When words don't cross borders well...

[V8mate]

Just watching a serious bit of news journalism () on Channel 4 about terrorists in the Philippines.

Cue choking on hot tea as the journo introduces a contact from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (thereafter referred to as the M.I.L.F.)

[GTIR]

Ahh, simple things.

[OnTheOverrun]

Reminds me of the recent joint venture between Nigeria and a huge Russian gas company called 'Gaz' something as I remember.

The new firm was genuinely called Nigaz. . . . . . .

[mybrainhurts]

A Dutchman asked me what a hard shoulder was yesterday...

He knew what a rounadabout was, but thought a mini roundabout was a merry-go-round...

[Muntu]

Wisconsin Tourism Federation :

Predictable

[triggersbroom]

More of a car name - apparently the MR2 wasn't badged as such in France/Belgium

[anonymous-user]

mybrainhurts said:

thought a mini roundabout was a merry-go-round...

Surely it's for practical purposes an "all-way stop" in the centre of which some hard-working public-sector employee has painted a white circle at the tax-payer's for everyone to ignore?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-way_stop


OK OK an all-way yield in Europe.

[KB_S1]

V8mate said:

Just watching a serious bit of news journalism () on Channel 4 about terrorists in the Philippines.

Cue choking on hot tea as the journo introduces a contact from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (thereafter referred to as the M.I.L.F.)

I shamefully admit to laughing at that too.

Did you catch the name of the soldier who was in charge of the bomb squad?

It was something like Kabangbang!

[MitchT]

In parts of Yorkshire giving someone a good telling-off is refered to as giving them a "bellender". My aunt still says it

[shakotan]

triggersbroom said:

More of a car name - apparently the MR2 wasn't badged as such in France/Belgium

The Vauxhall Nova didn't go down too well in Spain, apparently No Va means "Wont go"!

[RedexR]

MitchT said:

In parts of Yorkshire giving someone a good telling-off is refered to as giving them a "bellender". My aunt still says it

Imagine if Alex Ferguson had become manager of Leeds instead of Man U , instead of the hairdryer he would be giving his players the ??

[NiceCupOfTea]

shakotan said:

triggersbroom said:

More of a car name - apparently the MR2 wasn't badged as such in France/Belgium

The Vauxhall Nova didn't go down too well in Spain, apparently No Va means "Wont go"!

Urban legend - the Nova was called the Corsa throughout Europe.

I do remember hearing that "Pajero" was Spanish for wker or something, hence the different name in Europe.

[Zad]

RedexR said:

MitchT said:

In parts of Yorkshire giving someone a good telling-off is refered to as giving them a "bellender". My aunt still says it

Imagine if Alex Ferguson had become manager of Leeds instead of Man U , instead of the hairdryer he would be giving his players the ??

Pulled off at half time?

[JonRB]

Never ask an American if you can bum a fag off him.

[Famous Graham]

JonRB said:

Never ask an American if you can bum a fag off him.

Not true, as it happens.

First time I went to the US in about 93, I was conditioning myself not to say "fag" with regard to cigarettes.

First thing I hear after nipping outside at Minneapolis St Paul, is a broad Californian surf dude accent asking to "bum a fag".

Fair threw me, I can tell you

[BigBen]

Famous Graham said:

JonRB said:

Never ask an American if you can bum a fag off him.

Not true, as it happens.

First time I went to the US in about 93, I was conditioning myself not to say "fag" with regard to cigarettes.

First thing I hear after nipping outside at Minneapolis St Paul, is a broad Californian surf dude accent asking to "bum a fag".

Fair threw me, I can tell you

They usually seem to know its a British saying but using the term fags for cigarettes has often caused much hilarity amongst Americans IME

[MarkwG]

NiceCupOfTea said:

shakotan said:

The Vauxhall Nova didn't go down too well in Spain, apparently No Va means "Wont go"!

Urban legend - the Nova was called the Corsa throughout Europe.

Not a legend, but the other way around - Nova for Vauxhall, because "no va" means doesn't go; Corsa for Opel, because corsa sounds like "coarser" in English. Eventually Vauxhall lost the badging battle, & we got lumbered with Corsa as well.

[jamesson]

shakotan said:

triggersbroom said:

More of a car name - apparently the MR2 wasn't badged as such in France/Belgium

The Vauxhall Nova didn't go down too well in Spain, apparently No Va means "Wont go"!

Close. It was the Chevrolet Nova which was spurned by Hispanics in the USA for that reason.

[marshalla]

jamesson said:

shakotan said:

triggersbroom said:

More of a car name - apparently the MR2 wasn't badged as such in France/Belgium

The Vauxhall Nova didn't go down too well in Spain, apparently No Va means "Wont go"!

Close. It was the Chevrolet Nova which was spurned by Hispanics in the USA for that reason.

No, it wasn't : http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp

[vinnie83]

I don't smoke myself, but a few Americans were looking at my friend funny when he said he really fancies a fag!