Shared cultural references that anyone from country X would know
December 23, 2023 7:23 AM Subscribe
...but nobody else (at least, who doesn't know that country's culture very well) would
I'm interested in the type of thing where if you tell someone from country (or region, or city I suppose) "hey, remember X" there's a very high chance they'd say "oh OF COURSE X!!!" But people _not_ from that place would most likely have no idea.
I realize this may vary by generation and stuff, which is fine, just let me know what generation it refers to. But really the core of the question is that there is a very large group of people (a country, but other groups could make sense) that know it, but pretty much nobody else would
I'm interested in the type of thing where if you tell someone from country (or region, or city I suppose) "hey, remember X" there's a very high chance they'd say "oh OF COURSE X!!!" But people _not_ from that place would most likely have no idea.
I realize this may vary by generation and stuff, which is fine, just let me know what generation it refers to. But really the core of the question is that there is a very large group of people (a country, but other groups could make sense) that know it, but pretty much nobody else would
The dreaded lurgee, though that's perhaps just passed into the language and therefore not what you're looking for. (I have had to explain to non-native English speakers in the US that this is not a phrase they should learn, as Americans won't understand it.)
posted by hoyland at 7:52 AM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by hoyland at 7:52 AM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
French school students learn the phrase ‘where’s Bryan’ with the same response every time ‘Bryan is in the kitchen’, and will often still respond in the same way as adults.
posted by ellieBOA at 8:02 AM on December 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by ellieBOA at 8:02 AM on December 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Canada: house hippos and panicking a little of you smell burnt toast. Hinterland Who's who.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:16 AM on December 23, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:16 AM on December 23, 2023 [12 favorites]
Croatia, for people over 40: "Oba su pala!" (both have fallen) - a reference to a video taken during the ex-Yugoslavia war when Croatian anti-aircraft units shot down two Serbian airplanes. The video was repeatedly shown on TV and even became a part of a popular song.
posted by gakiko at 8:20 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by gakiko at 8:20 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm not Dutch so I can't testify as to whether this counts, but it stood out to an outsider. While traveling in Amsterdam, one night at a pub someone put on this song and everyone in the place - regardless of what they had been doing before - stopped and sang along. That was interesting, but two nights later we were in another pub and it happened again - this time everyone stood and put their arms around each other and sang. We asked some people near us what the significance was and they said something like "It's only the best song ever written by the Netherlands' best songwriter ever." This article suggests it's more of a Sweet Caroline phenomenon with a semi-ironic revival, but an actual Dutch person will have to provide real context.
I think it was this song:
De Vlieger by André Hazes.
posted by Miko at 8:41 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think it was this song:
De Vlieger by André Hazes.
posted by Miko at 8:41 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter's Own zompist covered this long ago. Have a look at his extensive list of Culture Tests.
("How to tell you're a ...")
posted by Rash at 8:49 AM on December 23, 2023 [10 favorites]
("How to tell you're a ...")
posted by Rash at 8:49 AM on December 23, 2023 [10 favorites]
Definitely Canada has their own shared cultural references; I only know the broadest ones but my Canadian husband and friends can sometimes pull out a jingle or a pop culture reference that requires even deeper explanation. (Enough to the point that sometimes I am sorry I asked!) I also have a lot of US ones that my husband doesn't recognize but when we are visiting family and friends in the South, they pop up a lot. (Ah, the Lil Cricket radio jingle.)
posted by Kitteh at 9:04 AM on December 23, 2023
posted by Kitteh at 9:04 AM on December 23, 2023
This is a bit orthogonal, but a friend of mine liked to improve his understanding of different cultures by learning tongue twisters in different languages from different countries. It proved to be a pretty good way of bonding with people from those countries.
posted by taltalim at 9:25 AM on December 23, 2023
posted by taltalim at 9:25 AM on December 23, 2023
In Poland that would be either ad jingles ("takie rzeczy to tylko w Playu") or JPII quotes ("let Your spirit descend and change the face of the land, this land"). Other pop culture stuff tends to be generation dependent, though "podejdź no do płota" has survived 55 years since the actual film it's from. Oh, and classic literature, literally no one else will know why we're going about a golden hunting horn (Wyspianski's Wesele) or the number 44 (Mickiewicz's Dziady). Surprisingly enough, most other countries have their own high and pop culture, we don't just copy Anglos.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:29 AM on December 23, 2023
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:29 AM on December 23, 2023
Miko: "It's only the best song ever written by the Netherlands' best songwriter ever."
