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.
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
ReplyDeleteYou know that "a howaya" has become a slang term for a Northside lady with a strong accenet?
DeleteSo is saying I'm sorry more of a way to acknowledge a situation?
ReplyDeleteIn 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.
It's a reflex! I think your approach would have been entirely appropriate.
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