View Full Version : The biggest understatement of all times
caesar44
08-13-2005, 13:46
Every time I see Nixon's speech in 1974 I am on the flour - "...WELL , I AM NOT A CROOK...!" ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~D ~:joker: ~:joker: ~:joker: ~:joker: ~:joker: ~;p ~;p ~;p :devilish: :devilish: :devilish: :cowboy: :cowboy: :cowboy: :jawdrop: :tomato: and finally - :barrel: :barrel: :barrel: (he was drunk?)
Please add some understatements for the sake of history ~:cheers:
Papewaio
08-13-2005, 14:44
You eat bread everytime you watch Nixon's '74 speech?
Ianofsmeg16
08-13-2005, 15:36
Neville Chaimberlain (PM before Churchill)
"Peace in our time"
Understatement of the Century
Gawain of Orkeny
08-13-2005, 16:13
This is far from the biggest understatement of all times. How about Chamberlains remarks after his meeting with Hitler of I hold in my hand peace for the world or something to that effect. Surely that tops it by miles.
Red Harvest
08-13-2005, 17:11
Every time I see Nixon's speech in 1974 I am on the flour - "...WELL , I AM NOT A CROOK...!"
Technical note: that is not an understatement, it is a false hood.
As for understatement, the one that always sticks in my mind is the NASA communications person a few seconds after Challenger exploded saying, "Flight controllers here are looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a major malfunction." It is not amusing, but it sticks with me.
The Stranger
08-13-2005, 19:53
Neville Chaimberlain (PM before Churchill)
"Peace in our time"
Understatement of the Century
yup after the berling congress. he said. Well i brought peace to our times.
The Stranger
08-13-2005, 19:54
I am a Berliner. thats funny.
Ianofsmeg16
08-13-2005, 19:57
Ich Bin Ein Berliner!
*roughly translated as I am a doughnut...understatement anyone?
Adrian II
08-13-2005, 20:03
Nixon was indeed a false hood who according to close friends spent most of his final days on the flour being drunk.
My favourite is the part of Emperor Hirohito's August 1945 capitulation speech where he stated that 'the war in the Pacific has not necessarily developed in Japan's favour'.
Gawain of Orkeny
08-13-2005, 20:08
Nixon was indeed a false hood who according to close friends spent most of his final days on the flour being drunk.
Wow I didnt know you could get drunk on flour ~D Can you back this up at all?
You can... it will get messy, but it is entirely possible. I think this is worth trying out. You go first. ~D
My favourite is the part of Emperor Hirohito's August 1945 capitulation speech where he stated that 'the war in the Pacific has not necessarily developed in Japan's favour'.
Ahhh, a very good one. Understatement while not wrong, and a big one at that.
Grey_Fox
08-14-2005, 00:21
'There is something wrong with our bloody ships today' - Admiral Beatty at Jutland after two of his Battle Cruisers explode and sink
I believe that after Waterloo, Wellington's despatch was so devoid of superlatives that the American ambassador (I think) thought Napoleon had won.
Krusader
08-14-2005, 00:42
Anything Comical Ali said ~D
Otherwise I would agree to the Chamberlain one.
Red Harvest
08-14-2005, 02:03
Being that this is an international forum perhaps we need to put in the definition of understatement.
understated: avoiding obvious emphasis or embellishment
An understatement would not be false; instead it would be true, but not providing sufficient description of the magnitude of something.
It's like a surgeon getting ready to cut into you without benefit of anesthetic saying, "This might hurt a little." The natural response to understatement would be, "Well, DUH!" or "No, $**t!"
Red Harvest
08-14-2005, 02:04
'There is something wrong with our bloody ships today' - Admiral Beatty at Jutland after two of his Battle Cruisers explode and sink
That's a good one, I had forgotten about that. Stereotypical British understatement.
Strike For The South
08-14-2005, 08:28
Rock n' Roll will be gone by June.
Variety Magazine, Early 1955
(does that count?)
Adrian II
08-14-2005, 09:34
Wow I didnt know you could get drunk on flour ~D Can you back this up at all?It is backed up by the first part of the thread, and particularly Papewaio's expertise.
caesar44
08-14-2005, 13:01
You eat bread everytime you watch Nixon's '74 speech?
