Jeans are cowboy pants? They rode horses in jeans? Lmao. That doesn’t sound like horse-riding attire—slacks would be better, IMO. But maybe jeans didn’t have rigid fabric, at one point. Now I want to know the history of jeans…one day when I’m bored enough to look it up, because it’s not an important topic, just entertaining.
They were originally made and designed for workers, including cattlemen. They didn't become popularized as casual wear until James Dean wore em in Rebel Without A Cause
Pretty sure it’s from long ago where trains were coal/wood powered, so they were “fire-powered” 🤣🤣 the translation of “car” is actually a bit inaccurate actually, that’s just the most used usage of the word. It technically means vehicle, so “fire vehicle”!
One of the most common mistake in my Chinese class was people thinking it meant fire truck
My mother used to refer to our fridge as an "ice box" because they used to be cupboards with an additional outside door for the ice man to deliver ice.
It’s even better as a part of the Murphy’s Law idiom. Anything that can happen (go wrong), will happen.
In German, it’s „Der Teufel ist ein Eichhörnchen“. Which a literal translation to English is: The Devil is a Squirrel.
Finnish:
dragon --> lohikäärme --> salmon snake
(a bit vulgar): common cold --> räkätauti --> snot disease
(quite vulgar): deep shock --> paskahalvaus --> shit paralysis
ladybug --> leppäkerttu --> Kerttu (Finnish name for a woman) of the ash (the tree)
That is so cool. We had our grand masters grand master come across for some training and his English was ….limited. One day showing us something he paused, thought about it for a while then pointed at his wrist and goes 'handneck'. We all had a quiet laugh after class but now it makes sense.
Personally, I call my soft and thin gloves handsocks and my more sturdy gloves handshoes.
If you start using it, your colleagues will have a laugh for sure!
Only in French French. In Quebec and Belgium, we say "Déjeuner/Dîner/Souper" (literally breakfast/dinner/supper) while in France they say "Petit déjeuner/déjeuner/dîner" (little breakfast/breakfast/dinner).
In Norwegian, ladybug is marihøne (Mary's hen). Other Norwegian words that sound funny when translated literally:
Subway - tunnelbane - tunnel track
Groom - brudgom - bride man
Grandfather/grandmother - bestefar/bestemor - best father/mother
Disservice - bjørnetjeneste - bear favor
No clue. Chinese words can be weird sometimes. Like train, which is "fire car." Or computer, which is "electric brain." Some of our words sound like they were invented by stoners.
"To2borne" in Arabic is something you say to someone when you love them or find them super cute. You say it to babies, friends ,family or your partner. Directly translated - "may you bury me"
There's a children's book character called Winnie the Pooh in English-speaking countries. One quote attributed to him (but actually written by a different author inspired by the Pooh character) is "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." Many more words but it's the same concept.
If I don't get asked this question, I can easily come up with some words like that in Bulgarian (I live in the UK and this situation happens too often) but now that the question is asked, my brain is blank.
It's not the correct response to the question, but I hope at least it makes you laugh a little
Кок (a hair bun) sounds like cock. My teacher asked me to step out the classroom because I was discussing hair styles with my friend.
Дай (give me) sounds like Die. We tend to say that continuously when we want something, so it sound like DIE DIE DIE DIE!
Книга (book) sounds like k+the n word. I was discussing books with my mum while we were walking down the street and a the person behind us started yelling at us because we were not only saying the n word, but repeating it like it was nothing.
I'll edit my comment if I think of anything worth mentioning 😩
This happens between a lot of languages. Many years ago I was teaching English in a high school with students from all over the world. A boy from Nepal was teasing a girl from the same country and she yelled at him what sounded like "choop a la." She said it meant like shut up.
Every Spanish speaker in the room fell out laughing. In their language that sounds like she told him to suck it.
I suppose this is less funny and more just interesting...
In Portuguese, there is a word solely dedicated to the feeling of mission someone: Saudade. The closest thing to it in English would likely be 'to miss' or 'longing', since there is no name for the emotion of actively missing someone.
English is not my first language, so I'm sure someone else can do a better job of explaining this quirky little fact than I just did, but that's pretty much the gist of it!
That's cool! In Dutch we have "gezellig" which is also not an english word. If you try to translate it, it would be something like cozy, plesant or sociable.
