Wednesday, September 4, 2013

How Do You Say... "MEH"?

DID YOU KNOW...

"Meh" is the verbal shrug we use to vocalized indifference or boredom?  It can also be used as an adjective meaning mediocre or boring?  (See Homer video).

It was added to the Collins English Dictionary - a printed and online dictionary of English, published by HarperCollins in Glasgow, back in November 2008.

Cormac McKeown, senior editor for Collins dictionaries, said:

"This is a new interjection from the US that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here".

"It was actually spelled out in The Simpsons when Homer is trying to pry the kids away from the TV with a suggestion for a day trip. They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV; he asks again and Lisa says 'We said MEH! M-E-H, meh?!' "

Some have speculated that meh's origin is Yiddish because of its similarity to the interjection "feh".  For example, the word appears in the 1936 classic film Yidl Mitn Fidl as the transliteration of the sound a goat makes.

The dictionary's compilers said the word originated in North America and spread through the Internet.










Harper Collins' definition of "meh" included a "real example" of usage:

"As in 'the Canadian election was so meh'."

When complaints arose over this choice of example, Harper Collins' lexicographer Cormac McKeown, who chose the election reference, insisted that he meant "no slight to Canada."







So how do you say
 'MEH'
in your language?  Or what's your equivalent of 'meh'?


Thursday, December 6, 2012

How Do You Say... 'YOU KNOW'?

So since one of our other blog "The Many Faces of Curiosity" did their blog post on the question "Why Do We Often Say Y'know, words like You Know?"  I am curious to find out how YOU say the word YOU KNOW, in YOUR language.




The Dutch say Weetje (weet-yeh)


So how do you say
YOU KNOW
in your language?

Friday, October 12, 2012

How Do You Say.... WTF?

Photo by Hamed Saber


WTF - is an acronym for whatever you want it to mean...most commonly used is for What the Fuck?

Or
  • Where's the Food?
  • Where's the Fridge
  • Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
  • Wednesday Thursday Friday

Haha! But seriously though, WTF stands for What the fuck. If you are unsure of something or pissed off or don't understand why something has happened.  It is commonly used in internet chatrooms where swearing is censored.  We westerners use it alot as I'm sure the rest of the world does... maybe in a different way?  What's your equivalent of WTF in your language?  What would you say instead of WTF?
Tell us so we can all start using it!



So how do you say
WTF?
in your language?

Saturday, July 21, 2012

How Do You Say... OMG?






Well, you've heard and seen it many times.  When something completely astonishes you, what's the first thing you say - OH MY GOD.


So, how do you say 
OH MY GOD (OMG)
 in your language or what other ways do you say it??

Sunday, November 27, 2011

New Word/Phrase I Learnt Today: "Lege vaten maken het meeste lawaai"



Lege vaten maken het meeste lawaai - (Empty Barrels Make the Most Noise)

Ok, so we had a meeting about workplace harassment and some were speaking out about it but there was this one guy who mentioned something so irrelevant about what was being discussed that my friend behind me (who speaks dutch), mumbled 'lege vaten maken het meeste lawaai', so even though I kind of knew what he was saying, I really didn't so that's when he explained to me what the saying meant:

He who has the least understanding of it, proclaims his opinion the loudest.


Lege vaten maken het meeste lawaai (lee-gher vaa-tun mah-ken het mee-stuh la-wai)

And that is my new phrase I learnt today!

Friday, September 16, 2011

New Word/Phrase I Learnt Today: Dziękuję bardzo!

I had so much work to do today at work that I had no time for anything!  Marzena came by to help me out and I was so grateful that she had time to help me that as she was walking back to her desk I shouted "Dziękuję!"

Later I told her I really, really appreciated her help so I asked  Jak to powiedzieć ...Thank-you very much?

To which she replied "Dziękuję bardzo".  (jen-koo-yeh bard-zo)

Friday, September 2, 2011

How Do You Say.... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?


Are you kidding me?
in YOUR language?

Is it something you say or do you say it a different way or is it an English phrase only?