Each country has its own symbols of pride. Unfortunately, sometimes in major countries how the USA, Great Britain, Russia, in a number of shrines elevate events and objects, the value of which is very doubtful. After all, people need to believe in something and love something!

In today's post, I propose an interesting topic: how to offend an American. I hope you take this information as an introduction to American culture rather than as a call to action. Pick those grains from here useful information, which will help you establish productive communication with Americans (colleagues, students, acquaintances). If you have to bring up these topics in conversations, try not to add fuel to the fire by proving your point. It's better to move on to another more neutral topic (like talking about the weather!).

Before moving on to topics that may offend Americans, I will tell the story of an American tourist who vacationed on the island of Mykonos in Greece last year.

Our hero, who was idly wandering around the island, was approached by a fashionably dressed woman and whispered in a pronounced British accent: " Shhh. Be quiet! You are an American. I'm right?"

Our American shook his head in agreement. The woman, pleased with herself, kissed him on the cheek. The American asked her: "How did you guess that I'm from the USA? I didn't even say a word!".

To which the woman replied: "No one from Europe would walk around such an island in such a hot time in such huge boots. Even Canadians have more prudence!".

Now let's move on to those topics in conversation with the Americans that can cause irreparable damage to your relationship with them. We read without malice!

"USA is great country where freedom is preached. How is it that the US has the highest per capita prison population in the world? More than in Russia or China."

Fact: There are over 2.5 million prisoners in the US (nearly 1% of the population!). This is more than 700 people per 100,000 population. In Russia, this figure is at the level of 550-600, with a total number of prisoners of just over 800 thousand. It is better not to talk about this topic!

"Are you happy with the Patriot Act?"

Fact: The Patriot Act or "Act of 2001 to Unite and Strengthen America by Providing the Appropriate Tools Required to Suppress and Disrupt Terrorism" is an anti-terrorism law that has made it easy to start several wars in Asia. It is better not to talk about this topic!

Never remember the air attacks of September 11, 2001 compared to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. No need to pour salt on the wounds!

“How is it that football is played with the feet all over the world, but in the US football is called a game in which giants on steroids rush around the field with an egg-shaped ball under their arm?”

Fact: American football or just football (as opposed to soccer) is the national sport in the United States. A tough sport where serious injuries are not uncommon, American football attracts millions of Americans. It is better not to argue on this subject if you are not in the subject!

"Why is your American football or baseball championship called the World Series? After all, only teams from the USA play in your championship?"

Fact: Everything is much easier here. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were no championships in today's format. To attract the attention of the public, the organizers of baseball and football games resorted to such pompous names. Time passed, formats changed, but the titles of the episodes remained as a tribute to history.

"Why do you use such a strange system of measures?"

Fact: In the US, temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit, gasoline is sold in gallons, weight is measured in pounds, and length is measured in inches and feet. The Americans, by virtue of tradition and by virtue of the desire to do everything in their own way, refused to switch to the metric system of measures. As a result, there are only 3 countries in the world that have not switched to the metric system of measures: Liberia, Myanmar and ... the USA.

"Have you traveled abroad?"

Fact: Only 35% of Americans have a foreign passport. Most Americans consider traveling abroad a waste of time. They say that the USA is a huge country (there is always somewhere to go for the weekend).

"Why, being the richest country in the world, does healthcare cost money in the US? Why don't 40 million of your citizens have access to healthcare?"

Fact: In the US, medicine is a business. Hospitals, clinics, medical practices - all private business. If you are unable to pay for a medical policy, you will not be able to receive treatment. There are sometimes reports on the Internet of how people have to sew up lacerations themselves simply because the local hospital can bill them tens of thousands of dollars for such an operation. And nothing to pay!

"You elected George W. Bush as president. In addition, you re-elected him for a second term!"

Fact: Numerous sources say that the IQ of George W. Bush is 125, which is the lowest in the history of measuring the IQ of presidents. Like this!

"Why do Americans rarely speak two or three foreign languages?"

Fact: See the answer to the question why Americans rarely travel abroad.

"Why do you need so many weapons? The British Empire is not going to conquer you. Or are you going to hunt?"

