Today's BWOTD upon hearing, could make an American man panic!
"Can you knock me up at 7am tomorrow please"
'Knock me up' = Bang on my door
'Knock up' = Wake up
This does NOT mean please can you 'impregnate' me at 7am tomorrow! So no need to panic and scarper if a British woman ever says this to you ;-)
However just to confuse matters we do also use the phrase 'knocked up' to mean someone is pregnant!
6 comments:
It's easy to see how these phrases could create some serious confusion between Brits and Americans. I'd strongly advise Brits of the female persuasion to avoid using this line when around Americans of the male persuasion. Guys certainly are prone to willful ignorance when it suits certain purposes.
But, Sarah, you've raised a new question deserving of a BWOTD (unless you've already covered it and I missed it). Scarper?
Heh, heh... that's a crack up. One great thing about blogs is how we all wander in and out of each other's language comfort zones so readily! I have wandered in from Down Under (also an easily confused term!) and this has brought a real smile to my dial!
:-)
Bush Babe
PS Come visit and let me know how weird you find my language too!
Brad, Brad, Brad - you mean you're not writing these down religously each day! http://www.britgalusa.com/2008/03/brit-word-of-day_07.html
There you go - Scarper
Bush Babe - great to have you along for the fun, off to visit you now :-)
Oooooooooooh, I like that one!
I must have missed that one. And even if I did see it, it's hard to remember everything when learning a foreign language. :-)
Too funny! And just to be funny, I'll have to use this phrase on my husband (especially handy that he is still sleeping out in the extra room on work-nights because of our little boys constant awakenings) and ask him to knock me up around 7:40 before he leaves for work. HA!
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