With all the American TV shows and Movies that can be watched all around the world questions are bound to be raised. ‘What the hell does that mean?’ Well, we’re going to take a look at 12 of the most confusing American expressions that can really make your head spin.
1. Cuffing. Cuffing means getting into a relationship, where as this poor friend thought she was being called a criminal.
2. Corny. This word is reserved for people who try to be so cool that they really appear uncool and embarrassing.
3. This guy, who didn’t realise that ‘the den’ is just your Dad’s fancy name for his study.
4. This girl who doesn’t get how ‘birthday cake’ can be a flavour. Surely any type of cake can be a birthday cake if you stick candles on it?
5. Coffee Creamer. A powder or liquid that can be poured into coffee instead of milk or cream. The shelf life of this stuff is next level and Americans seem to be obsessed with it .
6. This person who is baffled by the American Tax system. I’m not even going to attempt to explain this one.
7. As if being confused by the banking system, this Twitter user is confused by time. The different time zones across America can make it difficult to keep track of everything, especially TV. Basically, 8/7 means that viewers in Eastern time watch at 7pm while central time zones view the programme at 8pm.
8. This man and his confusion over America’s obsession with pie. It seems to be that pie, at least for American’s, is a sweet dessert rather than a savoury dish.
9. Bite Me. This angsty expression, often said by misunderstood teens, has left Steve thinking that supernatural creatures run amok in America. Keep your garlic close.
10. Ivy League schools. Everyone knows the top Ivy League colleges. But, the origins of how they got this title seems to confuse most Americans too!
11. Biscuits. If you were in the UK biscuits would mean a nice sweet treat. In America though, biscuits are something else entirely. Think of them like a cookie crossed with a scone. They’re also very commonly dipped in gravy.
12. This last confusing concept is having words in phone numbers. For example. 1-800-FRIENDS. Basically, American telephone have sets of letters above each number. So 1-800-FRIENDS would translate to 1-800-3743637. Confusing right?
If you just can’t get enough of American culture check out this article on Louis Theroux’s latest documentary about America here.
