How does an Englishman leave?
I’ve just got back from Israel. Whilst there I was talking to some Russians. I’d not heard this one of theirs before. “ Il leave like an English man”. Quite a common saying for them apparently when they are planning on leaving a social gathering lol 😂
Any one else heard any gems?
How does an Englishman leave?
I'm aware of a French or Irish exit - you leave quietly without announcing your departure.
Maybe an English exit is more of a commentary on recent events - announce it as loudly as possible and then trip as the door hits you on the way out, and then get rained on.
There is a French expression, «*filer ŕ l’anglaise*» which amount to the same thing and which you amusingly translate as taking a French leave
Same thing with capote anglaise and French letter.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I’d have left when I’d found out they were Russian.
I was asking a French girl that very question today.
She was polite and diplomatic,I would say woke and stupid.
The big building site near my house told me they couldn't turn of the lights (bright enough to light the south of England and dazzle aircraft overhead) at night in case someone broke in and injured themselves.
I mean what on earth is this nonsense.
Meanwhile in Germany.
I think recently we've come to be viewed by much of the so called developed world with not a little pity having shattered a couple of generally accepted notions about our capabilities, pragmatism and statecraft. I suspect some in the ROW see us as an opportunity for exploitation.
More colloquially, historically speaking as a people with a penchant to drink excessively and misbehave in public.
Curious now, spill beans bwest...
Last edited by Passenger; 26th May 2023 at 10:54.
When I lived in Germany some 20 years ago, I was told they referred to the uk as Monkey Island - I think the literal translation is island monkeys (Inselaffe)
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Other countries probs see Britain following the course of the landed gentry/aristocrats from the1940s. Desperate enough to marry in to money, but not yet desperate enough to admit that we will need to admit their extended families also.
I know from a business perspective sometimes Brits annoy people from other countries as we frequently don't say what we think. It particularly bamboozles our Dutch colleagues as in the Netherlands people tend to be very direct and to the point and when they engage with Brits they think a meeting has gone really well, nobody has raised any objections and everyone appears to be happy and then after the meeting you never hear from the Brits again!
My wife (who is originally from Thailand) admires the road etiquette here - particularly how we go out of our way to let ambulances past (will never happen in Thailand) or wait for someone to park. She also has travelled across Europe and thinks the UK is far more organised than most countries and is much cleaner. She was shocked in particular at how bad and disorganised the German rail system was compared to the UK. Overall for her the UK is the best country in Europe to live in (and far better than the US).
However food is better in much of Europe compared to the UK - not at a produce level but at an individual knowledge level - she observed the average Brit hasn't got a clue about seasonal local priduce and instead will think of themselves as a foodie for cooking some fancy foreign dish using imported ingredients whereas true chef skills in many countries come from knowing what is in season locally and making the best of that and that skill isn't common in the UK. The actual words were 'how can you be so close to France and Italy and yet get food so wrong?!!?'