Thursday 4 July 2024

Eccentric English

Overheard in a museum: ‘It’s just a collection of old things’.

On the bus they overheard a heated debate about the difference between a fjord and a peninsula. Neither participant knew which was water and which was land. Both words had to be Googled for clarification. Diva has O-level Latin and had to stop herself from explaining the derivation of ‘peninsula’.

The variant of English used by the crew must be specially taught. The Cruise Directors have always said ‘at this time’ for now and ‘start your disembarkation process’ for ‘leave now’. Recently they have heard  ‘May I prepare you another coffee?’ for ‘Do you want some more?’. Waiters now ‘guide you through your dining experience’.


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