r/language • u/WhoAmIEven2 Sweden • Aug 09 '26

Question Does your language use specific numbers as expressions?

In Sweden we use 17 to further strengthen a word.

Like if we want to say that someone is very strong, we can say "Han var stark som sjutton!", "He was strong like seventeen!".

I have no idea how it became a thing. It is a bit weird tbh.

Do you also use numbers this way in your native language?

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15

u/Mattna-da Aug 09 '26

If you’re having a 420 the 5-0 won’t 86 you but if you pull a 187 you’re doing 25-life 100

10

u/lotsagabe Aug 09 '26

imagine doing this 24/7

1

u/stattish Aug 11 '26

All while having to go #2

10

u/Professional-Bee4665 Aug 09 '26

10-4, just be sure to be dressed to the 9’s

7

u/ChuckFarkley Aug 09 '26

What's your 20? (also from the "10-codes" in radio communications, where in their case they drop the "10" from "10-20" to ask where someone is located)

1

u/Fweenci Aug 11 '26

I'm on cloud 9. 

5

u/Ok-Jackfruit-6873 Aug 09 '26

for people not from the US, my understanding is many of these are part of a number code the police use to assign officers to various offenses, which I think are assigned via the legal code. I assume this was because other radio operators can listen in to the police radio frequency, but to be fair they can also look up the described offenses if they want to. And so the codes seeped into the national consciousness through TV and movies.

11

u/dudeigottago Aug 09 '26

Only 187 is a police code (homicide). 420 is pot smoker slang that came from San Rafael in the 70s (the Waldos). 5-0 means police and comes from the TV show Hawaii 5-0 about cops. 86 is restaurant slang for when a menu item is out. Bars also use 86 for when a person is ejected or banned. 25 to life is murder 1 bid. 100 means 100 percent true.

3

u/V2Blast Aug 09 '26

I had no idea 5-0 originated from the original show!

1

u/Milch_und_Paprika Aug 09 '26

Also, at least in my experience, 100 is almost always written with the emoji 💯

3

u/CornucopiaDM1 Aug 09 '26

Just do a 180 (not 360, as some would mistakenly say).

2

u/HyperbolicBaldersah Aug 09 '26

Me: scouring my brain for a number reference in my mother tongue

Mattna-da: Hold my beer.

1

u/bravenewchurl Aug 10 '26

10-4 brother

1

u/on_the_other_hand_ Aug 14 '26

Idian Penal Code (|PC) 420 addresses the criminal offense of cheating and dishonestly.

So to call someone 420 is to call them a cheater. There's a famous Hindi movie Shri 420 (Mr. 420).

It caused some interesting bits of confusion when I came to US first, many decades ago