Foreign words we should borrow

[happyhoix]

I was reading a UK thing about Brexit - apparently,  the UK has a jam shortage due to trade issues, and one of their politicians said that, if her jam jar has some moldy spots in it, she just spoons that bit out and eats around it.

The person writing the article called it 'manky jam.'  As in, moldy/nasty jam.

"Manky" is a very fine word, I think we need to borrow it.

And the French words for mother in law are belle-mere (beautiful mother). Much nicer than ours.

Anyone other awesome words we need to include in the American English vocabulary?

[debthaven]

I am American but I live in France. I just want to point out that the French word for MIL and stepmother are the same, they're both "belle mère", even though they're different things.

Just sayin'

Fun thread!!!

[mroped]

Nah, nah, nah! This is Merica and we speaks English. Stop trying to bring in them foreign words! Is unpatriotic! 😂

[Tennesseer]

I was happy with blegged.

[Lizard Queen]

I forgot about that---and I'l feeling so blegged lately, too!

[busymom]

I LOVE Scottish slang words.  They have a word for every occasion.   


For example:    jobby:  a pile of sh*t


                         wallaper:  a f'n moron



They string together some interesting phrases, too.  

[weltschmerz]

Chou-fleur (Flower cabbage)

Cauliflower

[weltschmerz]

Stupefiant - narcotic

[oped]

I feel like lederhosen should be used more often somehow. 

[MJ2.0]

I watch a lot of British entertainment (my 2 favorite YouTube groups are British and I'm a fan of the old Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant/Karl Pilkington podcasts) so I've learned quite a few things.

knob (penis)

cubicle (toilet stall)

over the odds (too much, usually in regard to money/paying for something)

half (regarding time, 30 mins past the hour... eg., half 11 = 11:30)

fanny (vulva)

bird (girl)

I'm sure I can list more if I really sat down and thought about it

[NastyWoman]

Feb 17, 2019 23:02:42 GMT -5 oped said:

I feel like lederhosen should be used more often somehow. 

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My colleague goes to the Oktoberfest in Munich every year. Lederhosen gets thrown around in our office quite enough for me 

[NastyWoman]

And before I forget: thank you busymom for wallaper. I know just the place to put that word to good use.

No bonus point for guessing where that is 

[mollyanna58]

Feb 17, 2019 23:09:36 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

And before I forget: thank you busymom for wallaper. I know just the place to put that word to good use.

No bonus point for guessing where that is 

Me, too!  I know just the people to apply it to!

[Deleted]

I like "plonk"- the British term for cheap wine.

The French use the word "tohou-bohou" to describe chaos; I found out recently in a  Bible class that it's from the Hebrew and is used to describe the world before the beginning of creation.

[swamp]

When I was going to university in Quebec City, I often heard the phrase "c'est tout fuckee" for all fucked up.     I like that term. 

I also like the term schedenfreude. 

[Tennesseer]

Brass neck.

[TheOtherMe]

I have a lot of British friends.  I've learned some words I enjoy using in the US.

When attending graduate school, I dated a student from Tokyo.  He taught me bad words in Japanese and I was too naive to know what he did until he took me to a party where everyone else spoke Japanese and I used my new words.  Talk about funny looks and then being made fun of.  

[weltschmerz]

Feb 18, 2019 9:47:47 GMT -5 swamp said:

When I was going to university in Quebec City, I often heard the phrase "c'est tout fuckee" for all fucked up.     I like that term. 

I also like the term schedenfreude. 

Yeah, I hear that a lot.

[alabamagal]

Not one we should necessarily borrow, but from German “fahr” is to go and “aus” is out. So imagine a group of high school students on a bus riding down the autobahn. At every exit is a sign that says “ausfahrt”. Endless hours of entertainment.

[happyhoix]

Feb 17, 2019 23:00:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Chou-fleur (Flower cabbage)

Cauliflower

And it's lovely companion, petite chou (Brussel spouts).

Sounds much more delicate and charming than Brussel spouts actually are.

[happyhoix]

Feb 17, 2019 22:45:01 GMT -5 busymom said:

I LOVE Scottish slang words.  They have a word for every occasion.   