Fact: In the United States, there are 88 guns per 100 people. In second place is Serbia (69 units per 100 people) and in third place is Yemen (55 per 100). Okay, they recently fought or are fighting in Serbia and Yemen. There have been no wars in the United States for about 200 years! In Russia, by the way, there are only 6 weapons per 100 people. Maybe we should be better armed?

Never raise questions about religion.

Fact: Despite the fact that American films are full of blasphemous phrases, the average American goes to church and honors religious rituals. Any attacks or jokes on religious topics will be considered an insult.

Here are some more rules, the violation of which in a conversation with Americans can lead to resentment of the latter:

Don't talk about the benefits of a social or communist economy. You will not be understood!

Don't talk about the economic benefits of moving jobs from the US to India or China.

Don't point out that the largest cigarette manufacturers are in the US and that over 95% of their revenues come from countries in Africa and Asia where there is no strict prohibitions for smoking.

Don't end your conversation about the Vietnam War with words "And yet you lost!".

Don't remind the people of the southern states that the northerners have won.

Don't ask Americans why Japanese and Korean cars are better?

I will conclude this set of rules and taboos in a conversation with Americans with a paragraph about HONESTY.

Know that you can offend your American interlocutor with your honesty.

In America, you don't have to tell fat people that they are fat and that it's time for them to take care of their figure.

In America, you don't have to tell people who have drug problems that they are ruining their lives.

In America, you don't have to tell parents not to give unhealthy food to their children.

In America, diplomacy is preferred over honesty. With your honesty, you will easily offend your American interlocutor.

You have a lot of information on how to offend an American in your hands. It's up to you how you use this information!

Each country has its own symbols of pride. Unfortunately, sometimes in large countries like the USA, Great Britain, Russia, events and objects, the value of which is very doubtful, are elevated to a number of shrines. After all, people need to believe in something and love something!

In today's post, I propose an interesting topic: how to offend an American. I hope you take this information as an introduction to American culture rather than as a call to action. Choose from here those bits of useful information that will help you establish productive communication with Americans (colleagues, students, acquaintances). If you have to bring up these topics in conversations, try not to add fuel to the fire by proving your point. It is better to move on to another more neutral topic (for example, !).

Before moving on to topics that may offend Americans, I will tell the story of an American tourist who vacationed on the island of Mykonos in Greece last year.

Our hero, who was idly wandering around the island, was approached by a fashionably dressed woman and whispered in a pronounced British accent: " Shhh. Be quiet! You are an American. I'm right?"

Our American shook his head in agreement. The woman, pleased with herself, kissed him on the cheek. The American asked her: "How did you guess that I'm from the USA? I didn't even say a word!".

To which the woman replied: "No one from Europe would walk around such an island in such a hot time in such huge boots. Even Canadians have more prudence!".

Now let's move on to those topics in conversation with the Americans that can cause irreparable damage to your relationship with them. We read without malice!

"The US is such a great country where freedom is preached. How is it that the US has the highest per capita prison population in the world? More than Russia or China."

Fact: There are over 2.5 million prisoners in the US (nearly 1% of the population!). This is more than 700 people per 100,000 population. In Russia, this figure is at the level of 550-600, with a total number of prisoners of just over 800 thousand. It is better not to talk about this topic!

"Are you happy with the Patriot Act?"

Fact: The Patriot Act or "Act of 2001 to Unite and Strengthen America by Providing the Appropriate Tools Required to Suppress and Disrupt Terrorism" is an anti-terrorism law that has made it easy to start several wars in Asia. It is better not to talk about this topic!

Never remember the air attacks of September 11, 2001 compared to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. No need to pour salt on the wounds!

“How is it that football is played with the feet all over the world, but in the US football is called a game in which giants on steroids rush around the field with an egg-shaped ball under their arm?”

Fact: American football or just football (as opposed to soccer) is the national sport in the United States. A tough sport where serious injuries are not uncommon, American football attracts millions of Americans. It is better not to argue on this subject if you are not in the subject!

"Why is your American football or baseball championship called the World Series? After all, only teams from the USA play in your championship?"

Fact: Everything is much easier here. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were no championships in today's format. To attract the attention of the public, the organizers of baseball and football games resorted to such pompous names. Time passed, formats changed, but the titles of the episodes remained as a tribute to history.

