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[-] beliquititious@lemmy.blahaj.zone 52 points 3 days ago

We have fun collective names. A group of white men is called a podcast, for example.

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 67 points 3 days ago

My favorite is a complaint of Karens.

[-] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

They are called "Americans" in Europe

[-] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

An Americans of Karens?

[-] SleafordMod@feddit.uk 14 points 2 days ago
[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 30 points 3 days ago

I'm partial to "fuckton."

A fuckton of geese. A fuckton of sheep. A fuckton of ice cream.

[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 17 points 3 days ago

The only time Americans will use metric /s

[-] dankm@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 days ago

A fuckton is 2000 fucking pounds. A fucktonne (note the spelling.. metric) is 1000 fucking kilograms.

[-] problematicPanther@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Fun fact, in America, a ton is 2000 pounds, which is slightly less than a metric ton. In America if you order a ton of bricks, you'd get less bricks than you would if you ordered it in France.

[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 2 points 2 days ago

Damn shrinkflation

[-] JizzmasterD@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 days ago

Nah, that’s a « fuck-tonne »

[-] ilost7489@lemmy.ca 9 points 3 days ago

English fuckton, not metric

[-] Klear@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Metric fuckton has more punch though.

[-] Cort@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

Nah, Americans use metric for selling drugs at the very least.

[-] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

You can't buy a cup of crack in the US?

[-] problematicPanther@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Volumetric measurements aren't really good for drugs, the density of the drug may vary depending on quality, origin or manufacturer, in the case of crack and meth. Weight is always better, but then you measure with half, quarter, eighth and sixteenths of ounces. See, we do have to use fractions after all.

[-] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I guess I have a lot to learn before launching my drug cartel.

[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 4 points 3 days ago

Also for gun calibers (is that the right word?)

[-] Cort@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Too true! ( Yep, that's the right word)

[-] Akasazh@feddit.nl 2 points 2 days ago

Drugs, not even ounce

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 days ago

It's even easier than that with most people I know

They just describe multiples of individual animals, objects, places or things collectively as just ..... stuff

Flock of geese? .... stuff

A stack of books? ... stuff

group of cars? .... stuff

A planet? .... stuff

A solar system? ... stuff

A galaxy? ... stuff

A galactic neighbourhood? ... stuff

The universe? .... stuff

[-] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

Do those people count "one, two, many, lots"?

[-] taladar@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago

The universe? … stuff

I think George Carlin would say that the universe is a place for your stuff.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

No, it's my stuff, your shit. Whenever it's mine, it's stuff. Whenever it's yours, it's shit. ie. "Get your shit off the counter so I can put my stuff down."

Source: ol Gorgie Boy

[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 2 points 3 days ago

Where else would I put my stuff?

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago

I never disagree with ol' Georgie

[-] weker01@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Sounds like German

plane - flying stuff

Lighter - fire stuff

Vehicle - driving stuff

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 days ago

lol ... I'm Indigenous Canadian and I speak my language Ojibway/Cree

This made me realize that the modern things we named with our old language sounds like what you describe

Aircraft -> kah-mee-nah-mee-kook .... 'the thing that flies'

Helicopter -> kah-kee-noo-kah-wah-nas-kee-pee-nik ... 'the thing that turns fast'

[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago

When the stuff hits your stuff like a very stuff stuff, that's stuff.

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago

Yeah I know ... like stuff ... I dunno ... shrugs shoulders and walks away

[-] otacon239@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

I once knew a person that ended almost every sentence they could with, “and stuff”. I don’t think I’ve ever used the phrase since.

[-] superkret@feddit.org 4 points 3 days ago

Thus "phenomenology" means αποφαινεσθαι τα φαινομενα – to let that which shows itself be seen from itself in the very way in which it shows itself from itself. And stuff”

― Martin Heidegger

[-] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 2 days ago

The Chinese language has different articles depending on what noun it is for. So 一杯可乐 versus 一双筷子.

In German there are three genders of articles that are basically randomly assigned to each noun.

Sometimes these make sense, but not always, and with languages you have to learn arbitrary information.

It feels like the original post is disparaging American English for not using arbitrary nouns for collections of things. As with most differences between American and British English, the American version is simpler and loses very little. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[-] problematicPanther@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

English (traditional) versus English (simplified)

[-] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

So succinct, yet so appropriate 👌

[-] Randelung@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Bunch of coconuts. A lovely one at that.

[-] kat_angstrom@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

A "fuck that" of humans

[-] superkret@feddit.org 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Fun fact: The English collective noun for multiple Americans is a "volume".

[-] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago

Buncha time.

[-] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 2 points 3 days ago

Wicked cools

this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2024
379 points (97.3% liked)

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