American slang

I was watching How Not To Live Your Life tonight, and the lead character was arguing with someone, and shouted "Bite me!" like you often hear people on American show/films say. Anyway, I was thinking, is this realistic? Do Brits really say that? I don't even know what it means. I've grown up listening to hip hop, so I know the meaning of a lot of American slang, but that doesn't mean I use it all myself. There's a lot of it in Peep Show as well, e.g. the other week, Robert Webb said something about someone, then said "Who knew?!" Do people really say that over here, or is this just a case of the writers trying too hard to make their show seem cool?

I never understood the phase "Bite Me"

It's short for "bite my ass" or "bite my dick." It's in the same vein as "suck it" and "kiss my ass."

Where does "bite my ass" com from?

It comes from the future?!

Quote: Leevil @ October 26 2009, 1:46 PM BST

It comes from the future?!

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Hm. Might've been us...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leck_mich_im_Arsch

Ooh!

"Lick me in my shiny metal arse!" - Certainly has a ring to it.

Quote: catskillz @ October 26 2009, 4:52 AM BST

I was watching 'How not to live your life' tonight, and the lead character was arguing with someone, and shouted "Bite me!" like you often hear people on American show/films say. Anyway, I was thinking, is this realistic? Do Brits really say that? I don't even know what it means. I've grown up listening to Hip hop, so I know the meaning of a lot of American slang, but that doesn't mean I use it all myself. There's a lot of it in Peep show as well, e.g. the other week, Robert Webb said something about someone, then said "Who knew?!" Do people really say that over here, or is this just a case of the writers trying too hard to make their show seem cool?

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No. I'm sure people in the UK use terms and slang you might consider American all the time. Because we all watch American TV shows and films all the time.

Quote: Finck @ October 26 2009, 1:49 PM BST

Hm. Might've been us...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leck_mich_im_Arsch

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I was not aware of that! And quite irrelevantly, I have the Pogues playing in the background. Also, googling shows Chaucer's Miller's Tale (1366): "But with his mouth he kiste hir naked ers."

I think it's easier for kids today to use American slang, as the world blurs together. I remember when I was a kid "rap" was quite popular, and a lot of words filtered in to our language, some I still use today, some ironic, some not really.

I don't care if people use different phrases from around the world, it's a shame it can overtake some of our own phrases and kill them off, but does it really do that? If you miss a certain phrase so much, use it yourself.

I have no argument and yeah...

Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 26 2009, 2:02 PM BST

No. I'm sure people in the UK use terms and slang you might consider American all the time. Because we all watch American TV shows and films all the time.

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Bite my fanny, douche rag!

It's not just slang. The other day a British girl at a British party told me she worked at a "convenience store". Not a "corner shop" like what good northern lasses used to say.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 26 2009, 2:02 PM BST

No. I'm sure people in the UK use terms and slang you might consider American all the time. Because we all watch American TV shows and films all the time.

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Yeah they try and edit my use of american slang out of my writing sometimes. They try! Sometimes it's fun to make up your own slang y'all.

It works two ways though. I've seen a few Americans using 'wank' before, have no idea where they got it from though.