Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Sorry, We're Irish

I hear a lot about the tendency of Canadians to apologize for everything. I don't think they can outdo the Irish in this.

Today, I dropped a carton of milk in the supermarket, and immediately apologized to the man at whose feet it fell. He apologized to me.

A few weeks ago, I was passing a bus-stop and saw a five euro note on the path. It was at the feet of a rather hipster-ish looking guy. I pointed it out to him, upon which he promptly apologized to me.

4 comments:

  1. Perhaps SORRY has replaced HOWAYA as the thing you say to everyone you pass in Dublin. My mother used to talk about having to say howayaa a score of times when walking down a Dublin street as one passed every person. It seemed an unwritten rule that you never answered

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    1. You know that "a howaya" has become a slang term for a Northside lady with a strong accenet?

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  2. So is saying I'm sorry more of a way to acknowledge a situation?

    In the first example, if I were the man, I'd usually say, "Oh no!" in a singsong way, immediately pick up the carton and hand it back. "Here ya go, sir." A quick flash of a grin would finish the encounter.

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    1. It's a reflex! I think your approach would have been entirely appropriate.

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