jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Things Americans say that people in other countries don't.

https://www.wordgenius.com/15-things-americans-say-that-other-countries-dont-understand/Xr0yWBPAJQAG8w82?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1125391623

dancers Loc: melbourne.victoria, australia

quite a few are said down here........

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

Yeah, 6 of them in common usage here in NZ as well.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

qnʇ ʇɥᴉs ᴉs ɥoʍ ᴉʇ ɔoɯǝs onʇ ᴉu ɐnsʇɹɐlᴉɐ

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I have used, heard being used all of them except for two (jumped the shark and the references to various levels of high school or uni or whatever).

P-J Loc: UK

Pity the European GDPR Laws won't allow us to view this link 'the things Americans say that others don't?'

melismus Loc: Chesapeake Bay Country

Solution in ^C and ^V:




15 Americanisms You Won't Find Anywhere Else
Monday, April 84 min read
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If you threw a party with guests from Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Jamaica, and the United States, they might have a hard time understanding each other. English is spoken in all five countries, but every culture puts its own spin on things, from using the same word in wildly different ways, to coining words that are unique to a specific nation. Here's a guide to some words and phrases that are 100% American.
Ballpark

While a professional ballpark is defined by the baseball diamond, the outfield, the stands, the concessions, and the walls around it, neighborhood fields might not have the same boundaries. You can play ball anywhere, including in the street, an open field, or a backyard.

So when the word "ballpark" is used off the field, it usually means you're in the right general area, but maybe not within set boundaries. You can ballpark an estimate, hit something out of the ballpark, or meet someone’s guidelines by being in the same ballpark.
Sneakers

Athletic footwear goes by many names around the globe — Canadians refer to such shoes as runners, while Brits affectionately call them trainers. Americans favor sneakers, tennis shoes, or running shoes — don't worry if you're neither sneaking nor running.
Bachelor / Bachelorette

The title of this reality TV guilty pleasure is also a term unique to the U.S., at least when it comes to prenuptial partying. In other English-speaking countries, parties to celebrate the bride and groom’s last hurrah are known as stag, stagette, hen, or buck parties, though most people would still know what a bachelor(ette) party entailed if you extended an invite.
Soccer / Football

Perhaps the most infamous sports-related difference in the English language is what people call the game that involves kicking a black and white ball into a goal. Throughout the rest of the world, it’s called football, which makes sense because it's played with, well, your feet. But in America (and Australia), it's soccer. What Americans call football is played by throwing and carrying a ball into an end zone. It's known as American football internationally.
More Bang for Your Buck

This American expression refers to getting a good deal, but the origins are a little more sinister. President Dwight D. Eisenhower coined the phrase in the 1950s, with the aim of expanding America’s armed forces while decreasing military spending.
First Floor

Sure, people around the globe say "first floor" — but they’re referring to the floor of a building above the ground floor. In the U.S., if you said you were on the first floor, you’d probably be referring to the floor where you enter a building. This difference can lead to some confused hotel guests when staying abroad.
Zip Codes

The rest of the English-speaking world uses postal codes to send their mail (also known as the post in the U.K.) via the postal system. But America’s five- or nine-digit ZIP codes stand apart. The USPS strategically chose ZIP to imply snail mail was, believe it or not, fast and efficient. But it's not just a zippy marketing ploy — it's also an acronym, for Zone Improvement Plan.
Freshmen / Sophomores / Juniors / Seniors

Whether you’re in high school or university, American students typically progress through these levels, based on their year of study — a practice not followed outside of America. Interestingly, these terms originated at the University of Cambridge in England, only to fall out of favor until they were revived by Cambridge graduate John Harvard, when he, you guessed it, founded Harvard College.
John Hancock

America’s colonial history pops up in American slang. If you ask for someone’s John Hancock, you’re asking for their signature. John Hancock was a real man, an American revolutionary patriot who made a literal name for himself with his flamboyant signature on the Declaration of Independence.
Flake

Light, airy, and oh-so-quick to crumble — just like your plans with a flaky friend. The rest of the world primarily uses this word when describing baking textures, but Americans have extended the meaning to anyone who is indecisive or flighty.
Take a Rain Check

