Give me a few sentences, which are misunderstood because of the differences between Chinese and western languages.

15 English culture trap that makes people laugh.

1. Do you have any matches?

Once, I met a lady on the road with two cocktails. She smiled and said, "Do you have any matches?" I replied, "Sorry, I gave up smoking 0/5 years ago, so I don't have any matches." She immediately realized that I had misunderstood her and said, "Just kidding." Afterwards, I asked an American friend for advice. He explained, "Because she saw you holding hands and jokingly asked you for matches. This is a very common joke. She meant no harm, but wanted to ask if you needed help. "

Step 2 turn defeat into victory

A few days ago, I received a phone call from my relatives, saying that he and his wife turned to a marriage expert and saved their marriage. I am glad to tell this news to an American friend. The man repeatedly said "Thank God" and added "He turned the table over".

I said, "No, he won't bend the other side with high pressure." My friend suddenly 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 dominant position that others once occupied, for example, "She played badly in the first set, but later she turned the tables and won the game."

Step 3 wear two hats

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. 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.

Step 4 be skeptical

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. " Allen paused, then smiled, explaining that "having a grain of salt about something" 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".

You will enjoy a big meal!

On this day, Rhonda suggested going to a barbecue restaurant for dinner. I haven't been there, so I asked her what's so special about it. Rhonda began to talk about their specialty, and I listened and moved my fingers and swallowed. Rhonda smiled and said, "You will get a treat!" "I paused, thinking that Rhonda would invite me to dinner there. 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

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 sound like living people. To live means to stop. Boats are forbidden to dock, and people sailing around Jiangsu are renamed chopsticks. Chopsticks sound like fast, but they are not fast, and they are smooth sailing.

7. unspeakable secrets

One day, a friend told a gossip that people in those families enjoyed playing with "skeletons in the closet". Do these celebrities really have skeletons in their closets? 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, or family skeleton for short. For example, many ancient families have many secrets that they dare not discuss. )

8. Peel off someone's nose/teeth

One day, Joe took a newspaper and it was reported that the theater was recruiting volunteers. I planned to go there after work, but unfortunately I didn't feel well that day. 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. 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.

9. trivia

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 to drink. The guest may reply, "I want a small glass of beer." ) "small break" refers to something with a small scale or pattern in figurative usage. A man who thinks he is great rather than insignificant: he thinks he is great. Make small beer. 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.

10. spaghetti

Friend S said that besides spaghetti, spaghetti also includes macaroni, lasagna, dumplings with meat stuffing, spaghetti, and vermicelli with thin lines (we translated "vermicelli" into vermicelli, which is the name of spaghetti).

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.

1 1. 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, so she may have helped move things." Just then, Wayne came from the outside. Joe said, "Speak of the devil". It turns out that "speak of the devil and he will arrive" is equivalent to "speak of the devil" in Chinese.

12. Stolen from ... a businessman.

My friend suddenly pointed to the 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, "The license plate says' Stolen from the dealer', which means that the car he bought from the dealer is as cheap as the stolen one."

13. Love sweets

When the dentist 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. " After going home, I looked it up in the dictionary and suddenly realized that sweet tooth originally meant "sweet tooth".

14. Hong Kong dogs

After a bell rang, the secretary suddenly ran into the classroom and announced, "Dr. Walker has Hong Kong canine disease and may arrive a little late." I seriously complained to my American friend sitting next door: "How can Dr. Walker pet his dog like this, so that it is too 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. "

15. Throw a book at sb.

An American was driving too fast on the highway. He argued that he was driving too fast because he wanted the wind to blow dry the newly washed car as soon as possible. The result was "they threw the book at him". I can't help but wonder and imagine that he was 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.