"Why do you use such a strange system of measures?"

Fact: In the US, temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit, gasoline is sold in gallons, weight is measured in pounds, and length is measured in inches and feet. The Americans, by virtue of tradition and by virtue of the desire to do everything in their own way, refused to switch to the metric system of measures. As a result, there are only 3 countries in the world that have not switched to the metric system of measures: Liberia, Myanmar and ... the USA.

"Have you traveled abroad?"

Fact: Only 35% of Americans have a foreign passport. Most Americans consider traveling abroad a waste of time. They say that the USA is a huge country (there is always somewhere to go for the weekend).

"Why, being the richest country in the world, does healthcare cost money in the US? Why don't 40 million of your citizens have access to healthcare?"

Fact: In the US, medicine is a business. Hospitals, clinics, medical practices - all private business. If you are unable to pay for a medical policy, you will not be able to receive treatment. There are sometimes reports on the Internet of how people have to sew up lacerations themselves simply because the local hospital can bill them tens of thousands of dollars for such an operation. And nothing to pay!

"You elected George W. Bush as president. In addition, you re-elected him for a second term!"

Fact: Numerous sources say that the IQ of George W. Bush is 125, which is the lowest in the history of measuring the IQ of presidents. Like this!

"Why do Americans rarely speak two or three foreign languages?"

Fact: See the answer to the question why Americans rarely travel abroad.

"Why do you need so many weapons? The British Empire is not going to conquer you. Or are you going to hunt?"

Fact: In the United States, there are 88 guns per 100 people. In second place is Serbia (69 units per 100 people) and in third place is Yemen (55 per 100). Okay, they recently fought or are fighting in Serbia and Yemen. There have been no wars in the United States for about 200 years! In Russia, by the way, there are only 6 weapons per 100 people. Maybe we should be better armed?

Never raise questions about religion.

Fact: Despite the fact that American films are full of blasphemous phrases, the average American goes to church and honors religious rituals. Any attacks or jokes on religious topics will be considered an insult.

Here are some more rules, the violation of which in a conversation with Americans can lead to resentment of the latter:

Don't talk about the benefits of a social or communist economy. You will not be understood!

Don't talk about the economic benefits of moving jobs from the US to India or China.

Don't point out that the largest cigarette manufacturers are in the US and that over 95% of their revenues come from countries in Africa and Asia that don't have strict smoking bans.

Don't end your conversation about the Vietnam War with words "And yet you lost!".

Don't remind the people of the southern states that the northerners have won.

Don't ask Americans why Japanese and Korean cars are better?

I will conclude this set of rules and taboos in a conversation with Americans with a paragraph about HONESTY.

Know that you can offend your American interlocutor with your honesty.

In America, you don't have to tell fat people that they are fat and that it's time for them to take care of their figure.

In America, you don't have to tell people who have drug problems that they are ruining their lives.

In America, you don't have to tell parents not to give unhealthy food to their children.

In America, diplomacy is preferred over honesty. With your honesty, you will easily offend your American interlocutor.

You have a lot of information on how to offend an American in your hands. It's up to you how you use this information!

Today we have an unusual lesson. And not even very decent. We will touch on the section of English slang that deals with various unpleasant name-calling. This does not mean at all that we encourage you to commit any heinous things! Not at all. But since such a phenomenon exists in the language, you should at least understand it.

It is worth noting that you are unlikely to encounter name-calling among decent intelligent people. All this vocabulary, as a rule, is inherent in a childish or teenage manner of communication.

So, let's begin!

If you heard the expression soap dodger, it means someone, sorry, has not washed for a long time. The word soap means “soap”, and dodger is someone who avoids something. The expression soap dodger is translated into Russian with words such as “skunk”, “dirty”, etc. For example:

Get out of my cab you filthy soapdodger. “Get out of my car, stinker.

A synonym for soap dodger is the word minger, which means practically the same, i.e. "smelly man" In addition, this word can also be called an ugly woman. For example:

Oh god, look at her - she's a right minger! “God, look at her!” Well, ugly!