Opinions on this are ... divided. I personally would stay clear of pubs that emanate even a whiff of being smartlappen-friendly, and radio playing Dutch-only (which generally involves a high percentage of just bad songs, of which smartlappen are a part) gets avoided with prejudice.
References which people outside the Netherlands will hardly ever get would be quotes from characters in TV-shows by Van Kooten en de Bie ("Scheurgras"), Jiskefet ("Lullo's"), from radio and TV performances by Wim T. Schippers, for older people De Fabeltjeskrant ("Oogjes dicht en snaveltjes toe") and characters in the illustrated Ollie B. Bommel stories by Marten Toonder ("Een groot denkraam", "Met uw welnemen").
posted by Stoneshop at 9:39 AM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Opinions on this are ... divided. I personally would stay clear of pubs that emanate even a whiff of being smartlappen-friendly, and radio playing Dutch-only (which generally involves a high percentage of just bad songs, of which smartlappen are a part) gets avoided with prejudice.
References which people outside the Netherlands will hardly ever get would be quotes from characters in TV-shows by Van Kooten en de Bie ("Scheurgras"), Jiskefet ("Lullo's"), from radio and TV performances by Wim T. Schippers, for older people De Fabeltjeskrant ("Oogjes dicht en snaveltjes toe") and characters in the illustrated Ollie B. Bommel stories by Marten Toonder ("Een groot denkraam", "Met uw welnemen").
posted by Stoneshop at 9:39 AM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I lived in Australia for a few years and a couple of big ones that stood out were:
”Tell him he’s dreamin” Really there are probably a dozen quotes from the movie “The Castle” that my Australian colleagues would reference on a regular basis. There’s a reference to this bit in Thor: Ragnarok and the audience in the Australian movie theater erupted. I’ve never seen anyone else get that joke.
Healthy Harold I’d been in Australia for almost three years when one of the presenters on Triple J said she knew she had made it because Healthy Harold started following her on social media. When I asked my colleagues about that, they were all like “oh yeah, Healthy Harold the Social Hygiene Giraffe. We used to go round to the trailer by the school to see him.” Like it was completely self explanatory.
posted by chrisulonic at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2023 [8 favorites]
”Tell him he’s dreamin” Really there are probably a dozen quotes from the movie “The Castle” that my Australian colleagues would reference on a regular basis. There’s a reference to this bit in Thor: Ragnarok and the audience in the Australian movie theater erupted. I’ve never seen anyone else get that joke.
Healthy Harold I’d been in Australia for almost three years when one of the presenters on Triple J said she knew she had made it because Healthy Harold started following her on social media. When I asked my colleagues about that, they were all like “oh yeah, Healthy Harold the Social Hygiene Giraffe. We used to go round to the trailer by the school to see him.” Like it was completely self explanatory.
posted by chrisulonic at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2023 [8 favorites]
Ireland: Gaelic Athletic Association GAA hurling and football are not unique to Ireland (Scots shinty is interfertile can hybridize with hurling - they can play together - as can GAA football and Australian Rules Football) but GAA colours the island pretty comprehensively. Literally: everyone will know their own county colours [black&amber for Kilkenny; black&red for Down etc.], almost everyone will also know those of abutting counties and/or long-term rivals. See also county nicknames - Kildare as Lillywhites from all white strip - but other not-GAA demonyms The Model County; The Banner County, The Déise, will be widely known among those who grew up in Ireland.
GUBU is only 40 years old but has its own Wikipedia page.
"One for everyone in the audience" is 60 years old but doesn't.
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
GUBU is only 40 years old but has its own Wikipedia page.
"One for everyone in the audience" is 60 years old but doesn't.
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
In Hungary, people born in the 80s are known as Kacsamesék generáció—the DuckTales generation. The reason is one of the episodes got interrupted because of the death of the first freely elected prime minister. So a generation of Hungarians associate DuckTales with a major, but very nation-specific, event.
