Two nations divided by a common language *
Given the demography of my readership (mostly American), I thought this might amuse.I was talking to a friend the other day who confessed to an unfortunate lapse a few years ago in a bar in Chicago. I know this may seem apocryphal or even appear to be urban folklore, but I am assured it is true having been related to me in the first person by someone I know well, but choose not to name here. Apparently he approached a stranger in the aforementioned bar and asked:
Can I bum a fag?
He survives to relate this tale only because a cohort of angels appeared and guided him to the ears of the only American in that bar familiar with the English idiom. Perhaps what is needed is an extra option over at Babelfish to offer both American English (I am fairly sure a Microsoft trademark) and English English (pax Austin Powers) as distinct language options.
Anyhow, I offer the following translation of my friend's original question lest any of my readers should encounter something similar on his/her travels. What he meant was:
Excuse me sir [madam]. Like you, I am addicted to nicotine though I have recently met with a measure of success in ridding myself of this affliction with the aid of certain pharmaceutical products applied in the form of adhesive patches to the epidermis. Regrettably this evening I am the worse for wear having consumed a number of lagers and an unwisely large quantity of whisky, and the aforementioned beverages have temporarily impaired my resolve to refrain from the use of tobacco. I wonder therefore if I might beg you to donate to me one of your cigarettes and the means with which to ignite it?
That is, bum == beg and fag == cigarette. Glad we got that sorted out.
* George Bernard Shaw.
Category: Coffee and Cats
Technorati: Coffee and Cats
1. Nathan T. Freeman10/12/2003 16:00:35
"a number of lagers"
This would be almost as obscure to most Americans as "fag." You'd probably want to go with "beers."
2. Chris Linfoot10/12/2003 17:07:28
I know. In England we have something called irony 
3. Nathan T. Freeman10/12/2003 19:25:24
Oh... we don't know anything about that over here. We're just limited to sarcasm.
4. Chris Linfoot11/12/2003 08:25:19
Good. That seems to be working fine
TrackBack From accountability bloke09/12/2004 19:18:56
Pardon my Bollix-ing, ta....
Some webloggers have had fun with the problem. Chris Linfoot relates the story of one poor soul who ran into a wee-bit of difficulty when he asked someone in a Chicago bar 'Can I bum a fag?'
6. Conan The Grammarian21/08/2008 03:41:44
The anecdote about bumming a fag in Chicago reminds me of a story Bill Bryson related in his wonderful book, "English: The Mother Tongue and How it Got That Way". Mister Bryson was born and raised in the US until about age twenty-five and then moved to Britain, where he was invited to his first English formal dinner party; at dinners end, in order to indicate his satiation, and thereby thank his hosts for wonderful dinner, he announced, "Boy, I'm stuffed!"
Cross-cultural explanations: To the unworldly Americans, who are no doubt thinking 'What's wrong with that?", in the British idiom, 'I'm stuffed' is the functional equivalent of one of us saying 'I'm f__ked'; and for the insular Brits, who are no doubt thinking, 'Why would any rational, reasonably intelligent person even consider such a phrase?', over here it means, in the American idiom, 'I'm full to bursting with your wonderful cooking!'. Ozzies and Kiwis, you're on your own. I'm off to fire-up a fag on the veranda. 
7. Chris Linfoot21/08/2008 09:24:26
If Bill did indeed relate the story that way, then he was in a part of England I have never visited.
Most English people, on hearing anyone declaim "I'm stuffed" after a large meal would both understand and fail to find any alternative meaning in the utterance. Indeed, many would actually say it themselves.
Stuffed as a euphemism for a word of an altogether more anglo saxon slant is actually a common Australian usage although, like bastard, it is one of those rude words which Australians consider quite acceptable.
It is even used in advertising.
For example, one ad for a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas turkey read "don't stuff the turkey".
This appears at face value to be an exhortation to refrain from the use of the product being advertised but, given the alternative meaning of stuff, actually means that the turkey will be (ahem) stuffed if it isn't stuffed with the product in question.
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