Americans use these phrases every day, but many English-speaking countries don’t use them nearly as much. American English phrases have made their mark on the world through television and Hollywood, but not everyone will understand them.
Here are 17 American phrases that seem nuts to people outside America because they do not make sense.
This from msn.com.
To ‘spill the beans’ means to reveal something prematurely or accidentally reveal a secret. According to Reader’s Digest, the phrase has several potential origins, including Ancient Greece, where citizens would anonymously vote with beans, and the phrase has been used in America since 1908.
This American expression means ‘get lost’ to go do a pointless activity and is virtually unknown in other English-speaking countries. The phrase has been used in the U.S. since at least 1886 and was recently used by GOP Governor Gregg Abbott after the U.N. criticized Texas’s anti-LGBTQ legislation.
‘Breaking the ice’ is doing or saying something that relieves tension or gets a conversation flowing, creating a more relaxed atmosphere. The phrase stems from the maritime world, where special ice-breaking ships would allow exploration of polar regions.
‘Hit the nail on the head’ means describing, saying, or doing something precisely. The phrase dates back to the 15th century and appears in The Book of Margery Kempe, the Christian mystic’s autobiography.
5. “Barking up the wrong tree”
This phrase is used when someone is mistaken or goes about achieving something the wrong way. According to Phrase Finder, its origins are American, and an ‘allusion is to hunting dogs barking at the bottom of trees where they mistakenly think their quarry is hiding.’
‘Out of the blue”’ refers to something happening suddenly or unexpectedly, and possibly originates from the unpredictability of storms appearing in clear blue skies. Americans use the phrase to describe unforeseen occurrences and surprises in life.
7. “Hit the hay”
This colloquialism, meaning to go to bed, originated in rural America, when people slept on mattresses filled with hay or straw. The phrase has been used since the turn of the 20th century and is used in George Ade’s novel People You Know.
This phrase means to carelessly or mistakenly reveal a secret or a previously hidden fact. The colloquialism has several suggested origins, including the ‘cat o’ nine tails’ whip used by the British Navy to punish drunkenness, desertion, and theft.
To ‘shoot the breeze’ means to have a casual conversation about gossip or light-hearted, unimportant topics. Grammarist note that the phrase ‘came about in 20th-century America, and the term breeze was used as a slang term for rumors or gossip.’
To ‘bite off more than you can chew’ is to take on more responsibilities or tasks than you can manage. The expression likely originates from the idea of taking a bite of food so large that it cannot be chewed or swallowed comfortably and is used as a caution against overcommitment.
‘Burning the midnight oil,’ or working late into the night, emphasizes hard work and dedication, particularly when someone is working to meet a deadline. It originated before electric lighting was invented, when people burned oil lamps late into the night to continue working.
There’s no point ‘crying over spilled milk.’ This phrase is used to encourage others to move forward and not dwell on mistakes or losses that cannot be recovered. It’s an old phrase, with written variations dating back to the 1650s.
14. “Bite the bullet”
The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘bite the bullet’ as ‘to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation.’ The phrase may originate from the historical practice of patients biting the bullet during surgery, before the invention of anesthesia, to stop them from screaming or biting their tongues.
‘Beating around the bush’ is avoiding getting to the point or addressing a topic directly, and it’s used to criticize indirect communication and hesitation to address an issue forthrightly. The phrase likely dates back to medieval bird hunting, where participants beat the bushes to flush birds out into the open.
To feel ‘under the weather’ is to feel sick or in low spirits. The phrase comes from a maritime term, ‘under the weather rail,’ when sailors would go to the most stable part of the ship when feeling seasick.
This phrase comes from boxing, where trainers would throw towels into the ring to signify that the match should be stopped because their fighter is unable to continue, and it is used to mean giving up or admitting defeat.
Bonus Idioms—Each especially applicable to our American elected politicians:
18. “Pass the buck”
Blame someone else for something or make someone else responsible for a difficult or unpleasant task.
19. “Bats in the belfry”
Indicates that someone is behaving in an eccentric or less than sane manner.
20. “Elephant in the room”
Something that everyone in the room is aware of that really should be addressed as quickly as possible, but those in control will continue to ignore it as long as possible due to fears of unpleasant ramifications.
21. “Monkey business”
Silliness or goofing off, breaking the rules. going against the rules, or not being faithful to a spouse.
22. “Put lipstick on a pig”
If you cover up ugly, there is still ugliness underneath. Or if you try to disguise wrongdoing, it is still wrongdoing.
23. “Zebras don’t change their stripes”
Don’t expect anyone to be anything other than who they really are despite what they say about having changed.
Final thoughts: Perhaps the one question remaining is, ‘Will the idioms—the nuances of American English—survive another hundred years, or even twenty-five years of unbridled open mass invasion of other peoples, cultures, religions, and languages?’
