The first time I heard "fanny" I nearly died of embarrassment and could not understand why the word was being used in the conversation!!!!.....then when "fanny bag" was used I lost it completely.....had visions of a type of colostomy bag!!!!....and felt so sorry for the person who was talking.

Needless to say I have adjusted as one should to the country we now live in and being Scottish I do get the usual......your accent is fantastic where are you from...Australia?......

I get asked where I am from in this order:

1. Australia
2. Scotland
3. Britain

I'm from Yorkshire.

My first encounter with any American was when I was in my 20's and took a job in Germany as a nanny for an AF family stationed there. My first evening in their home, I heard the mom screaming at the kids "I'm going to beat your fanny"!! I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life! I was horrified that I had moved in with an abusive family!

Turned out to be one of the best years of my life! (met hubby there too)
One of the kids is married with her own family now and I just recently got a message from her on FB

Bloody hell, i never even thought of that you know! We don't really use the word wood in that way back there. i guess that's another one for the list.

Cause they do!

If you've got a woody. You've got a woody, know what I mean, love.

I love using the word love. It confuses the ***** out of people.

Wow.. I never get told Britain! Normally its Australia, South Africa or once, and I kid you not.. Russia!

When I first moved here, I was staying in a Hotel and really wanted a soak in the bath. I went to the reception to ask for a 'plug' - they hadn't a clue what I was asking for. After lots of explaining and hand gesturing, I thought we'd sussed it. Ten minutes later a maintenance man came to the door to fix the bath I'm still not sure what it's called here - stopper?

Even within the USA, there are different names for things. I'll never forget the time my friend from North Dakota was telling me she needed to go buy a plug for her daughter. After some confusion, I realized she's talking about a pacifier. In our household (originally from Connecticut), the word "plug" was slang for a tampon! LOL

Christ, I hope it doesn't mean the same in California - I'm mortified!!!

Did the maintenance man look very apprehensive?

That's the first thing I thought as well!

I bet the maintenance guy was wondering why the hell they called him! What tools did he bring?


Actually I've always called it a drain plug. Although now that I think about it, every tub we've ever had had it built in, operated by a little lever or something.

I much prefer the simple plugs on a chain, those lever things always go wrong.

And the drain's here are always getting blocked up with hair etc, (well ours do anyway).

Come to think of it.. he really did!!

Oh my Goodness.. So, when I was saying I wanted a plug to stuff into the drain, and was motioning a circle with my fingers.... Oh man, thats embarressing

pfft, that's *one* meaning, samba (and yes, I laughed at your 'omg!') but I'd call the item in question a 'plug for the bath' and not blush at calling it a 'plug' myself.
But you paint a hilarious picture!

This is the most bizarre one I have ever had (happened a couple of weeks ago) I was talking to a guy over the phone and he asked me if I was from Jamaica!

I very seldom get asked if I am british mostly Austrailian, South African and Dutch.