Terms we use in America that don't make sense

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
Things that don't make sense in North American English:

1) saying "Gesundheit" when someone sneezes... Why use a German word?... in England, they say/used to say "Bless you", which at least was English.
2) There's no English equivalent for the expression "Bon appetit" when you start a meal.

1) There is no god so "god" bless you makes no sense. I may as well say, giant pink unicorn bless you. At least Gesundheit means "good health" in that sneezing may mean one is coming down with an illness.

I'm liberal. I don't consider myself religious. But I'm curious... people who don't believe in god - how do they believe that the earth and humanity was created? Or better yet, something simple - like a tree. A tree is complex. I sure couldn't design it. So how was it designed? Are we a computer program inside another realities computer?

 

[azazyel]

I was hoping this tread was more about expressions like "Let the cat out of the bag" or something like that. Since I work with a lot of foreign contractors I feel I have to watch the terms that I use.

 

[torpid]

Flamebait alert.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: LoKe
I don't say anything simply because it makes no sense. Sneezing is just a normal bodily function like everything else. I cringe when someone says God bless you, because it assumes that person is of faith. Meh, it's just the little things..

don't let the faithmonsters get you!

seriously though, I can't remember ever having heard anyone say "God bless you" - just "bless you". I thought it was just common courtesy... *shrug*

It's the same assumption.

so you assume someone is religious when they say "bless you"? lol!

Heh heh.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: LoKe
I don't say anything simply because it makes no sense. Sneezing is just a normal bodily function like everything else. I cringe when someone says God bless you, because it assumes that person is of faith. Meh, it's just the little things..

Yes, because it's been scientifically proven that saying "Christmas" and "bless you" will force an atheist to turn into a Christian in as little as three repetitions

Do you cringe when people say "Goddammit" for the same reason? And do you not get offended when people say "you f*cker" if you're a virgin?

Originally posted by: sao123
why do the french call their perfume... toilet water?

Actually, I'm pretty sure the term "making one's toilet" (get ready, comb, wash your face, shave, perfume/cologne etc) precedes the invention of the crapper. It was later (probably in the Puritan 50s, though I don't know) that the porcelain throne became known as "the toilet", and the French "eau de toilette" started sounding funny to American ears.

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
When kids argue they say "do not" "do too". The "too" makes no sense.

Yeah, it should be "do as well"

The initial "I" is assumed, in much the same way as in the phrase "f*ck you"

 

[DangerAardvark]

I got tired of this in the 80's when George Carlin beat it to death with a tire iron.

 

[GoatMonkey]

Originally posted by: Oxaqata
In America you call it gas. I'm under the impression that it's a liquid.

Tell me about "petrol", isn't it "petrolium"?

When someone sneezes I say "get the hell away from me, I don't want your cold".

 

[MrPickins]

It's mainly a Texas (or Southern?) thing, but I often find myself saying I'm "fixin' to" do something instead of "about to".

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Taking a shit!

In all my years of sitting on the throne, I have never "taken" anything.


"I could really give a shit" Well, tough talker, did you?


"I'm gonna take a piss". Open wide! :shocked:

ha ha ha....thats a good one!

 

[02ranger]

I've always heard you say "bless you" because your heart skips a beat when you sneeze. I'm not sure if that was covered in the Wiki article, I was too lazy to read. I really don't know if its true or not, but that's what I was told.

The phrase that bugs me most is when people say "I could care less" The whole point of saying it is to say that you don't care. If you could care less, it means that you do care at least a little. It should be "I couldn't care less."

 

[alrocky]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: alrocky
Going to the bathroom

Rush Hour

you = fail.

He's right about the first one. If there's no bath, it's not a bathroom, but rather, a washroom.

I believe he's right about the second one too. It lasts longer than an hour and you don't get to rush because it goes so slowly.

it's because everyone is rushing home, and it's typically the hour before typical busines hours (9-5). obviously there is more than 1 hour of traffic w/schedules being so different now a days, but it makes complete sense.

and when I have to pee, I typically go walk into a bathroom to do so. therefore, i have no idea what is weird about me "going to the bathroom" to pee.

"Rush Hour" implies speed at 60 minute duration. It typically takes longer than than that and now more or less means traffic congestion at slow speed. The two word phrase suggests the opposite of what it means.

"Going to the bathroom" suggests a room with a bathtub. When you were a wee lad you shit on yourself in your diapers. Dad said what's that beastly smell? Mum answered the little shit just went to the the bathroom. You mistakenly used the meaning of bathroom to equal urinate or defecate in your explanation as I have. It's meaning differs from what the word implies - bath tub room. When someone came home all filthy from playing in the dirt and said they needed to go bathroom, do they mean shower/bath or to take a shit? When nature call while you're at MickyDs and you ask where the bathroom is - there is no bathtub or bathing options in that room. You could ask for the toilet or urinal...

That'll cost an arm and a leg.

 

[NoShangriLa]

Bathroom ? where you don?t take bath.
Take a shower ? but you can?t take a shower with you.

Moose ? that do not have the plural form of meese.

Group of people ? flock of sheep ? flock of birds ? murder of crows ? gaggle of geese ? muster of stork ? tribe of baboons ? pack of wolfs ? band of coyotes ? pride of lions ? school of fish ? pit of snakes ? bed of clams ? pod of porpoise.

It was difficult for me to learn English (and still learning) because the language is so fragmented that there are more exceptions to every rule that it have.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: sao123
why do the french call their perfume... toilet water?

always amazed by that term. apparently the french language snob factor overpowers the negative connotation of having toilet mentioned in a beauty product.


as for things that don't make sense... how about "head over heels for one".

 

[Throckmorton]

By the way, almost all these weird sayings have historical origins. People say "bless you" because they used to believe that your soul left your body when you sneezed. Letting the cat out of the bag probably comes from some cat that was let out of some bag 1000 years ago.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
We say "I'm going to the hospital" and "I'm going to school". Why don't we say "the" school? It makes no sense. You aren't really distinguishing which school in the same way you aren't really distinguishing which hospital, but it definitely doesn't sound natural to say I'm going to the school, but it's the same thing as saying I'm going to the hospital.

But you do know which hospital you are going to, that is why you say the. The respondent may then ask "Which?"

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Oxaqata
In America you call it gas. I'm under the impression that it's a liquid.

gas is short form of gasoline...

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: jamesave
What is a broker?

Is that a job function to make someone broke?

Broker a deal. That is why they are called brokers.

 

[Deeko]

homercles337, I hereby declare you the biggest troll on the planet. Why would you post that here?

 

[CigarSmokedByClinton]

when you're asking "why", how come people say "how come"

is it short for "How did that come to be"?

Weird...