If one can’t keep clear the differences between British and American usages of words, perhaps one deserves a slap on the fanny.
By the way, simpsonfan, the “divided by a common language” quote is given multiple sources, including Wilde, Shaw, and Churchill, but whoever it was it wasn’t Twain. He also never said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer I spent in San Francisco”, but he should have. Like Yogi Berra, Twain could creditably have claimed “I never said all the things I said” (or maybe “Reports of my epigrams have been greatly exaggerated”).
However, one quote I like which I can pinpoint is this:
”belladonna,noun: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues.”
– Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary
If one can’t keep clear the differences between British and American usages of words, perhaps one deserves a slap on the fanny.
By the way, simpsonfan, the “divided by a common language” quote is given multiple sources, including Wilde, Shaw, and Churchill, but whoever it was it wasn’t Twain. He also never said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer I spent in San Francisco”, but he should have. Like Yogi Berra, Twain could creditably have claimed “I never said all the things I said” (or maybe “Reports of my epigrams have been greatly exaggerated”).
However, one quote I like which I can pinpoint is this:
”belladonna, noun: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues.” – Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary