American-isms and their counterparts in other languages.

I use analogies and metaphors relatively often when writing here or while speaking to clients. Some of them are pretty easy to understand AKA "offering the carrot or the stick" or "don't put your eggs in one basket" as examples. Many of other phrases don't always translate well in meaning or objective while some are unfamiliar to many because they've never been provided a clear definition behind a phrase.

There are Chinese phrases - "Blessings come in disguise", Mexican phrases - "You're letting the rag fly", even Persian phrases "This weather is for two persons" that many American ears can't quite figure out what they mean.

Curious what analogies the reader might commonly use that most American's would not understand "right off the bat".

My .02c 

morekaos said:

I remember travelling in England once and commenting that a girl we were travelling with had a lot of "spunk".  They broke out laughing because of the double meaning of that previously innocent adjective.

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Many Britons got the wrong idea about what the plot of the movie "Free Willy" was about.