Monday, 13 April 2009
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My Favourite Cultural Misunderstanding
Let's get one thing straight first of all: In the UK, FANNY means VAGINA.
So imagine my shock at the following encounter...
Picture the scene: I'm a naive, young British boy working in South Jersey at a theme park, the summer before I start college. (Or "university" as we call it over here.)
I'm in charge of one of those crazy upside down rides that throws people about and makes them wish they had the sense not to go on.
One evening, I'm at work, when a beserk American woman rushes off the ride, and starts tugging on my shirt, all "SIR! SIR! HELP ME SIR!"
On asking her what was up, I was greeted with the single BEST line ever uttered in the English language. A line that no amount of living could ever have prepared me for.
This poor, panic-stricken American woman announced to me in her Texan drawl: "Sir! I'VE LOST MY FANNY!"
"You've lost YOUR WHAT!?" I spat in disbelief.
"My fanny! I think it fell off on the ride!"
I just about DIED. I thought my kidneys were going to be laughed right out of my ears. This woman's fanny had fallen off!? Priceless!
There was no time to wonder how on earth a vagina would detatch itself from its owner, and fly off into the crowd below. But that didn't infringe on the beauty of the moment.
I quickly evaluated that this woman had in fact lost her bum-bag. At least, what us Brits call a bum-bag. You Americans call a FANNY-PACK.
This poor Texan lady had fondly abbreviated that to "fanny," and got a reaction from a Brit that her unassuming self hadn't quite bargained for. I dare say my reaction was slightly less sympathetic than she would have hoped!
A scottish girl working on the ride opposite had wandered over to find out why I was desperately gasping for air on the boardwalk, as some incensed American woman mouthed off at me. One hear of "My fanny! Help me find my fanny!" later, and the Scot had joined me, rolling about on the floor.
Yes, us pesky Brits were inconsolible in our amusement, rendered speechless for at least ten minutes. We had to get our manager over to deal with the "missing fanny" incident, because we were too besides ourselves with joy to respond!
So, that my dears is what happens when people are talking the same language, but in entirely different terms. People start thinking vaginas have fallen off.
What is the greatest misunderstanding you have encountered when in a different country?
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- From: TheL0ki@xanga
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Comments (112)
HAHAHA! That's a great one!
This summer I visited my (American-British) uncle in London. While I was there I bought some clothes, but the trousers were a little too long. I said that I needed to get my pants hemmed.
My Maltese aunt looked at me, blinked and said, "What do you mean get your pants hemmed?"
I was confused. She was confused. It wasn't until my uncle intervened, laughing, that we got it all cleared up.
Yeah, my knickers are just fine, thanks.
HAHAHAHA
that's absolutely wonderful.
it's so funny how many different terms there are between Britain and America :P
i don't think i've ever run into a cultural misunderstanding before...
i read about fanny being vagina in my cultural diversity book.
i never really called it a fanny pack anyways.
i call it a booty bag.
LOL ~ I can imagine!!!!! I am a South African living in Britain - and believe me - it means the same......so, when I got a comment on my blog one day from an American....saying that she couldn't sit on a pew in a Cathedral of which I had blogged about - because her 'fanny' would be too cold....I was stunned...LOL....we soon cleared that all up!!!
I am forever finding cultural differences when I chat to my american online friends - soooooo much fun though!
Lol!!! That is hilarious. I always thought fanny meant bum to be honest.
(Was it at 6 flags? Just curious, I'm in south jersey too)
hahahha that's great. once in chinese class we all had to write a personal ad. i wrote in mine that the guy had to be good in bed... or that's what i thought i wrote. when i got the draft back, it was circled in red with vigorous question marks all around. i brought my paper to the writing assistant, and she laughed as she informed me that i had written that i wanted sexual harassment.
my gosh that is funny. I wonder how fanny came to mean vagina on one continent, and butt on the other?
Oh that's too funny and I'm an American who wouldn't have known better either. LOL! Serious case of the giggles... and to thing that Americans use the word when politely referring to our bottoms. *GIGGLE SNORT* Okay, I just can't top that one.
I remember the summer I worked with two girls from New Zealand. Apparently down there, "root" is a very dirty word about on the level of the F-word.
As part of their experience of American culture, they went to see a baseball game. All went very well until the seventh inning, when 30,000 fans stood up to sing the old song, "We'll root, root, root, for the home team...."
(Sorry if I've just offended any Kiwis, but the moment was classic.)
oh you wacky wacky brits =) hahha
I had a welsh teach in college
and I once said " ugh I'm so pissed"
to this girl next to me
the teacher looked shocked and told me I shoulnd't come to class then
I was SO FRIGGING confused
LOL
then he explained to me that being pissed in Wales means being drunk :P
funny story though =)
@black_lie@xanga - lol!
That's too good. I haven't had any situations like that but usually I just walk into the conversation at the worst possible time.
Misunderstanding? They thought I was Chinese and started talking to me in Chinese, and I couldn't understand a word. :D
I seriously think that just made my day!!
In Japanese the word mango when pronounced incorrectly is a sort of vulgar slang word for vagina. I have used it wrong more than once getting a similar hysterical laughter reaction from my Japanese friends by basically saying at one time that vaginas (mango's) are very expensive in japan and at another time that I like to eat fresh vaginas (mango's). At any rate I am sticking to banana's now....
LOL that's hilarious!!
@echois23@xanga - HAHA. That is so funny!
Great story! Makes life interesting to learn about these differences. Haha!
Great story!
A tourist inviting me to join a beach BBQ said that I needed a douche. His friends hid their laughing faces and he just looked perplexed at my reaction. Later I realized that he meant, "dish."
lol
Too funny!!!!
I never liked the word fanny anyways...
As my best friend was british [[he passed away unfortunately, hence the 'was']], there were a lot of misunderstandings. Like I didn't know that camp meant gay, or that there are soo many words for vagina, like minge.
It was usually interesting x)
That's absolutely priceless. Those crazy americans and their silly language. Haha
Oh my gosh. I'm so going to get fired. Laughing at my desk is really drawing the attention of coworkers.
hahaha this is hilarious!Â