Humorous stories about the differences between English and American languages

Recently, I had the opportunity to board a luxury cruise ship for sightseeing.

Once, I had two cocktails in a bar and went back to my room to enjoy them. I met a lady on the road. She looked at me and smiled and said, "Do you have any matches?" I paused and replied, "Sorry, I gave up smoking fifteen years ago, so I don't have any matches." She immediately realized that I had misunderstood her, and seemed a little sorry to say, "Just kidding." Then we smiled at each other awkwardly and walked away.

After having dinner and chatting with friends, I took the opportunity to ask an American friend what he said during the day. He explained, "Because she saw that your hand was occupied, she deliberately joked and asked you for matches. This is a very common joke. I mean no harm, but I want to ask if you need help. "

2. Turn the tide

A relative fell out with his wife to the point of divorce. A few days ago, I received a phone call from my relatives, saying that I would ask psychological and marriage experts for help before entering the lawyer's building. The couple sat down calmly and talked many times, gaining more understanding and less suspicion and complaints. As a result, they became friends. Simple as it was, it saved the marriage.

I was really happy for them and told the news to an American friend who also knew them. This friend is very excited. She repeatedly said "Thank God, thank God" and added "He turned over the table".

This makes me feel very uncomfortable. Does she mean that my relatives are violent? I said, "No, no, he is very gentle and very gentlemanly. He will not suppress each other with rude behavior, nor will he bend each other with high pressure. "

As a result, no one can understand anyone. Looking at my unhappy expression, my friend suddenly opened his eyes and explained it to me in another way. I finally understood that what she meant was that my relatives "turned the table upside down", and the "table" had nothing to do with the "table" I thought of.

Besides, the phrase turn the tables (on someone) has nothing to do with "table".

It means to suddenly occupy the advantage or position that others once had. For example, "she played badly in the first set, but later she turned the tables and won the game."

3. Have two jobs at the same time

It is essential for colleagues and friends to get together and introduce each other.

When Mr. Wang introduced his colleague Larry to me, he said that he was a busy man: "He has two jobs."

I said, are you kidding? He's not wearing a hat at all. Larry always answers with a smile, but Mr. Wang observed the words and saw that I didn't understand them, so he helped me find the steps.

It turns out that Mr. Wang means that Larry holds an important position in a certain department of the hospital. Besides, he has his own career, which means that Larry has two jobs, not really two jobs.

With a grain of salt

One night at dinner, Allen, a good friend, and his Chinese wife were sitting at the dinner table, talking about a recently popular herb, saying that it could cure all diseases.

Allen said, "I'm willing to take it with a grain of salt". His wife smiled and said, "You thought it was vegetables. You need to add some salt before eating.

Health experts didn't say anything about adding salt: "with a grain of salt" means "having reservations about something". It turns out that Allen only said that he doubted the magical efficacy of this herb, not that he should "put some salt before eating".

5. You are sure to have a good meal!

On this day, my colleagues are discussing holding a birthday party for Rhonda and me. In order to respect the birthday girl, Rhonda and I were asked to choose a favorite restaurant.

Rhonda suggested going to an American restaurant called Barbecue in town. I haven't been there, so I asked her what's so special about it. Rhonda began to talk about their specialty. When I heard my fingers twitch and swallow, Rhonda smiled and said, "You are enjoying it!" " "

I paused, thinking that Rhonda would invite me there for dinner. I am embarrassed. After trying to ask her, Rhonda smiled and explained, "You will get a treat, which means you will like it!" "

6. Knife and fork

Friend D said that he was drinking tea in a big hotel the other day and saw a young couple drinking tea with an old lady he probably met in a foreign country at the next table. The old lady was very interested in operating chopsticks, where she learned to hold shrimp dumplings with chopsticks. D said that he had an American friend who spent some time learning how to use chopsticks correctly, and he would perform every chance he got. He also said that using chopsticks is an art and a manifestation of China's ancient culture.

People in China eat with chopsticks, while foreigners eat with knives and forks. In fact, foreigners didn't have knives and forks before, but used forks cut from sawdust. This kind of Mu Cha spread from Italy to Britain via Istanbul, which was a two-pronged fork. Before that, people ate meat with their hands, so some people said it was "an insult to the God who gave people five fingers."

Chopsticks are also called chopsticks. It is said that chopsticks are homophonic with "live". People living in Jiangsu changed their names to chopsticks because they were going to stop. Chopsticks sound like "fast", but fast and nonstop, smooth sailing. Chopsticks are used as chopsticks in Japanese, but the pronunciation is hashi, which is the same as hashi. It seems to have something to do with sailing.

There is a Japanese proverb called "You can only eat with chopsticks", which means "You can reach out for tea and open your mouth for rice." Everyone at China's table has a Zhu Chi, a pair of chopsticks and a spoon. Maybe not as cruel as a knife and fork.

7. Skull in the closet

One day, a friend told a gossip story that exposed the ugliness of "celebrities" and said that those families enjoyed playing with "skeletons in the closet". Do these celebrities really have unknown secrets?

What he meant by "skeleton in the cupboard" (the British used to say skeleton in the cupboard) is not so terrible now.

However, it is said that when this idiom came into being, it really meant that those rich people murdered a person and hid the skeleton in the closet from outsiders. From then on, dirty laundry became the secret of that family.

Later, this phrase was used to refer to the family skeleton, and we were unable or unwilling to publicize it. For example, many ancient families have many secrets that they dare not discuss. )

Peel off sb.' s nose

Joe is very enthusiastic about public welfare and volunteers one day a week. Under his influence, I also participated in several times.

