1. Mildly amusing story about misunderstood words, even within English:

2. I was working in London. My office mate was telling a story. "Yeah, he was out last night and got really pissed."

3. Me: Why, what happened?

Office mate: He was just out drinking.

Me: Yeah, and what happened?

4. Office mate: He was out drinking.

Me: Okay, but what make him so pissed?

Office mate: He was out drinking.

5. Pissed in American English means angry or upset. Pissed in British English means drunk.

He was saying his friend went out and got drunk. I'm still wondering what THEN happened to make him so angry.

6. Another similar story from the same London office. An American friend of a friend goes home with his British girlfriend to meet her parents. They feed him a wonderful home-cooked meal.

7. At the end of the meal, he leans back in his chair and declares, "I'm completely stuffed!"

They let out a collective gasp.

8. Stuffed in American English means full (of food). If you say "I'm completely stuffed" in British English, it means "I'm totally fucked."

9. I admit I was always deeply confused when people in England mentioned their knickers. They meant their underpants. As an American, it always made me picture an old-time newsboy in knee-pants.