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Comment by blenderob | Hacker News Reader

100% seen it in business too. My UK colleagues often use self-deprecation while providing their business updates. But my US colleagues present their accomplishments directly with confidence.

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In business I find Americans oversell their achievements and I constantly have to decode "the absolute best", "knocked it out the park", "most amazing X" and figure out what has been redefined this month for that to be true. They use incredible contortions in language too to mislead and cover up and make themselves look good

Colleagues also managed to have the most amazing coffee or literally — literally — the best taco ever, every week. It's quite something!

We also get self deprecating in front of Americans because they're purposefully intimidating. Big characters, loud voices, huge military they're not afraid to use etc. UK is often bullied by the US Gov. It's deference too

It's not just deprecation, it's systemic understatement. It drives non-British people insane because everyone is talking in code.

And some of the meaning is hidden in intonation.

If someone says "Interesting..." that can mean "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard" or "Might be worth a look, but not a priority right now." Or maybe "That's very suspicious."

"That's quite good" usually means "Very good, I like it!"

Also starting anything with "With the greatest respect..."

> If someone says "Interesting..." that can mean ...

Same in German.

'Interesting' => 'you're stark raving mad but you're in the room with me so I'm going to be polite to you until I'm out of striking range'.

I certainly use the word "exciting" in ways that that might be non-standard, like for instance describing when everything has gone catastrophically wrong.

It is almost as good as when Sir Humphrey told the minister his idea was 'courageous', meaning an enormous risk.

There is the famous case in the Korean War at the Battle of Imjin River where the British commander of the Gloucestershire regiment reported to an American General, 'Things are a bit sticky, sir'. The American General thought that meant a good thing, like they were holding the line, when in fact they were fighting a heroic last stand outnumbered 25:1!

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/korean-war/battle-of-imjin-...

> "That's quite good"

Ummmm...... I'll say it is "not bad".

For me to say something is "quite good" it would have to make me cream myself.

Conversely what does an American mean when they say "wow that's absolutely amazing" for everything ...

> "That's quite good" usually means "Very good, I like it!"

This is backwards from the conventional British use of "quite". In American English "quite" is a positive modifier, so that "quite good" is better than "good". In British English, historically, it's a negative modifier so that "quite good" means "not as good as good".

Don't know who downvoted this comment but this is correct. Like all matters of speaking, it depends on the tone. Sometimes "quite good" can mean better than good. But the parent is correct that conventionally, unless the tone suggests the opposite, "quite good" means "not as good as good" when an English person says it.

It occured to me yesterday that at least in a now slightly historic version of British English (though one that isn't actually extinct yet), "rather" plays a similar role to the one "quite" does in American English. So "rather good" is better than good, "rather nice" is better than nice" etc.

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