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Re: Receipts - But a new slant

From athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid>
Newsgroups alt.usage.english
Subject Re: Receipts - But a new slant
References <mqa24ltljg7qpg1h3tn7a9lilv3gj10qd9@4ax.com> <nafiocFteb9U1@mid.individual.net>
Date 2026-06-29 16:59 +0000
Message-ID <1782752346-12588@newsgrouper.org> (permalink)

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"s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> posted:

> On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:34:45 -0400, Tony Cooper wrote:
> 
> 8< snip >8
> > Consider, for example, "sticky wicket".  Most Americans have no real
> > conception of what a wicket is, and only a vague idea that it has
> > something to do with cricket. Yet, they'll say/write that this is a
> > sticky wicket instead of the simpler and more understandable "This is
> > a difficult situation".  American readers/hearers will not consider
> > this a Britishism; they'll consider it part of our language.
> 
> I studied (British) English for 5 years and I have no clue what 'sticky
> wicket' means. I think the English have great expressions. Sometimes I
> pick them up, but that's not always easy, because I don't use them often
> enough.
> 
> One that did stick was one I learned through gaming with an Englishman.
> At one point he said: 'I don't know you from Adam.', something which I
> was never taught. They should have taught us more things like that.
> 

Once Richard Dawkins was criticizing Stephen J. Goould's assumption that all
his readers were as passionate about rounders (sorry, baseball) as he was and
wondered how US readers would react if he wrote something like this in a
serious book:

"The home keeper was on a pair, vulnerable to anything from a yorker to a 
chinaman, when he fell to a googly given plenty of air. Silly mid on appealed 
for leg before, Dicky Bird’s finger shot up and the tail collapsed. Not 
surprisingly, the skipper took the light. Next morning the night watchman, 
defiantly out of his popping crease, snicked a cover drive off a no ball 
straight through the gullies and on a fast outfield third man failed to 
stop the boundary … etc. etc.”

"Readers in England, the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, 
Sri Lanka and anglophone Africa would understand every word, but Americans, 
after enduring a page or two, would rightly protest."

-- 
athel

Living in Marseilles for 39 years; mainly in England before that,
with long periods in Singapore, California, Chile and Canada

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Receipts - But a new slant Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-28 10:34 -0400
  Re: Receipts - But a new slant Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-28 17:36 +0200
  Re: Receipts - But a new slant richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-28 17:03 +0000
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-29 06:04 +0200
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-06-29 20:26 +0100
  Re: Receipts - But a new slant Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-29 06:27 +0100
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-07-01 17:33 -0700
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-02 10:38 +1000
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-02 05:37 +0200
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-07-02 19:33 +0100
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-07-02 05:36 +0200
  Re: Receipts - But a new slant Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2026-06-29 02:33 -0300
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-29 16:51 +0200
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2026-06-30 01:59 -0300
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-30 07:25 +0200
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-30 10:32 +0200
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 19:40 -0700
  Re: Receipts - But a new slant "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-29 17:53 +0200
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-29 12:26 -0400
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-06-29 20:30 +0100
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-29 21:54 +0200
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-29 20:38 +0000
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-30 10:12 +1000
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-29 23:00 -0400
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-06-30 09:26 +0100
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 19:40 -0700
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 20:26 -0700
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2026-06-30 02:12 -0300
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-30 08:34 +0200
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-06-30 10:36 +0200
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 19:40 -0700
    Re: Receipts - But a new slant athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-06-29 16:59 +0000
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-29 19:17 +0000
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-30 07:03 +0100
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-06-30 07:46 +0000
      Re: Receipts - But a new slant Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-29 16:36 -0400
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-30 07:03 +0100
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-30 08:44 +0200
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-30 09:13 +0000
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> - 2026-06-30 10:16 +0100
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-30 09:36 +0000
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-30 11:44 +0200
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Adam Funk <a24061@ducksburg.com> - 2026-06-30 11:13 +0100
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-30 14:46 +0200
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-30 11:43 +0200
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Radey Shouman <shouman@comcast.net> - 2026-06-30 11:07 -0400
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) - 2026-06-30 16:34 +0000
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Radey Shouman <shouman@comcast.net> - 2026-06-30 13:59 -0400
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz> - 2026-07-01 09:01 +1200
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 18:20 -0400
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-01 08:51 +0200
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz> - 2026-07-01 22:09 +1200
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-30 16:50 +1000
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-30 08:17 +0100
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-30 17:55 +1000
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-30 14:43 +0100
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-07-03 08:13 +0200
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-07-03 11:30 +0100
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-05 17:15 +1000
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-05 10:36 +0200
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-30 09:30 +0200
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Rich Ulrich <rich.ulrich@comcast.net> - 2026-06-30 08:41 -0400
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-30 14:48 +0200
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Rich Ulrich <rich.ulrich@comcast.net> - 2026-06-30 14:11 -0400
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-06-30 20:17 +0100
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-06-30 09:26 +0100
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-06-30 11:52 +0000
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-07-04 09:38 +0000
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Rich Ulrich <rich.ulrich@comcast.net> - 2026-07-04 21:13 -0400
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-07-05 09:22 +0200
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-06-30 13:53 -0400
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2026-07-02 18:35 -0300
            Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-03 10:21 +1000
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2026-07-03 02:05 -0300
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-07-03 12:08 +0200
              Re: Receipts - But a new slant Rich Ulrich <rich.ulrich@comcast.net> - 2026-07-03 10:13 -0400
                Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-05 17:25 +1000
        Re: Receipts - But a new slant Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2026-06-30 20:07 +0100
          Re: Receipts - But a new slant Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-07-01 10:16 +1000

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