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Your last question, and a variation of it, was my recurrent thought while reading the list. Joel Send a noteboard - 08/11/2011 12:38:53 PM
Instead of "another think coming" and "it augers well".


In Australia, the phrase is "couldn't care less". Even when Americans say they could care less, they often really mean they couldn't care less, which is the exact opposite of what they said.

Agreed. But is it only Americans who do this?

"It that unique to America?" combined with "is that prevalent in America?" I do not serve on many boards of directors, but must say I suspect the one about "prayer before business meetings" sounds more like a peculiarity of that PARTICULAR business than one representative of the US as a whole. If nothing else, I can see some potentially devastating legal issues when those in the meeting did not happen to all share the same religion.
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America's Quirks noticed by Non-Americans - 07/11/2011 06:55:22 PM 2707 Views
Wait, in Europe they leave soap on dishes to dry? - 07/11/2011 08:25:33 PM 1752 Views
I had to ask one of the Brits I worked with about that one - 08/11/2011 04:48:11 PM 1537 Views
Yeah it's weird isn't it. *NM* - 08/11/2011 06:00:11 PM 848 Views
That's gross *NM* - 08/11/2011 07:56:48 PM 871 Views
Depends on how much soap was in the water - 08/11/2011 10:54:28 PM 1401 Views
Ah ha! Perhaps this explains my mother-in-law's behavior! - 08/11/2011 11:11:12 PM 1562 Views
Not that I ever heard of... *NM* - 08/11/2011 11:13:05 PM 886 Views
Re: Wait, in Europe they leave soap on dishes to dry? - 09/11/2011 02:52:14 AM 2068 Views
Depends on how much washing-up liquid you put in the water. - 09/11/2011 08:13:51 AM 1258 Views
I don't think it's different. - 09/11/2011 04:30:58 PM 1428 Views
It isn't. I was going to say exactly the same thing about the laziness and "soap." - 09/11/2011 05:42:44 PM 1520 Views
Thanks both. *NM* - 09/11/2011 07:08:58 PM 878 Views
We are talking about washing dishes by hand, right? - 09/11/2011 06:50:09 PM 1340 Views
Yes. And here's the difference between what you do and what I do: - 09/11/2011 07:08:06 PM 1349 Views
Yes - 09/11/2011 07:13:54 PM 1605 Views
Who are these weirdos who say Americans write checks to pay for things? - 07/11/2011 08:27:24 PM 1547 Views
I'm guessing everybody who's been to the US outside NYC, then. - 07/11/2011 09:42:10 PM 1366 Views
No pretty much everywhere in the US people use plastic 99% of the time *NM* - 08/11/2011 12:31:49 AM 892 Views
This totally depends where you are. - 08/11/2011 12:57:11 AM 1589 Views
Once again, that isn't what they were talking about - 08/11/2011 01:29:19 PM 1566 Views
You know I worked in a store, right? - 08/11/2011 01:49:36 PM 1434 Views
I repeat: I have NEVER seen someone pay by check in a store since 1989. *NM* - 08/11/2011 01:56:59 PM 853 Views
I know you travel quite frequently, but I'll refer you to Paul's comment above re: New York. *NM* - 08/11/2011 02:10:36 PM 934 Views
I spent 1990-1999 in the South, you know. *NM* - 08/11/2011 02:46:19 PM 784 Views
I knew you'd gotten around. - 08/11/2011 03:06:20 PM 1538 Views
I would call one to two checks a week pretty rare - 08/11/2011 06:28:59 PM 1394 Views
Which is still more often than places that never use them. - 08/11/2011 06:58:30 PM 1533 Views
Oops. This is Jen. Don't start attacking! Eep. *NM* - 08/11/2011 06:59:09 PM 857 Views
yes *NM* - 08/11/2011 08:12:45 PM 760 Views
Yeah but I think I've seen maybe two in my LIFE - 08/11/2011 07:44:10 PM 1452 Views
I guess it is all relative - 09/11/2011 06:27:17 PM 1333 Views
It still depends on where you are. Like she said... - 08/11/2011 02:02:09 PM 1602 Views
*I* at least was mostly thinking about rent checks. But yes, I've seen it in stores too. - 08/11/2011 09:47:58 PM 1415 Views
so paper checks are history in ??? - 08/11/2011 10:51:01 PM 1355 Views
Belgium. *NM* - 08/11/2011 11:13:22 PM 804 Views
That is part of France right? - 09/11/2011 06:24:24 PM 1318 Views
They wish. *NM* - 09/11/2011 08:01:22 PM 887 Views
that is true - 08/11/2011 06:27:13 PM 1290 Views
Rent checks. Utility checks. *NM* - 07/11/2011 10:47:58 PM 1043 Views
Exactly - instead of automated bank transfers. *NM* - 07/11/2011 10:50:39 PM 828 Views
They still do this in Britain too. - 08/11/2011 01:13:52 AM 1421 Views
What's weirdest about British rent... - 08/11/2011 09:48:43 PM 1577 Views
Well... - 08/11/2011 09:53:56 PM 1406 Views
Fair enough, I've only seen it on sites with rent rates. *NM* - 08/11/2011 09:57:31 PM 750 Views
That wasn't what they were talking about on that website. - 08/11/2011 01:28:28 PM 1431 Views
