Are we two nations divided by a common language? I don't particularly see a failure to get and give irony and sarcasm by Americans on OF, but in the wider world....?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46846467

 

No need to be subtle. In my personal survey, now spanning several decades, only 4.5% of Americans have a clue what I mean when I tell them that something is "codswallop".

 

Yes it's very true Edward. I almost married an American lady, a few years ago. Trouble was she couldn't get a handle on my 'gentle piss taking sarcasm. It often ended with me having to apologise, followed by me explaining that it was humour and that I wasn't an offensive, insensitive basstedd!

In the end I married a lady from the Peruvian Andes, and I wouldn't even begin to know how to approach sarcasm with my missus!

It would be "Amor???... Eeez yoo be serious... or Eeez you saying some, English funny beeezness?.... yooz theenk yoo eez da clever clogs!"

 

There is some truth to this. I am form Northwest England, spent the first 25 years of my life there, and the second 25 in the USA. When I first moved to the US, reactions to my sarcastic jokes varied from blank stares to outright offense. So, I did have to recalibrate my humor (see, I even spell in American now). I’m still a sarcastic SOB, it’s just delivered in a slightly different way (not even sure I could describe the difference really). My wife of 20 years is American, so I obviously figured out how to keep the natives happy

 

In the US, there is a similar 'with the greatest respect', when we say 'with all due respect', which is usually followed with something disrespectful.

 

My wife is Argentinian (controversial choice for an Englishman) - she speaks five languages fluently. My ‘English humor’ translates into none of them. Sometimes it gets lonely laughing at your own jokes and then having to ‘apologize’ for them ...

 

So Brexit is supposed to be funny?

 

I often have the same problem but Mrs. E. is British! Well half Irish and half Welsh by blood, a potent combination...

 

Couldn't stop thinking about Sir Humphrey Appleby reading the phrases.

 

I mentioned to a American marine Sargent the other day that watching a private in front of us do something was “ like watching a dog have sex with a football”
He looked blankly so I tried to explain and said
“ he’s as clumsy as a emu trying to shag a jam tin rolling down a hill “

He said “ yep he’s a clumsy mother fucker “

Worked out good

 

Going OT here, and only golf fans will get this, but this reminds me of David Feherty’s great description of Jim Furyk’s swing: “it’s like an octopus falling out of a tree”

 

A lot of Americans have ‘touchy pride’. I think it goes back to the Wild West and the gunslinger culture. Kill a man cuz he looked at you crosseyed in a card game?? Lol, wtf?


One of the problems you English are having now is lots of cultures, especially African (both north and south) have what I call touchy priide.

And you’re, right. These people don’t get the concept of sarcasm and the piss take which is why they’re stabbing Englishmen all over London and other cities.

 

I love to share with my American students a headline from a famous London tabloid : "Foxes Queer Pitch With Pie Hoard". That stops them in their tracks.

 

"touchy pride" have we?? You want to take this outside, wanker?

McK in America

 

I know exactly what you mean, I'm English, live in NL and have the same situation with my nearest and dearest. My humour has been mis-understood for the best part of 25 years and although I still try I do now make less and less jokey comments than I used to. When I get the chance to meet up with my old mates from England it really takes me a while to get back up to speed with the piss taking, wise cracks and sarcasm!

 

"With all due respect..." is short for "you are a fucking idiot, you don't know what you are talking about and I don't respect your opinion, here is the correct answer..."

 

I have to explain Father Ted to my Peruvian wife, until Mrs Doyle falls out the window and then she pissed herself laughing.

 

Yes very true!.... but "with all due respect" works a lot better with a Policeman.

 

Tough looking cops you have over there. Corporal Jumpsuit appears to be packing a tape measure.

 

There's English and then there's Texan English. In Texas and the "Deep South" " Well ...bless yer heart" or "bless his heart..." said before ridiculing someone, especially an absent third party, renders all ridicule, as well as gossip, slander, or jeers to be inoffensive, noninjurous and socially acceptable.