AMERICAN vs. BRITISH expressions phrases we wont understand

hello everyone and welcome back to

english with lucy today i’m going to

talk to you about 20 idioms which have

different inversions in American English

and in British English you need to be

really careful with these because you

risk being misunderstood if you use the

wrong version in the wrong country

actually that would mean you would be

understood cuz that’s a double negative

anyway I’m going to tell you the British

version of the idiom and then I’m going

to tell you the American version of the

idiom I’m going to give you the

definition and I’m going to give you an

example

so get your notebooks out and write

these down before we get started I’d

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right let’s get on with a lesson now I

have curated a list of 20 idioms which

mean the same things but have different

versions in British English and

American English they’re all fairly

common and you can use most of them in

everyday conversation and your homework

for today is to write in the comments

any other idioms that you know that

might be different in different

countries in different parts of the

world right number one in Britain we say

to throw a spanner in the works to throw

a spanner in the works but in American

English they say to throw a monkey

wrench in the works or sometimes just to

throw a wrench in the works

it’s basically different because what

Americans call a monkey wrench we call a

spanner and this idiom basically means

to do something that prevents a plan or

activity from succeeding

for example the intern threw a spanner

in the works by ghosting the client on

tinder this actually happened to someone

I know they met someone on tinder never

applied to their messages and turns out

they’re a big client for their company

it didn’t go well

they threw a spanner in the works number

two as we say in British English to blow

your own trumpet to blow your own

trumpet but in American English they say

to toot your own horn to toot your own

horn this means to boast or to praise

your own abilities and achievements for

example I don’t mean to blow my own

trumpet but I read the Oxford Dictionary

three times before the age of five that

is a lie I did not number three in

Britain we say to sweep something under

the carpet to sweep something under the

carpet but in America they say to sweep

something under the rug to sweep

something under the rug this means to

deny or ignore something that is

embarrassing or might damage your

reputation a lot of politicians like to

sweep things under the carpet for

example as one of the most controversial

youtubers on the platform

I have swept many scandals under the

carpet number four in British English we

say

peaks and troughs peaks and troughs but

in American English they say peaks and

valleys peaks and valleys this means to

avoid something at all costs or to

refuse to associate with something

whoops I said the wrong one this is the

mixture of good and bad things in life

for example having lovely sponsors like

Skillshare helps my business through the

peaks and troughs of the year number

five in Britain we would say to not

touch something with a bargepole

to not touch something with a bargepole

in American English they would simply

say to not touch something with a

ten-foot pole to not touch something

with a ten-foot pole this simply means

to avoid something at all costs or to

refuse to associate with something for

example my father would not touch trifle

with a bargepole

he absolutely hates trifle he’s very

good at pretending to like things but

I’ve never seen him pretend to like a

trifle it’s that dessert which is like

cake Jam jelly

custard Creole I would eat it but I

wouldn’t choose it right number six this

is a sort of superstitious one in

British English it’s touch wood touch

wood in American English it’s knock on

wood knock on wood and it’s a phrase

that’s used just after mentioning a way

in which you’ve been lucky in the past

and it’s said to prevent bad luck so an

example would be I am NOT a great driver

but I’ve never been in a serious car

crash

touchwood I’m saying touch wood to

prevent myself from being in a serious

car crash I actually need to touch wood

now ok I’m not superstitious I just I’m

just British number seven British

English we would say to flog a dead

horse

to flog a dead horse in American English

they would say to beat a dead horse to

beat a dead horse this simply means to

waste energy on something that has no

chance of succeeding for example you’re

flogging a dead horse by trying to make

my dad

to trifle he’s not going to do it you’re

not going to succeed number eight I will

admit that sometimes I use the American

version and you do have to bear that in

mind with these idioms because in

Britain we consume so many American

sitcoms TV programs and movies that

their vocabulary does bleed into our

vocabulary but in Britain traditionally

we would say to take something with a

grain of salt to take something with a

grain of salt when in America they would

say to take something with a pinch of

salt to take something with a pinch of

salt and this means to view something

with skepticism or to not take something

literally for example if I offer you a

tequila you should take it with a pinch

of salt and a slice of lemon just joking

that’s proof that you should take

everything I say with a grain of salt

number nine in British English we would

say swings and roundabouts swings and

roundabouts in American English they

would simply say ups and downs ups and

downs these idioms are used to describe

situations where there are as many gains

as there are losses for example in the

