new word of the day

[gh]

<<LIVERPOOL football hero Steven Gerrard has been charged with assault and affray after a fan of rivals Manchester United lost a tooth in an alleged nightclub brawl.>>

So has anyone (other than perhaps law dude) ever come across "affray" before?

[eldrick]

most any servile, upright male in limey is familiar with "affray"

it's standard fare...

what you might not be familiar with is difference between "assault" & "assault & battery"

2 completely different punishments...

[Marlow]

Re: new word of the day

<<LIVERPOOL football hero Steven Gerrard has been charged with assault and affray after a fan of rivals Manchester United lost a tooth in an alleged nightclub brawl.>>
So has anyone (other than perhaps law dude) ever come across "affray" before?

I remember having to look it up in a Brit Lit text about William Blake. A soldier accused him of it (threatening behavior against him, ergo the Crown) and had him arrested, which turned him sour for a long time, The Tyger, being a good example.

[AthleticsInBritain]

It's basically just legalese for a punch-up isn't it? I've heard of it because I used to work for a law firm and you'd get a fair few young fellas in the door on a Monday morning having got in a fight in/outside a nightclub on a Saturday night.

I'm so not impressed 'cos he's captain of the team I support. And this happened just hours after one of the best domestic games the current team have ever played.

PS Eldrick - you're the only person I know who actually uses the word "limey". Every USAnian I've ever spoken to uses 'Brit'.

[gh]

From my experience (on both sides of the 49th parallel), on these shores "limey" is considered a mild pejorative. Somewhat the same way a Canadian would use Yank (or a Cuban would use Yanqui). (or indeed, as some Americans use Canuck)

[Marlow]

From my experience (on both sides of the 49th parallel), on these shores "limey" is considered a mild pejorative. Somewhat the same way a Canadian would use Yank (or a Cuban would use Yanqui). (or indeed, as some Americans use Canuck)

Really! In my experience, Limey is for comedic purposes (as in "Those limey bastards are at it again, trying to wreck the language!"), as is Canuck(ian), and I sincerely thought that Yank was a 'familiar' term. The times I have been called one when overseas, it was just a pet term for American (and no, I didn't miss the tone).

[AthleticsInBritain]

I try very hard to avoid the word "Yank" on these boards although that was what USAnians were always called when I was growing up. Not least because I understand most Southern state readers would be offended! (Or have I got that the wrong way round? It's a while since I watched Gone with the Wind! )

I also try not to say Americans when referring solely to people from the USA as I know a fair few people from Central and South America who moan that they're American too.

I don't think there's another word in use to describe the folks from the States, so I've been using USAnians for want of a better phrase!

[Marlow]

I don't think there's another word in use to describe the folks from the States, so I've been using USAnians for want of a better phrase!

I've heard 'Amis' a lot, esp. in Germany.

[Vince]

I try very hard to avoid the word "Yank" on these boards although that was what USAnians were always called when I was growing up. Not least because I understand most Southern state readers would be offended! (Or have I got that the wrong way round? It's a while since I watched Gone with the Wind! )

I also try not to say Americans when referring solely to people from the USA as I know a fair few people from Central and South America who moan that they're American too.

I don't think there's another word in use to describe the folks from the States, so I've been using USAnians for want of a better phrase!

Most people in the USA call themselves "Americans". I'd stick to that one.

[tandfman]

From my experience (on both sides of the 49th parallel), on these shores "limey" is considered a mild pejorative. Somewhat the same way a Canadian would use Yank (or a Cuban would use Yanqui). (or indeed, as some Americans use Canuck)

Canuck still confuses me a bit. When I was young, I was taught that it was a pejorative. Then the Vancouver NHL team came along, and since then I've not known what to think.

[marknhj]

I'm always referred to as a Brit, it's very rare for someone to call me a limey. I wouldn't dream of calling an American I didn't know a Yank. But, I often refer to myself as a limey which is probably related to the different approach we have to self-depreciating humour (many friends also use the salutation, "hello wanker" and, errr, worse).

[gh]

While driving a car with U.S. plates in Vancouver in the '60s I had bunch of kids yell "Hershey!" at me!

[rasb]

From my experience (on both sides of the 49th parallel), on these shores "limey" is considered a mild pejorative. Somewhat the same way a Canadian would use Yank (or a Cuban would use Yanqui). (or indeed, as some Americans use Canuck)

Canuck still confuses me a bit. When I was young, I was taught that it was a pejorative. Then the Vancouver NHL team came along, and since then I've not known what to think.

As a lifetime Canadian, and a long-suffering Vancouver Canucks fan, I think the term Canuck became more of a pejorative when the hockey team showed up. :wink:

[Bob H]

While driving a car with U.S. plates in Vancouver in the '60s I had bunch of kids yell "Hershey!" at me!

Hey, when I was a kid, other kids used to call me that all the time.

[gh]

Whilst in the Olympic Park in Sydney in '00, a band of young Aussies wandered by randomly chanting (as they seem wont to do), "Aussie-Aussie, oy-oy-oy!"

Standing nearby was a small group of young Cubans (don't ask me what kind of political juice they must have had to get to play tourist) who immediately took up a responding chant of, "Cuba si, Yanqui no! Cuba si, Yanqui no!"