# False friends: familiar names which mean something very different elsewhere **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121 "2018-03-24T18:07:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/81 "2018-03-25T08:31:24Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s just occurred to me that the OP’s own name has different meaning in the US. There it’s usually synonymous with “popover” (we don’t use the word popover in the UK) and often involves sugar. A Straight Dope friend of mine asked for Yorkshire Pudding recipes once and I was genuinely baffled. There is one recipe. One. It can be big or small, and you can replace meat with not-meat, but you certainly don’t add sugar. Also you don’t eat them cold. > > It’s not helped by sites like this saying that [Yorkshire Pudding is a savory dish that uses popovers,](https://thediynewlywed.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/what-is-it-popovers-vs-yorkshire-pudding/) and covers them in gravy]. Struth. I had no idea such misapprehensions were being laboured under. I thought Yorkshire Puddings were simply unheard of, not misunderstood. > [@](#): > > The poster Yorkshire Pudding may be a dish for all I know (flutters eyelashes :D) …well, I, erm…that’s really very sweet of you… ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/82 "2018-03-25T09:18:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > in the US at least nappy doesn’t mean anything, as a verb or otherwise. Yes, it does, but it’s an adjective, not a verb. [See here.](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nappy#Etymology_2) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/83 "2018-03-25T09:39:14Z")
_Fahk_ in Thai means “squash” or “pumpkin” but sounds an awfully like “fuck.” Pronounce the English word “door” a certain way and you have a vulgar Thai slang for a penis. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/84 "2018-03-25T09:45:06Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > _Fahk_ in Thai means “squash” or “pumpkin” but sounds an awfully like “fuck.” Pronounce the English word “door” a certain way and you have a vulgar Thai slang for a penis. Oh yeah, and the name “Jim.” Pronounce it with the right tone and length, and it’s a regional vulgar slang for a vagina. Every Jim I knew in Thailand had to be careful. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/85 "2018-03-25T09:58:25Z")
Pissed: British English for drunk. Pissed _off_ is angry. ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/86 "2018-03-25T10:35:33Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > No she was describing an American jumper correctly. It’s a dress, typically worn by toddlers and little girls but not uncommon for grown women too. > > [Jumper (dress) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(dress)) > > I watch a lot of British TV and their use of “jumper” still confuses me all the time. I think it’s more of a crew-neck sweatshirt for us, than a knit sweater, fwiw. Aha, that’s what we in the UK would probably call a _pinafore dress_. As to the sweater/jumper distinction, no, both are used interchangeably. If anything, a jumper is more likely to be an item of knitwear and a sweater is more likely to be a crew-neck sweat shirt or thinner piece of knitwear. But that’s not really a distinction I would make. OB ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/87 "2018-03-25T11:56:14Z")
In Cologne, you can order a “halve hahn” (half a rooster), but won’t get anything chicken related. It is the local name for a slice of rye bread with cheese and onions. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/88 "2018-03-25T12:01:03Z")
What the Brits call an “anorak” is a “windbreaker” or “parka” (which is bigger and heavier, like the ones Eskimos wear) in the US. And bib overalls like the ones farmers wear are also called “biballs” (this one threw me the first time I heard it, but was instantly clear when I saw it in print). Overalls are something a grease-monkey mechanic might wear, I think. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/89 "2018-03-25T12:03:55Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > This threw me the other day, when Americans on reddit were talking about the most rootable Survivor contestant. Domenic? Eww, no. Oh, you mean who are you \*\*barracking \*\*for. Never heard this one. Is it from \*barracks \*or the name of our former president? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/90 "2018-03-25T14:25:48Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > _Fahk_ in Thai means “squash” or “pumpkin” but sounds an awfully like “fuck.” Pronounce the English word “door” a certain way and you have a vulgar Thai slang for a penis. Walking through Hungary enough, you might encounter the word “legjobb” quite commonly in print. While it may bare resemblance to some misspelled niche sexual practice, it merely means “the best.” (And it’s not pronounced anything like “legjob” would be.) _Kuki_ in Hungarian sounds a bit like English “cookie” in a Hungarian accent, but is a cute word for “penis,” maybe something like “weenie.” In Polish, you’ll hear what sounds like “bitch” peppered fairly commonly in conversation. It is merely the infinitive form of “to be,” _być_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/91 "2018-03-25T14:29:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What the Brits call an “anorak” is a “windbreaker” Also, good to know is that “an anorak” can refer to something akin to a “nerd” or maybe better a “geek”: people obsessive about every little detail of their chosen subject of interest. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/92 "2018-03-25T14:34:13Z")
