American English has quite a few phrases that confuse people from other countries, even though we might think these expressions are straightforward. But their meanings aren’t always obvious—which is why foreigners are so puzzled when we use them in conversations! Here are ten American expressions that cause confusion abroad. It doesn’t matter whether you’re chatting casually or in a business meeting because you’ll be surprised to learn what other people don’t understand!
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“Table It”
Most Americans know that saying “table it” suggests you should postpone a discussion or decision—but it really throws off people from places like the UK. Over there, “to table” something means to start talking about it right away so using such a phrase could create some serious misunderstandings during international meetings. You should probably make sure everyone’s on the same page about its meaning unless you’re ready to create some confusion.
“Kick the Can Down the Road”
Similarly, saying you’re going to “kick the can down the road” is a way to show you’re postponing a problem for one reason or another. It apparently comes from the game “kick the can” which is a childhood game that most Americans played. However, people from other countries might picture someone literally kicking a can & not understand the American person wants to delay an action.
“Ride Shotgun”
When someone in the U.S. says they want to “ride shotgun,” they mean they want the front passenger seat in a car and the phrase comes from the Old West days. Back then, a guard with a shotgun sat next to the stagecoach driver to protect against outlaws. Yet people from other countries might find it odd because they don’t have the same history—they don’t understand what guns have to do with car seats!
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“John Hancock”
Anyone asking for your “John Hancock” is asking for a signature & the term comes from John Hancock—the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence. Obviously, not all countries will be aware of American history so they won’t really understand why we’re using someone’s name. They’d prefer for us to speak directly and ask them to sign something instead!
“Fanny Pack”
In America, a “fanny pack” is one of those small pouches that you wear around your waist, usually to protect your phone or wallet. However, in countries like the UK & Australia, the word “fanny” has a completely different meaning—it’s a crude term for a certain female body part! As such, Americans casually mentioning their “fanny pack” is enough to be quite a surprise for non-Americans.
“Get the Skinny”
To “get the skinny” on something is a way of asking for the inside scoop or the latest information on something, whether that’s gossip about other people or just something at work. Yet people in other countries often associate “skinny” only with being thin so they don’t see the connection to getting to the news. It doesn’t really make much sense to anyone who isn’t familiar with U.S. slang.
“For the Birds”
It’s quite normal for us to describe something as “for the birds” and it means that we think this thing is useless or unimportant for some reason. In America, the phrase first emerged with US Army soldiers who saw birds pecking at horse dung—something utterly useless. People in other countries don’t usually grasp this negative meaning since they don’t see the connection to birds.
“Blow This Popsicle Stand”
To say “Let’s blow this popsicle stand” is to suggest that it’s time to leave and it’s usually to find something more exciting or interesting. Just the word “popsicle” is confusing for many non-Americans, especially the Brits, because they call them “ice lollies” —they think our saying is just a random choice of words! As such, you might need to explain what you mean when you say this to anyone not from here.
“Plead the Fifth”
It might surprise you but saying “plead the Fifth” isn’t something all that common outside of America as the phrase comes from the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It gives people the right to stay silent to avoid incriminating themselves and we often use the saying in regular conversations, too. But it confuses people from other countries because they don’t have the same legal reference as we do.
“Two Bits”
An American talking about “Two bits” is talking about a quarter (or twenty-five cents) and the term goes back to colonial times. Back then, a Spanish dollar was divided into eight pieces called bits with each bit being worth twelve & a half cents—so two bits made a quarter. Of course, other countries have their own currency so they really won’t understand our old money slang in the same way.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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