This is an extract from High Fidelity by Nick Hornby - a book that preceded Gayle's My Legendary Girlfriend and is better.
Rob ends up in Marie’s flat after a gig (She’s an American):
When I said before that I hope it wasn’t the end of the evening, I was, you know… talking about breakfast and stuff. I wasn’t talking about another whiskey and another then minutes of shooting the shit. I’d like it if you could stay the night“
“Oh,“ I say lamely, “Oh. Right.“
“Jesus, so much for delicacy. Next time I ask a guy to stay the night when I’m here, I’ll do it the American way. I thought you English were supposed to be the masters of understatement, and beating around the bush, and all that jazz.“
“We use it, but we don‘t understand it when other people use it.”
Yes, exactly.
It occurred to me that the safest way to talk to the British is using Monty Pythons’ or Spike Milligan’s humour. Then at least the misunderstandings are meant to be there.
