[bart]

Originally Posted by NZ421291

Isn't it funny, a 'rack' in New Zealand is a piece of equipment used in Snooker. It doesn't mean to us what I now think it means in the USA.

I guess its a bit like the word 'fanny': very offensive in NZ & Australia but is ok in the USA as it means something else.

I always laugh that people in the USA are named 'Randy'- I know its a contraction of Randell, however, no-one in NZ, Australia or the UK would ever call their child that name, as it means something entirely different.

The Queens English, always evolving, changing: and with the same word or saying having different meanings due to which 'English' speaking country you were born in!

My Dad, who is multi-lingual, says English is the most difficult language to learn, due to words having multiple meanings, and being full of French words pronounced incorrectly!

As not native English speaker, I just learnt something here!


randy | ˈrandē |

adjective (randier, randiest)
1 informal sexually aroused or excited.
2 Scottish archaic (of a person) having a rude, aggressive manner.

DERIVATIVES
randily | -dəlē | adverb
randiness | ˈrandēnəs | noun

ORIGIN
mid 17th century: perhaps from obsolete rand‘rant, rave’, from obsolete Dutch randen ‘to rant’.