7 Everyday American Phrases That Confuse the Rest Of The World And What They Really Mean!

Breaking Down the Confusion: Everyday American Phrases That Leave the World Scratching Their Heads

How Common U.S. Expressions Baffle Non-Americans And What You Should Say Instead!

I was sipping my overpriced coffee in my regular Tbilisi café when my server asked why I was “so late.”

I told her, “I slept in,” and she stared at me like I had just confessed to a crime.

“Where?” she asked, clearly thinking I’d spent the night under the café table.

Turns out, simple American phrases like “I slept in” don’t translate the same way abroad.

To her, I was admitting I’d slept inside something. Or worse, I had hidden away somewhere in their café overnight…

This wasn’t the first time my Americanisms caused confusion.

I once told a Ukrainian friend that a meal “cost me an arm and a leg,” and I swear, he looked ready to call an ambulance, convinced I’d been part of some shady organ harvesting deal.

We Americans toss around phrases that make perfect sense to us, but to everyone else? 

Straight-up nonsense… or worse, terrifying!

Ever had a conversation abroad where your friend gave you that “What did you just say?” look?

Yeah, you probably used one of these phrases.

As an English teacher and a Cambridge/IELTS examiner in Ukraine for 20 years, explaining these “Americanisms” was like playing whack-a-mole… it never ended.

Let’s get into those 7 phrases that’ll confuse the world, and what you should say instead, so someone doesn’t think you want them to literally, “break their leg”.

1. ‘Break a Leg’ (As a Good Luck Wish?)

Why It’s Confusing:

I once told a Ukrainian student of mine before her big work presentation to “break a leg.”

She stared at me in absolute horror, like I had just cast some sort of medieval curse on her.

She hesitated and then, very seriously, asked, “Why would you wish me pain?”

In the U.S., this phrase is a standard way to wish someone good luck, but in most other places, wishing for bodily injury before an important event makes you sound like a villain from a bad action movie.

Actually, you’re not supposed to say “good luck” since it’s considered a jinx, thus the expression “Break a Leg”.

Other cultures tend to wish success in a way that doesn’t involve potential hospitalization.

What to Say Instead:

• Instead of “Break a leg,” try “Good luck”* or “Wishing you success.”
• If you’re in France, go with “Merde” which, yes, means “poop,” but for some reason, it’s their version of a lucky send-off.

“Wishing someone ‘Shit’ vs. ‘Break a Leg’… At this point, I’m not sure if I’m offering a trip to the toilet or to the emergency room.”

2. ‘It’s Raining Cats and Dogs’

Why It’s Confusing:

During an English lesson in Ukraine, I once mentioned that it was “raining cats and dogs.”

In fact, it was in the text book I was teaching out of.

My Ukrainian student immediately stopped mid-step and looked up, as if she was genuinely expecting a small army of airborne golden retrievers to descend upon us.

This phrase, while making perfect sense to Americans, is completely baffling to most of the world.

Other languages have their own creative ways of describing heavy rain, like in Thailand, where they say “It’s raining old women” (which, honestly, raises just as many questions).

What to Say Instead:

• Stick to “It’s pouring” or “It’s coming down hard.”
• If you’re in Spain, go with “Está lloviendo a cántaros” (It’s raining buckets), which at least makes some logical sense, doesn’t it?

3. ‘Pulling Your Leg’

Why It’s Confusing:

While in Georgia, I told my Airbnb host that I thought the taxi driver was “pulling my leg” because the price for the ride from the airport he wanted to charge me sounded like extortion.

He immediately looked down at my actual leg, visibly concerned thinking that I had a physical altercation over the taxi fare rip off, looked back up at me and saying, “He did this to you?”

Turns out, in many places, this phrase doesn’t exist. Other languages have their own ways of saying they’re joking, but “physically grabbing someone’s leg as a prank?” That’s just weird.

What to Say Instead:

• Try “Just kidding” or “I’m messing with you.” Or in my case, “I thought he was joking”
• If you’re in Albania, saying “Të bëj shaka” will make way more sense than implying someone is literally yanking on your limbs.

4. ‘Piece of Cake’ (Meaning ‘Easy’?)

Why It’s Confusing:

While helping my friend’s son in France with some English homework, I told him that the assignment we were working on was a “piece of cake.”

He looked up at me and then asked, “Why… cake?”

In English, we associate cake with something easy and effortless. But in most other places, cake has no connection to simplicity.

If anything, “baking a cake” is a detailed, delicate process, so this phrase just makes no sense abroad.

What to Say Instead:

• Use “That was easy” or “No problem at all.”
• In Poland, they say *“Bułka z masłem”* (a roll with butter), which at least sounds like something effortless to prepare.

5. ‘Spill the Beans’

Why It’s Confusing:

I once told a French friend to “spill the beans” about a secret he was keeping. He looked at me as if I had asked him to commit a crime.

To non-English speakers, this phrase makes absolutely no sense. Why beans? Why are they spilling? Who cares if they do?

No one knows where this phrase even came from, which makes it even harder to explain.

What to Say Instead:

• Try “Tell me the secret” or “Give me the details.”
• If you’re in Mexico, say “Soltar la sopa” (spill the soup), which, to be fair, also doesn’t make much sense, but at least it’s regionally confusing.

6. ‘Costs an Arm and a Leg’

Why It’s Confusing:

I was once in Budapest complaining about yet another ridiculously overpriced taxi ride experience. I said, “That cost me an arm and a leg.”

The driver, who overheard me, turned pale and looked at me like I had just confessed to being some sort of victim of organized crime.

Most cultures simply say something is “very expensive.”

But in English?

We make it sound like we had to make a major bodily sacrifice just to afford lunch.

What to Say Instead:

• Stick to “That’s really pricey” or “That costs a fortune.”
• In Spain, they say “Cuesta un ojo de la cara” (It costs an eye from your face), which is just as horrifying, but at least it’s culturally appropriate.

7. ’Let’s Table This’ (Wait… You Want Me to Put It on a Table?)

Why It’s Confusing:
During a business English class in Kyiv, I told my students to “table the discussion” as a way to postpone it, so they could come back to it later, better prepared.

Simple enough, right?

Well, not exactly. My British coworker, who was role-playing with me in this mock meeting, nodded along, thinking we were about to dive into the topic right then and there.

Meanwhile, my Ukrainian students were all on the same page, but not in the same time zone.

They assumed “tabling” meant the discussion would never be touched again.

Here’s the thing: In American English, “tabling” means you put it off for later.

But in British English, it’s the exact opposite, you bring it up immediately.

Don’t even get me started on all the differences between Brit’isms and Yank’isms

So, yeah. No wonder international meetings get confusing when we can’t even agree on what “tabling” something actually means!

What to Say Instead:

If speaking with non-Americans, clarify by saying “Let’s discuss this later.”

Or better yet, just skip the phrase entirely unless you enjoy being misunderstood.

How to Avoid Getting Lost in Translation

American English is packed with quirky expressions that sound perfectly fine… until you say them outside the U.S. and realize you’ve just lost everyone.

Here’s the thing: Most people abroad will either laugh, ask what on earth you mean, or just chalk it up to Americans being, well, eccentric.

And, let’s face it, they’re not wrong.

A little awareness can go a long way in avoiding those awkward moments.

Trust me, I’ve had plenty.

So next time you’re chatting with a non-American, think twice before tossing out that weird phrase.

It could save you from some seriously confused (or concerned) stares.

Now, your turn! What’s the funniest language mix-up you’ve had abroad?

I promise, I won’t pull your leg. lol…