Can you buy alcohol in the US at any time? - 07/11/2011 08:41:41 PM 1434 Views
Oh, I can explain beer pong to you. - 07/11/2011 09:19:46 PM 1374 Views
- 07/11/2011 09:52:48 PM 1443 Views
Like Button. *NM* - 10/11/2011 11:29:12 PM 830 Views
In my experience, if the store is open, you can buy it - 07/11/2011 09:33:22 PM 1410 Views
it depends on the state - 07/11/2011 11:16:40 PM 1359 Views
I t varies ste to state or even county to county and city to city - 08/11/2011 12:35:27 AM 1442 Views
The variety of the "blue laws" is a bit nuts. - 08/11/2011 02:39:55 PM 1429 Views
We can turn right on a red light too - 07/11/2011 09:48:38 PM 1581 Views
Really? I thought that was unique to the US. - 08/11/2011 12:34:14 PM 1678 Views
The French can do it too. - 08/11/2011 03:34:39 PM 1366 Views
The French are shameless; first they stole our national colors, now this. - 09/11/2011 01:19:47 PM 1463 Views
That's mostly Italy, France is not so bad. - 09/11/2011 08:02:51 PM 1307 Views
That makes sense, but I have heard horrible tales about French farmers in trucks. - 09/11/2011 10:24:01 PM 1224 Views
Hm. Never noticed that. - 09/11/2011 10:31:23 PM 1342 Views
Sounds like you did, actually. - 11/11/2011 01:23:16 PM 1681 Views
Heh, I was so confused by this when I moved to western NY. - 08/11/2011 03:59:43 PM 1418 Views
Ah, yes, good point. - 09/11/2011 01:24:03 PM 1301 Views
Cops - 08/11/2011 06:31:08 PM 1352 Views
If there's a green right-turn filter light, then you aren't turning right on a red at all . *NM* - 08/11/2011 03:33:36 PM 825 Views
It's not a light. It's a sign of a green arrow - 08/11/2011 03:47:22 PM 1362 Views
But it's a light that goes on and off. - 08/11/2011 06:02:48 PM 1321 Views
Yes, a permanent sign. - 08/11/2011 06:18:26 PM 1346 Views
For me, the strangest thing is the phrase "could care less" - 07/11/2011 10:43:54 PM 1496 Views
In fairness... - 07/11/2011 10:50:13 PM 1577 Views
It's true. - 07/11/2011 11:06:42 PM 1348 Views
Exactly - 07/11/2011 11:08:53 PM 1462 Views
I've had one person get angry, and another thank me. - 08/11/2011 01:01:05 AM 1382 Views
Well, - 08/11/2011 04:43:31 AM 1453 Views
I think that's just a case of it being said too quickly and slurred too much - 08/11/2011 02:14:14 AM 1374 Views
"you have another thing coming" and "it all goes well" grrrrrrrrrrr - 08/11/2011 10:19:27 AM 1522 Views
Your last question, and a variation of it, was my recurrent thought while reading the list. - 08/11/2011 12:38:53 PM 1464 Views
that is really what stood out to you the most going from Australia to the US? - 08/11/2011 04:45:21 PM 1340 Views
It didn't stand out the most, I said it was the strangest thing - 08/11/2011 10:33:48 PM 1394 Views
you have a good point I guess - 09/11/2011 06:31:41 PM 1227 Views
It's "couldn't care less" in America, or at least it is in the part where I live. *NM* - 08/11/2011 06:01:50 PM 736 Views
It's couldn't care less everywhere- some people just say it incorrectly. *NM* - 08/11/2011 06:09:08 PM 791 Views
*NM* - 08/11/2011 06:26:54 PM 864 Views
Interesting about the flag. - 08/11/2011 04:16:12 AM 1383 Views
More like "we tend to equate respecting a flag with liking a country" - 08/11/2011 01:57:26 PM 1484 Views
Because my husband lived in England and has family there, I knew some of these. BUT... - 08/11/2011 12:42:07 PM 1486 Views
I can't say I really noticed a difference but I wonder if - 08/11/2011 04:52:05 PM 1302 Views
It varies here, it's certainly not unusual to have a space between. - 08/11/2011 10:00:38 PM 1554 Views
I've heard stories. *NM* - 08/11/2011 10:51:03 PM 860 Views
Huh. Only ever saw those holes in the ground in Belgium. and had to pay to use them. - 09/11/2011 03:28:35 PM 1410 Views
I've never seen them in Belgium - nor in France outside highway parkings, to be fair. - 09/11/2011 08:05:09 PM 1383 Views
OK now you are being redundant *NM* - 09/11/2011 11:47:52 PM 871 Views
When I was in England we saw way more flags than we typically see in the US. - 08/11/2011 01:32:47 PM 1470 Views
Ooh... - 09/11/2011 12:50:02 AM 1574 Views
So many fat people. - 09/11/2011 01:19:24 AM 1578 Views
We do have high calorie intake and low inclination to exercise. *NM* - 09/11/2011 01:26:40 AM 797 Views
That's half-true - 09/11/2011 02:09:48 AM 1380 Views
I think there was a Family Guy episode about this. - 09/11/2011 02:27:07 PM 1466 Views
Re: I think there was a Family Guy episode about this. - 09/11/2011 02:33:18 PM 1482 Views
Ah, that makes a difference. - 09/11/2011 03:05:44 PM 1360 Views
You would find it much different at Gruene Hall - 09/11/2011 11:46:53 PM 1254 Views
Perhaps; never been, nor am I likey to ever go. - 11/11/2011 01:00:13 PM 1843 Views

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