From “break a leg” to “ride shotgun,” these everyday American sayings are confusing, funny—and surprisingly popular abroad.
If there’s one thing you can say about countries around the world, it’s that we’re all unique.
- Each has its own social and cultural norms (here are some interesting ones)
- Different countries have their own unwritten rules
- Their residents even know what their stereotypes are to outsiders (we’re not exempt, by the way. There are several ways you can tell a tourist is American)
Even countries that speak the same language will have different words for different things. A video from a few years ago showed how people from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Ireland and New Zealand – all different English-speaking countries – had different words for certain objects and concepts. Take a look:
Sometimes our differences in what we say can make for some delightful conversation. For example, I have friends in the UK who insist I’m a “cheeky monkey” (I tend to agree with them). “God Bless America, but God help Canada to put up with them!” is a favorite proverb of mine from our friends “oop north.” And I love that “Good for you!,” (U.S.), “Well done!” (U.K.) and “Good on ya!” (Australia) all mean the same thing.
However, there are several uniquely American idioms, sayings and phrases that people from other countries particularly enjoy. Here are some of the ones people from other countries say they love most:
‘Couch Potato’
“I just love the visual behind this one, like, what does this even look like?” ― Mitch H
‘Break A Leg’
“My first impression of the phrase was not a very good one. I heard it in the movie ‘High School Musical’ and I was confused. It sounds like something negative but it has a positive and a motivating connotation.” ― Baig
‘Elephant in the Room’
I like how this appears in my brain. Something so obvious. So huge, that it almost takes up the entire room. — Soa R.
‘Ride Shotgun’
“I remember reading a book when I saw a phrase like ‘I’m riding shotgun.’ I genuinely thought the guy had a shotgun on him and felt it weird because it didn’t fit the plot. I wrote it down and read on to see whether that would turn out to be something important. When I finished the book, I looked it up on the Internet and giggled. Why would people associate the front seat with a weapon? Is that really a habit, people riding with shotguns?” ― Sousa
‘Guilty Pleasure’
“I find this expression intriguing because I don’t think the concept of having a guilty pleasure even exists in Brazil. I have never heard a Brazilian put those two words together. But now that I know this expression, I can think of many things I do that I could call a guilty pleasure!” ― Virginia L.
‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’
When I was a child, we had a dog who stayed outside most of the time. He would chase the various animals in the area and on more than one occasion, he would bark up the wrong tree. Decades later, I too have missed the mark and done the same thing. — Emil K.
‘Hold Your Horses’
I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of old fashioned American cowboys. And I’d think of them on their trusty steeds, wanted to go, go, go. But the cowboys make them wait. Sometimes it’s not so easy to wait. — Paloma S.
‘Squeaky Clean’
The reason I like it is the unexpectedness: We usually determine cleanliness by visual signals. A clean object is usually shining, or clear or bright, but the word ‘squeaky’ makes us hear how clean that object is!” ― Irina Z.
‘Plenty of Fish in the Sea’
If you think about it, there are lots of fish in the ocean. So if one doesn’t work out, it just takes some patience until the next fish comes along. I can relate to that. — Samuel N.
‘Under The Weather’
“I use it every time I’m ill. Especially in work correspondence, it feels like the most professional way to communicate an illness.” — Ipinmi A.
‘Ants in Your Pants’
I’ve always loved this one because it so perfectly visualizes what someone who can’t sit still would look like. — Cami Z.
‘You’re Bulls**tting Me’ (And Other Instances Of Verbing)
“One of the things I love most about the American language is that we can turn almost any noun into a verb. I just found out that this action has a name: verbing. This is fascinating! Verbing does not exist in my native language (Brazilian Portuguese).
What I like about verbing is that it makes communication easy and to the point. I remember an anecdote from about 10 years ago when I had just moved to NYC. I passed by two young women on the street and overheard one of them saying, ‘They bulls**tted me.’ That’s when I realized that any noun could be turned into a verb.” ― Langhammer
Language is funny like that—what sounds perfectly normal to one person can sound completely bizarre to someone else.
Do you have a favorite American phrase? Or one you didn’t understand at first? Let us know in the comments—we’re always up for adding more to the list.
H/T: Buzzfeed
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