This is how it's used in Canada too
What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
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Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#12I’m in the US and definitely have heard these in similar situations. Another I don’t think was listed is a way to blunt an aggressive statement just in case there may be a misunderstanding. “WTF did you just say to me?” Might be “Sorry, but WTF did you just say to me?” would imply some anger that could lead to a fight but hey, sorry maybe I misheard you? Which could funny enough lead to more sorries “oh, sorry I thou…
I suppose it is a variant on 'could you repeat that please?' which is a fun question to ask my kids when they were rude cause they'll repeat it (no filter / literally).
I used to always put my bag next to me cause I don't want to sit next to someone (when I was a kid, it'd hurt me when I was solo sitting alone in whole bus, but I learned to embrace that instead). Nowadays, people just point at the bag, and during primetime it is just annoying having to ask (esp someone pretending to sleep, on phone, or lookibg outside) because yes we all don't like the bus is full, we all wanna get to work/home. So I learned to just start with my bag between my legs or on my lap instead. And, since the bag doesn't pay for a ticket, it has no right to a seat.
So in Borderlands 4, one of the voice lines by the Siren called Vex after a kill is 'sorry not sorry'. But given the CEO of that company is Texan, I couldn't pinpoint how rude (if any) that was. Not like they can hear you after a frag anyway.
Some British slang is just lovely. Such as smoking a fag. In that regard, too bad I don't smoke anymore.
But in the instance of sorry, I assumed it was American, since Brits would say 'excuse me'. Brits are, after all, very polite (I'm Dutch...)
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#13 sorry that you're a cunt, now
1) get out of my way
2) speak up
3) get out of my fucking way
4) stop being a cunt for a bit (and get out of my way)
5) shut up
6) fuck offRe: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#14This is 100% accurate. I've seen someone apologizing for being stepped on (accidentally, of course). It really does mean "we have, unfortunately and inadvertently, crossed paths and must now ward off the evil spirits by acknowledging this".
> I've seen someone apologizing for being stepped on
It is really rude to step underneath other people. Or to lay underneath other people. No wonder they appologized.
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#15Isn't this just... normal? Maybe they use it more often, but (also in the Midwest as other comments mention) these uses are all more common than an actual apology.
But for a more distant example of the "I'm about to inconvenience you" usage being normal - isn't the Japanese "sumimasen" used almost exactly the same as these?
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#16Oddly enough "sorry" is also quite common in the upper Midwest US. If I bump into someone else by accident, and it's my fault, they will reflexively say "sorry."
From Green Bay to Dickinson, the complete utterance is “Op Sorry.” If one is not in a hurry it is sometimes “Oops, Sorry.”
That's quite a ways.
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#17The British have a similarly strange relationship with the word "Brilliant".
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#18Oddly enough "sorry" is also quite common in the upper Midwest US. If I bump into someone else by accident, and it's my fault, they will reflexively say "sorry."
From Green Bay to Dickinson, the complete utterance is “Op Sorry.” If one is not in a hurry it is sometimes “Oops, Sorry.”
I say "ope, sorry". Never realized it until I saw the midwest memes.
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
From Green Bay to Dickinson, the complete utterance is “Op Sorry.” If one is not in a hurry it is sometimes “Oops, Sorry.”
That's quite a ways.
I'd argue it's not just Green Bay-Dickenson on the east end, but also extending to like souix falls/Fargo on the west end
"Oop, sorry" was viscerally familiar to me
Re: What British people mean when they say 'sorry'
#20sorry that you're a cunt, now 1) get out of my way 2) speak up 3) get out of my fucking way 4) stop being a cunt for a bit (and get out of my way) 5) shut up 6) fuck off
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