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In reply to the discussion: Australia's Opposition Leader Just Called A C**t In Parliament [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)The British, though, are able to figure out the CONTEXT in which the word is used. If someone is told to "Man up, you miserable (insert either term)" we know full well, as do they, that the person isn't being called a cigarette or a meatball.
OTOH, if someone say "Would you care for a (insert either term) we know that, if they are standing on the loading dock with a bunch of tobacco consumers, that the person is being offered a cigarette, and if they're sitting round a chafing dish on a table full of food, it's a meatball that's on the menu.
I think what's happening in this thread is that a very few people are taking delight in being deliberately obtuse. Gotta get that RAGE on some way, some how.
I think it would be interesting to see how well this kind of thing played out at the new Free-For-All website. I doubt they'll try it over there, though--I suspect the reception won't be nearly so polite.