15 Bizarre Phrases from Abroad That Might Leave You Baffled

Phrases' meanings may vary by location & culture. A user asked about surprising foreign phrases. Check out the fascinating responses below!

THE GRANDMA WHEELS

“One that admittedly confused me is ‘If my grandmother had wheels, she would’ve been a bike,’ or some variation. A lot of languages have their version of this phrase.”

THE SHORTHAND NOTATIONS

"Gemas means 'so cute I could squish it' in Indonesian. 'Nah kan?' is 'I told you so' and 'Tuman' in Japanese means 'Your bad habit!'"

SCREWING THE POOCH

"In Canada, terms like 'Screwing the pooch' were initially confusing, but context clarified their meaning."

BUM A FAG

“Irish guy here; one of my friends got some odd looks when he moved to Canada and asked people if he could ‘Bum a fag’ translates to borrow a cigarette.”

DIE

English speakers, new to Hebrew, marvel at mothers telling crying kids to die! It translates to 'Enough', akin to 'Stop crying now.'

DROP THE BOYS OFF AT THE POOL

"In the US, phrases like 'Need to see a man about a dog' or 'Drop the boys off at the pool' mean they need to poop. Astonishing at first, right?"

PAVEMENT-SPECIAL

“My South African husband calls our mixed breed mutt dog a ‘Pavement special.'”

SEE YOU LATER

"In The Philippines, 'see you later' implies meeting later the same day, not in the future. I was surprised when my manager said it at work, expecting me to return by evening."

PUSS PUSS

“My ex-husband from Scotland was in front of my parent’s house (in the United States) and was petting and talking to my parents’ cat, saying ‘Puss Puss’ instead of Kitty Kitty.”

NEVER PLAY A VIOLIN IN FRONT OF A COW

“The Chinese have some great phrases. The one I love is ‘Never play a violin in front of a cow.'” 

THE NEGATIVE PHRASING

"In Korea, language often phrases things negatively. Instead of 'Did you see mom?', it's 'You didn't see mom?' And instead of 'I did something wrong', it's 'I didn't do something right.'"

KNOCK UP THE NEIGHBOR

"In the UK, 'knock up the neighbor' means to pay a visit. Watch your wording in the US though, as it suggests getting the neighbor pregnant."

LET’S STOP DIVVYING UP THE PELT OF A BEAR WE’VE YET TO CAPTURE

“I’m a Russian speaker. A common phrase, ‘Let’s not decide without having all the necessary data,’ goes as ‘Let’s stop divvying up the pelt of a bear we’ve yet to capture.'”

FARANG

"In Thailand, 'Farang' implies that all white people are rich, contributing to a negative class connotation. Often a 'Farang Menu' lists higher prices."

THE DEVIL’S BEATING HIS WIFE

“Not a foreign country. This is a southern phrase. ‘The devil’s beating his wife’ means that it’s raining while the sun is shining.”

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