I once mentioned to him that it might be more interesting if I could volunteer in a nearby theater. One day, he was holding a newspaper with news that the theater was recruiting volunteers. I planned to go there after work, but unfortunately I didn't feel well that day, so I didn't want to move in bed after work.

I met Joe the next day and asked if I had left. I explained the truth to him. After listening, he said, "It's none of my business." I don't understand, so I just looked at him stupefied and thought that he might think I was "Ye Gong Long Hao". I went home and looked it up in the slang dictionary, only to know that skin off one's nose means to have something to do with someone.

Joe is saying that whether I go or not is actually "none of his business". He just asked by the way. (Note: Don't skin someone. Snose can also be said to be not skinning someone.' Teeth)

9. Small beer

Does small beer mean "small beer" Do you still have beer in different sizes?

In fact, in Britain, small beer means light beer, but in America, it means "a small amount of beer". For example, a guest comes to visit in summer and asks him what he wants to drink: what to drink? The guest may reply, "I want a small glass of beer." )"

Metaphorical usage Small beer refers to something with a small scale or pattern. A man who thinks he is great, not an insignificant man: he thinks highly of himself. Beer is often compared with others. Small beer is often used as an adjective in spoken English, so a friend who runs a fast food restaurant can say: ours is the best McDonald's combined with small beer fast food.

spaghetti

Friend s said that spaghetti spaghetti includes macaroni and lasagna besides spaghetti. Wonton (wonton) with small square meat stuffing, fine noodles (a kind of slender noodles) and vermicelli (we translated vermicelli into vermicelli, which was originally a name borrowed from spaghetti). English training

Italy is the first country in Europe to eat pasta. /kloc-in the 3rd century, after Kelpolo spread the method of making spaghetti from China, it became very popular, especially spaghetti, which was easy to make and could be matched with various condiments, and soon became popular all over the country.

But at that time, there was no knife and fork available, and all I ate was solid powder, and there was no soup, so that I could grab it with my hands and send it to the entrance. Spaghetti with meat sauce was later eaten. Of course, Kyle Polo has also eaten our China beef soup noodles or sparerib soup noodles. However, spaghetti with soup, even spaghetti soup with soup, is the way to eat spaghetti later.

The word spaghetti comes from the Italian word spago, which means a line. A spaghetti is spaghetto, usually in the plural. Spaghetti is a dish with messy noodles in it, so there is a lot of traffic. The street corner with chaotic traffic is called spaghetti intersection.

Speak of the devil.

Several classmates got together to chat, and everyone was here except Wayne. One of them said, "I don't think I saw Wayne today." The other went on to say, "His daughter is on summer vacation, and things have to be moved out of the dormitory. Probably he helped." Just then, Wayne came from the outside. Joe said, "Speak of the devil". Several people are happy. I think Wayne is usually honest. Why do you call him the devil? So I asked Joe quietly.

It turns out that "speaking of the devil" is an idiom, which is equivalent to "speaking of the devil" in Chinese. In other words, Wayne is not here, but he is here. I can't help but marvel at the universality of language, because isn't Cao Cao also known as a "treacherous man"? Chinese and English have such striking similarities and differences in this idiom.

Be stolen from the dealer of ...

On the highway, people were galloping, and my friend suddenly pointed to a car in front and said, "Wow! This person is so arrogant that thieves dare to hang signs! "

I followed his eyes and couldn't help laughing. I said, "sir! His license plate says' stolen from ... dealer', which means that the car he bought from ... dealer is as cheap as it was stolen. " This is an American humorous advertising technique that attracts customers to buy cars from … dealers instead of thieves' cars. "

Have a sweet tooth

I am most afraid of going to the dentist, but because a decayed tooth really hurts me, I have to get up the courage to register at the dentist's office.

When the doctor examined me, he asked me, "Do you like sweets?" I naively replied, "I ate a doughnut before I came here this morning." I brushed my teeth. No sweets. "

He shook his head and began to fill my teeth. Very sensitive, I know I may have answered irrelevant questions and made a joke, but I am puzzled. I know the words Sweet and Tooth, but I don't know what they mean when used together. After I went home, I looked it up in the dictionary and suddenly realized that sweet food means "love sweet food".

14, Hong Kong dog

Once in a computer class, after the bell rang, the female secretary of the department suddenly ran to the classroom and announced, "Dr. Walker is a bit like a Hong Kong dog and will arrive later."

After listening to the notice, I seriously complained to my American friend sitting next door: "How can Dr. Walker touch his dog like this, so that he is late for class?"

After listening to it, the United States actually smiled and said, "That's funny! Hong Kong dogs don't mean dogs, but people with bad stomachs and diarrhea. " This explanation embarrassed me.

Throw a book at sb

When Mr. He drove out of the car wash, the water droplets on the car were still visible, which reminded Mr. He of one thing: once an American was speeding on the highway, and the speed exceeded 100 miles per hour. Of course the police stopped him.

In court, he argued that he was driving fast because he wanted the wind to dry the newly washed car as soon as possible. I was amused and more curious about the result.

Mr. Wang replied that the result was "they threw the book to him"

I can't help but wonder and imagine him being hit by a book. It turns out that this is not the case. "Throw a book at someone" means to give someone the maximum punishment: accuse someone of breaking the law. If the law is a book, he will suffer the most severe punishment for all the rules violated in this book.