15 truly American slang phrases that people from other countries say can't be translated
"'It’s not my first rodeo' when translated into my language sounds so confusing and sarcastic."
A group of Americans and the American phrases that foreigners say do not translate.
Americans have a special way of speaking English that separates us from other English speakers. From Southern slang phrases to our kooky idioms, American culture sometimes cannot be translated.
On Reddit, one non-American started a discussion about phrases that only translates for Americans.
"I’ve been living here for a little while, and I’ve heard a few," they wrote. "Especially 'it’s not my first rodeo' when translated into my language sounds so confusing and sarcastic."
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They continued, "Or saying 'Break a leg' sounds mean or crazy. Instead we say ‘Ни пуха ни пера’ and when translated literally, it means 'Neither fluff nor feather' meaning good luck."
Other Redditors offered their stories about American slang phrases that they've encountered. These are 15 of the best:
"I had a co-worker from the Philippines who asked me what a 'brown noser' was. It's really kind of gross to explain." - fshagan
"Anything having to do with cowboys. I used the expression 'roped into it' with a non-native English speaker and they were so confused… I tried to explain and when I found myself saying, 'like when you lasso a cow' it clicked. We both laughed about it after that." - pan_chromia
"'Got a burr under his saddle'. 'Bawling' is specifically referring to calves. They’re noisy, whiny little things (and they’re precious)." Unicoronary
@learnwithlucas Speak Like an American — Try These 8 Phrases 🇺🇸 🗣️ Can YOU say these 8 phrases the American way? 🎁 Comment your favorite & tag a friend — to join our free bookset giveaway! 1 Wassup? 2 Howzit goin’? 3 Yo! 4 Heeey there. 5 It’s a piece-a-cake. 6 Feelin’ under the weather. 7 Wanna hang out later? 8 I’ll figure it out. 🎁 Comment your favorite & tag a friend — to join the free book giveaway! #AmericanEnglish #EnglishGiveaway #RepeatAfterMe #belajaringgris
"I think 'break a leg' is pretty common in English-speaking world." - Far_Silver
"Calling a signature a John Hancock." - Far_Silver
"'Fixin' to do something'." - Soft_Assistant6046
"'I don’t have a dog in this fight.' I feel the similar 'I don’t have a horse in this race' might translate better." - ngshafer
"Piggybacking on this with 'That dog won’t hunt'." - JohnnyCoolbreeze
"Sports stuff — bottom of the ninth, on the one yard line…" - Sharp-Ad-5493
"Almost all idioms are weird and have a backstory that is obscure and often, even when explained is still weird. 'Break a leg' means Good Luck in the theatre, where superstition prevents 'good luck' from being mentioned. So they wish the worst thing possible on you so you will be lucky. 'Drink the Kool-Aid' -google Jim Jones (unless you are delicate, it's not pretty) 'Bob's your uncle' --google Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (known as 'Bob') Etc." - thereBheck2pay
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"You really screwed the pooch on this one. F***ing dogs is not a mistakable offense." - Padgetts-Profile
"Most Southernisms don't translate well. And so I try to avoid them when speaking to those who are non native speakers. Or out west. I got called out once +while they were laughing) for 'don't just sit there like a bump on a log'." - Express-Stop7830
"This one does translate, but I just love it so much that I’m putting it here anyway. 'Between a rock and a hard place' in Spanish is basically 'between the sword and the wall'. I think the image is just so much more vivid." - Particular-Ebb-6428
"'The whole nine yards'." - Literary-Anarchist
"I once shocked some European coworkers by saying 'there’s more than one way to skin a cat'." - Academic-Balance6999