WARNING: Some words in this story may be offensive to some readers or not suitable for a younger audience.
“Pardon my French!”
Today, I’m traveling to see my son in England—the one I released to the other side of the world.
As soon as I arrived in the U.K., I heard the accents. These British accents are strangely familiar to me and spark a lot of fun memories.
Living in the south of France for seven years, we were surrounded by the British. The Airbus industry attracts many from across the Channel. As a result, our boys were in the “British section” of their French middle school and high school—taught by wonderful British teachers. Our boys came out speaking British English—even though they are American!
We all had a lot of British friends at school, at church, at the gym, and in our English Café.
Our local church hosted an English conversation time every other week where people from around the world could come to learn and practice English. Those who led the conversation group were American and British.
Sometimes, our expressions and vocabulary choices differed and led to some interesting conversation topics.
I’ll never forget the day when I was leading a conversation topic on “travel.” I was explaining to the participants that sometimes people will carry a backpack or a fanny pack, a small bag that attaches around your waist.
As soon as I said “fanny pack,” my British friends gasped out loud.
What Did I Say?!
“What did I say,” I wondered.
“Don’t say ‘fanny pack’”! one lady exclaimed.
“Why?” I asked, a bit puzzled.
“Do you know what a ‘fanny’ is?” she asked me.
“Yeah, your backside or bottom,” I said innocently.
“NOT IN BRITISH ENGLISH!” she said with a lot of intensity.
I could tell that she was embarrassed as she tried to explain and awkwardly demonstrate with gestures the meaning of this word.
It was hard for me to understand what she was trying to discreetly show me. Finally, she just said it.
“A ‘fanny’ is a ‘vagina’”! she screamed. She went on to explain that it is even more vulgar than that.
“Oh my goodness!” I said, laughing. “So does that mean that a ‘fanny pack’ is a ‘sanitary napkin’?!”
I wonder if the equivalent of a “fanny pack” even exists in England, and if so, what they are called?
I just did some research—they are called “bum bags.” This makes sense because the equivalent of “fanny” in American English is “bum” in British English.
Just to be safe, I didn’t bring my “fanny pack” to England to visit my son!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Are you ready to go to the U.K. to explore some more!?
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Have you ever used a word with an entirely different meaning in another country or culture? How did you find out the meaning?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
