Re: What statement(s) could you have phrased better?
Sorry.<br /><br />Forgotten the exact quote. Winston Churchill said something about the US and England being two nations united by a different language.<br /><br />As I don't know where the problems are I'll take a stab, and maybe here and there poke a bit of fun.<br /><br /> <br />"old man" = father. <br /><br />"doctor" = medical man. Believed to cure disease. <br /><br /><br />"'50's" = 1950's. <br /><br />"GP's" = General Practitioners. Doctors (see above for definition) in suburbs and country towns treating sick people..<br /><br />"incredible" = not believable<br /><br />"house calls" = incredible (see above) doctors (see above) visiting people in their homes to treat them<br /><br />"tonsillectomies" = surgical removal of tonsils. Highly envied in 1955 as guaranteed diet of ice cream and jelly (not US jelly but proper jelly)<br /><br />"appendicectomies" = appendectomies" being rare occasion on which American term is shorter than proper English term<br /><br />"delivering babies" = doctor (see above) observing process by which foetus (US= fetus) is expelled from host by involuntary muscular spasms in nether regions<br /><br />"pyjamas" = nightclothes consisting of pants and jacket, usually flannel, often striped or in silly patterns. Not used for day wear.<br /><br /><br />"17" = 17<br /><br />"bush" = remote areas with minimal human habitation and lots of bush (see "bush")<br /><br />"roped" = dragooned, shaghaied<br /><br />"best man" = dummy at wedding to make up numbers <br /><br />"bloke" = fellow, man<br /><br />"sheila" = woman, or similar<br /><br />"up the duff" = pregnant, usually unintended (by the bloke, anyway)<br /><br />"promise" = guaranteed root (root = sexual congress which could lead to sheila being up the duff but is not intended by the bloke)<br /><br />"free go" = see "promise" but implies they have been coralled for the exclusive pleasure of the best man, except nobody has told the sheilas<br /><br />"crudely" = see root <br /><br />"300 miles" = three hours of endless tailwagging, powersliding, mudsliding avoiding trucks bogged on the roadside just to do the first 40 miles before the light went<br /><br />"an event I wasn't interested in for people I didn't know to destroy a precious weekend." = I should've stayed where I was<br /><br />"Oddly enough it didn't turn out like I was promised." = I didn't get a root: see "Root".<br /><br />"The bride's mother" = Lucky I didn't get the sheila (see "sheila) up the duff(see "duff")<br /><br />"book" = Thing with words in it sandwiched between two stiff flat things.<br /><br />"rote" = past tense of write?<br /><br />"speeches" = like spokes, but not on a wagon<br /><br />"bride" = sheila up the duff (see above) but not necessarily. Once heard of a virgin bride but yet to be confirmed.<br /><br />"bridesmaids" = see "root" . <br /><br />"stilted" = very tall <br /><br />"fork" pointy thing for eating with. Not tongue.<br /><br />"bride" = see "root<br /><br />"flowery" = extravagant.