Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Take a little test.

Can you guess what these British phrases mean?


See if you'd fit in in the UK.



http://en.what-character-are-you.com/d/en/1041/index/5577.html

14 comments:

Sherri said...

Hahaha - you'd get a shock coming over here if that's what you think we're like! Good quiz though - unsurprisingly got them all right!

Chris said...

I got 15 out of 15, so I could be British. Oh, hang on, I am! Fun test, thanks for sharing it. And Bernadette's right - we are so not like that. Mostly.

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Chris and Bernadette. So what are you trying to tell me?

You're not polite? (Now, remember I'm comparing you to U.S. folks and you can't get much ruder than that.) You don't have accents -- well, to your neighbors anyway? You're not funny? I think British humor (humour) is wonderful.

Oh, so you DO cut in line. Well, Bob's your uncle. No, no, no...that's not right. :)

Susan said...

Lol. I got 14. Several of those sayings are said down here in the south. I got "death warmed over" wrong. We say that, too, but it can mean sick or miserable. For the others, I am a big fan of Upstairs/Downstairs, Monarch of the Glen, Dr. Who, and other British shows. :)

Mary Jo said...

Like Susan, I got 14 right, but how do I know which one I got wrong? I couldn't see where it would tell me. My mother's family is from the South, so that may be one reason I got that many right. However, I think it is really because we use the same sayings here in California, maybe just a little different phraseology. "I'll be back in two ticks" would be, "I'll be back in a second." That kinda thing.

Jody E. Lebel said...

British shows: AbFab. Love those two crazies.

What are some American sayings the British don't use?

How about: don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining. Meaning don't lie to me.

What's another?

Mary Jo said...

Jody, I never heard that "American" saying. Where are you from?

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Mary Jo. I was born and raised in New England, Massachusetts, and relocated to Florida in the 80s.

Susan said...

"You need to fish or cut bait." or "Either poo or get off the pot." Only we don't say poo. ;) Meaning do something about the situation or make a decision.

Susan said...

Mary Jo, I thought I knew which one I got wrong, so I just retook the quiz changing only that answer. I got 15 on the retake, so I knew that was the one I got wrong.

Chris said...

Well, your sayings are certainly graphic! Don't really need explanation, do they, they speak for themselves. We have one here, 'I wouldn't p**s on you if you were on fire', meaning I don't care much for your response. I first heard that used about forty years ago when I worked as a veterinary nurse. A very angry customer said it to my very posh boss, whose face was a picture. There were a few smirks going round the surgery that day.

Jody, no I don't tend to push in line and that does seem to be a British trait. I've travelled a lot in Europe and in many countries no one thinks twice about going for it when a space appears (or even if it doesn't). I think we just love queuing. That's why we love Argos so much. You queue for a catalogue, you queue to pay, and you queue to collect your goods. A triple whammy of waiting. Bliss. (not)

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Chris. Now, see how polite you are? You don't even want to write the word piss. I swear, the people on your side of the world are much more gentile than our side. More civilized in my mind. Maybe I'll have to move...lol.

So anyway, that p**s saying... we have a version: I wouldn't cross the street to piss on him.

Here's another pee saying: If you want to play with the big dogs, you have to pee in the tall grass.

What a colorful culture we are, huh?

Elizabeth said...

I answered 14 of 15 right also. Wonder if we all got the same one wrong?

An American saying ... "He would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth."

In Buffalo, New York, where I live, people tend to say, "I'll holler at you later on" when hanging up the phone, and/or "Have a blessed day."

Mary Jo said...

Chris, you queue, we stand in line. Everywhere now. Even at Triple A where we used to sit and wait for our name to be called. The days of service to customers is long over. Sorry, but if people would show a little kindness and use a little courtesy, it would be a better world.