Stamps, notes and coins issued by the Irish Republic were inscribed in Irish - so they said "Eire".

But Ireland has two official languages - and, some might say, we demonstrate rather more skill and subtlety in using English than we English do. Speaking mongrel English - using an Irish term for something there's a perfectly good English world for - is one of those silly affectations, like Mumbai or referring to Athinai or Firenze. It simply isn't what proper English speakers do. And no-one speaks properer English than us.

The real point, though, is that the Constitution says "Ireland". So referring to Eire is a clear sign of political ignorance: it's often been used by Prods in the North to irritate, or by foreign supporters of Republican terrorism as an ill-informed symbol of solidarity with their warped fantasy world.

To be honest, though, it irritates rather than offends.

But, it does indeed get your Eire up?

Apocryphal headline from <i>The Times</i>

<b>Mist</b>*<b> blankets Channel; Continent Isolated!</b>

* Brit for what yanks call &quot;fog.&quot; What they call &quot;fog&quot; is what we call &quot;smog.&quot; Got it?

One of the most famous Irish bars in the Dorchester section of Boston, frequented by politicians and emigrants alike, is the Eire Pub, universally pronounced &quot;Erie&quot;, like the Canal. I can't explain.

&gt;&gt;The real point, though, is that the Constitution says &quot;Ireland&quot;. So referring to Eire is a clear sign of political ignorance&lt;&lt;

Ah, I can see the full contours of the point now, but I'm not going there.

I never did know my Erse from my elbow.

Eh?

Fog <b> is </b> fog. Mist can't blanket anything: just gauzily curtain it.

Until the invention of the term 'smog', the English used 'fog' both to describe the natural phenomenon that results from cold, damp air being trapped for hours under warmer air (which is what happens in the Channel) and to describe billions of tons of horrible muck being lethally suspended in the air (which is what used to happen in London till the 1950s anti-pollution laws were passed and we decided industry was SO 19th century anyway).

Every version of the mythical headline talks about fog in the Channel. These days, the Thames Valley has fog; smog is something you find in Beijing and mist is what hangs over mountains first thing in the morning (or, in the case of Ireland, over everything all day).

We rarely talk about smog any more because it's practically disappeared from Britain.

ferris wheel –noun - an amusement ride consisting of a large upright wheel rotating on a fixed stand and having seats around its rim suspended freely so that they remain right side up as they revolve. FROM DICTIONARY.COM

big wheel UK noun [C] (US ferris wheel)
a large vertical wheel in an amusement park with seats which stay horizontal as the wheel turns round. FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY DICTIONARY.

So, it appears what is a Ferris wheel in the US is a big wheel in UK. A big wheel in the US is a branded children's toy, or a somewhat perjorative term for the boss. It sounds as though we have another rubber v. eraser or trunk v. boot.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
purely obnoxious behavior, and even then you'd find plenty of company in the rugby crowd
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

i think most of us are scratching our heads on this one...rugby is a posh sport with very well behaved fans. perhaps you mean football? this is a basic of european culture.


&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
Taking offence is profoundly unEnglish.
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

and all of this fantasy about 'not easily offended' is pure nonsense.

we don't like ferris wheel because the london eye is our greatest engineering accomplishment (after the london tube map) and we want to pretend it is an airplane on which we take pretend 'flights'. we also have another fake airplane out in weybridge that you can board and pretend you are in a 'supersonic' airplane...yeah right...as if. they even make up stories about it flying to new york really fast. silly and corny but still quite a hoot (as some would say).

be very careful about scotland. there is great sensitivity there. make an error and mix up 'the uk', great britain, british isles, england, etc and you will create great offense. very sensitive.

don't ever use the word 'quaint'. that's very offensive to us. some of us might even remind you that the 'quaint' cottage is worth x pounds (now THAT'S offensive). like that's supposed to make it not quaint!

the british way is to address any question of being offened with:

1. clearly state that we are NOT easily offended. we are thick skinned and harmless banter is part of our culture. repeat this mantra.

2. then go on to explain in great detail and with pseudo logic why quaint is offensive, why misuse of great britain is really offensive, and even why eire is offensive, and a million other harmless things that the rest of the world just doesn't really care about or understand. it's really funny to see the provincials in action on this.

it's the perfect rouse. we make you look stupid and ignorant for using words like 'quaint' with us and we retain our 'thick skin' reputation. it's a sham. we win every time.

apersuader - then i wonder why the Guardian called it a ferris wheel?

Or is not that an English paper?

No doubt the Guardian called the London Eye a Ferris Wheel on their website because the website is read around the world. Ferris Wheel is a term that many people would understand, and they were being particularly helpful to their American readers.

It is, however, not a term in common use in Britain.

Apart from the public transport blunders, most Brits will not take exception to your mistakes, but they will giggle amongst themselves about it.

We were out walking with a young American boy, and reminded him to stay on the pavement. He immediately stepped out into the road.

We walked into the fog and missed.

I was working on Brighton pier and a young American had lost his Wallid....I'm not stupid, and wracked my brains...walid means boy in Arabic... he's to young to have a child....doesn't sound Arabic...ummm...err...what have you lost again?

My wallid, my wallid...with my money.

oh, wallet, I'll have a look....

A little confused... so if the Eye is a London thing then what is the York Eye, a ferris wheel?

I'm still tussling with Hawai'i. When I asked someone on Lanai'i whether there was medical evacuation to the mainland(being Mauai) was that non-U?

If walkinaround is British, then I am a Dutchman.

...the london eye is our greatest engineering accomplishment (after the london tube map) and we want to pretend it is an airplane on which we take pretend 'flights....

What a load of cobblers.

The Eye was sponsored by BA originally which is the reason the trips were called &quot;flights&quot;.
For those of us who hate heights, calling it a &quot;Ferris&quot; or &quot;big&quot; wheel might be very off-putting.
There's no way, you'd get me on one of those ;-(

In fact, it's more like a cable car.
If you are really worried by heights, you can always sit on one of the seats in the middle of the pod.

I agree with others who say that so long as you are polite and don't get in people's way, nobody is going to be offended or upset.

The Encyclopedia Britannica found a - IMO - very British compromise for the Ferris wheel/observation wheel quarrel:

(...) the London Eye, a Ferris wheel-like structure that takes passengers to a height of 443 feet (135 metres)

Walkinaround, you nailed it perfectly! Well said.

The London Eye one of Britain's greatest engineering triumphs - does that include the embarrassing attempt to put it upright and resulting flop that had it sitting at an angle over the Thames whilst engineers tried to get it right? Also one of the biggest engineering failures i'd think

what i said about Mainland I have said was an OOOPS - it IS the mainland - what Hawaiians DONT like is when someone says somehthing like &quot;return to the US&quot;...

please forgive me......