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 9:48 AM on December 23, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 9:48 AM on December 23, 2023 [9 favorites]
Also British: Blue Peter badges, Playschool babies and Floella Benjamin (if you are of a certain age), you can come out from behind the sofa (the safest place to watch Dr Who), "he's behind you" and other pantomime references.
posted by plonkee at 10:10 AM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by plonkee at 10:10 AM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
The word you're looking for is shibboleth. Might help with your searches.
posted by dobbs at 10:38 AM on December 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 10:38 AM on December 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
It's common in Australia (and only Australia) that if a band is singing the Angels’ "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" the audience does the call and response "no way, get fucked, fuck off"
"Of all the many classic Australian rock tunes that have dropped over the decades, the Angels’ ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’ is one of the most well known among Aussies for the iconic swearing bit during the chorus. You know what I’m referring to. The part of the song where lead singer Doc Neeson sings “Am I ever gonna see your face again” and the crowd responds with “no way, get fucked, fuck off.” "
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
"Of all the many classic Australian rock tunes that have dropped over the decades, the Angels’ ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’ is one of the most well known among Aussies for the iconic swearing bit during the chorus. You know what I’m referring to. The part of the song where lead singer Doc Neeson sings “Am I ever gonna see your face again” and the crowd responds with “no way, get fucked, fuck off.” "
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Also from Australia
"Not happy, Jan"
from an ad about a business that misses the deadline to appear in the Yellow Pages.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
"Not happy, Jan"
from an ad about a business that misses the deadline to appear in the Yellow Pages.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Comment removed, please just focus on answering the OP’s question and avoid asking that they explain themselves, thanks!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 11:10 AM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 11:10 AM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Australia: “Straight to the pool room” for an outstanding achievement (usually ironic, sometimes earnest), also from The Castle. And “We’re going to Bonnie Doon”, from the same. (Is our entire culture based on The Castle? Maybe.)
Aussies from the state of Victoria will know “Megalo, Megalo, Megalo!” in Brunswick and Foot-as-cray (RIP Franco Cozzo).
Fun question!
posted by third word on a random page at 11:35 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Aussies from the state of Victoria will know “Megalo, Megalo, Megalo!” in Brunswick and Foot-as-cray (RIP Franco Cozzo).
Fun question!
posted by third word on a random page at 11:35 AM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Italy has cartoon theme songs, particularly those sung by Cristina D'Avena.
posted by sailoreagle at 11:51 AM on December 23, 2023
posted by sailoreagle at 11:51 AM on December 23, 2023
This is a great question, but also almost overwhelming. There are so many big and small things that contribute to every culture's self-affirmation. I feel a lot of the Danish things come from comedy. Like "en gang til for prins Knud" -- let's do it again for Prince Knud. Prince Knud was seen as a not very bright person, and the phrase is used for when you have to repeat something obvious. There's a backstory here, and barely clad women were involved, but the way it became famous was a comedy show, a "revy".
I was once married to an immigrant who spoke perfect Danish. No one would have guessed he wasn't Danish judging by his language, but he never got all those little references that are not part of the textbooks, so he seemed off in a lot of social contexts. It had probably been better if he'd had a bit of an accent.
In another thread, I've described the order of eating julefrokost, Christmas Lunch, except you can have it at any time of day or night. This is not funny. You have to do it right, or people will find you disgusting.
posted by mumimor at 12:21 PM on December 23, 2023 [10 favorites]
I was once married to an immigrant who spoke perfect Danish. No one would have guessed he wasn't Danish judging by his language, but he never got all those little references that are not part of the textbooks, so he seemed off in a lot of social contexts. It had probably been better if he'd had a bit of an accent.
In another thread, I've described the order of eating julefrokost, Christmas Lunch, except you can have it at any time of day or night. This is not funny. You have to do it right, or people will find you disgusting.
posted by mumimor at 12:21 PM on December 23, 2023 [10 favorites]
In England “Is that a cake or a meringue?”is a question; in Scotland it is a punchline.
posted by rongorongo at 1:00 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 1:00 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
More of a regionalism, but old school Seattle-ites know what Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest stands for.
posted by brookeb at 1:02 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by brookeb at 1:02 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think "PACKAGED ICE IS A FOOD!" is a Delaware Valley thing (Philadelphia and around there). Ice companies would put this slogan on everything, maybe advocating for some sort of tax benefit? Anyway, when I lived around there, we liked to shout PACKAGED ICE IS A FOOD at each other.
posted by moonmilk at 1:46 PM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by moonmilk at 1:46 PM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
Strangely, Snoopy’s Christmas in NZ.