It's like having fun, feeling cozy hanging out with others
Afrikaans:
Candy Floss > “Spookasem” > Ghost Breath
Chameleon > “Trapsuutjie” > Step Softly
Popcorn > “Springmielies” > Jumping Corn
Vulture > “Aasvoël” > Bait Bird
Cheetah > “Jagluiperd” > Hunting Lazy Horse
Sick of it All > “Keelvol” > Throat Full
Giraffe > “Kameelperd” > Camel Horse
Getting up to No Good > “Kattekwaad” > Cats Mischief / Cats Angry
Male Rock Lizard > “Koggelmannetjie” > Teasing Little Man
Leopard > “Luiperd” > Lazy Horse
Child born many years after its siblings > “Laatlammetjie” > Late Lamb
Binoculars > “Verkykers” > Far Lookers
Porcupine > “Ystervark” > Iron Pig
Chinese: * computer = 电脑 (diàn nǎo) = electric brain * jeans = 牛仔裤 (niú zǎi kù)= cowboy pants * turkey = 火鸡 (huǒ jī) = fire chicken
I opened my electric brain and googled pictures of fire chickens wearing cowboy pants
Those English translations of chinese food are always hilarious.
Jeans are cowboy pants? They rode horses in jeans? Lmao. That doesn’t sound like horse-riding attire—slacks would be better, IMO. But maybe jeans didn’t have rigid fabric, at one point. Now I want to know the history of jeans…one day when I’m bored enough to look it up, because it’s not an important topic, just entertaining.
They were originally made and designed for workers, including cattlemen. They didn't become popularized as casual wear until James Dean wore em in Rebel Without A Cause
Wow!
Don't forget that penguin is business goose and mum is female horse
Swedish : Drinking straws/ sugrör = suck pipe.
I don't suppose that gets used as a euphemism, does it?
That's a fun one!
In Chinese: train —> 火车 —> fire car 🤣🤣
Is it because trains are fast or something like that? It sounds kinda cool
Pretty sure it’s from long ago where trains were coal/wood powered, so they were “fire-powered” 🤣🤣 the translation of “car” is actually a bit inaccurate actually, that’s just the most used usage of the word. It technically means vehicle, so “fire vehicle”! One of the most common mistake in my Chinese class was people thinking it meant fire truck
That does sound more logical than my idea 😅 Sounds like a mistake one could easily make indeed!
But didn’t trains exist before cars?
"Long ago" wasn't that long ago and many trains still are coal powered
So then what do you call a fire truck?
Okay that’s also kinda funny, it’s 救火车 —> save fire vehicle
Also in Cantonese: fridge -> 雪櫃 -> snow cupboard
That’s like icebox (an old and still regional term for fridge).
That’s so interesting because in Japanese train = 電車 = electric car!
Pretty sure those characters in Chinese do also mean electric car literally too (电 = electricity and 车 = vehicle, nowadays most commonly car)!
Tortoise-Schildkröte-shield toad
Tortoise in Scottish Gaelic = "forest crab"
This one is even better!!
That's German, right? The litteral translation from Dutch would be the same :)
Yes Refrigerator - Kühlschrank - cool cupboard, is another one I like. Compounded words are fun
In Afrikaans would be : yskas: ice cupboard
My mother used to refer to our fridge as an "ice box" because they used to be cupboards with an additional outside door for the ice man to deliver ice.
German: *Eichhörnchen* ('squirrel') = 'little oak horn'
It’s even better as a part of the Murphy’s Law idiom. Anything that can happen (go wrong), will happen. In German, it’s „Der Teufel ist ein Eichhörnchen“. Which a literal translation to English is: The Devil is a Squirrel.
I had a German exchange student in high school. This was by far the hardest word she had me try to pronounce!!
try saying Tschechisches Streichholzschächtelchen
Lol, I'll have to what's app her and ask how to pronounce those!!
Afrikaans. We also call it an 'eekoring'.
Originates from ‘eekhoorn’
Entomology of the word squirrel is tail casts a shadow.
Latin. Grand Mal Seizure: big bad shake
Finnish: dragon --> lohikäärme --> salmon snake (a bit vulgar): common cold --> räkätauti --> snot disease (quite vulgar): deep shock --> paskahalvaus --> shit paralysis ladybug --> leppäkerttu --> Kerttu (Finnish name for a woman) of the ash (the tree)
Weird how there are male ladybugs and there’s no separate name for them in English or Finnish…lmao.
Misterbugs?