UK we pay high taxes but it’s all swings

and roundabouts because we have a great

national health service number 10

another one where I might actually say

the American one because the

Americanisms have bled into Britain but

the British idiom is skeletons in the

cupboard skeletons in the cupboard

whilst in American English they say

skeletons in the closet skeletons in the

closet and we don’t actually use the

word closet which means wardrobe in

British English but I would use the word

closet for the specific idiom and a

skeleton in the closet is a secret that

would cause embarrassment if known for

example I could never run for prime

minister because I have far too many

skeletons in my closet

number 11 oh this one is

British the British version is so

British to have a go at someone to have

a go at someone we use this all the time

if there’s one that you remember

remember this one the American version

is to tear into someone to tear into

someone it means to attack someone with

either force or language for example

true story a teacher once had a go at me

for faking an illness when I was

genuinely very unwell number 12 in

British English we say a storm in a

teacup a storm in a teacup in American

English they say a tempest in a teapot a

tempest in a teapot this sounds much

more posh teacup teapot much more tea

this means great outrage or excitement

over a trivial matter for example I

don’t think the apocalypse is coming I

think it’s a big old storm and a teacup

number 13 in British English we say a

drop in the ocean a drop in the ocean

and in American English they say a drop

in the bucket a drop in the bucket it

means a very small or insignificant

amount compared to the amount needed for

example I saved 33 pence by doing my

shopping online which is a drop in the

ocean compared to what I need to save

for a house deposit that’s what I’m

trying to say for at the moment and it’s

not easy number 14 this is a personal

favourite I just really like it and I

actually love the American version

they’re saying it makes me cringe the

British version is hard cheese hard

cheese the American version and I find

it very very hard to say this without

sounding so ridiculous

so bear with me the American version is

tough titty tough titty I wonder if I

can say it without smiling tough titty

no I can’t this is used to express

somewhat sarcastic sympathy over a petty

or trivial matter for example you missed

your exam because you stayed up watching

bird box

hard cheese mate number 50

another super British one that we use so

frequently to bang on about something to

bang on about something in American

English they would say to rant and rave

about something to rant and rave about

something this means to talk about

something for a long time especially in

a way that is boring to others for

example I know I bang on about

Skillshare but it really is a fantastic

service number 16 in British English

it’s to call a spade a spade to call a

spade a spade in American English to

call it as one sees it to call it as one

sees it this simply means to speak

honestly and describe something as it

really is for example my mother calls a

spade a spade if I’m being out of order

which I sometimes am she will put me

right and she always does number 17 in

British English we say to cram to cram

which isn’t strictly an idiom but the

American version is in American English

they say to hit the books to hit the

books and this means to study

intensively over a short period of time

usually right before an exam for example

I relied heavily on cramming throughout

my university degree I wouldn’t

recommend it but I did get a first-class

degree so make of that what you will

number 18 in British English to get

itchy feet to get itchy feet in American

English they say to seek new pastures to

seek new pastures this means to start to

want to travel or to do something

different with your life for example

after fourteen years of schooling

I got itchy feet and started to plan my

move to Spain number 19 in British

English we say to go pear-shaped to go

pear-shaped in American English they say

to go south to go south this means to go

wrong or to go badly for example the

party was great but after they handed

out two kilo shots it started to go a

bit pear-shaped our final idiom of the

lesson and I’ve saved the best till last

because this is what I love to do

in British English we say to queue up to

queue up but in American English they

say to wait in line to wait in line

simply means to take one’s place in a

queue for example as a Brit I can

honestly say there is nothing I enjoy

more than queuing up and silently

judging those who try to break the queue

rules oh I love it and hate it at the

same time anyway moving on that’s it for

today’s lesson don’t forget to check out

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shall see you soon for another lesson

yeah

and since Skillshare are sponsoring this

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people to link for the click you will

genuinely be interested in we’re gonna

use the word cool curated now I have

curated a list of bows so good I love

that word now I have curated just love

the word

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now I’ve created no I haven’t created it

okay Rach I really want to use word no

that’s wrong

that is wrong this simply means to

refuse to associate and that’s a phrase

that’s new oh my god

my neck is so itchy these phrases are

used to describe a situation where their

own there’s no swings and roundabouts

because we have a great energy I bet you

get itchy feet and don’t forget to check

me out check me out

[Music]

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