[rescue] RE: Small schools...

[Dave McGuire]

On June 21, Mattias Nordlund wrote:
> But when one don't fall in ony of those two categorys? Is it the Ok to
> sneer about stupid Americans?

  Of course it is...as long as you realize that we're not ALL
blithering idiots.  Only about 95% of us. :)

  Seriously, though...between this list and the classiccmp list (which
is a very geographically diverse list), one of the most interesting
things to me (aside from the core topics, of course) is the
differences in euphemisms and other little sayings between all of our
countries.

  A good example that comes to mind is the big garbage repceptacle that
hides behind or beside many buildings.  In the US, we usually call
that a "dumpster", whereas in the UK it seems to be called a "skip".
Another good one is...a "hamfest" in the US is a "radio rally" in the
UK.  Tracing the etymologies of these popular informal terms can be
truly fascinating.  It clearly illustrates the difference in the level
of interpersonal communications between citizens within a country from
the level between citizens of different countries.

  Neat stuff.

          -Dave McGuire