Questions tagged [cultural-phrases]
The cultural-phrases tag has no usage guidance.
51 questions
0
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is the meaning of "it insists upon itself" when referring the movie The Godfather?
In the TV show Family Guy, the character Peter says that he is not partial to the movie Godfather, and he says the reason is that the movie "insists upon itself".
What does that mean?
Video ...
- 125
0
votes
1
answer
91
views
What is "horror show of rule salad" intended to mean?
I've stumbled upon a puzzling phrase that goes:
It reads like a bad faith thought experiment you’d use to shoot down
someone’s suggestion: “Oh, what do you want us to do, [that horror
show of rule ...
- 11
-1
votes
1
answer
90
views
Why do people pronounce old as ooooooold sometimes?
I was watching Taskmaster UK, and I noticed that Greg or Alex often say "ooooold ."
For example, in Taskmaster UK Season 8 Episode 1 at 07:04, Greg says "ooooold poo roll", and he ...
- 109
1
vote
0
answers
54
views
The correct translation of Sıkbaç
There is an old dish in middle east culture. It is called as "Sıkbaç" in Turkish. It consists of lamb, vegetables, and various spices.
I have a translation work Turkish to English. DeepL ...
- 157
0
votes
1
answer
175
views
Origin of references to bats flying out of nostrils?
In the Harry Potter fandom, there is a curse named Bat-Bogey Hex, that "transforms the target's bogeys into large bats that fly out of the victim's nose".
In the Friends TV Series S02E03 ...
- 13
0
votes
1
answer
75
views
Ponderosa suddenly out of the prime rib in the middle of the buffet line [closed]
In this article about a news anchor's nearly dying of covid, he described the experience as very scare with this phrase:
Ponderosa suddenly out of the prime rib in the middle of the buffet line scary....
- 250
-1
votes
1
answer
104
views
Loan-word for a relaxed cultural attitude towards opening and closing times
"No customers, so I closed early. Xxxxx, right?"
For example, a recent visitor to Hawaii described stores closing hours before the posted times on occasional days "just because"
...
- 1,543
0
votes
0
answers
966
views
What does “white spade” mean in this context?
This is a lyric in the Tom Waits song Heart Attack and Vine - “white spades hanging on a telephone wire”. Does anyone know what this means? I found online that “white spade” refers to an old type of ...
- 117
-1
votes
2
answers
272
views
What is the reason for this saying? [closed]
Fences make good neighbors.
Being a recent purchaser of a new plot and home, I have heard this phrase more than a few times when I spoke of getting a fence.
To me, there is something antisocial and ...
1
vote
1
answer
206
views
Why Are Baseball Metaphors Popular for Corporate Jargon? [closed]
Why are sports metaphors (football, baseball) so popular in western corporate cultures? I find that sports metaphors are frequently used as popular jargon there.
It seems like they're less used in ...
- 27
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
How did the Idiom "Tit for Tat "get the current usage? [closed]
I have referred to the dictionary and found the following meanings.
Tit -a small bird that searches acrobatically for insects among foliage and branches.
Tat - Low quality
Tit for Tat means The ...
- 2,826
3
votes
13
answers
4k
views
What is the English equivalent of 干物女 (dried fish woman)?
Literally meaning dried fish woman, the popular slang 干物女 is used to call a woman in her twenties or older who, as nicely summarized in Wikipedia, has many of the following traits:
メールの返事が極端に遅い、短い (...
- 2,062
6
votes
2
answers
27k
views
Phrase origin: "You ain't got to go home but you got to get out of here."
You ain't got to go home but you got to get [the expletive] out of here.
Variations of the above phrase are very popular and a common cultural reference — seen in many movies, TV shows and music ...
- 799
4
votes
2
answers
584
views
Ruining the family name [closed]
Is the following correct usage?
"They didn't want me to ruin the family name. "
What are some other idiomatic expressions or phrases to say something similar?
I am aware of "give a bad name" and "one'...
- 59
12
votes
1
answer
883
views
What does “Commander-in-Soy” versus “alpha” mean?
Today’s (January 26th) Washington Post reported President Trump’s decision to end the government shutdown under the headline, “Trump caves” or “Genius.” : Right wing splits after Trump ends shutdown ...
- 70.3k
1
vote
1
answer
174
views
Is there a term for a person who is half British and half East Asian?
I know quite a few people who have one parent from somewhere in the U.K. (generally England) and the other parent from somewhere is eastern Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, etc.). They are all very ...
