British > foreign translator

[Father Bill]

Although streak as a verb is fading, streaker seems to have remained. Having sprung into being to describe the naked runner it has stuck.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

You're right Anne. I would assume that it's because there is no equivalent other-meaning use of the word to have taken over or return to the original sense of the thing.

Always interesting!

[Andrews Son]

That doesn't sound too bad to me.

These trans-Atlantic misunderstandings can sadly have unintended tragic consequences. In the Korean War at the Battle of Imjin ,an American General asked The Commanding Officer Of the Gloucestershire Regiment, Lt. Col. Carne, how the battle was going the reply came over the radio that "things are a bit tricky at the moment", the conversation was then cut short to which the American assumed that all was well in battle terms, had the General understood he could have easily called for artillery support. In fact the "Glosters"(some 800 men) were completely surrounded by some 60,000 very angry and determined Chinese soldiers and were about to be over-run after a three day battle. Colonel Carne and many of his men were taken prisoner and were treated pretty badly by their captors until the war came to an end. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions and the Gloucestershire Regiment were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation(USA) for their bravery. That honour is still worn on the sleeve of one of the present day Battalions of The Rifles, which amalgamated with other Regiments to form the present day, Rifles. Sad but true all this may be, it cannot be considered to be anyones fault.

Reminds me of this sketch.
Being outnumbered 70 to 1 and still cool, calm and collected...typically british

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Llq4MrLOyZM

[madmacs]

The same year, Oxford re-issued the Complete Oxford Dictionary in... forty volumes.

The "condensed version of common usage" being 40 pages... It's okay though someday it'll be double plus good!

[OC Richard]

What I noticed, going down that list, is how often "what the Brit actually means" is precisely what Doc Martin would say.

Or as my wife observed "Doc Martin doesn't have the filter."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0EWNh4psn4

[Phil]

Sigh....... how often me attempts at British drollery have fallen foul of this particular misinterpretation .....