Ever been told by a new neighbour 'You must come for dinner' then spent weeks waiting for a follow-up invitation that never arrives? Or been thrilled when the boss said he'd bear your 'very interesting' idea in mind and been surprised when it was never mentioned again. Then you've been victim of the uniquely British trait of being too prim and polite to say what we really mean. And if it can be baffling for us, imagine what it must be like for foreigners who take our every word at face value.
是否曾遇到过新邻居对你说“你得过来吃个晚饭”，可几个礼拜后邀请却迟迟没来？或是激动地听到上司说他会记住你“非常有趣”的想法，却惊讶他再也没提过这件事？如果你真的经历过，那你已经沦为了英式英语的受害者了，英式英语有一个特征，即对于表达真实所想太过于拘谨，也太过于礼貌了。其实对于我们英国人来说，想想外国人可能会把我们说过的每句话都信以为真，也挺令人困扰的。
When a British person begins a sentence 'With the greatest respect...', they're really saying 'I think you are an idiot.' 'I hear what you say' means 'I disagree and do not want to discuss it further' while 'That is a very brave proposal' translates as 'You are insane '.
当一个英国人说话时，以“怀着最高的敬意”开头，他们实际想表达的却是“我认为你是一个白痴”。“我听到你所说的什么”代表“我不同意也不想再继续讨论下去了”，“这是一个勇敢的提议”代表“你疯了”。