I'm Canadian, never been to New Zealand and know this song. I had it on a record when I was a kid and I heard it played at a Christmas concert in Toronto. I'm sure i have at least two versions of it on my christmas MP3 playlist.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:32 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm Canadian, never been to New Zealand and know this song. I had it on a record when I was a kid and I heard it played at a Christmas concert in Toronto. I'm sure i have at least two versions of it on my christmas MP3 playlist.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:32 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
A friend pointed out another greater Philadelphia regionalism - going "down the shore" means going to the beaches of New Jersey.
posted by moonmilk at 3:47 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by moonmilk at 3:47 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Germany: "same procedure as last year?" (from an English-language film called Dinner for One which is broadcast every New Year's Eve in Germany for some reason).
posted by altolinguistic at 3:57 PM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by altolinguistic at 3:57 PM on December 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
I've come across the phrase 'do the needful ' and find it delightful and charming, and also extremely rare in my USA/British literature and television life
posted by Jacen at 3:58 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacen at 3:58 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Local commercial jingles sometimes work for this. Where I grew up (DC area in the eighties) it was the voice of a little kid in a martial arts studio ad saying, "Nobody bothers MEE!"
Local tragedies can work too. Almost a decade before I moved to my town, there was a mass casualty event, "the Crush," that was still an important part of local lore by the time I arrived. Ditto a couple of local institutions that had been destroyed by fire.
I find this type of thing much harder to think about on the scale of a nation, because I'm American, and we don't get outside our borders much, and tend to be used to people paying disproportionate attention to us. But confine it more tightly in time or space and it becomes tractable.
posted by eirias at 7:25 PM on December 23, 2023
Local tragedies can work too. Almost a decade before I moved to my town, there was a mass casualty event, "the Crush," that was still an important part of local lore by the time I arrived. Ditto a couple of local institutions that had been destroyed by fire.
I find this type of thing much harder to think about on the scale of a nation, because I'm American, and we don't get outside our borders much, and tend to be used to people paying disproportionate attention to us. But confine it more tightly in time or space and it becomes tractable.
posted by eirias at 7:25 PM on December 23, 2023
Some choreographed dances: Australians will immediately get into formation and start line dancing to Nutbush City Limits as soon as Ike's chunky riff starts.
Irish people get down on the ground for Hues Corporation's Rock the Boat. These are both ubiquitous and event-neutral - everybody, any time, any place these songs are played.
posted by goo at 2:19 AM on December 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Irish people get down on the ground for Hues Corporation's Rock the Boat. These are both ubiquitous and event-neutral - everybody, any time, any place these songs are played.
posted by goo at 2:19 AM on December 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
- People who don't get American TV would not know who Ross and Rachel are, nor would they get the reference of "we were on a break!!!!!!"
- Most people in the world have no idea what a Hershey's Kiss is.
- Most people in the world wouldn't know what you were singing if you hummed the tune to "Take Me Out To The Ball Game".
- Most people in the world wouldn't know who this T-shirt is about.
posted by MiraK at 7:26 AM on December 24, 2023
- Most people in the world have no idea what a Hershey's Kiss is.
- Most people in the world wouldn't know what you were singing if you hummed the tune to "Take Me Out To The Ball Game".
- Most people in the world wouldn't know who this T-shirt is about.
posted by MiraK at 7:26 AM on December 24, 2023
More Irish elder millennial/Gen X examples -
The immersion!
Bosco
“That would be an ecumenical matter” or “Go On! Go On! Go On! Go On!” Or any of a dozen other phrases from Father Ted
The Late Late Toy Show
The Angelus
“Put ‘em under pressure!”
Crazy World!
posted by TwoWordReview at 8:48 AM on December 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
The immersion!
Bosco
“That would be an ecumenical matter” or “Go On! Go On! Go On! Go On!” Or any of a dozen other phrases from Father Ted
The Late Late Toy Show
The Angelus
“Put ‘em under pressure!”
Crazy World!
posted by TwoWordReview at 8:48 AM on December 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
- People who don't get American TV ...
I think a significant portion of the world gets American TV.
- Most people in the world have no idea what a Hershey's Kiss is.
Hershey's kisses common in Canada.
Actually I think all of those examples fail due to either U.S..cultural products are everywhere or because Canada. (Take me out to tue ballgame, besides having been familiar from US TV is also.unfortunately now sung at Blue Jays games).
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2023
I think a significant portion of the world gets American TV.
- Most people in the world have no idea what a Hershey's Kiss is.
Hershey's kisses common in Canada.
Actually I think all of those examples fail due to either U.S..cultural products are everywhere or because Canada. (Take me out to tue ballgame, besides having been familiar from US TV is also.unfortunately now sung at Blue Jays games).
