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1 month ago
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Soda Fountain of Knowledge (Language Edition): Chatting Up
Most of my Aussie vocabulary blog posts are for amusement purposes only, but this one is practically a PSA. I was confused and a little shocked when a friend recently told me that a friend of the girl he's seeing chatted him up, until we established that we were at cultural cross-purposes...
To chat someone up:
N. Amer. verb
To make conversation with someone. Basically the same as chatting to someone, or making small talk.
Aust. verb
To make conversation with someone with the end goal of making a romantic or sexual connection. Synonymous with the N. American to hit on someone.
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16 comments:
I've had that same problem. To me, "chatting up" is flirting with the intention of asking out someone, not just chatting to someone. That's confused me a few times too. :)
Ha! See, Canadians are sensible.
Interesting. That's why that guy looked at me so strangely when I told him I was chatting up a kangaroo.
I guess that's why...
Yes, they are (proud Canadian American) but the addition of "up" to "chatting" does imply flirting to me, too.
Could also be used to imply other hidden agendas, too. If she where trying to weasle information from him, perhaps.
Or, he's a Southerner, where they talk SLOWLY for a REASON.
Shawn - duh, everyone knows kangaroos are only for giving you lifts to school in their pouches!
Scope - and that reason is, it's too bloody hot to expend the energy on talking at normal speed!
I think definitely flirting with the 'up'...
And isn't it usually always the goal of chatting up to make a connection? Unless a kangaroo is involved I guess...
Hahaha. I bet "fanny" and "fag" have caused their share of PSA-worthy misunderstanding too.
Haha, word ver is "fookup"
Yeah the Aust. meaning is the same as the Brit meaning.
I never chat without trying to make it lead to intercourse. Then again the only person I chat with is myself. (Zing!)
I can think of several meanings to that phrase. A h h h, y e a h,
I c a y a n.
(We Southerners can't talk fast enough to call it chatting.)
Yay comments!!!
Eric - Hmm maybe this is a regional thing then?
Words - I daren't use fag here. Fanny always makes me giggle like a twelve-year-old though.
Mo - We convicts took a lot with us when we left Old Blighty.
Kurt - Hahahahahahahaha
Char - Right? I especially enjoy the extra syllable you put in "can". Well done!
This is probably why I was told not to let guys buy me drinks when I went to London... unless I wanted their P in my V. Wonder if it's the same in the UK?
See, I'm American but I've always thought "chatting someone up" meant flirting. I guess I'm more worldly than I thought!
I thought that was feeling someone up...is there a huge difference??
Probably not.
LiLu - I was unaware of this particular social contract.
BeckEye - You are! You should be some kind of ambassador.
Candy - Haha, yes there is a big difference!!!
I always thought of it as talking to someone with an end purpose in mind. Maybe not "hooking up" so to speak....but wanting to get something out of them...similar to "buttering them up."
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