Love it!

Twisted expressions make me laugh hard. I may have shared this before, but I once worked for a boss who gave me such treasures as: We need to throw more wrenches on the fire!; That's the gem in the haystack!; There's the flaw in the ointment!; and my all-time favorite... when I was prepping him for an upcoming business meeting and another co-worker asked to meet with him "I can't do it today. I'm going upstairs with Michelle now, and I'm literally going to be tied up all afternoon!"

Of course there are differences among combining similar phrases, substituting a similar (albeit, hilariously inappropriate) word, and just not understanding a word altogether. (Inconceivable!) But these things are my favorite types of humor.

Lol, the American expression "laying around the house" befuddled me to no end. I was learning english and took the words literally. I envisioned someone trying to encircle their body around the house. One never know how someone else interpret words.

LOL
Manfriend went Christmas shopping with DS while I was at work during the holiday season and they went to the place I get my hair cut to buy a gift card. DS exclaims upon reading the sign "OH! "bockey" (rhymes with hockey) My mom gets her haircut here. The place is called Bocci.

When I first came to this country, I went to an "Americanization" high school in DC. There were students from all over the world. Being high school kids we wanted to make friends and hang out together. We learned enough of each others languages to be able to communicate. It was not "proper" Spanish, French, Farsi, Arabic or English, but we managed just fine.

Not only that, our first apartment was at 14th and Upshur in DC, that was the beginning of the "black", as it was called back then, community and the neighborhood reflected that heritage.
It was a very interesting introduction to the US of A.

I want to give credit to our English teacher at the Americanization school, Ms. Baker. She did a great job in teaching us basic English, with a British accent no less. I can just imagine how difficult it can be to teach ESL.

When were you going to school in DC, west Gardner, if you don't mind my asking?

Mrs. Penkavas first language wasn't English and she got the metaphors twisted more often than not. I was friends with one of her sons and she was trying to find something one day when I was at their house. She said to L. and I, "It's like trying to find noodle in the straw". We puzzled over that one until he said I think she means needles in a haystack.

kathyjane,I don't mind you asking. I went to school in DC from January 1956 to June 1956.