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10 Of The Most Ridiculous Slang Terms From Around The World

10 Of The Most Ridiculous Slang Terms From Around The World

If you’ve spent any time overseas, you will have quickly realised that the way we Aussies choose to communicate with one another is, well, a bit cooked.

From “knockin’ the froth off a few” to “chuckin’ a u-ey,” we’ve got some pretty bloody bizarre slang, but believe it or not, there are some countries giving us a run for our money.

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Well, we didn’t come here to f*ck spiders — here’s some of the most ridiculous slang from around the world.

#1 Japan

 

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“Neko no gaku” (cat’s forehead)

When something’s tiny in Japan, you don’t say it’s small, you say it’s neko no gaku, which translates to, “cat’s forehead,” because apparently the smallest thing in Japan is a cat’s forehead.

#2 New Zealand

“He couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery!”

We share a lot in common with our mates across the ditch in NZ, and slang is no different (just don’t bring up the esky/chilly bin debate). This little ripper translates to, “he’s unable to accomplish a simple task”.

#3 Spain

“Pasta”

Rock up to an Italian restaurant and Spain and ask for the pasta, they might think you’re trying to rob them. In Spanish, “pasta” is slang for money – similar to the way we would call money “dough”.

#4 Poland

“Paw”

Prounounced “pav,” the Polish word “paw” means “peacock.”

Cute, right? Not really. If you hear a person tell you in Polish they need to let the peacock out, that’s your cue to leg it. Not because an exotic bird might be after you, but because it means they need to vomit. Gross.

#5 United Kingdom

“Safe”

Look, we’re not entirely sure what’s going on in the UK, but the word “safe” serves multi-purposes. Over there, safe can mean any of the following: hello, goodbye, thanks, yeah, or nice.

Sounds fake, UK, but okay.

#6 Norway

“A raisin in the sausage”

Nope, not something that requires a trip to the sexual health clinic. It actually translates to, “a pleasant surprise in something already good.”

Considering Norway is considered one of the happiest countries in the world this makes total sense, somehow. We get it Norway, you’re better than us.

#7 France

“She has long teeth”

In the English language, to be “long in the tooth” means someone is old, but by saying someone has long teeth in France, you’d actually be paying them a compliment. It means she is ambitious.

You go girl, get it, grow those teeth.

#8 Serbia

“He’s ripping clouds with his nose”

Get your mind out of the gutter.

In Serbia if someone is “ripping clouds with his nose” it means they’re very conceited. So, if there’s some dickhead you’re not too keen on here in Oz, but want to speak in code, you could be like, “Don’t worry about Steve, he’s ripping clouds with his nose.”

#9 Mongolia

international slang person with moustache
Image: Frank Marino / Unsplash

“Burkhan orshoo butin chinee sakhal urga”

So this one’s a little niche, but possibly our favourite of all-time. This phrase quite literally translates to, “God bless you and may your moustache grow like brushwood” and we think that’s beautiful.

#10 USA

“Cattywampus”

Though it sounds completely fake, or a Harry Potter spell, “cattywampus” is apparently something Americans actually say.

It means that something is a little crooked or bent out of shape, and could be used to describe the back roads in Alabama. 

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(Lead image: Composite of images by Billy Huynh, Annie Spratt, Chuttersnap, Jae Park /  Unsplash)

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