The biggest understatement of all times

[Red Harvest]

'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]

Rock n' Roll will be gone by June.
Variety Magazine, Early 1955

(does that count?)

[King Henry V]

Rock n' Roll will be gone by June.
Variety Magazine, Early 1955

(does that count?)

Actually that's a false prediction.

[Kraxis]

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?"

[Red Harvest]

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]

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.

[Kraxis]

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...
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]

english use bloody in almost every sentence

[Louis VI the Fat]

'There is something wrong with our bloody ships today' - Admiral Beatty at Jutland after two of his Battle Cruisers explode and sink

The 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. *

[Adrian II]

*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...

*ready to pop demi Moët et Chandon*

[Kraxis]

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]

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...