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There's an amusing email being sent round which has some common phrases British people use and others mis-interpret. I was actually shocked at how I often use these phrases without giving any thought.

Now, when I send emails to an international audience, I check for anything that could be mis-interpreted.

My questions are:

  • Are there any others phrases I should look out for?
  • Are there examples that are experienced by yourself personally?

Amusing email

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Before I rephrase it or delete it I should point out that it's neither subjective or argumentative. Do you have a better reason? – user774 Jun 4 '11 at 13:09
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+1 Had some good laugh. Is this table serious or it's another one along the lines "mathematician says one thing, means another but in reality it's the third"? – Philoto Jun 4 '11 at 13:10
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@IanMH The problem is that there is no 'right' answer. Anyone who answers with an example is right. How will you choose the correct answer? – z7sg Ѫ Jun 4 '11 at 13:20
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Haha, brilliant! This list is obviously not serious; but I'm sure you will here some of these euphemistic phrases with that exact meaning now and then. In fact you could hear them in polite conversation in any country or language. – Cerberus Jun 4 '11 at 13:34
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There are several other questions on this website, such as our most-up-voted question, that ask for lists: What words are commonly mispronounced by literate people who read them before they heard them? ; Words misunderstood due to incorrect associations – Cerberus Jun 4 '11 at 13:39
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1 Answer

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Another phrase would be:

You're doing alright...

Meaning:

This is definitely not that good.

You may understand it as:

Ooh! I am doing fine!

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This one is already listed. "Quite good" - "A bit disappointing" - "quite good". – Alenanno Jun 4 '11 at 13:14