Posted by Peter Ceresole on February 10, 2008 at 12:43:56 from 80.176.146.133 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: messing about in boats posted by Elizabeth on February 10, 2008 at 03:56:08:
Cute story, prefaced by the information that in the US, the words "messing around" can have a sexual connotation
Funny you should mention that. In Geneva, my parents took in lodgers, mostly from the International School and the university. They were almost all Americans. I was about 18 years old then, and innocent of LeftPondian English, so when we'd arranged to go on an excursion with two of the girls, I said 'All right, I'll knock you up in the morning.' Which on my side of the water was a perfectly normal and friendly offer. After they stopped laughing, they explained that where they came from, it was altogether more friendly than I had thought.
This was in the late '50s. Nothing happened. More's the pity...