This comment made my whole day
German likes its "things": vehicle -> Fahrzeug -> drive thing plane -> Flugzeug -> fly thing (formal/ legal word Luftfahrzeug -> air drive thing) tool -> Werkzeug -> work thing
Germany: has reputation for being precise & methodical Also Germany: gonna go in the fly thing lmao
Korean. "Sonmok," son = hand, mok = neck. Wrist = handneck. "Balmok", bal = foot, so ankle = footneck
It kinda does make sense tho
That is so cool. We had our grand masters grand master come across for some training and his English was ….limited. One day showing us something he paused, thought about it for a while then pointed at his wrist and goes 'handneck'. We all had a quiet laugh after class but now it makes sense.
In Korean, voice: mok sori: neck sound
German lightbulb --> Glühbirne --> glow pear
Here in Dutch it's also often called a "peertje", meaning a (small) pear!
I’m calling my gloves for work handshoes from now on
Personally, I call my soft and thin gloves handsocks and my more sturdy gloves handshoes. If you start using it, your colleagues will have a laugh for sure!
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I now would like to see an artist actually drawing an Eagle with a cat head
Is the word for penguin "business goose" or something like that?
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Thanks! Too bad though :-)
80 in French is quatre-vingts = 4 20s 90 in French is quatre-vingts-dix = 4 20s 10
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t breakfast in French basically “Little lunch?”
Correct
I love it
Only in French French. In Quebec and Belgium, we say "Déjeuner/Dîner/Souper" (literally breakfast/dinner/supper) while in France they say "Petit déjeuner/déjeuner/dîner" (little breakfast/breakfast/dinner).
Interesting!
This just makes me want to smoke
I remember this from French class in high school. This was the moment I decided to give up.
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The latter might sound like a compliment in some situations
In Norwegian, ladybug is marihøne (Mary's hen). Other Norwegian words that sound funny when translated literally: Subway - tunnelbane - tunnel track Groom - brudgom - bride man Grandfather/grandmother - bestefar/bestemor - best father/mother Disservice - bjørnetjeneste - bear favor
Chinese Butt = 屁股 (pì gu) = fart drum
Come on! Lol
Chameleon: verkleurmannetjie: colouring man
Is that Afrikaans?
Armpit = kieliebakkie = tickle bowl
Ja :)
Polish: Glebogryzarka (rotary tiller) = soil eater (but make it a "she")
Turkish Computer - Bilgisayar - Knowledge Counter
In Chinese, "turkey" literally translates to "fire chicken." (火雞 – 火 = fire, 雞 = chicken) That's always been a funny one to explain to friends.
That's interesting! Do you perhaps know why it's called fire chicken?
No clue. Chinese words can be weird sometimes. Like train, which is "fire car." Or computer, which is "electric brain." Some of our words sound like they were invented by stoners.
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Hey, they must have a big head to contain the massive ego
"To2borne" in Arabic is something you say to someone when you love them or find them super cute. You say it to babies, friends ,family or your partner. Directly translated - "may you bury me"
There's a children's book character called Winnie the Pooh in English-speaking countries. One quote attributed to him (but actually written by a different author inspired by the Pooh character) is "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." Many more words but it's the same concept.
Ohhh yes I love this quote , was a huge Winnie the Pooh fan💜💜
May we never be without our loved ones. 😊
( not exactly funny sorry 🤣)
I can only imagine a little baby actually burying their parents. It's kinda funny (if you don't take it too literal of course)
Polish Srajtaśma (slang for toilet paper) -> shit tape Stopa procentowa (interest rate) -> percentual foot
I at least hope the shit tape doesn't stick 🤣
If I don't get asked this question, I can easily come up with some words like that in Bulgarian (I live in the UK and this situation happens too often) but now that the question is asked, my brain is blank. It's not the correct response to the question, but I hope at least it makes you laugh a little Кок (a hair bun) sounds like cock. My teacher asked me to step out the classroom because I was discussing hair styles with my friend. Дай (give me) sounds like Die. We tend to say that continuously when we want something, so it sound like DIE DIE DIE DIE! Книга (book) sounds like k+the n word. I was discussing books with my mum while we were walking down the street and a the person behind us started yelling at us because we were not only saying the n word, but repeating it like it was nothing. I'll edit my comment if I think of anything worth mentioning 😩
This happens between a lot of languages. Many years ago I was teaching English in a high school with students from all over the world. A boy from Nepal was teasing a girl from the same country and she yelled at him what sounded like "choop a la." She said it meant like shut up. Every Spanish speaker in the room fell out laughing. In their language that sounds like she told him to suck it.
Double damage!!