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2023
Ireland is maaad for this shit, I don't know what's wrong with us. Maybe cos it's so tiny? But l was going to post about the immersion and now I am sad.
The Angelus is a great one! I was also considering Crazy World funnily enough.
Might I suggest "turf"? Now illegal to buy, I have three pieces left and am hoping to befriend someone from "down the country" to gift me some. I might gift them 20 euro around the same time. What am I talking about?
A solid fuel made from cut and dried peat bog.
posted by Iteki at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Angelus is a great one! I was also considering Crazy World funnily enough.
Might I suggest "turf"? Now illegal to buy, I have three pieces left and am hoping to befriend someone from "down the country" to gift me some. I might gift them 20 euro around the same time. What am I talking about?
A solid fuel made from cut and dried peat bog.
posted by Iteki at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
A lot of Irish Catholic traditions have made the international leap and can be found elsewhere (St Joseph upside down for a house sale frex) but the Child of Prague seems to still be domestic. Oh you're getting married? Congratulations, I'll out out the child to Prague for you!
Ornate statue of infant Jesus, in the garden, under a bush, even better if the head's broken off at some point. Guarantees good weather on the day.
posted by Iteki at 10:36 AM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ornate statue of infant Jesus, in the garden, under a bush, even better if the head's broken off at some point. Guarantees good weather on the day.
posted by Iteki at 10:36 AM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you are a New Zealander younger than 60 or so, and someone sings out:
"Tutira mai ngā iwi"
You know that you must reply with a hearty:
AUE!
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:28 PM on December 24, 2023
"Tutira mai ngā iwi"
You know that you must reply with a hearty:
AUE!
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:28 PM on December 24, 2023
I'm not Canadian, but I've observed Canadians (maybe even on here?) discussing the house hippo, mentioned above, and it's been one of the starkest examples of this I can remember. Absolutely mystifying to me as an outsider, but a core memory for everyone in the in-group.
posted by babelfish at 1:09 PM on December 24, 2023
posted by babelfish at 1:09 PM on December 24, 2023
> all of those examples fail due to either U.S..cultural products are everywhere
Most of the world's population lives in rural Asia and rural Africa where US cultural products usually do not reach. I daresay many kids in Bangladesh have seen an image of Homer Simpson, perhaps even made that t-shirt with their own hands, but they do not know who that is. They don't get the cultural reference. USA isn't "everywhere". And it is a tad ethnocentric exclude the majority of the world's people when we talk about "everywhere", especially in an Ask that is explicitly about in-groups and out-groups...
posted by MiraK at 2:33 PM on December 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
Most of the world's population lives in rural Asia and rural Africa where US cultural products usually do not reach. I daresay many kids in Bangladesh have seen an image of Homer Simpson, perhaps even made that t-shirt with their own hands, but they do not know who that is. They don't get the cultural reference. USA isn't "everywhere". And it is a tad ethnocentric exclude the majority of the world's people when we talk about "everywhere", especially in an Ask that is explicitly about in-groups and out-groups...
posted by MiraK at 2:33 PM on December 24, 2023 [3 favorites]
(Oops, I don't mean to suggest that literally nobody in Bangladesh knows who Homer Simpson is, obviously lots of people there do know - especially urban people who are middle-class and richer, and get/watch American TV shows. But that's not the majority.)
posted by MiraK at 2:44 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by MiraK at 2:44 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Father Ted was big in the UK as well as Ireland.
posted by ellieBOA at 2:48 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ellieBOA at 2:48 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
"If you say M I Z ... they'll say Z O U!" - how a local company used to brag about their help lines always being based in state, not overseas. I honestly can't even remember what college that sports team was with, but I'd still give the correct response after 10 years out of state. (Missouri)
posted by unsettledink at 3:53 PM on December 24, 2023
posted by unsettledink at 3:53 PM on December 24, 2023
Chinny reckon.
posted by biffa at 4:49 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 4:49 PM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
as a non-brit i'd associate "lovely jubbly" with jamie oliver
posted by onya at 6:46 PM on December 24, 2023
posted by onya at 6:46 PM on December 24, 2023
Canadian here, first time I ever heard of a house hippo was in this thread!
Apparently it even has a Wiki page.
posted by snoboy at 9:27 PM on December 24, 2023
Apparently it even has a Wiki page.
posted by snoboy at 9:27 PM on December 24, 2023
I was going to post the "am I gonna see your face again" thing too!
