On: How I Screwed Up My Google Acquisition

[burgerbrain]

A better example of phrases that mean different things on either side of the Atlantic is what it means to "table" a proposal. In the US it means "kill it", but in the UK it means "bring it up". If an American says "could care less", they're just being incorrect. ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_%28verb%29

[willmacdonald → burgerbrain]

My favourite phrase which has radically different meanings for Brits and Americans is "I'm going outside to smoke a fag."

[davedevelopment → willmacdonald]

It's not uncommon to hear "Can I bum a fag?", which translates to "Please could I have one of your cigarettes?"

[ma2rten → burgerbrain]

Getting pissed is also a good example, imo

[swores → ma2rten]

In England that can mean either way, depends entirely on context.

[brc → swores]

Only because of the importation of the American version via movies/tv.

A pissed american will hit you. A pissed englishman will fall over.

Edit : the correct English term is 'pissed off'. As in 'he pissed me off by going to the pub and getting pissed'.

[mturmon → burgerbrain]

"could care less" is a shortening of "could not care less", and the latter phrase is correct. the words themselves don't mean anything any more, it's a stock phrase.

i think the sentiment is, "I care so little that I don't even want to use all the words needed to say how little I care".