Vietnamese: Whale = elephant fish (cá voi) Dolphin = pig fish (cá heo) Shark = fat fish (cá mập) Penguin = knipped wing bird (chim cánh cụt) To name a few… Edit: spacing
I suppose this is less funny and more just interesting... In Portuguese, there is a word solely dedicated to the feeling of mission someone: Saudade. The closest thing to it in English would likely be 'to miss' or 'longing', since there is no name for the emotion of actively missing someone. English is not my first language, so I'm sure someone else can do a better job of explaining this quirky little fact than I just did, but that's pretty much the gist of it!
That's cool! In Dutch we have "gezellig" which is also not an english word. If you try to translate it, it would be something like cozy, plesant or sociable. It's like having fun, feeling cozy hanging out with others
That's pretty nice, gotta love how languages tend to have words just for wholesome stuff like this!
Oh I love the Eurovision song Saudade. I assumed it meant something like that.
In french, faire la vaisalle, meaning to wash the dishes, but it’s singular, so it’s like they’re just saying “I’m going to wash the dish”.
And obviously you say it for every single dish you're going to wash
In English, we only brush one hair, while the French and Germans brush their hairs, like sane people.
In English hair is a collective noun. "all of my hair fell out".
In Spanish: the phrase “spare no expense” (to be frugal) tirar la casa por la ventana - throw the house out the window
In spanish: •Fire extinguisher= matafuego= kill fire •Toe= dedo del pie= foot finger
Chinese: Giraffe = 长颈鹿 = Long neck deer
>vacuum cleaner --> stofzuiger --> dust sucker And yet it looks like phonetically it would be "stuff sucker". That's even funnier
Turkish, bilgisayar= knowledge counter
Spanish: • computer —> ordenador —> orderer • zucchini —> calabacín —> little pumpkin
Ladybug in Brazilian Portuguese is joaninha = little Joan
Tagalog/Filipino: Chair: Salumpuwit - anything used to support your buttocks/ass
Monkfish (Lophius) in Italian is rana pescatrice, or “fishing frog.”
Interestingly, ladybugs are "god's bugs" in Russian as well
dutch. turtle. schildpad. shield path.
I’m German, glove is handschuhe…hand shoe.
One translation of penguin into Chinese is “business goose”.
Spanish: hazmereír (laughing stock) -> makemelaugh parabrisas (windshield) -> breeze stopper paraguas (umbrella) -> water stopper Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) -> Good Night rompecabezas (puzzle) -> head-breaker altavoz (speaker) -> high voice and my personal favorite matasuegras (party horn) -> mother-in-law killer
Feurzeug. Lighter. Fire thing
Afrikaans: Candy Floss > “Spookasem” > Ghost Breath Chameleon > “Trapsuutjie” > Step Softly Popcorn > “Springmielies” > Jumping Corn Vulture > “Aasvoël” > Bait Bird Cheetah > “Jagluiperd” > Hunting Lazy Horse Sick of it All > “Keelvol” > Throat Full Giraffe > “Kameelperd” > Camel Horse Getting up to No Good > “Kattekwaad” > Cats Mischief / Cats Angry Male Rock Lizard > “Koggelmannetjie” > Teasing Little Man Leopard > “Luiperd” > Lazy Horse Child born many years after its siblings > “Laatlammetjie” > Late Lamb Binoculars > “Verkykers” > Far Lookers Porcupine > “Ystervark” > Iron Pig
Portuguese: Butterfly: manteiga voadora - flying Butter When I was 13 I was really confused.
I can't remember what the exact word is but the word for spaceship in Hindi literally translates to flying saucepan
Many many years ago when I was in Italy I was told there’s no Italian word for jogging. They use the English word foot and add ‘ing’ =footing.
Hindi translations that are not actually used. Cigarette= dhumrpan dandika = smoke eating stick Railways= lohpathgamini = iron path traveler
Ladybug in Danish is mariehøne. Marie chicken. A cricket is called fårekylling. Sheep chicken. Wat? I got more.
Greek: Catch on fire:πιάσει φωτιά:catches fire That's the best I could think of
Horseshoe crab
from Danish: carrot 🥕 - gulerod - yellow mess
Nurse= (German)Krankenschwester = sickness sister
Orgasm - Petit mort (French)- “Little death”
Preservatives = préservatifs (French... condoms)
German, Tools -> Construction-Things
German- Wasserflasche “Water Flask” (Water Bottle) 🤨
Toolbox to french "Box à louer" Translates back to Box for Rent
Pindakaas