h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I love the phrases non-English speakers adopt from English and then use in a way the English never would. The Italians say "F**k Go" (not disimilar to the Scots who say "Get to f**k") for example. And the germans use the english word "Handy" to mean mobile phone(it's useful, you hold it in your hand, it makes sense right?) completely unaware that we don't use the phrase ourselves!

Some time ago, we had an Iranian guy working with us and he spoke English, Spanish, French, Portugese and a couple of others! He used swear words in wildy inappropriate ways but still got the meaning across.

I'll give his versions but you can guess what he was trying to say!

You fat arsed tooth picker!
Fack you and your daddy-mother!

and my fave......

Horse-sucklng of private people!?!

Swearing is incredibly idiomatic. The used to be a god awful cop show on British TV in the early hours of the morning called "Shamansky" it was a European cop show dubbed into English, obviously by the producing country and the swearing was all wrong. To this day you can identify those who were subjected to the show by their use of phrases such as "S**t Off" and "P**s You".

The Simpsons used to be good at word play - my fave. was martin (the swot) getting some words wrong in a spelling test....... "Me, wrong...thats unpossible!

I also love to find foreign words/phrases that don't exist in English, and vice versa.

There's one mentioned in Gaiman's Death:The High Cost of Living in fact "l'esprit d'escalier" - the spirit of the staircase, that feeling that you get when you've had an argument and have walked out and are on the stairs, and THEN think of the devastatingly witty and effective argument/explanation/put down that would have won the day for you. The realisation that that is what you should have said.

There's a great section in Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being on the word Litost.

The Germans have no word for subtle. Why should they. Equally they have the word "sorgenbracher", a carebreaker, the opposite of a heartbreaker, who rather than making you hurt emotionally, salves your bruised feelings. Why should the Emotionally retarded English have such a concept. The Germans use it euphemistically for barmen.

*ROFL*
Oh dear.. That's beautiful.
*giggle*
-Cymbeline

*grin* The Simpsons is awesome.
I hecka grew up with that show.. I remember when it first came out and everyone was wearing Bart t-shirts..

-Cymbeline

that German word is pretty cool..
the idea of someone who fixes your broken heart, we don't really have a word for that.
Heh.
-Cymbeline

A carebreaker? Good lord. I'm English and will never show my emotions!!

Actually all my friends Fathers who are roughly the same age, would rather die than admit to a broken heart.

Whyever not? I think it's completely silly that people won't show their emotions, especially men, and most especially Englishmen. But then again I am an American female and don't know much about such things.

Broken hearts happen to everyone.. and that's when you most need to talk, as far as I can tell. (seen far too many) I couldn't imagine not having someone to talk to and going through all that.

-Cymbeline, the "express your emotions" queen

"Fester, Fester, Fester.. Rot, Rot, Rot..." -Meg Ryan in "French Kiss"

I was only joking about the English not showing emotions....we're like everyone else!!
But my fathers generation (which is about 60-65 years old)
seem to have an aversion to huggs, kissing or anything that might show them in a less than manly light!

;p it's a stereotype, and like many others is a load of c**p. (carp, what were you thinking? *snicker*)

i think that is just part of the time they grew up in..

anyway, today is a silly day. so here's a for you.



-Cymbeline, aka Peter (although she is female)

The English still uper lip sang-friod thing is ubiquitous, it's so culturally engrained that we don't notice it. Even if you think you're a free and easy hoopy frood, you're probibly uptight compared to, say, your Indian or Brazilian counterpart.

*grin*
i think i'm pretty hoopy.

-peter

it died.

-Peter

Being English, due to the Football World cup, in the past week lots of us have been really happy - winning streak.

Then drained and p****d off - lost to Brazil !

Didn't Brazil win the whole thing?

Auw, sorry y'all got p'd off.



-Pete