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Picture of arnie
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Journalist and occasional Wordcrafter Quentin Letts is reissuing the paperback version of his 2008 book 50 People Who Buggered Up Britain with a five additions, "Now with added bankers". Presumably "55 People ..." isn't as catchy a title, or else Quentin can't count.


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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<Proofreader>
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or else Quentin can't count.

Perhaps he's also an accountant.
 
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Dear Arnie,
1. You are right. I am not good at maths. I once managed to score 4% in an exam. That is, I think it was 4%...
2. If we had renamed it "55 People Who Buggered Up Britain" the publisher would have had to give me a new contract. And you know how generous publishers are.
 
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<Proofreader>
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I always thought "buggered" was not considered a word used in public in Britain. Has that attitude changed or am I misinformed?
 
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Picture of Richard English
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In some sectors of society the act, if not the word, is almost obligatory it seems to me.


Richard English
 
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Picture of BobHale
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quote:
Originally posted by Proofreader:
I always thought "buggered" was not considered a word used in public in Britain. Has that attitude changed or am I misinformed?


You're misinformed. "It's buggered" would be a relatively mild expletive for "it's broken". The connection with the verb is almost never intended or made.


"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
 
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You're misinformed.

Well, I'll be buggered.
 
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Picture of Kalleh
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Thanks, Quentin, for weighing in on this.
 
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