For example:    jobby:  a pile of sh*t


                         wallaper:  a f'n moron



They string together some interesting phrases, too.  

I like 'havering' too - I think (not sure) that it means chatting.

[happyhoix]

Feb 18, 2019 14:22:13 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Feb 18, 2019 9:47:47 GMT -5 swamp said:

When I was going to university in Quebec City, I often heard the phrase "c'est tout fuckee" for all fucked up.     I like that term. 

I also like the term schedenfreude. 

Yeah, I hear that a lot.

But is that a French phrase or strictly a Canadian phrase?

For years I've been saying "Bon Matin" to my French coworkers, until one of them drew me to the side and sternly told me that 'only Canadians' use that phrase, and to just use 'Bon Jour' in the future, because I didn't want to sound 'Canadian.'

(Why wouldn't I want to sound Canadian? I'm thinking that must be marginally better than American, to the French).  

[Tennesseer]

Feb 19, 2019 9:26:49 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Feb 17, 2019 23:00:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Chou-fleur (Flower cabbage)

Cauliflower

And it's lovely companion, petite chou (Brussel spouts).

Sounds much more delicate and charming than Brussel spouts actually are.

Among her numerous terms of endearment for her grandkids, my grandmother's more often used term for us was "mon petite chou."

[gs11rmb]

Feb 19, 2019 9:28:28 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Feb 17, 2019 22:45:01 GMT -5 busymom said:

I LOVE Scottish slang words.  They have a word for every occasion.   


For example:    jobby:  a pile of sh*t


                         wallaper:  a f'n moron



They string together some interesting phrases, too.  

I like 'havering' too - I think (not sure) that it means chatting.

Havering means to be telling a story that's made up or not entirely truthful.  E.g.  When Trump said that Mexico would pay for the border wall, he was havering 

[happyhoix]

Feb 19, 2019 9:38:50 GMT -5 gs11rmb said:

Feb 19, 2019 9:28:28 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

I like 'havering' too - I think (not sure) that it means chatting.

Havering means to be telling a story that's made up or not entirely truthful.  E.g.  When Trump said that Mexico would pay for the border wall, he was havering 

Ok, so a more polite way to say 'bullshitting.'

I like it!

[swamp]

Feb 19, 2019 9:33:06 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Feb 18, 2019 14:22:13 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Yeah, I hear that a lot.

But is that a French phrase or strictly a Canadian phrase?

For years I've been saying "Bon Matin" to my French coworkers, until one of them drew me to the side and sternly told me that 'only Canadians' use that phrase, and to just use 'Bon Jour' in the future, because I didn't want to sound 'Canadian.'

(Why wouldn't I want to sound Canadian? I'm thinking that must be marginally better than American, to the French).  

It is my understanding that it is strictly a Canadian phrase.  

Canadian and European French are like American and British English.    Same language, different accent and slang. 

[thyme4change]

Feb 18, 2019 20:06:18 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Not one we should necessarily borrow, but from German “fahr” is to go and “aus” is out. So imagine a group of high school students on a bus riding down the autobahn. At every exit is a sign that says “ausfahrt”. Endless hours of entertainment.

In Norway speed bumps are called (with signage) Fartzdimples. My husband and I were worse than our 12 year old nephew on that trip. We just couldn't not exploit that. My sister wasn't so happy that we were encouraging her son to enjoy the humor.

[swamp]

Feb 19, 2019 11:07:02 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Feb 18, 2019 20:06:18 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Not one we should necessarily borrow, but from German “fahr” is to go and “aus” is out. So imagine a group of high school students on a bus riding down the autobahn. At every exit is a sign that says “ausfahrt”. Endless hours of entertainment.

In Norway speed bumps are called (with signage) Fartzdimples. My husband and I were worse than our 12 year old nephew on that trip. We just couldn't not exploit that. My sister wasn't so happy that we were encouraging her son to enjoy the humor.

Wow.  What a stick in the mud.  That name begs to be giggled at. 

[thyme4change]

In Australia they called breakfast Brekky. Not sure it saves that much time, but it is way cuter!

swamp - my family can be quite uptight. I don't really fit in, but they need me to liven up the joint, so I still get invited...sometimes.