On Jul 8, 4:36*am, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:
"Arfa Daily" wrote in message

...



Oh dear. Of course we understand the significance of them and the huge
technical advance that they represented, which is what made Gareth's use
of
the word "crap" (with the British accent of meaning), funny. I accept that
this is a very subtle form of humour, and perhaps one that as an American,
you don't understand.

Stop patronizing us. (Or at least, me.) Despite being a stupid American (and
let's face it, Americans are stupid) I understand subtle and ironic humor..
THAT ISN'T THE ISSUE, though you insist on it.

Arfa, you seem to think that merely saying something -- especially in
print -- necessarily carries the context. IT DOESN'T.

Is it too much to ask that you say "Whoops! I didn't stop to think that
there was no way an American could have gotten the joke, and would have
misinterpreted it as a stupid and possibly offensive remark."?

Here's another example... In the US, "geezer" is considered somewhat
offensive, implying excessive age or senility. In Great Britain, it's
something of a compliment.

In the US, a "geezer" is an injection drug user, typically a heroin
addict. See, for example, _The concise new Partridge dictionary of
slang and unconventional English_ byEric Partridge, Tom Dalzell, Terry