It's a funny old language

W

wstol

Dedicated Member
This could well be the start of a long topic.

The English language is full of many contradictions, double negatives, etc, etc.

My first problem is the phrase 'Pull the door to'.

What does this mean??

Pull the door nearly to the frame, so it's not locked?

Or shut the door fully, so it is locked?

Either way, leaving someone's door unlocked when it shouldn't be; or locked when it shouldn't be, can cause all kind of problems...

My biggest point here is why can't people talk properly and specifically?
 
English is a weird language. The English we speak in Wales is beyond weird. Well beyond. I mean what does 'wheres your coat to mean? What??? ??? I live here and I don't know!
 
:D What a relief I´m not the only one that´s puzzled about some things. Funnily enough we say the same thing here, "pull the door to", it´s "mach die Tür zu" (make the door to, but still). Here it means to just shut it so that it is neither locked, nor ajar.
 
Its funny, but even in western Pennsylvania we say that same phrase, "pull the door to". It meant to shut the door all the way.
We also say, "read off the table",for cleaning/clearing off the table."Read" is pronounced in the past tense.When I moved south I kept saying that and everone stopped and stared at me. I didn't get it at first but they had never heard of that.
 
Have posted this before on another thread. Here near Nottingham " thanks me duck " is classed as a friendly way of saying thankyou.. Go around Exeter and saying "me duck" to a feller can sometimes get you in big do-dos.It apparently casts aspersions on a mans masculinity in that county. :D
 
I someone asks me if something is true I say 'you wouldn't chuckle', and even I don't know why I say it.
 
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