Proper use of "lah" marks someone as Malaysian or Singaporean. Though if you're talking about "Pak Lah", that's referring specifically to former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.
I watched Crazy Rich Asians a while ago and was tickled pink to recognize a bunch of actors from 90s Singaporean TV shows like Phua Chu Kang and Under One Roof. Though if you're not from Singapore or Johor Bahru (or didn't watch them in the 90s/2000s) those references would fly past you.
posted by creatrixtiara at 2:18 AM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Proper use of "lah" marks someone as Malaysian or Singaporean. Though if you're talking about "Pak Lah", that's referring specifically to former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.
I watched Crazy Rich Asians a while ago and was tickled pink to recognize a bunch of actors from 90s Singaporean TV shows like Phua Chu Kang and Under One Roof. Though if you're not from Singapore or Johor Bahru (or didn't watch them in the 90s/2000s) those references would fly past you.
posted by creatrixtiara at 2:18 AM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
> Germany: "same procedure as last year?" (from an English-language film called Dinner for One which is broadcast every New Year's Eve in Germany for some reason).
Somewhat weirdly, this will also be recognized in Norway, where it's broadcast on the day before Christmas Eve.
posted by GenericUser at 5:06 AM on December 25, 2023
Somewhat weirdly, this will also be recognized in Norway, where it's broadcast on the day before Christmas Eve.
posted by GenericUser at 5:06 AM on December 25, 2023
Probably the biggest shibboleth in Spain is knowing the Mercadona jingle. Mercadona is a grocery store that is only in Spain (and just recently one store in Portugal) and has a distinctive little song that plays in the shops. Everyone here knows it and people in other places have never even heard of the store.
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 6:05 AM on December 25, 2023
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 6:05 AM on December 25, 2023
> Germany: "same procedure as last year?" (from an English-language film called Dinner for One which is broadcast every New Year's Eve in Germany for some reason).
Somewhat weirdly, this will also be recognized in Norway, where it's broadcast on the day before Christmas Eve.
I was going to claim this for Denmark!
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:31 PM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Somewhat weirdly, this will also be recognized in Norway, where it's broadcast on the day before Christmas Eve.
I was going to claim this for Denmark!
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:31 PM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
And the Swedes do it on New Years Eve.
posted by Iteki at 5:19 PM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 5:19 PM on December 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
[heyyy what's this tab buried in my dozens of open tabs?]
Is the Gävle Goat known Sweden-wide? I only know it as a foreigner, so its significance may be magnified by my imagination.
In Poland, I'm guessing you could make some friends by quoting the movie Sexmission, which seems to exist somewhere between where Spaceballs and Hardware Wars do in the US, but possibly even more well-known.
I've come across the phrase 'do the needful ' and find it delightful and charming, and also extremely rare in my USA/British literature and television life
This has become well-known in English-language IT & Software Development over the past 10-15 years as Asian Indian immigration has had more effect on the lore and slang of these disciplines (and I now read that it's actually a relic of the British in India). Pursuant to that, I've seen some quite humorous usages (micromanager: "the needful, are you doing it?"), but I've never been entirely comfortable with it on a xenophobic level. Maybe if it's used unironically? At least in technology, that may not be possible anymore.
Honestly there's probably an FPP for Indian English to be had, though being a combination of grammar, immigration, and employment might result in a quantity of rage-quits we haven't seen in years.
posted by rhizome at 1:23 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
Is the Gävle Goat known Sweden-wide? I only know it as a foreigner, so its significance may be magnified by my imagination.
In Poland, I'm guessing you could make some friends by quoting the movie Sexmission, which seems to exist somewhere between where Spaceballs and Hardware Wars do in the US, but possibly even more well-known.
I've come across the phrase 'do the needful ' and find it delightful and charming, and also extremely rare in my USA/British literature and television life
This has become well-known in English-language IT & Software Development over the past 10-15 years as Asian Indian immigration has had more effect on the lore and slang of these disciplines (and I now read that it's actually a relic of the British in India). Pursuant to that, I've seen some quite humorous usages (micromanager: "the needful, are you doing it?"), but I've never been entirely comfortable with it on a xenophobic level. Maybe if it's used unironically? At least in technology, that may not be possible anymore.
Honestly there's probably an FPP for Indian English to be had, though being a combination of grammar, immigration, and employment might result in a quantity of rage-quits we haven't seen in years.
posted by rhizome at 1:23 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
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posted by underclocked at 7:37 AM on December 23, 2023 [8 favorites]