As we see on Youtube, almost anything will blend.

But the same isn't true for language. Any expression doesn't always fit any situation.

This holds true for non verbal language too.

Only the other day my 9 year old grandson was sitting next to me at a nursery school party for his younger brother. He stretched out his hand and ruffled my hair. I believe he did this as a show of affection. It's the sort of thing adults often  do to kids , even to kids who aren't their own. I felt happy, recognising where he was coming from.

 But it occurred to me that behavior that copies gestures without regard for context, could land a kid in trouble. And not just a kid. 

The same is true for language expressions.

If adults 'copy' language expressions that they hear in one context and use them in a different one, they may be heading for mis-communication.

I am reminded of a message left on my voice box by a former client who had spent some years in the States. He ended his message by saying " Regards to your lovely husband". Since he had never met my husband, this message surprised me, until the penny suddenly dropped.

 Once, in a time before politically correct language had even been thought of, North American and British male speakers of a certain age and status might have said to a junior colleague: " My regards to your lovely wife".My guess is that someone said this to him  when he was abroad and he liked the expression enough to use it in a totally different context some 5 years later. 

But the expression doesn't transpose.  There may still be lovely wives to send regards to, but there never were, and never can be, lovely husbands  as recipients of such a greeting.

So if you hear an expression that you think is cool, and would like to use, first ask  yourself ( or me) : Will it fit?

Lola