to suss (Was Re: dwarves etc.)

[Michael Quinion]

> Let that old Mr. Fuddy-Duddy, Jesse's foil on last night's 60
> Minutes II show, put that in his craw and smoke it.  American
> slang ruining the grand old mother (country) tongue indeed.

It was simultaneously amusing and saddening to hear that the old
fuddy-duddy was Brian Sewell. Mr Sewell occasionally appears on
British television, where his accent sounds as extraordinary as
it must do to Americans. For many of us, it evokes echoes of
class conflict: whenever I hear it I want to rush out and man a
barricade somewhere. It's a great pity that his appearance must
have reinforced American prejudices about the English.


--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
<editor at worldwidewords.org>
<http://www.worldwidewords.org/>