London, July 17 (ANI): The average British adult wastes 1.7million words over a lifetime while struggling to make a point, a new study has revealed.
According to an American survey, rather than get to the point, Britons skirt around issues and use long-winded phrases to hide what they really think which leads to confusion and arguments.
With thousands of foreigners coming to London for the Games, many tourists might be left baffled by their evasiveness and superfluous words with double meanings.
Foreigners aren't the only ones who have trouble understanding, with a third of the British struggling to decipher what people really mean and 46 percent wishing we could be more direct talking like New Yorkers who are known for their straight talking.
British sarcasm has got nearly half of Britons into an awkward situation after it has been misinterpreted, with two in five revealing that it had led to an argument or dispute.
According to the survey, three quarters of them admitted to regularly using the word "maybe" when they meant "no," while three fifths often said "I'm fine" when they really thought "I'm not, stop asking."
Other offending phrases include saying that "it's OK" when they had been really thinking "I am really disappointed" and telling workmates "could we consider some other options?" when what they really meant was "I don't like your idea."
The ultimate snub, which a third admit saying, was "I understand what you are saying" when actually what they really want to say was "I disagree and do not want to discuss it further."
The British people saying "that's not bad" actually meant "that's good" while in true British style 29 percent shied away from confrontation by using the phrase "I kind of agree" when in reality they did not agree to it at all.
Britons were worse in the workplace with two-fifths avoiding straight talking by not being direct enough with their colleagues.
According to the New York Bakery Company, over a lifetime Britons use 1.7 million unnecessary words - 60 words every day, 420 needless words a week and 21,840 a year but when it comes to family and friends they had no qualms telling their true thoughts.
"We suspected that Brits often beat around the bush when making a point, but our results prove this is the case with the average person using almost two million unnecessary words in a lifetime," the Daily Mail quoted the Bakery's UK Vice President Simon Foster, as saying.
To tackle the problem the company had launched a "guide to British" translator to help foreigners cope with the quirky nuances and learn the jargon of their language.
"What better way to teach other nations British jargon than a 'Guide to British translator?" Foster said.
"Our brand is all about giving the UK a taste of New York and we hope our guide breaks down the waffle to reveal a nation of straight talkers," he added. (ANI)
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