Three in five Gen Z-ers baffled by quirky names and phrases

From ‘Cat burglars’ and ‘honeymoons’ to ‘raining cats and dogs’, the quirky, unusual phrases and misleading names of the English language are leaving Brits baffled.

In fact, a third of Brits admit to not understanding the meaning of commonplace names and phrases – rising to 61% for Gen Z-ers.

According to new research, more than a fifth (22%) of Brits have misunderstood what something is or does (16%) thanks to its peculiar name.

While a quarter (24%) of us simply pretend to understand these unusual sayings, 27% accept them without challenge.

Londoners have gone as far as to put their own spin on things, with a fifth (22%) – the highest rate in the country – making up their own misnomers and using them in conversation.

The research, commissioned by French biscuit brand LU, marks the launch of its new biscuit and first-ever cookie, LU Le Petit Cookie.

Tackling the common and misleading phrases, TV presenter Fred Sirieix and LU took to the streets of London to see what Brits think about these confusing sayings, and what they’d rename them to, given the chance.

Name changes chosen by members of the public saw Piccadilly Circus change into ‘Normal English Square’ and the funny bone re-imagined to the more logical ‘knee of the arm’.

Topping the list of misnomers that people find most confusing are Tennis bracelet (32%), Herringbone (17%), Koala bear (16%), Gravy boat (13%) and Earwig (12%).

Meanwhile a dime a dozen (24%), raining cats and dogs (16%), cat got your tongue (14%), bite the bullet (12%) and ‘easy as pie’ (12%) were voted those most confusing turns of phrase in the English language.

Sirieix said: “It’s been great fun finding the unique names, terms and phrases that often cause confusion in the English language – and it also gives context to why the new LU biscuit, Le Petit Cookie, is called what it is.

“I’m now on a mission to turn the peculiarly named Piccadilly Circus into ‘Normal English Square’ – makes much more sense!”

And these confusing nicknames trickle down to food too. In fact, a whopping 86% of us believe there are lots of quirky names within the world of food.

Serving up the most confusions are Spotted dick (34%) followed by Sussex Pond Pudding (29%), Stargazy pie (25%), Devilled eggs (25%) and Ladyfingers (24%) – voted the top five most confusingly named dishes.

However, despite the confusions they can create, it seems many of us have a soft spot for these eccentric naming conventions.

More than three quarters (77%) agree that these funny phrases and names are part of what makes the English language unique, with 17% saying they smile when they hear them.

Kelly Lawrence, Brand Manager at LU said: “Despite its name, we know there’s nothing ‘petit’ about LU’s Petit Cookie. But given all the other quirks and phrases out there, we know it’s joining a lot of other things with somewhat perplexing names that people will come to understand.”

TOP 10 MOST CONFUSING MISNOMERS ACCORDING TO BRITS: