Canny lass

You use the verb ‘to talk down’ in its transitive form and are therefore accusing me of disparaging and belittling my country of birth. That’s a very serious accusation. May I just remind you that: It’s not me who, publicly and almost daily, derides the work done by Her Majesty’s democratically elected, Government It’s not me who, publicly and almost daily, applies derogative nicknames to the, democratically elected, Prime Ministers who have headed that government It’s not me who criticizes the social security system of my own country It’s not me who belittles the educational system of my own country It’s not me who disparages the British constitution or the laws of my own country And it’s certainly not me who derides fellow, law-abiding British citizens because of their ‘legally’ chosen religion in their own country! SHAME ON YOU!! A challenge; show me ONE instance of my disparaging the UK and I will show you ten instances of you doing that very same thing.

At least you are not 'off-topic' - things that will NOT happen!

the 'loca'l economy - is that the same thing as The Red Lion?

I was being cheeky, Merc! You said you were reverting to commenting on local issues.

Would that be locally?

It's not only the Telegraph that's used "ruled out an emergency budget" in its headlines. Most of them, however, say something else in the text. Here's a small selection: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36792202 14 July 17, 2016: He added he did not anticipate the need for an emergency Budget as a result of the Brexit vote. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/07/14/475139/Britain-Brexit-Philip-Hammond-Chancellor-Exchequer-Theresa-May Hammond said in his first interview on Thursday morning as the Chancellor of the Exchequer that there will be no “plan for an emergency budget,” following the country’s June 23 vote to leave the European Union. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3689669/New-Chancellor-Philip-Hammond-says-NOT-Brexit-punishment-Budget-threatened-George-Osborne-takes-No-11.html#ixzz4EgTMNDsZ Mr Hammond said: 'There is no plan for an emergency budget, My comment: I have no plans for a holiday abroad next month, neither am I anticipating snow in September - does that rule out the possibility of either actually happening?

Sorry to disappoint you! I have no linguistic observations regarding either the form, function or the content of the word - within the given context - which are relevant to the topic under discussion. Better luck next try!

I’m not really sure just what it is you wish to illustrate with this quote. I’ve now read this article, from 14 June (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/14/osborne-predicts-30bn-hole-in-public-finance-if-uk-votes-to-leave-eu) and assume it is the article from which the quote was taken (the source given was somewhat incomplete). While I am aware that many blunders, on occasions howlers, have escaped the lips of George Osborne – and indeed every other, so-called politician during the referendum campaign – I have to point out that this article, in its entirety, does not relate to anything ‘said’ by Mr. Osborne but to something which Mr. Osborne “plans to say” (1st row, words 13-15 of your quote). In other words a reporter is saying what Mr. Osborne will be saying at some anonymous event at some time in the future.

My dear 3g, I really thought that your imagination had reached the limit of its capabilities with the question of “outbreeding”. Clearly, I was wrong! Your imagining that you and I could ever find ourselves in the same vehicle – especially with me as your chauffeur - is surpassed only by your imagining that anyone else would want to be in that vehicle at the same time! It is, therefore, my opinion that, in the event of such a screamed warning, there wouldn't be anybody in the vehicle with whom I could have a sensible discussion. However, it may surprise you to learn that even screams have linguistic properties – ask any mother with a 6 month old baby.

I think you must have spelled 'lemonade' wrongly when listing your interests. How many does this 'window seat' accommodate?

If I could like that twice, I would!

There's always someone to put a spanner in the works! We'll have to work on him! Could he be bribed with a pint?

You wouldn't do a bad job yourself, Vic!

Happy birthday, Ovalteeny and thanks for some really good music.

Lovely pics Foxy1 I must get over to Bedlington for this next year. Can you book table 25 for me for the next picnic? Merc can you abandon table 36? (the one with radiator and street view) for my visit? Maggie, have you got a bed available? Anybody, have you got a bed available?

I'm with you on most of that Webtrekker! However, sometimes a post seems to go dead, only to be revived when a new member or a new piece of information comes along. The Bedlington tunnels is just one example. Until now, I've thought of the Bedlington tunnels as something that go between table 25 at the Red Lion and other pubs in the area. It's nice when they suddenly pop up again with a new angle.

That is one of the best suggestions ever made on this site. Well done!

That's a pity Vic because I think you have a lot to give.

Erring on the side of caution I listened to what he said three times - and three times I heard him say that an emergency budget wasn't needed "YET". In linguistic circles this little, but never the less important,adverb 'yet' usually expresses a degree of uncertainty - an uncertainty which is strengthened when placed in final position in the sentence (as it was here). So, maybe we shouldn't be to hasty in our judgements - yet. Darn this biological attention to detail!

This can be a very interesting topic and maybe a money-spinner for Bedlington if tunnels exist. Two years ago I was invited to a rather unusual birthday party which started with a tour of the tunnels under Gothenburg. It was fantastic (the tour - the party afterwards wasn't bad either). There is so much history underground. It's hard to imagine it when walking around the streets above. Tunnels had all sorts of uses! Here, they've been opened up by enthusiasts working voluntarily and made available to the public by charitable trust. I'd gladly give up a few weeks of my time every year to open up the tunnels of Bedlington.

Welcome to the forum, Pauline.

This sounds very interesting! I'm afraid I know nothing about them but I'm looking forward to hearing about them.

You may have misunderstood. I was not referring to 'our' nation but to our 'host' nation where our present migratory status is that of immigrant.

Shame on me! I've rapped my own knuckles and if I do it again, I'll escalate the punishment to serious wrist slapping. I, personally, think it's the software that's at fault.

That which epitomizes the differences in our thinking is that one of us engages our brain before putting our mouth in gear. Just look at what you’ve written. You say that I focus on the minutiae and round of your post by pointing out a wrongly spelled word. I rest my case. You ask if I have Germanic ancestry. My surname at birth suggests that I do. Like you, I was born into a family with an Anglo-Saxon surname. We can try to convince ourselves that our surnames are Scottish in origin but both go back to Saxon. So, yes – it appears I do have Germanic background – as do you. Now we have two things in common: We are both immigrants and we both have a Germanic background. However, the latter rather blows a hole in your assertion that “They” – those of Germanic ancestry – “ are masters of detail, but are alarmingly easily led… so, they get all the big decisions terribly wrong!” Didn’t you just argue the case for us being different?