Word div means an undeveloped and frankly stupid person. Here is how the word can be used in speech:

Shut up, you div! "Shut up, you dumbass!"

If you suddenly heard the word weirdo, it means that something is wrong with someone. Weirdo means “weird”, “glitchy”, “perverted”, etc.

Betty is such a weirdo. – Betty has specific glitches.

If someone is desperately trying to do something, but he does not succeed, then you can safely call such a person try hard. Especially if a person tries to do something that he is not capable of in terms of his mental or physical qualities. For example:

Look at Nick, he is such a try-hard interjecting in a conversation he knows nothing about. - Look at Nick! He climbs out of his skin, trying to insert at least a word into a conversation in which he does not understand anything.

We often hear the next word in relation to those who wear glasses - "bespectacled", in English - four eyes. Literally, four eyes translates as “four eyes”. For example:

Hey four eyes, what's that? - Hey, bespectacled, how are you?

Word loser in Lately firmly established in the Russian language - a loser, i.e. loser, unsuccessful person. For example:

You're a loser, I hate you. You are a complete loser, I hate you.

Word loner denotes an unhappy person who has no friends. In Russian, the word "loner" is not pejorative. If we say about someone that he is a “loner”, then we are simply stating a fact rather than trying to offend. In English slang, the word loner carries a negative characteristic, because. if a person has no friends, then it means that he is nothing of himself. For example:

He's such a loner. - He's a loner.

Word sad translated as “sad”, “pathetic” and is often used to enhance an already negative characteristic. For example:

You are a sad coward. “You are a pathetic coward.

Among children, when one calls another, you can often hear the rhyme:

I'm rubber you are glue
whatever you say bounce off me
and sticks to you.

Literally, it translates as follows: I am rubber, and you are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. The meaning of these words is clear - to divert the insult from oneself and redirect it to the offender. We, native speakers of the Russian language, in this case, simply say “He is like that.”

If your interlocutor suddenly fell silent, and at the same time you are waiting for his words, you can ask Has cat got your toung? This question is an abbreviated version of Has cat got your tongue? Literally, this phrase translates as “Did a cat eat your tongue?” In Russian, there is an expression “You swallowed your tongue?”. For example:

What's the matter, cat got your tongue? - What happened to you? Did you swallow your tongue?

The following expression has a very wide range of applications − Your mom!, i.e. "Your mother!". It can be used as a frivolous, humorous answer to almost any question. For example:

– What time is it? – What time is it?
– Your mom. - Your mother.

And here “Your mother” when answering a question about time is not clear, but the British can really answer like that. Mysterious English humor!

Now consider an expression we can use to silence a person. In Russian we say “Shut up!”, “Shut up!” etc., but in English - Shut your gob! Instead of gob, you can say trap or cakehole. For example:

Shut your gob Allison! I can hear your voice from my room. Alison, shut up! I can hear you even from my room.

If we want a person to leave, then in English we can say get lost!, which means "get lost!". We can also say Do one!, which can be translated by various Russian phrases such as “Wash away!”, “Get out of here!” etc.

Get lost, I am tired of hearing from you. - Wash off! I'm tired of listening to you.

Expression Don't get your knickers in a twist used when we want to calm a person down. It corresponds roughly to the Russian phrases “Don’t worry!”, “Don’t bother!” etc. For example:

Sally don't get your knickers in a twist over that split milk on the floor! “Sally, don’t worry about spilled milk!

If you want to call a person to calmness, you can also use the phrase Take a chill pill, which literally means "Take a calming pill."

The following phrase sounds in relation to a person caught in a lie: Liar Liar Pants On Fire! Literally, it translates as "Liar, liar, burning pants." This is a childish expression that can often be heard in relation to an excessively boastful child:

– Well my dad can pick up a truck! - Yes, my dad can lift a truck!
– Liar Liar Pants On Fire! - Liar! Liar!

Expression Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy denotes an easy task, a simple task. By the way, in modern Britain this expression has a very wide circulation. In Russian, we say “a trifling matter”, “like two fingers on ...”, etc.

The claim processes were easy peasy lemon squeezy. - This (legal) process turned out to be a mere trifle.

