There are many ways for foreigners to greet one another, but when language becomes a barrier, a Hong Kong woman who moved to the UK felt offended.
She said, "When I came to the UK, someone called me a duck... I thought, Does he not like me and is making fun of me?'" Only later did she realize it was a friendly gesture.
The Hong Kong woman who had emigrated to the UK posted on the social media platform Threads, saying that her colleagues at work called her a duck, and she assumed it carried a negative connotation, feeling uneasy about it.
"Before, a coworker would always say 'hi dog' to me, and I spent days wondering why he called me a dog... I thought, does he not like me and is mocking me?"
The woman later discovered it was all a misunderstanding. "Only afterwards did I ask and find out it was actually 'hi duck'—so they were calling me a duck... It turns out that in the UK, calling someone a duck is a friendly thing..."
In English-speaking countries, "Hi duck" is actually a local and warm everyday greeting. People often use "duck" to address friends, younger people, or peers—much like "dear," "mate," or "pal."
It turns out that many Hongkongers who have moved to the UK have fallen for the same "trap."
"They really do say 'Hi duck'—it's similar to 'Hi mate' and is used in some places. The first time I heard it, I thought it was hilarious." "They also say 'hi chicken,' and that's friendly too."
However, some pointed out that it is more of a Midlands cultural thing. "I've never heard it in London." "Never heard 'duck,' but have heard 'chicken'—for the record, I live in Yorkshire."
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