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#2 (permalink) Tue Mar 13, 2007 16:17 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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Here's a word I learnt 4 or 5 years ago...asymptote...ka ka ka believe me, malay students find this word fuuuunnnyyyy. I remembered my professor had to replace it with a malay word "anu" so the students won't laugh everytime she referred to the thing. _________________ We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it. |
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NinaZara I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 1164 Location: Malaysia (Cat city)
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#3 (permalink) Tue Mar 13, 2007 22:27 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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"strategery" _________________ Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee. |
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Prezbucky I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 2482 Location: Nashville, TN (USA)
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#4 (permalink) Tue Mar 13, 2007 23:03 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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hi guys
You are giving words here not expressions: My word would be whatyamacallit or thingymabob or Ugymaflip.
My expression would be "that tickles my fancy" or "whatever shakes your tree". _________________ Please meet Stewart Tunncilff |
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Stew.t. I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 545 Location: Leipzig, Germany
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Prezbucky I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 2482 Location: Nashville, TN (USA)
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#6 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:47 am What's the funniest English expression |
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Hello Mr.Tunncilff,
Would you mind explaining the meanings of the coiled words?
Thank you in advance, Nina
p/s: This is the first time I've come across the surname you have, how do I pronounce it? "Toon-kilf"? _________________ We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it. |
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NinaZara I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 1164 Location: Malaysia (Cat city)
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#7 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:44 am What's the funniest English expression |
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The first time I heard someone say "My bad." I laughed in horror.  |
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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 8265 Location: USA
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#8 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:05 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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Pls do call me Stew, Nina. Mr Tunnicliff sounds like my Dad.
The coiled " " apostrophed phrases mean. tickles my fancy means gets my interest or excites me depending on context. Ands shakes my tree is like float my boat so I leave that to prezbucky to explain.
Yankee My bad is almost as naff as "thats is so gay (original meaning of bad)" _________________ Please meet Stewart Tunncilff |
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Stew.t. I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 545 Location: Leipzig, Germany
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#9 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:56 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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The "boat" expression does sound funny, I thought I heard it before in some tv shows and I guess it means "whatever agrees with you".
And Stew, "Mr Tunnicliff sounds like my Dad" is very funny. I laughed my heart out when I read it  _________________ We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it. |
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NinaZara I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 1164 Location: Malaysia (Cat city)
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#10 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 13:15 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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| Yankee wrote: | The first time I heard someone say "My bad." I laughed in horror.  |
I have a terrible time with that one, because a lot of my ESL students have picked up ghetto English in high school or at work before they come to my classes. They usually don't know there's anything wrong with their English, because American high schools praise them for almost anything they do. |
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Jamie (K) I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 5264 Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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#11 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 13:23 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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| stew.t. wrote: | | Mr Tunnicliff sounds like my Dad. |
There was a family Tunnicliffs down the street from me when I was growing up, and we always called them the Tunafish family.
That was far from the worst nickname anyone on my block had. One kid was called "Foamy" because of his tendency to drool. There was another kid with a nickname I won't print here, and his problem was that people knew only his nickname and didn't know his real name. There was a girl who was a state swimming champion in the butterfly stroke who had a horrible nickname that we boys gave her out of admiration for her perfect physique. It basically meant "girl of steel", but it involved a part of her body and was quite embarrassing to her. Kids are really mean, huh? |
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Jamie (K) I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 5264 Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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#12 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 13:25 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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| Many Americans laugh the first time they learn the German word for "rental car". It's "Mietwagen", and it sounds like the English expression "meat wagon", which is very bad slang for an ambulance. |
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Jamie (K) I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 5264 Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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#13 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 13:25 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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| NinaZara wrote: | Here's a word I learnt 4 or 5 years ago...asymptote...ka ka ka believe me, malay students find this word fuuuunnnyyyy. I remembered my professor had to replace it with a malay word "anu" so the students won't laugh everytime she referred to the thing. |
Why is this word funny to Malays? |
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Jamie (K) I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 5264 Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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#14 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 13:49 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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I think it's the Malay accent that made it funny, with the exaggeration at the third syllable, aseemtottt  _________________ We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it. |
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NinaZara I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 1164 Location: Malaysia (Cat city)
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#15 (permalink) Wed Mar 14, 2007 15:33 pm What's the funniest English expression |
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Jamie ROFL @ "Foamy". That is just waaaaaaaaaaaaay below the belt. Poor kid!
Do you remember the fun we had with "fahrvergnugen" in those old VW ads? That was a blast in junior high and high school. _________________ Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee. |
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Prezbucky I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 2482 Location: Nashville, TN (USA)
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| What do you think of criticism? | What do you find funny that other people don't? |