If you’re looking to politely turn down an offer for drinks with colleagues, or a last-minute dinner invite, you might tell someone you’ll “take a rain check.” This charming Americanism also comes from baseball. If a game was rained out, ticket holders were given a ticket — or rain check — for a future game.
Vacation

Many English-speakers look forward to taking a holiday from work. Americans, however, are all about booking a vacation, or even more colloquially, a vacay. In America, holidays are typically reserved for talking about the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Jumped the Shark

This fishy phrase hails back to the 1970s, when the Fonz literally jumped over a shark during an episode of the comedy show Happy Days. Fans declared this scene as the official moment when Happy Days had run out of fresh, creative, and believable ideas. But the phrase stuck, and it’s still used to describe anything that undergoes a rapid and steep decline in quality.
Dude

While this slang word for "man" or "guy" is now most closely associated with SoCal surfer types, its origins date back to the 19th century, when posh East Coasters trekked out West for a cattle ranch vacation. It’s been picked up somewhat by other English speakers, but "dude" still has a truly American vibe.
Shotgun!

The best seat in the car is shotgun — AKA the front passenger’s seat. The term was inspired by America’s Wild West stagecoach days. If you ever see a group sprinting across the parking lot while yelling “shotgun,” chances are they’re just trying to lay claim to this coveted spot.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

P-J Loc: UK

How about you call "trunk" & what we can the 'boot' of a car in England. Ditto 'fender' we call a 'bumper'. we call them bracers, you suspenders. In England suspenders. an intimate female apparel for a lady's means of keeping her stockings up. Talking of which, you're pantyhose & we're tights. Vest vs waistcoat. Our trousers, your pants, Tuxedo vs dinner jacket (though I think we call a white d j a Tux. also? Some do anyway).
Unfortunately, due to the internet & the dominance of such companies as Microsoft & Apple, we find our younger generations here, now thinking that Americanisms & spellings are the correct way to use English? Pity. They are also having difficulties mastering using a knife & fork when eating (youtube?).
Interesting also your mention of Cambridge University. Americans use 'z', where in England use 's' in spellings. I believe this is due to Americans using what was the Cambridge University dictionary, where in England we adopted the Oxford dictionary version for our language. This may be in part that most of the Pilgrim fathers were from East Anglia, close to where Cambridge is? (not Plymouth, that was just their last provisioning port upon leaving England).
Maybe it's time to differentiate the types of English? We speak English, you speak American, the Australians speak Australian & New Zealand speak Kiwi etc.? After all it's not just how we spell, it's how we pronounce the same words e.g.we say caramelisation, Americans pronounce it as 'car amelization', Aluminium vs Alum inum?
Vive La Difference, as the French say?

John Sh Loc: Toronto, Australia

It's most unfortunate that due to the invasion of American television our language is changing for the worse. While we have used many of those phases for decades we are finding things like gotten, sidewalk, airplane , row boat and sail boat creeping into every day usage. I know language is supposed to be fluid and ever changing but some of these changes just aint English as she's spoke.

P-J Loc: UK

It's up to us in Britain & the British, though the latter is a devalued term these days, to maintain our own language & not let others influence us in the spelling, pronunciation or adoption of their variants in terms or words. Nay it is our duty!
Though I feel it's a lost cause because of Millennials in particular, also migrants & our own citizens influenced by media & so called 'celebrity culture' that 'bastardise' our language? That may also be an English term?
I still walk on a pavement, fly in an aeroplane (& I certainly do not de-board or 'deplane' an aeroplane, as I have started to hear British cabin crew request? I disembark!) & I go to sea on a yacht.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

How did you get to see it P-J? I get a blocked in the E.U. due to G.D.P.O. message, (even though we've left).

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right - expressions travel, eventually. We now say "fridge," and "veggies," and I'm sure there are others.

P-J Loc: UK

I didn't get to see it, because of GDPR. Whilst we may have left the EU (in theory) we are still bound by their rules/laws until repealed or replaced. Including the Human Rights legislation, where we can't even deport foreign criminals.
Roll on Dec 31st 2020.
Just remember they want our money (& fishing rights to UK waters & to tie us to their laws & standards 'in case we have an unfair advantage' such as taxes & trade deals), but they don't want us! Mind you there's loads of countries with the same attitude, I could name.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

I'm right alongside you. But I have to say both sides are acting like dickheads (in some cases) and one side has definitely thrown their toys out of the pram.