It all goes pear-shaped
Expressions are a funny old thing. If you try to break them down and make sense of them, you just get yourself in a muddle. I made the mistake of saying that something “went pear-shaped” recently and then had to explain it. It just means “went wrong” or that something not very good happened instead of what was planned. Nothing disasterous, that would have to be a different fruit, just not good or not as planned. See? The thing with sayings and expressions is that they express what you want to say quite clearly in just a few words. I suppose they only work, though, when both parties know exactly what you are trying to express.
There are lots of lovely and useful expressions that are used in both US English and UK English. Things like having something “up your sleeve” or searching for a “needle in a haystack” seem to be universal. Others are more country specific. In England they “touch wood” rather than knock on it, for example. After eleven years in England, I now tend to use English expressions without thinking about them. Such as pear-shaped and broody. (When a woman wants to have a baby…especially when she is around someone else’s small baby and has a cuddle…and starts thinking about how lovely babies are…you see what I mean? Broody is a short word that means a lot more!)
There were a few that really confused me when hubby used them in early stages of our relationship, though. And some that I never felt comfortable using, even when I understood them.
Like “teaching your grandmother to suck eggs” which means teaching someone something that they already know quite well. (No, I don’t understand it either!) Or “I’ll go to foot of our stairs” which is used to mean that you have just learned something quite surprising.
English is such a lovely and interesting language with so many of these strange and wonderful expressions and sayings that mean so much. I suspect some will be regional as well, specific to some parts of the country (or countries) and not others.
Anyone out there want to share any particular favourites?
Tags: dialects, expressions, Language
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:10
I personally love when my husband says something is “skew-iff.”
I learned long ago not to ask in the UK whether it was ok or not to wear pants to a party (I’m the woman).
We got a million of ‘em.
My son’s pals still laugh at him when he says he fancies a pizza.
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:24
One of my favourites from hubby is “ecky thump”…apparently it is from the Goodies television programme, but I’ve found myself saying it now and then as it is particularly expressive!
I should point out that my husband is from Yorkshire. That goes a long way towards explaining him and some of the words he uses! (Well, another Brit will instantly understand that anyway.)
When we first arrived in the UK, I went to a hair salon to get my “bangs” cut…the stylists were rolling on the floor laughing! (They call it “fringe” for all the Americans out there.)
And when our son was born, I told the midwife he had a lot of “gas”…which puzzled her a bit. (They use the much more polite term “wind” for the same thing.)
I better stop there…I could go on all night!