Yes , we in the ME are eating flour , drinking water and then going to the fireplace and waiting for Nixon's speech...:)
The Stranger
08-14-2005, 13:24
from what a woman wants//mel gibson
i know i'm not a perfect dad.
caesar44
08-14-2005, 13:52
Wow I didnt know you could get drunk on flour ~D Can you back this up at all?
~D ~D ~D Such a humor... ~D ~D ~D "He wrote flour instead of floor !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , you are killing me dude" The sharpness...the ability to catch the little things...
That's a good one, I had forgotten about that. Stereotypical British understatement.
Now is it really an understatement? If something is 'bloody wrong' then it is very wrong. And that was certainly the case. It would have been an understatement if he had said:
"I say, our ships are not working at optimal efficiency today. Could I have another cup of tea please?"
King Henry V
08-14-2005, 15:30
Rock n' Roll will be gone by June.
Variety Magazine, Early 1955
(does that count?)
Actually that's a false prediction.
Red Harvest
08-14-2005, 17:27
Now is it really an understatement? If something is 'bloody wrong' then it is very wrong. And that was certainly the case. It would have been an understatement if he had said:
"I say, our ships are not working at optimal efficiency today. Could I have another cup of tea please?"
No he said "bloody ships" not "bloody wrong." "Bloody wrong" would have indeed taken it out of the understatement category, because it was clear to everyone that something was very, very wrong with them at that point.
English assassin
08-15-2005, 10:19
One for the biochemists amongst us. Watson and Crick concluded their paper in which they described the structure of DNA with:
It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.
That must be about the most understated announcement of a epoch making scientific breakthrough.
I don't know if it strictly an understatement but "I am just going outside, and I may be some time" deserves a mention too.
No he said "bloody ships" not "bloody wrong." "Bloody wrong" would have indeed taken it out of the understatement category, because it was clear to everyone that something was very, very wrong with them at that point.
How the heck could I have missed that... ~:confused:
Anyway, yes it is an understatement, butthe 'bloody' does add a sense of frustration into the words of Beatty. He wouldn't use that word unless he was fuming at the brigde over some poor design. I can easily see it for me that he was actually yelling. But yes, it is still an understatement.
The Stranger
08-15-2005, 14:31
english use bloody in almost every sentence
Louis VI the Fat
08-15-2005, 14:38
'There is something wrong with our bloody ships today' - Admiral Beatty at Jutland after two of his Battle Cruisers explode and sinkThe understatement lies in the discrepancy between 'something wrong' and 'exploding and sinking'.
I believe that after Waterloo, Wellington's despatch was so devoid of superlatives that the American ambassador (I think) thought Napoleon had won.Alas, the 'understatement' is quite typical of the English use of language. In French that victory would've been announced in pompous, glorifying language. So I can't think of any funny understatement myself.
*Knows that some are now desperately trying to combine 'can't think of any' and 'French victory' into some sort of joke. ~;) *
yesdachi
08-15-2005, 14:52
"...WELL , I AM NOT A CROOK...!"
Nixon was a politician and therefore a crook so his statement is a lie. ~D But I like the fact that even thou his party was totally caught he did take some responsibility for his actions. It would be nice to see others do the same coughClintonscough. Side note: Nixons head appearances on futurama are great!
english use bloody in almost every sentence
Not the bloody aristocracy and upper class. To a man like Beatty 'bloody' does signify his rather uncomfortable position.
It is funny, but in Denmark it used to like this too.
A soldier defending Copenhagen in 1807 against the British actually made a rather interesting, and very time-fitting, over-understatement (complex but I will try to explain).
He was in the elite volountary sharpshooter (they were actually civilians). In a sally his buddy got killed right beside him. Then in his fury he stood up, shook his fist at the knave that did it, then proceeded to shoot every single of his 30 rounds at him and finally calmly walked back to the city.
Sadly I can't translate it as a lot of the feeling gets lost in traslation (besides I haven't got the text).
The way it comes off is a sort of "Better than thou, but humble about it." When I read it I didn't know ifI should laugh, cry or be impressed. Then as I read on it turned out that that was the way people spoke, over-understatements.
Surprisingly I haven't seen this among others.
Louis VI the Fat
08-15-2005, 22:34
Men Kraxis, der er altid nogle der kan forstar lidt Dansk. Siger det om dansk! ~;)
Now let's hope my Danish still makes some sense...
