English Words That Mean Something Completely Different Abroad

English is the most widely spoken language in the world, with the total number of speakers — both native and nonnative — estimated at around 1.5 billion. English words have even been adopted into other languages, but not always in the way native speakers expect. Many languages have borrowed English words and given them entirely new meanings, creating what linguists call pseudo-anglicisms. These linguistic mutations reveal the interesting ways in which languages can evolve. 

Here are eight common English words that mean something completely different in other countries and languages.

In German, Oldtimer refers not to a person of an advanced age, but to a vintage or classic car — officially, a historic motor vehicle that is 30 years old or more. Up until the 1970s, it was also quite common in Germany to hear a classic car referred to by another English word: Veteran. But today, you’re far more likely to hear Oldtimer. 

In English, “mansion” conjures up images of a spacious, elegant home, perhaps surrounded by a sprawling country estate. But in Japan, a mansion or manshon is a concrete apartment building, often relatively modern and mid- to high-rise. The word was borrowed from the English “mansion” during the post-World War II period, when Western-style concrete buildings were being constructed. The Japanese word apaato, meanwhile, comes from the English word “apartment” and usually refers to a building two to three stories high and constructed of wood or light gauge steel.

If a French person mentions their slip, they’re talking about their underwear — typically men’s briefs or women’s panties. The word comes from the English verb “to slip” (into clothing), but English speakers reserve “slip” for a woman’s undergarment worn beneath a dress or skirt. French also uses slip de bain for swimming trunks, further cementing the word’s association with lower-body garments.

In English, the adjective “handy” can mean that something is convenient, or refer to someone who is good with their hands. In German, Handy turns into a noun, and the meaning is very different: It’s a common name for a cellphone. It’s not entirely clear why the word was adopted, but it might have come from Handfunktelefon (a German word for the first handheld mobile phones), or possibly from the Motorola HT 220 Handie Talkie — a type of walkie-talkie used during World War II. Either way, the word stuck and even extended its reach — if you want to get a German’s cell number, for example, you simply ask for their Handynummer. 

In a handful of European languages, including French, German, and Portuguese, smoking does not refer to the act of smoking a cigarette, cigar, pipe, or anything else that can produce smoke or be smoked. Instead, it refers to a tuxedo or dinner jacket. The term derives from the smoking jackets — elegant menswear worn while smoking cigars or pipes — that were popular in 19th-century England. The term was picked up in other parts of Europe but evolved to refer to formal evening wear in a more general sense. So, when Europeans talk about going to an event in a smoking (or, in Spanish-speaking countries, an esmoquin), they mean they’re wearing black-tie formal wear — and not anything to do with cigarettes or tobacco.

In Spanish, wáter or váter (both spellings exist) means “toilet” or “bathroom” — not “water” (which is agua). The Spanish word derives from the English “water closet.” So, when a Spanish speaker asks for the wáter, they don’t want a drink of water — they want to go to the restroom. Wáter can also refer more specifically to a toilet bowl. 

Another common Scheinanglizismus — that’s “pseudo-anglicism” in German. A Bodybag is a shoulder bag or messenger bag worn across the body — a trendy accessory, often mentioned in casual conversation. For English speakers, of course, “body bag” is  the bag used to transport corpses (which, in German, is Leichensack). 

It’s not often that you say, “I feel like eating a Viking today” — but in Japan you can do just that. Since the 1950s, eating Vikings has been a common occurrence in Japan, where a viking is an all-you-can-eat buffet. This came about when a restaurant manager from Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel traveled to Sweden in 1957. Impressed by the Swedish smörgåsbord buffets, he took the concept back to Japan. The new all-you-can-eat buffet was a hit, and the hotel changed the name of its restaurant to the Imperial Viking in honor of the buffet’s Scandinavian roots. Other restaurants copied the format, and viking soon became synonymous with unlimited buffet-style dining.