Is it English?

Imagine being told, “I’ll shout you lunch”? This can be mis-interpreted. It is actually a generous gesture in New Zealand…what the speaker means is, “I will pay for our lunch”! or “Lunch is on me”.

Why do South Africans say they will see you, “Now now” when they mean, “I will see you in half an hour?” Surely repeating ‘now’ means immediately?

Hair-stylists in the USA will ask, “How do you like to blow-out your bangs?” This hilarious phrase means, “How shall I blow-dry your fringe?” A ‘blow-out’ generally means a vehicle’s tyre has burst. And ‘bangs’…a colloquialism not quite appropriate for this article.

Then there are the English themselves who use the word “roundabout” for “traffic-circle”… An invitation to tea in England is actually an invitation for a meal – often without any tea being served?

And then…the all-time favourite – again a phrase spoken by the Kiwi’s, “Boil the jug”. What they mean is, “Switch the kettle on”.

What other ‘English’ is spoken by first language English speakers around the world?