From the Brits: gran slang and book liars
Two interesting bits of news from the Mother Country:
A British company has tried to bridge the generation gap with a list of "gran slang," once-popular terms that are mysteries to the young. Among those listed by Home & Capital are "egg," as in "He's a good egg," and "court," as a verb to seek someone's love. Others: flabbergast, natty and telegram. As someone who remembers the TV show Hullaballoo, I'm troubled that the word is on the list, too. But who among us hasn't had to explain some arcane term -- like a telephone party line or AM radio -- to their kids?
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that two out of three Britons have lied about reading books they have not. George Orwell's 1984 tops the list, according to a survey published today by organizers of World Book Day, an annual celebration of reading. Others on the list include War and Peace and Ulysses. I wonder what the American equivalents would be -- Gone with the Wind maybe?
