I'm ba-ack! *waves at fellow Forumites*

[Scone Lover]

Unfaithful to my sister? Difficult. But I am still asserting my innocense

[Ruthie-Baby(old a/c)]

hmm, what have you been up to in my absence?

[FrogBoxed]

— — — — — — — — — — A few weeks pass — — — — — — — — — —

Hello everyone! I really can't keep up with you all... You're all so prolific (with your posting, calm down J.R.!)

'Hi' and 'Nice to meet you, too!' to Sean.

[J.R.]

— — — — — — — — — — A few weeks pass — — — — — — — — — —

Hello everyone! I really can't keep up with you all... You're all so prolific (with your posting, calm down J.R.!)

'Hi' and 'Nice to meet you, too!' to Sean.

Arr !!! You're SO sweet !!

[FrogBoxed]

— — — — — — — — — — A couple of months pass — — — — — — — — — —

Hello again everyone! Well, I've moved house (am now based in Cambridgeshire), been to Boston (on a business trip—pics at that link are from a rare day off) and am seriously hard at work (I heart my new job ).

As I don't know anyone here yet, it's especially lovely to pop back here and catch up with what you're all up to (291 pages of Mallett's Mallet and counting!). Now that things have calmed down a little, I'll try and make it back here more than once every few months...

[J.R.]

— — — — — — — — — — A couple of months pass — — — — — — — — — —

Hello again everyone! Well, I've moved house (am now based in Cambridgeshire), been to Boston (on a business trip—pics at that link are from a rare day off) and am seriously hard at work (I heart my new job ).

As I don't know anyone here yet, it's especially lovely to pop back here and catch up with what you're all up to (291 pages of Mallett's Mallet and counting!). Now that things have calmed down a little, I'll try and make it back here more than once every few months...

??

[FrogBoxed]

work (I heart my new job ).

??

Oh dear, sorry JR, "I heart" or "I ?" is a slang expression. Read more about it here: on Wikipedia.

[J.R.]

work (I heart my new job ).

??

Oh dear, sorry JR, "I heart" or "I ?" is a slang expression. Read more about it here: on Wikipedia.

So I take it this is yet another example of the new 'text-speak' that I have to contend with and decipher from Grand-Children ?

I must book my place on the next series of 'Grumpy Old Men' !!

[FrogBoxed]

Hmm, actually it's mostly an Americanism, but I am now required to use these for my job. Normally, the internal censor in my head allows me to use American English and slang in emails and in the books, but prevents me from using "color" and "different than" *shudder* in polite conversations (spoken, or written)... that one must have slipped through the net!

[J.R.]

I worked for a company and worked my way up to middle management. The company was then taken over by an American conglom. As I hadn't attended uni, I was told it was unlikely there would be a similiar position for me in the new set-up. They didn't seem to understand The University of Life was far better than some silly degree obtained by having a good memory. Nice pay-off, though.

Another comapny I applied to for a job was American owned. First thing they wanted to do was analyse my hand-writing. I think you can all guess what my answer was !

[sejintenej]

Hmm, actually it's mostly an Americanism, but I am now required to use these for my job. Normally, the internal censor in my head allows me to use American English and slang in emails and in the books, but prevents me from using "color" and "different than" *shudder* in polite conversations (spoken, or written)... that one must have slipped through the net!

In my penultimate job we had a list of prohibited words and phrases because head office taught their staff American.
For example Durex to them is Scotch Tape which is sellotape but is also a preservatif.
As for "days of grace" - a technical term we almost had a full scale legal sacking case because they misinterpreted professional norms.

[FrogBoxed]

Luckily "my" lot are much friendlier than that!

In fact, Americanisms aside, it's a great job—it would have to be to tempt me away from the heady days of self-employment... staying in my pyjamas until midday, daytime tv... ah, those were the days!*

*obviously, this is a joke

[sejintenej]

In my penultimate job we had a list of prohibited words and phrases because head office taught their staff American.
For example Durex to them is Scotch Tape which is sellotape but is also a preservatif.
As for "days of grace" - a technical term we almost had a full scale legal sacking case because they misinterpreted professional norms.

Luckily "my" lot are much friendlier than that!

It was far from unfriendly and with Brazilians who had travelled and understood the differences (who were usually very senior staff) one could freely joke about the differences and play with words. I used to love it and as for my boss - he "refused" to understand my accent because I deliberately spoke a different dialect to him (Carioca - Rio de Janeiro as against his Sao Paulo). The other staff thought it was a scream --they realised that I could read and write almost as well as him and speak both dialects.

However, when one is dealing in 8 and 9 figures of dollars it is crucial that both sides understand exactly the same thing. In the case in question HO approved a transaction with a 6 months grace period. In American (the language that HO had interpreted our application in) that means that the first repayment is 6 months from the date of drawdown. In the UK terminology it is different and in this case the first repayment was due 12 months from drawdown as we applied for and they apparently approved (since they used the English term - there isn't one in Portuguese). A big difference and prima facie a breach of the committee approval and a sacking offence. We got over it and no harm was done but we had to be careful......

We had a standard one for young trainees who came over - when they asked for sticky tape (Durex) the younger (dolly) secretaries had a supply of Durex brand condoms. Used to shake them rigid!

[englishangel]

I thought Durex was sticky tape in Australia, the Americans say Scotch tape, and a condom is a rubber in the US.

However many of what we call 'Americanisms' were actually taken from here by the colonists and have remained in use over there where we have lost them.

Bill Bryson's 'Mother Tongue' is a mine of information.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

I thought Durex was sticky tape in Australia, the Americans say Scotch tape, and a condom is a rubber in the US.

However many of what we call 'Americanisms' were actually taken from here by the colonists and have remained in use over there where we have lost them.

Bill Bryson's 'Mother Tongue' is a mine of information.

Sellotape was, when I first came to Oz (20 years ago) called by its brand name of 'Durex', but I haven't heard it called that for a very long time.

I still have problems with 'this' and 'next'. Example: it's Thursday, a friend wants to catch up, we are only free on Saturday's. I say 'Can't make this Saturday, but am free next Saturday. See you then?'

The evening of 'this' Saturday arrives and I receive a 'where the hell where you' message.


Know what a texta is?

An esky (Oz) or chilly bin (chully bun - NZ, of course)?

Thongs? Calm down JR: not the type of underwear that disappears into the deep, dark recesses of the most self-respecting bottom.

Um, what else - thinking, thinking .............

Nope, mind gone blank.