6 words and phrases that mean totally different things depending on what country you're from

Jordan Parker ErbJan 13, 2024, 08:43 IST

Some words and phrases have different meanings depending on where you're at in the world.treety/Getty Images

"Out of pocket" can mean different things depending on who you ask — and where you're from.

Millennials are facing a linguistic reckoning after learning this phrase means something else for Gen Z.

On Monday, millennials faced a generational reckoning after discovering that "out of pocket" means something totally different to them than it does to Gen Zers, according to a viral TikTok video.

Millennial workers and their older counterparts use the term to say they'll be out of the office for a while, but younger workers know it to mean acting out of hand.

Meanwhile, British employees at Insider pointed out that the phrase means something different across the pond: "I don't have any money on me."

The term's many cultural and generational meanings got us thinking — what other words and phrases mean one thing to some people and something entirely different to others?

Here are six words and phrases that have different meanings depending on what country you're in.

In the UK, if someone asks "You alright?" it doesn't necessarily mean they think you're having a bad day.

"You alright?" is "just the British way of saying "hello," according to Great British Mag.Carol Yepes/Getty Images

The "first floor" of a building is different depending on where you are in the world.

The "first floor" in America means the ground floor — but not in some countries.Goran Bogicevic/Shutterstock

"Wagon" means something totally different in Ireland than it does in the States.

In Ireland, "wagon" has a more disparaging definition than in the US.Steve Makowski

In the US, "pissed" means mad. In the UK, it means being drunk.

To be "pissed" in the UK means something different than in the US.Kevin Trimmer/Getty Images

In the UK, "geezer" doesn't mean "old man," as it does in the United States.

"Geezer" is a colloquial synonym for "guy" or "bloke" in the UK.Getty

"Handy" doesn't mean helpful in Germany. It's a term for cell phones.

A "handy" in Germany is a cell phone.boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images

I spent 2 hours at one of the smallest airports in the world, and it was the strangest flying experience I've ever had

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