At the end of today's lesson, let's take a couple more expressions related to farewell and parting. First See you later alligator!- literally "Bye, alligator!". In response, you can hear: After / In a while crocodile!, i.e. "Bye, crocodile."

See you later alligator! - Bye!
– After a while crocodile! - Bye!

Do you want to consolidate and deepen your knowledge of English slang, and in particular the ways of calling a person names? Watch the following video tutorial prepared for you by a native speaker.

If you have long been interested in the question of what words you can insult people in a British pub, today is your lucky day. We have selected as many as 10 such words. More precisely, 9 words and one gesture (which, by the way, can be used instead of a thousand words). You have to be careful with these words. Some of them are used only as slang, some do not have a pronounced negative connotation, but there are some that you can really hurt a person with. The word is not a sparrow... :)

And, since we are talking about birds, we present the first word of "bird" origin:

Gannet

It is used in the meaning of "cormorant", if we are talking about a bird. If you call a person that way, then this word takes on a different meaning - “glutton”, “greedy”. And something tells us that it is no coincidence:

Minger

A word for someone very disgusting, nasty, nasty. It can be used both in talking about people and when discussing objects. If you're going to say that word to a Brit, make sure you're in equal weight divisions with him.

Pillock

If you want to call someone an idiot or a fool, feel free to use this word. It does not have a sharply negative connotation and is used more often in order to point out to someone an error, flaw, incompetence (absurdity).

Mardy

A teenage slang term used to refer to a person in an aggressive, repulsive mood.

tosser

Vulgar word for masturbation :)

Skiver

Do not confuse this word with the name of a knife for cutting thin skin. This word is slang and means "loafer".

Throw this skiver out on his neck!

translation: Drive this loafer in the neck!

Berk

In a vulgar and abusive sense, it is used in the meaning of "blockhead", "fool".

Barmy

Eccentric, crazy, crazy, irrational, deranged, the list is endless. But the word does not have a rough or sharply negative connotation.

Thick as two short planks

An idiom that means "stupid". The word "thick" for the designation of a stupid (or rather, not witty) person was first used by Shakespeare in the tragedy "Henry IV":

His wit's as thick as Tewksbury mustard

translation: His wit is as thick as Tewksbury mustard

Shakespeare was referring to a thick ball of spices, horseradish and mustard that was sold in Tewkesbury in the 17th century and was really amazing in its size. Comparing someone else to two blocks of wood, we are saying that the person is as stupid as a tree, witless as a tree. That is, "two blocks of wood" only reinforce the negative effect of the word "thick".

What does the gesture "two fingers salute" mean?

Many people think that this is a gesture of peace. But we are not talking about a gesture when the palm is turned towards the interlocutor.

For this gesture you will not be beaten in a British pub. But for this one they can:

The history of the origin of this gesture is simple. The French and the British have been at war with each other since the creation of the world. In the Middle Ages, when bows were in vogue, the French often cut off precisely these two fingers of captured English archers. And without two fingers about a career the best shooter could have been forgotten. That is why the archers, who had not yet been captured by the French, often demonstratively poked precisely these two fingers in their faces, as if to say, “Look, I have these two fingers, I will shoot you!”. Today, the gesture is used as a synonym for the equally offensive gesture, which involves the middle finger.

We wish you still not to offend people in English!

In America, it is customary to express one's thoughts with all possible frankness. An American always says what he thinks, even if it would be better to keep his thought to himself.

language exploration, hidden meaning, irony, which other peoples love so much, confuse Americans: they are used to taking every phrase literally, checking for accuracy and ignoring what they do not understand. They call things by their proper names, a shovel, for example, a shovel, or a "soil moving device" if they work for the government, and complex metaphors only upset them.

The love of patching holes and improving everything in the world, the fear of offending someone or using the “not” particle once again makes Americans treat colloquial English language as a raw material to be processed. Some words are borrowed from immigrant languages ​​(for example, "shmook" - an unpleasant and dishonorable person), others are molded from existing ones (for example, "brunch" - a cross between breakfast and lunch), or distorted and applied to something only remotely related with the original object (for example, "irradiate" - warm up in a microwave oven).

Americans love new words, embrace them with open arms, and beat them to death, as anyone who happened to attend the business meeting dedicated to "structure formation".