There you go - pudding. In England it’s (I think) a dense steamed cake (often) studded with dried fruit, served warm with vanilla or chocolate cream. In the US it’s an amorphous milk, egg and sugar concoction thickened with cornstarch and cooked on the stovetop. Edit - done in by the next page… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/93 "2018-03-25T14:40:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Also, good to know is that “an anorak” can refer to something akin to a “nerd” or maybe better a “geek”: people obsessive about every little detail of their chosen subject of interest. In Russian, the word is _botanik_, “botanist.” I believe there was a failed attempt to adapt _ **The Big Bang Theory** _ for Russian TV under the title _ **Botaniki** _ (“Nerds”). ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/94 "2018-03-25T14:42:17Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Crib is a specific type of baby bed, a small one that is often on rockers. In the UK anyway. I think the US uses that word for both a UK crib and UK cot. The US typically calls a small baby bed on rockers a cradle. Is the song “Rockabye baby…the cradle will rock” familiar in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/95 "2018-03-25T14:53:26Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Crib is a specific type of baby bed, a small one that is often on rockers. In the UK anyway. I think the US uses that word for both a UK crib and UK cot. I’d call that a cradle, as in _Rock-a-bye, baby, in the tree top_… All of the cribs I’ve seen stand on spindly legs, and might have sides you can lower to take the baby out (or you can just lift him/her out). The big thing on the floor you put the baby into when he/she is big enough is called a playpen. What the British call a “pram” (“perambulator”) can be either a stroller (a little seat on wheels for a baby) or a buggy (a little bed on wheels with a foldable hood). A “dummy” in the UK is what I’d call a “pacifier” in the US (for a baby to suck on, like Maggie Simpson). A dummy is (among other things) what I’d call a department store mannequin. A “cot” is the kind of foldable bed you might sleep on at summer camp or in the service, or keep at home for unexpected guests. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/96 "2018-03-25T14:56:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s in the upper Midwest that I’ve seen the term “hot tamale” applied to sloppy joes. I don’t know how current it is, but my mother-in-laws Wisconsin parish cookbooks from Chippewa Falls all had recipes for “hot tamale” which was a sloppy joe. There was even a thread about it [here on the Dope](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=553670). That thread specifies specifically the Sheboygan area of Wisconsin, but the cookbook I read was from Chippewa Falls. Apparently, some people also call sloppy joes [Spanish hamburgers](https://delishably.com/meat-dishes/80-Year-Old-Heirloom-Spanish-Hamburger-Recipe-Easy-Crumbled-Hamburger-Sloppy-Joes-in-Under-30-Minutes) according to that thread. This doesn’t help reduce confusion: [https://www.candywarehouse.com/assets/item/regular/hot-tamales-candy-15lb-giant-party-pack-133842-box.jpg](https://www.candywarehouse.com/assets/item/regular/hot-tamales-candy-15lb-giant-party-pack-133842-box.jpg) Growing up my closest association with tamales aside from the candy was the Alka-Seltzer (or was it Pepto Bismol?) ad where a couple is traveling in a car and you hear a woman’s voice say 'Look, Harvey! Mexican ta-mails!" > [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Pissed: British English for drunk. Pissed _off_ is angry. It took me a long time to figure out what was meant by “taking the piss.” Definitely not the same as “taking **a** piss.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/97 "2018-03-25T15:01:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In Russian, the word is _botanik_, “botanist.” I believe there was a failed attempt to adapt _ **The Big Bang Theory** _ for Russian TV under the title _ **Botaniki** _ (“Nerds”). That reminds me, between Polish and Russian (and other Slavic languages) there’s a number of these. Like стул (pronounced like “stool”) in Russian means “chair” and in Polish, _stól_ means “table”’ (and now I just realized that in English, it’s yet another piece of furniture.) Or _dywan_ in Polish means “rug.” In Russian (and English), the similar sounding word _диван_ means “sofa.” What’s kind of fun for a language nerd like me is that some of the Slavic languages have descriptive names for the months, instead of following the Latinate names. So it can get confusing with cognates that refer to different months. For example, in Polish _kwiecień_ (derived from the word for flowers and blooming) is April, but in Czech, _kviecień_ is May. _Listopad_ (meaning something like “falling of the leaves”) is November in Polish, but the same exact word is October in Croatian. _Lipiec_ is July in Polish, but _lipanj_ is June in Croatian (both words from _lipa_ meaning “linden tree.”)’ OK, that last paragraph is probably only interesting to me, but I grew up speaking Polish, and it was always interesting traveling through the other Slavic countries and getting tripped up by false friends. There’s a lot more of them, but those are the first that come to mind. Oh, yeah, and _godina_ meaning “year” in Croatian, but the similar word _godzina_ meaning “hour” in Polish. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/98 "2018-03-25T15:04:30Z")
I was greatly amused to learn that “fuck all” is the British equivalent of “nada,” “zilch,” “gornish,” “nichts.” “Hey, Victor. What have you done on that project so far?” “Fuck all.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/99 "2018-03-25T15:24:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, yeah, and _godina_ meaning “year” in Croatian, but the similar word _godzina_ meaning “hour” in Polish. Or \*rodina \*meaning “motherland” in Russian and “family” in Czech. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121/100 "2018-03-25T15:30:43Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Or \*rodina \*meaning “motherland” in Russian and “family” in Czech. Same with Polish _rodzina_ is “family.” In Polish “motherland” would be _ojczyzna_, which is actually more accurately “fatherland,” as it comes from the word for “father.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-friends-familiar-names-which-mean-something-very-different-elsewhere/811121.md?page=6)