are so far apart, and yet so close together. :haha:

Tis also a common christian name in many western countries.

[Jimbuna]

Muck - Muck is a substitute for “dirt”

[August]

As far as I'm aware and for sure up in Northern England:

Whinging - complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.
"stop whingeing and get on with it!"


Maybe that's what I heard. It's difficult to make out what they are saying sometimes.

[Jimbuna]

Our Kid - Is a term denoting your younger brother/ sister, or close family member such as a cousin.

[Jimbuna]

Pork pies - The expression is a synonym for ‘lies’.

[Jimbuna]

Posh - Generally, ‘posh’ denotes the English upper classes.

[Aktungbby]

from the old trip to India during the Raj etc P.O.S.H. ie: "Portside out; Starboard home" referred to cabin arrangement on the vessel to and from India and Britain...generally first class passengers in the era before air conditioning was invented. Reportedly, it was marked on the steamship ticket in large letters. It was important in those days to avoid tanning in the sun-very not Pukka Sahib!.:yeah:

[Jimbuna]

Proper - This has two different meanings depending on location or social classes. From a higher social class, ‘Proper’ denotes actions appropriate to certain circumstances. For example, ‘Don’t do that, it’s not proper!’ However such a usage is becoming less common.

More common, and common in the north and southwest England. “Proper” is used as an alternative to “very” or “extremely”, something that can give a term extra weight. For example, ‘that meal was proper tasty’ or sometimes ‘that was proper.’

[Jimbuna]

Scrummy - Is used as a wonderfully effusive term for when something is truly delicious and mouth-wateringly good.

[mapuc]

Heard a well known saying some days ago.

Lars(ordinary mans name) diarrhea fields- The exact meaning of this is not really known-Today it is used to tell someone that a place is far out in the country

E.g
It is past Lars diarrhea's fields

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Skive

Used to indicate when someone has failed to turn up for work or an obligation due to pretending to fake illness.

[Jimbuna]

Throwing a wobbly

This phrase means the same thing as having a tantrum.

[Jimbuna]

Tosh

A nifty little British term that means ‘rubbish’ or ‘crap’.

[August]

So a Posh Tosh would be a Crappy Snob?

[Jimbuna]

I get your meaning but it's not a term I've ever heard used.

[Jeff-Groves]

Scooby Snacks
A term used to reference Mary Ja Wanna.
:doh:
"Hey! You have any Scooby Snacks?"

[Jimbuna]

Trainers

Trainers are the British equivalent of the American sneakers denoting athletic shoes.