Americans, how many of these phrases did you understand?

I got 6 out of ten. Meh.

5/10

There is also Canadian, Australian and South African English test, for extra fun.

I tried the American version & got half right, nowt to write home about but still canny

I got 5/10, only one of which I actually knew, and one I should have got but didn’t. I’ve lived in England, too.

7/10. I guessed at all of them. This is coming from an American who has lived in England several months for the past eight years.

@ucme Did you take the British test? If so, did you know all of the phrases?

@Pied_Pfeffer Why aye bonnie lass, arl those were obvious like man.

I got 10/10 in the Aussie one as well. I was more unsure of my US answers ironically enough. Truth be, I’ve lived away much longer now than I ever actually lived in the US.

4/10 · Scored 40% American.

6/10. Not an American but just tried it for kicks.

6/10

I was completely flummoxed at a few.

10/10. that’s what comes of watching britcoms and coronation street in the 80’s

10/10 on American. Off to try Canadian before I get whacked by the Australian one.

5/10. Not an American and English isn’t my first language.

@BellaB Australian and SA tests were the most interesting to me.

Also, I really like the term “bunny hug”.

5/10

I knew 2 and I guessed 3.

I got 6 out of 10.

8/10. Swings and roundabouts threw me, and the hump one.

I got 9/10, missed the hump one.

@Sneki95 , bunny hug is very specific to one area of Canada. Most people here don’t know it unless they’ve got a friend from that area.

@Unofficial_Member, I’m also a non-American EAL type.

I got 10/10 for the british one (phew!). I got 6/10 for the american sayings. I mostly guessed though.

7/10 for the British and I’ve lived there. Some were just not familiar to me but most were.

I got full marks for the British and Australian tests. 80% for the US test. 60% for the Canadian one and 50% for the South African test. There should be a Kiwi test too.

Some of the US sayings are very much in common usage globally.

I am not going to be going to Australia any time soon – unless I have an interpreter! (Hint, hint @Earthbound_Misfit !)

It has to be noted however, the “he’s got the hump” example is a cockney saying, not in widespread use across the rest of the country.

^ Honestly, if “hangover” had been on the list, I’d have picked it.

8/10 US English
3/10 Aussie (I guess MasterChef Australia isn’t a reliable source of Ozzie slang.)
8/10 Canadian (I would never have guessed the double-double. I don’t like that stuff.)

I got 10/10 on the UK one, but I cheated by being Canadian.
Canadian: 10/10. I had to guess “bunny hug” – I’ve never heard that in my life.
Australian: a dismal 5/10, and I’ve been twice. What language are they speaking?

Truth: 0/10. Actual score: 4/10. I’m an okay guesser. Now if you excuse me I’m gonna go spend a penny.

@dappled_leaves, I found the South African one the hardest. And I think asking for political terms in the Canadian one is a bit much! I didn’t get bunny hug either.

@Janbb, I’m happy to be your interpreter. My husband (who is a bona fide Australian got one wrong! He will never live that down.)

@Earthbound_Misfit I didn’t even try the SA one, because I assumed I’d do poorly… ok, I guess that means I have to go try now.

Really, the Canadian one was that hard? I guess I need to start peppering my conversation with local idioms to keep you all up to speed. I know I’ve mentioned ridings on Fluther several times in the context of our recent election. ;)

Most of them were fine because I’ve been there, but there was one about electoral districts. I can’t remember what else I got wrong. It was first thing this morning. Yes, the South African one includes words I’ve never heard of. We should send it to @LornaLove. She’s lived there.

I got 6/12, partly by educated guessing (sarmie is close enough to sarnie to likely mean sandwich, for example), and partly by uneducated guessing!

Now if I were to give y’all a north east version of this…hee-hee

(Teaser) Eeh, why arl gan te tha foot of oor stairs

@dappled_leaves I got ridings because there are areas in Yorkshire called ridings. So that one I guessed. I got 6/10 for that one too. And 6/10 for the Australian one. I thought I’d do better on the Australian one since I watched Neighbours every day all through my teenage years!

@ucme You’re a Geordie?

6/10 Australia
8/12 South Africa. Good guessing? or maybe a connection to some Dutch/Geman words?

@ucme – hahaha. Make up the Yorkshire test! I want to take it!

Oh @Seek I hope @ucme forgives you for that! He’s a Geordie not a Yorkshire man. Very different…

blink

Derp. I’m sorry, sweets.

One more round on me, then?

Haha, you are of course forgiven @Seek seeing as it’s you ;-}
The way I wrote that last post, parts of it could easily be mistaken as yorkshire dialect, the written word can be deceitful like that & my football team is from that county, so…

To clear my regional origin up though, Geordies are from Newcastle, i’m from & have lived all my life in Durham, so definitely not a geordie, but we dee sorta tark the same ya nar?

I’d love to do a north east version of this test, but i’d probably need permission considering the huge derail of the thread & besides, nee bugger wud cotton worra wuz tarkin aboot :D

I seriously need to study my English geography. It’s not that big a country. I should know the layout of the counties better than I do.

6 outta 10—and ME, a confirmed Anglophile!

Full disclosure: most were just good guesses.

County Durham is way up north, so close to being a Scot…phew, dodged a bullet there then

::Pushes @ucme to Edinburgh::

Dude, Edinburgh is less than a 2 hour train ride from you. In US terms, that’s the same place.

Aye, been there loads of times, but us Britishers are fiercely loyal to our English/Scottish roots.

I wish I lived somewhere that going somewhere completely different was only two hours away. Half the time I can’t get out of my damn city in two hours.

I think my family mash-up language would be fun for you all. Nor-lish it’s called. A mix of English and Norwegian and the English comes from Antipodes so you’d better have some Pacific Island kin there too!

Anyway, getting back to my earlier teaser, anyone able to define the meaning behind the expression…

”Well, i’ll go to the foot of our stairs”

Won’t answer as I’ve already looked it up. ^_

@ucme My sister in law is from Seaham. When I asked her once long ago if she was a Geordie, she about ripped my head off.

Do you ever use the term glaiky? not sure of spelling.

My sisterarrived s Scot. They moved to America when Jim as 6. His mother’s accent was really strong. My mother was shocked when Betty said ‘Da ficcken lights! I cunna stand dem ficcken lights! ’ She meant flicking not what my mom thought she was saying.

@zenvelo Seaham? Know it well & yeah, us lot up here tend to react badly if we’re thought as being geordies, tribal rivalries & all that shite.
Glaky means to be clumsy or awkward, at least that’s how i’ve always defined it, still in good use.

6/10
I’m disappointed with myself. I’m usually better at test taking. There was at least one more that I should have gotten right.

@ucme Must…..not…..Google!

I’ll assume it has absolutely nothing with following, going, nor stairs, right?

Imagine Mrs. Weasley saying it, and you’ll get the meaning.

@Sneki95 Right, absolutely nowt :D

Okay so, it is an expression conveying shock or surprise on hearing something entirely unexpected.

“Fred Weasley! Those Fizzy Whizbangs you put in the pudding had me at the foot of the stairs!”

Donald Trump wins the presidency…“Well, i’ll go to the foot of our stairs”

”Give owwer hinny, had thee pash”

@ucme Stop it girl, be quiet?

Eight out of ten, and I knew one was wrong as soon as i clicked on it.