Cultural Idioms: Examples From Around the World

On this page12 sections

1. American idioms: sport, money and the frontier
2. British idioms: understatement and teasing
3. Australian idioms: easy-going and blunt
4. Idioms from history, myth and religion
5. Same meaning, different country: US and UK pairs
6. Idioms from other languages, and their English equivalents
7. Idioms about culture and cultural differences
8. Idioms or slang? A quick test
9. Using cultural idioms well
10. Common mistakes
11. Practice
12. Quick answers

A cultural idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning comes from one culture’s history, habits or humour rather than from its words. Good examples are the American ballpark figure (a rough estimate, from baseball), the British Bob’s your uncle (and that’s it, done), the Australian fair dinkum (genuine, honest), and phrases from history such as cross the Rubicon (make a decision you cannot undo). If you did not grow up with them, the words alone will not tell you what they mean.

This page groups cultural idioms by where they come from – American, British, Australian, history and religion, and other languages – with what each one means, a natural example and a note on when to use it. Then come US/UK pairs that say the same thing differently, idioms about cultural differences, mistakes learners make, practice with answers and quick answers. For how idioms work in general, see the guide to figurative language.

American idioms: sport, money and the frontier

Many American idioms come from baseball and American football, which is why they can confuse listeners elsewhere. More of them are on the baseball idioms page.

Pass the buck is behind President Truman’s desk sign “The buck stops here”, meaning the final responsibility is mine. A dime is a ten-cent coin, so the phrase only makes full sense to someone who knows American money.

British idioms: understatement and teasing

Spend a penny goes back to coin-operated public toilets that cost one penny. Nobody knows for certain where the full Monty or Bob’s your uncle came from; treat confident origin stories with caution.

Australian idioms: easy-going and blunt

Idioms from history, myth and religion

These are cultural in a different way: they assume you know a story. English shares many of them with other European languages.

Same meaning, different country: US and UK pairs

Some idioms changed a word or two as they crossed the Atlantic. Both versions are understood in most places, but each sounds more at home on one side.

Idioms from other languages, and their English equivalents

Every language has its own images for the same ideas. Knowing a few is useful for travel, translation and just for the pleasure of it – and a reminder never to translate an idiom word for word.

Idioms about culture and cultural differences

If you searched for idioms that talk about culture – fitting in, customs, being an outsider – these are the ones people use.

• When in Rome (do as the Romans do) – follow local customs when you are somewhere new. Everyone eats with their hands here, so when in Rome…
• a fish out of water – someone uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. At the formal dinner he felt like a fish out of water. See also idioms for travel.
• lost in translation – meaning or humour that disappears when moved to another language or culture. The joke got lost in translation.
• different strokes for different folks (American, informal) – people have different tastes and ways, and that is fine.
• one man’s meat is another man’s poison – what one person likes, another dislikes. Many writers now use “one person’s meat…”.
• a melting pot – a place where many cultures mix and blend. New York has long been called a melting pot.
• the done thing (British) – what is socially expected. Arriving empty-handed isn’t the done thing.
• march to the beat of your own drum – live by your own rules rather than the group’s. More on the idioms for being different page.
• it’s all Greek to me – see above; useful when a custom or a language baffles you. For more, see idioms for not understanding.

Idioms or slang? A quick test

Lists of “cultural idioms” often mix in single slang words such as gutted (very disappointed), knackered (exhausted), arvo (afternoon) or ute (pickup truck). These are regional vocabulary, not idioms. An idiom is a group of words whose meaning you cannot work out from the parts: take the mickey, not cheeky. Both are worth learning; they just answer different questions.

Using cultural idioms well

• Match the idiom to your listener. “Let’s touch base and get a ballpark figure” is normal in a US office and puzzling in an email to colleagues in Germany or Japan. With international readers, say “let’s talk briefly” and “a rough estimate”.
• Use the version your audience uses. Writing for British readers, choose touch wood and skeleton in the cupboard; for Americans, knock on wood and skeleton in the closet.
• Watch the register. Spend a penny is quaint and polite; up the duff (pregnant) is crude British slang that does not belong in formal writing.
• Don’t fake a dialect. A non-Australian sprinkling “fair dinkum” and “she’ll be right” into every sentence usually sounds like a parody. One well-placed idiom does more than five.
• Translate the meaning, not the words. “It’s raining cats and dogs” becomes llueve a cántaros (it’s raining pitchers) in Spanish, not a sentence about animals.

Common mistakes

Practice

Choose the idiom that fits each sentence.

1. Just plug it in, press start, and ______. (Bob’s your uncle / the full Monty)
2. Can you give me a ______ for the cost? I don’t need an exact number. (ballpark figure / whole new ballgame)
3. Once she resigned in front of the board, she had ______. (crossed the Rubicon / met her Waterloo)
4. The argument over who ate the last biscuit was ______. (a storm in a teacup / a Trojan horse)
5. Living abroad for the first time, he felt like ______. (a fish out of water / a good Samaritan)
6. Their latest app looks free but collects all your data – a real ______. (Trojan horse / Achilles’ heel)
7. I’m ______ this week; can we meet next Tuesday? (flat out like a lizard drinking / happy as Larry)
8. Forget the rules you know: ______. (when in Rome / all mouth and no trousers)

Answers: 1 Bob’s your uncle; 2 ballpark figure; 3 crossed the Rubicon; 4 a storm in a teacup; 5 a fish out of water; 6 Trojan horse; 7 flat out like a lizard drinking; 8 when in Rome.

Quick answers

What is an example of a cultural idiom?

Bob’s your uncle (British: and that’s it), a ballpark figure (American: a rough estimate) and fair dinkum (Australian: genuine) are typical. Each makes sense only if you know the culture it comes from.

What is the difference between an idiom and a cultural idiom?

Every idiom has a meaning beyond its words. A cultural idiom also depends on knowing a particular country, sport, story or custom – which is why it often has no direct equivalent in another language.

Are cultural idioms the same as proverbs?

No. A proverb is a complete saying that gives advice or states a general truth (When in Rome, do as the Romans do). An idiom is usually a phrase that works inside a sentence (cross the Rubicon). Some, like “when in Rome”, are both.

Should I use cultural idioms in business English?

Sparingly. With people from your own culture they sound natural; with an international audience, especially in writing, plain words are clearer. If you use one, choose a widely known idiom over a local one. The business idioms page marks which are safe.