Verb nouns!

In the United States, no noun is immune from one day becoming a verb.

“We're broadcasting it now,” a company representative might say about advertising a new service.

“Here our idea collapsed,” says the businessman about the failure of his project

And El Haig, a big shot in the Nixon White House, managed to cram "petition for a stay of trial" into a freshly minted verb.

At the same time, Californian students exhorted each other: "don't make this joint rich."

Verbs are words of action, much more useful than frozen, unmoving nouns. Since most Americans have no concept of parts of speech at all, they easily substitute one for another.

slang

American idioms, especially those that come from the vocabulary of athletes, are rich, varied and brazen.

In fact, a lot of idioms come from sports: avoiding all responsibility means "playing in midfield", failing some undertaking - "missing the puck", choosing an easier job for yourself - "going to lightweight."

On the other hand, in order to keep a small talk about sports, the very minimum of knowledge is required.

For example, the question “Who are you for in the Big Game?”, Especially in early January, or, for example: “Well, how do you like the Dodgers, or the Steelers, or the Bullets, or the Yankees, or the Eagles?” or the Red Sox?

After the match, you can say something like this: “Why, there were two or three situations - you will laugh,” or: “A good team will always show itself.”

These remarks are good because they apply to almost any sport, with the possible exception of chess and bridge.

Political correctness comes first

Discrimination based on race, religion and gender is prohibited almost everywhere in the United States. Under threats of prosecution, white male-only clubs collapsed like houses of cards. Especially since minorities and women now have a lot of money, and clubs prefer members who pay their dues on time.

Many words have lately fallen into the category of politically incorrect, or even simply prohibited. Самое нехорошее слово, которое не разрешается употреблять ни при каких обстоятельствах - это «ниггер»; the only thing that can excuse you is if you yourself ... "African American". Compared with this word, all designations of natural physiological processes are considered delicate and refined.

Political correctness has spawned hundreds of new substitute words. The disabled are now called "limited in movement", the blind - "not perceiving visual images", half-wits - "not possessing basic knowledge".

Instead of pets, people are now making "animal friends". There are no more short and fat men, they are called "people of graceful growth" and "people of solid physique." If a person fails to do a job, they say that he did it in a "sub-optimal way."

Americans are trying to consolidate their optimistic attitude towards life in the language. If a person almost went to the next world, he "passed through a life-affirming test." Goods that can hardly be sold at half price are called not illiquid, but "not the most optimal assortment." If, after an interview, a potential employer gives you a turn from the gate, you "did not have a complete understanding."

The business jargon is even worse: any snag is called an "obstacle to overcome," and any mass layoff is called "staff optimization." This thoughtless cheerfulness is especially common in real estate: in their language, “cosy” means “you won’t have anywhere to turn around”, and “scenic countryside” means “you can’t walk to a single store on foot.”

The apogee of optimism is Disney parks, where you are greeted by clean, well-groomed employees whose only duty is to smile, smile, smile.

In representatives of more restrained nations, this boundless cheerfulness soon begins to reduce the cheekbones. It is quite capable of bringing a European to a state of mental imbalance.

about the author

Stephanie Fall is a freelance artist, or rather a writer, editor and journalist; lives in the city of Washington, in an old house, furnished mainly with books, plants and devices for installing crumbling plaster in place.

She loves Irish music, Vietnamese cuisine, Italian shoes, Siamese cats and English novels.

Childhood and youth spent in the capital, allowed her to get acquainted in every detail with the manners and moves of her fellow citizens and learn much more than she would like about cocktails, receptions, politics and exaggerations.

Miss Fall is a typical American by birth, that is, a descendant of Czech immigrants and Connecticut Yankees; her grandmother speaks German and her cousins ​​live in Canada. Her ideas about xenophobia are enriched by her studies in the French primary school and a Swiss boarding house, as well as numerous drinking parties in English pubs during student holidays.

She sees in herself a lot of typically American qualities - curiosity, ingenuity, directness; atypical qualities include a dislike of television and shopping and a desire to walk whenever possible rather than drive a car. It still gets faster.

Reprinting, publication of an article on websites, forums, blogs, groups in contact and mailing lists is allowed only if active link to the website .