Have you ever been given a bum steer?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382019)
Rockingham, Australia
April 5, 2017 5:50pm CST
Following my post about two South Korean girls being told that a phrase containing the 'F' word was acceptable in social circles, Anna (@LadyDuck) commented that she always checked when her French friends taught her a new colloquialism. In my reply, I asked if she'd ever been given a 'bum steer'. This in itself sounds pretty colloquial so off I went to Google.
The phrase means to give wrong or misleading information. It may be intentional but not necessarily so. Such information may result in someone acting in a manner they'd rather not. Wikipedia says the term is mostly used in Australia and New Zealand which is why I thought it worth doing a post on it.
The site suggests the term comes from 19th century American maritime humour. When manoeuvring a ship in port, instructions would be shouted from the wharf to the wheelhouse often through intermediaries who could be any one of several nationalities.
The stern of a ship is not pointed like the front and so difficult to steer if trying to reverse hence a bum steer. Are myLotters familiar with the term or is it really an Aussie/NZ thing?
22 people like this
23 responses
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
7 Apr 17
It is a very common phrase in America and in use today.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
7 Apr 17
@JudyEv I just always assumed it as a cattle term since we call bulls steers. Not any stranger than many others I guess lol now didgeridoo that is a strange word 
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Apr 17
@BelleStarr Didgeridoo is a strange word. I like Gabbyquoiquoi which is the aboriginal name of a creek we crossed in our travels.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
6 Apr 17
It is used here, I would not consider it belonging to any particular country!
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
6 Apr 17
@JudyEv Are you saying I"m old......(
)
)2 people like this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Apr 17
@AbbyGreenhill I was thinking more that your parents told you about it!!! (Did I manage to get myself out of that one? 
)
(Did I manage to get myself out of that one? )
@marguicha (230351)
• Chile
6 Apr 17
I had never heard of it, of course. But my first "australian" word was that of the Dingo dogs. One of my best friends´ children married an australian girl. He called her "my Dinguita" The "ita" is a spanish endearing diminutive.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Apr 17
How cute is that. Have you learnt some more Australian since?
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36847)
• Pamplona, Spain
6 Apr 17
Not familiar with that expression.
I know lots of other ones but not that one.
When I learned Spanish I did not have anywhere to check so I had to use my own discretion and find out what I was really saying.
I learned pretty quick.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36847)
• Pamplona, Spain
7 Apr 17
@JudyEv
No you don´t.
But I did laugh but I did learn pretty quick as I was living here on a permanent basis and it was not like I was on Holiday and I might get away with saying things like that without knowing.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Apr 17
@lovinangelsinstead21 You wouldn't want to give people the wrong impression if you had to live amongst them.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174371)
• United States
10 Apr 17
The phrase is used here, Judy. More when I was a kid than now, though.
I have no idea where it came from...
LOL! Your explanation is as good as any, I'm sure. 
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174371)
• United States
11 Apr 17
@JudyEv Judy, I didn't mean it that way. (I honestly wasn't feeling very well this morning so didn't want to try to find a better explanation than the one you gave.)
I decided, since I bummed you out a bit to do the research after all. I hope this helps, hon. Check out this link. It is the best I was able to find in the twenty minutes or thereabouts that I looked.
Please forgive me.
Please forgive me. 
phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at The Phrase Finder | Search | Discussion Forum Home| Posted by Robert Smith on November 22, 2000 In Reply to: Bum steer posted by ESC on June 14, 2000 My mom hails from Kansas (Dodge City area) and they were using
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Apr 17
@DaddyEvil It was good of you to go to that trouble. I wasn't upset at all but I didn't research it very well either.
to do with cattle.
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
7 Apr 17
no, i am not familiar with that phrase, but that F word, i think is already normally spoken even in movies.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Apr 17
@ridingbet I think it is unbecoming too. The head of a country should be above such things really.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
8 Apr 17
@JudyEv yes i agree. why, even the president of our country curses with the Filipino word of the letter F, and i believe that is unbecoming of a head of a country.
1 person likes this
@manasamanu (3797)
• Bangalore, India
6 Apr 17
This is the first time I am hearing this word.
1 person likes this
@manasamanu (3797)
• Bangalore, India
6 Apr 17
@JudyEv Yeah may be you are right.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
6 Apr 17
I'd never heard that slang before myself
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
6 Apr 17
I've heard of this in America, but never thought much about it.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
8 Apr 17
I have heard that phrase all my life, it was part of my family's phrases. I have not heard about the ship that was difficult to steer, but that makes a lot of sense. My dad's family were all maritime people...
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Apr 17
It must sound incomprehensible to an ESL person. When you think about it - bum steer - very strange indeed. 
@Daljinder (23193)
• Bangalore, India
6 Apr 17
No, I haven't heard that one before. I learned a new phrase today Thank you
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382019)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Apr 17
It would be a bit perplexing coming across it for the first time perhaps.
