Complex Numbers

Rule Britannia

Open your local paper or browse online for a news story headline that grabs your attention and share it with us. Try to venture outside your comfort zone and read a story you wouldn’t normally read or even one from another country!

Well, sharing stories and articles is kind of what I do here. And I often read stories from other countries. In practice, that's usually limited to Canada, Australia, and the UK, because I'm bilingual: I can read English and 'Murican.

You don't think there's a difference? Well, as I like to put it, the English invented the language, and we perfected it.

The Brits are entirely too courteous to call me out on that. "Quite good," they'll say. "Very interesting."

So imagine my surprise when I found this:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46846467

Britons like to think they have a "special relationship" with the US, based on a common language and cultural, historical and political ties.

But, according to one of the UK's most respected polling companies, there's one chasm the English language can't always bridge - the British love of passive-aggressive statements.

In the words of YouGov, "half of Americans wouldn't be able to tell that a Briton is calling them an idiot".

Turns out that "Quite good" actually means "A bit disappointing," probably referring to our cultural progress since 1776. Can't say I blame 'em. And "Very interesting" translates to "That is clearly nonsense."

And I still haven't quite parsed what the Brits mean when they say "take the piss out of you." I've seen it several places, and the context seems to keep changing. I'm thinking that's because it's a particularly British way of trolling someone, an art form that we Yanks haven't gotten the hang of.

I will also note that the illustration for "British sarcasm" consists of Black Adder and Baldrick. Of that, I definitely approve.

So, bless your hearts, my UK friends. And I say that with the greatest respect.