- 11
-1
votes
2
answers
114
views
"Calumny attempt" Is it a legit English phrase?
Lets say someone attempting to calumny, by fabricating a a written document.
Can I call this event as "Calumny attempt"?
- 101
-1
votes
1
answer
801
views
When a word is both a common and proper noun, how do you use it as a cultural modifier?
I am writing a piece on Kandi Kids, the name for a specific rave culture.
"The Kandi Kid community..." (Proper noun.)
"She gave him a piece of kandi." (Common noun.)
"They saw two young ...
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
In the US, is it a common thing to called a baby whose gender is not known "Baby [last name]"?
This is maybe more of a cultural than linguistic question, but an american friend told me that in the US, when a family is having a baby but before they know its gender, the baby is referred to as "...
- 165
4
votes
5
answers
24k
views
Mr. and Mrs. Homer Simpson - Using husband's first/last name for wife?
I originally heard this in an old episode of the Simpsons, where Apu refers to Marge as "Mrs. Homer Simpson". I've also noticed something similar in the movie "The Wedding Singer" where the titular ...
- 317
1
vote
1
answer
354
views
IBM used the words "Toxic combinations of duties" in an advert. Does that dilute the current/popular meaning?
This IBM advertisement uses the phrase "toxic combinations" of duties to sell a security product. As someone who has 20 years of experience in social services and IT Security, this usage is off-...
- 1,857
0
votes
2
answers
585
views
What is it called when we speak of foods using brand names? [duplicate]
I am wondering about the phenomenon of brand names being commonly used to describe certain foods.
For example, I recently heard the phrase “to eat cheetos“.
Other examples could be to eat/drink...
...
user192211
6
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why isn't the yard used as a base unit for measuring heights?
I don't know if this is the right forum for this question, but, do what I would, I could not find a better one.
During my visit to London I stumbled upon something I couldn't quite grasp:
Why, even ...
- 85
1
vote
1
answer
8k
views
Joke "Hipster burns his mouth" - why is it funny?
The joke is: why did the hipster burn his mouth? Because he drank his coffee / ate his pizza / etc. before it was cool.
Why is it funny? Does the hipster have special meaning or background?
- 113
3
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Is there a simple word for a person born of immigrants?
My friend's parents are both from Colombia, but he was born here in the U.S., and I was wondering if there was a non-offensive term for somebody born of immigrants who is a native citizen.
- 55
1
vote
2
answers
273
views
Does "Period of Continence" mean the same as "Prescribed waiting period"?
If you are acquainted with Islamic Sharia (law), you may have come across the term "iddah" (the period a woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, during which she may not ...
- 357
7
votes
1
answer
12k
views
Why Cosmonaut, not Astronaut?
An American space traveler is called in English an astronaut. A French space traveler is called in English an astronaut (not l'astronaute). A Japanese space traveler is called in English an ...
- 81
2
votes
1
answer
415
views
Arab, Arabian, Arabic usage
Am I correct in stating that "Arabic" is a language; An "Arab" is a person of "Arab" dissent; and "Arabian" is a culture & history; but more contemporary usage of "Arab" can be more collective, e....
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What does "cup and Chaucer" mean?
I've recently come across a phrase unknown to me: "cup and Chaucer". What does it mean?
Obviously it is connected with the popularity and influence of Geoffrey Chaucer as the Father of English ...
- 143
5
votes
3
answers
31k
views
When did "Alright?" become a greeting in UK English?
Who remembers when and how "Alright?" became a greeting in UK English?
Do you remember the first time you heard it? Can you remember when that was? What was the context? Was there a particular ...
- 59
-1
votes
2
answers
970
views
What is meant by the phrases "no one is making you do ..." or "you have to do" something? [closed]
Is it tautology that no one (except yourself) is making you do something? What I mean is (as far as I know) mind control does not exist. There for is the phrase "no one is making you [insert action or ...
- 2,920
10
votes
4
answers
75k
views
What is the origin/history of "you do you" (or "do you")?
A recent New York Times Magazine piece focused on the expression "you do you" (and its variant "do you"), meaning something like a strong affirmation to "be yourself."
The article associates the ...
- 2,403
7
votes
11
answers
19k
views
English equivalent of "amae" (甘え) - the feeling of pleasurable dependence on another person
Amae is simply defined as the feeling of pleasurable dependence on another person but there is more to it. I'm including an example sentence for the sake of showing how the word can be used but this ...
- 65.5k
1
vote
1
answer
161
views
Good term for petit bourgeois / Boeotian / Biedermeier lifestyle
Suppose you want to enjoy a lifestyle "of the medium":
You live with your partner in your house, you have got two kids, a dog, a cat, in a suburban area, have a got a middle-class job with good (but ...
- 1,187
8
votes
3
answers
56k
views
What is the difference between Seventh Heaven and Cloud Nine?
Just as the question asks, what is the difference between Seventh Heaven and Cloud Nine? I know that both mean extreme pleasure or joy, but I'm wondering if they have different meanings when used in ...
- 816
1
vote
2
answers
173
views
What would "Garth Brooks" refer to in a multiple-choice Poll?
I noticed an online poll about marriage, where the person was curious to know what percentage of the current generation are interested in getting married, and the last option is: Garth Brook! I know ...
- 3,786
1
vote
3
answers
17k
views
What is the correct phrase to ask to determine which group a first nations person considers themselves to be part of?
I met a women who I gathered was First Nations. I struggled to ask the question to elicit the response to find more about her heritage and culture. What is the word that distinguishes between ...
- 2,920
2
votes
1
answer
401
views
Looking for a list of "english words" that exist in other languages, but with different meanings
I had a terrible misunderstanding with a semi-conservative Turkish woman who was offended when I said
"Let's have brunch, and I'll bring some platonic female friends"
I'm told that in Turkey, "...
- 1,857
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Mileage as unit-agnostic term
Is it appropriate to use the term "mileage" to refer to distance that is not measured in the literal units of miles? For example, would you say that a car "has a lot of mileage on it" in a country ...
- 963
5
votes
6
answers
2k
views
How can I translate "Jeitinho Brasileiro" into English?
Jeitinho Brasileiro can be literally translated to "Brazilian way to do things"! Wikipedia has an article about it.
There are various meaning to this expression and one gives the idea of "Malandragem"...
- 321
4
votes
2
answers
38k
views
What does "waste not, want not" mean? [closed]
I would like it to be explained, if it has a single meaning, it's confusing me, I see it could mean "please don't waste whatever you don't want", or just the opposite, i.e. "There is nothing without a ...
- 143
64
votes
25
answers
20k
views
Are there counterpart English expressions to Japanese proverb, "the nail that pops up is always hammered down?
I was once reminded by Robusto-san of a Japanese popular saying, ‘出る釘は打たれる - the nail that pops up is always hammered down,’ when I complained about sequential down-votes that I received.
I wondered ...
- 70.3k
3
votes
3
answers
79k
views
Is the expression "having a good time" too personal?
Me and a colleague were jointly writing an email to an English speaking business partner when a discussion arose on how to formulate a sentence.
The business partner is currently on vacation, so I ...
- 131
7
votes
5
answers
16k
views
To Break Bread -- the origin of the phrase
I am looking for the origin of the phrase "break bread" meaning to eat (or, I expect, to share food). I know that it can be sourced to the book of Acts but I have also seen many websites which say ...
- 2,515
7
votes
9
answers
13k
views
Is saying 'who cares' rude or maybe even disrespectful?
Two people are talking about what tasks should be finished on time, and what tasks should be put off until later. The conversation was like below:
A: I don't think those tasks are important. We can ...
- 433
2
votes
0
answers
12k
views
What does it mean if you tell someone they have their name on their underwear? [closed]
What does it mean if you say to someone that they have their name on their underwear?
If this is an insult what are they implying?
I've heard this term in pop culture many times, usually in ...
- 274
10
votes
6
answers
5k
views
What did Steve Jobs mean by “Technology married with Liberal Arts” in his last speech?
The Asahi, Japan’s leading newspaper quoted the following famous closing words of Steve Jobs’ in his last speech at the iPad 2 event in March 2011 in its popular editorial column, “Vox populi, vox Dei”...
- 70.3k
6
votes
3
answers
10k
views
What should one call his or her mother-in-law? [closed]
We call our own mother "mum". What should we call our mother-in-law? In China, we call our mother-in-law "mum" as well. Do English speaking people feel comfortable calling their mother-in-law "mum"? ...
- 10.1k
16
votes
7
answers
52k
views
How did "gesundheit" work its way into common American usage?
Once upon a time I was hanging out with a fairly international group of people. Somebody sneezed, and one of the Americans reflexively responded, "Gesundheit!"
A German in the group seized on the ...
- 451
5
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Hesitation to use "girlfriend" in reference to old people
I have a good friend in his late 60s, and I've made an interesting observation that absolutely no one in our social circle will refer to the female he is (indisputably) dating with the term "...
user12178