Liverpool FC Forum

by **Lionheart** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:25 pm

I've noticed there are some words and terminolgy that differ greatly between countries. At times, because of a lack of knowledge, this can lead to misunderstanding and undue/unnessessary agro.

What are some of the words used by someone from another country that are a bit of a mystery to you? Can someone explain the meaning and origin of these words/phrases

I have a couple (to start with):

Numpty

Fit bird

All in the interest of improved cultural awareness & understanding

by **drummerphil** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:28 pm

numpty.....= idiot
fit bird = attractive female

by **kazza 1** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:29 pm

Lionheart wrote:I've noticed there are some words and terminolgy that differ greatly between countries. At times, because of a lack of knowledge, this can lead to misunderstanding and undue/unnessessary agro.

What are some of the words used by someone from another country that are a bit of a mystery to you? Can someone explain the meaning and origin of these words/phrases

I have a couple (to start with):

Numpty

Fit bird

All in the interest of improved cultural awareness & understanding

Numpty - a stupid person
fit bird - a good looking woman.........
Hope this helps.

by **Lionheart** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:30 pm

Yeah, but how did they originate??

by **kazza 1** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:38 pm

I don't know. Try this link. It might be able to help you with the word numpty..............

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=numpty

It also gives the meanings of some words I have never heard of. :laugh:

by **The Ace1983** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:49 pm

I was in a bar in new york a couple of years ago and it was non-smoking, but the guy who owned it let people go out back and have a cigarette if you were desperate. So I'd been propping up the bar for about an hour and having finished my beer I got up and said "I'm just goin' out to smoke a fag" and the looks of shock I got were unbelievable. Because in America "fag" means "gay" and "smoke" can be used in terms of shooting. So to their ears it must have sounded something like "I'm just going out to shoot/suck off a gay person". My American friend quickly translated and we all had a laugh and a good chat about language. I ended up drunkenly teaching a room full of New Yorkers the basics of Cockney rhyming slang. :laugh:

by **kazza 1** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:49 pm

And heres one for anyone whos thinking of visiting good ole Northern Ireland.

http://www.speaknorniron.8m.net/

Check the dictionary part. I did'nt realise I talked like that until I read it..

by **jonnymac1979** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 pm

Any Scouse dictionaries out there?

by **kazza 1** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:03 am

jonnymac1979 wrote:Any Scouse dictionaries out there?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpo....e.shtml
Will this help.......

by **Sabre** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:15 am

This is helpful to me, thanks.

In Spanish the same misunderstanding happens. In many parts of America they use "pick" or "take" (coger) as in fúck
and you can have misunderstandings with it

I used to make an interchange (one day we talked in english, another day in Spanish) with a Merkin girl from California and she didn't understand some of the expressions I used, some of them, learnt here.

She didn't know what posh was, and she called it "stack up" or something.

The insults differed too, and some other words. She tried to correct me in some expressions but I preffer the english of the islands.

by **kazza 1** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:20 am

I find Spanish the same. Like the words pero and perro. If you dont roll the r's they sound like the same word. Have been at night school for nearly two years learning Spanish. I'm getting there, but I still have a lot to learn. I'm learning verbs at the minute. Any ideas on how to get them right???

by **Sabre** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:39 am

Our verb system is very complicated, many of my country mates use them wrong, but as I told you once, ask me whenever you want. If you needed an A+ some day, count on me, I can impress your teacher.

About the double R, it's quite easy once you learn to put the tongue in the correct place, you must put the front part of your tongue 1 cm above the back part of the teeth, and make it vibrate. It has nothing to do with the simple R, in which your tongue actually touches your teeth.

Another letter you might have problems with is J, as you must use the throat and you don't use it in english . It's like when you want to spit something you have in the throat :laugh:

by **Woollyback** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:03 am

Sabre wrote:I used to make an interchange (one day we talked in english, another day in Spanish) with a Merkin girl from California and she didn't understand some of the expressions I used, some of them, learnt here.

Sabre mate you're a comedy genius (although you probably don't yet know it

)

perfectly illustrating the point of this thread, a "merkin" is a pubic wig

what is merkin in spanish? :laugh:

by **Sabre** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:08 am

what is merkin in spanish?

It's some english friends in a computer forum who told me to use merkin to talk about Americans. Apparently they don't like them much, and apparently, the Americans, say "American" in a way that actually is pronounced "Merkin".

So they call them all Merkins. If this is not right , I'll switch to American

by **Woollyback** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:10 am

Sabre wrote:
what is merkin in spanish?

It's some english friends in a computer forum who told me to use merkin to talk about Americans. Apparently they don't like them much, and apparently, the Americans, say "American" in a way that actually is said "Merkin". So they call them all Merkins. If this is not right , I'll switch to American

calling an american a "merkin" - oh the irony :laugh:

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