Adrian II
08-16-2005, 17:58
*Knows that some are now desperately trying to combine 'can't think of any' and 'French victory' into some sort of joke. ~;) *Yet no one has... ~:handball:
*ready to pop demi Moët et Chandon*
Red Harvest
08-16-2005, 18:08
Yet no one has... ~:handball:
*ready to pop demi Moët et Chandon*
This is what pops up when you type "French Military Victory" into Google and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky"
French Military History Humor (http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokefrenchmilitaryhistory.htm)
Google used to respond, "Did you mean 'French Military Defeats?'" and point to a different page with the same text. No, I'm not making that up.
Anyway, the link is quite ungenerous to the French, and takes some liberties, so don't take it too seriously. It is a funny way to look at history though. Enjoy.
Louis VI the Fat
08-16-2005, 19:40
Yet no one has... ~:handball:
*ready to pop demi Moët et Chandon*I'll share a toast on it with you!
French Military History Humor (http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokefrenchmilitaryhistory.htm)And here's a glass of our finest champagne for you too! Straight from the freezer, American style! :balloon2:
Adrian II
08-16-2005, 20:52
I'll share a toast on it with you!
And here's a glass of our finest champagne for you too! Straight from the freezer, American style! :balloon2:At least they got the spelling right in that little piece. Gotta give credit where it is due.
Louis VI the Fat
08-16-2005, 22:07
At least they got the spelling right in that little piece. Gotta give credit where it is due.I know, I know. I do need to work on being humorous in English. When the phrasing is not exactly right, what's meant as funny provocating remarks comes off as pedantic and obnoxious.
Red Harvest
08-16-2005, 22:33
I'll share a toast on it with you!
And here's a glass of our finest champagne for you too! Straight from the freezer, American style! :balloon2:
Yecckkkk. No, I very much appreciate French Champagne. Unfortunately, I admit to having a bit of trouble getting consistency from them...one bottle is heaven, the next is so-so. Spending so much for a mediocre or corked bottle on a special occasion leaves a very bad taste in my mouth (pun intended ~D ) I've actually had better luck with some Spanish brands and even Australian for about 1/5th the price, they can't reach the quality of good French Champagne but they have been more consistent, and they exceed the American ones I've tried (too acidic/tart, too woody, no subtlety or smoothness, etc.)
Louis VI the Fat
08-17-2005, 01:02
Oh so true. Top quality wines are still from France, if only by definition - wines are great if they taste French. But below that, in every price range, you can get the same quality for half the price you would pay for French wine.
If you're not going for the very best (and who does all the time, let's not be snobbish) I'd skip French wine and go for any Southern Hemisphere one. Australian, South African and Chilean wines are fantastic value for money.
Oh, and that 'Straight from the freezer, American style' bit referred not to American champagne, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but to champagne chilled in a freezer, the way some American restaurants serve it. http://www.my-smileys.de/smileys2/00009154.gif
Lethal to the aroma. Heresy when it involves a bottle of Moët et Chandon. Serving you a glass of it was meant as a severe and brutal punishment to get even for that link you provided. ~;)
ICantSpellDawg
08-17-2005, 01:21
"Peace in our time"
"I AM NOT A CROOK...!"
Ich Bin Ein Berliner!
Understatement: is used to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is. It can be used to entertain or to reduce the importance of the truth.
'There is something wrong with our bloody ships today' - Admiral Beatty at Jutland after two of his Battle Cruisers explode and sink
My favourite is the part of Emperor Hirohito's August 1945 capitulation speech where he stated that 'the war in the Pacific has not necessarily developed in Japan's favour'.
These are examples of "understatements".
Adrian II
08-17-2005, 06:54
I know, I know. I do need to work on being humorous in English. When the phrasing is not exactly right, what's meant as funny provocating remarks comes off as pedantic and obnoxious.And I need to work on my tongue in cheek, apparently. My spelling remark was directed at the Americans who wrote that "joke" about French history, it was not directed at you at all. That's why I wrote "they", not "you".
Your reply is a tribute to your modesty, though, and we can all learn from that.
:bow:
Louis, ked af det, men jeg har ikke teksten mere. I could only remember the general outline of it.
And wines? Well the growing line it going further and further north. The Italians and Spanish are having trouble keeping up the quality they have been able to keep the last 50 years. Now German and even British wines beginning to getthe better of them.
Personally I like Rieslings, but then again I always get pounding headaches of redwines (not whites though), so I can't comment on the reds.
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