[Polybius]

Will the Aussies flunk you for writing "gray" instead of "grey" or "color" instead of "colour"?

It cost me points on English assignments in a Canadian high school in the late '70s.

In medical school, during the introductory classes to Physical Examination, we had a British female professor explaining how you can differentiate a "hydrocele" (fluid collection in the scrotum surrounding the testicle) from a solid tumor mass by "trans-illumination" (holding a penlight against the scrotum to see if the light shines through the fluid or is blocked by the solid mass).

< British accent> "So, you hold the scrotal mass between your fingers and then you trans-illuminate it with a torch." < /British accent>

OUCH!!!

In unison, the entire auditorium filled with 22 year old American medical students roared with laughter.

The more she scolded us for being immature about laughing at "holding a scrotal mass" the more the class laughed.

The more she blushed and turned beet red, the louder the class laughed.

Finally, somebody had mercy on her an explained to her what "torch" means in "American".

[buccaneer81]

LOL!

[buccaneer81]

Sometimes it can have even more serious repercussions. In the Canadian Maritimes, a “case” of beer is 12 bottles. To get 24, you need to ask for a “flat” or a “twofour.”

[Gene Eric]

Just sit there and be quiet while I and this crowd of medical students shine a flashlight on your package and examine it in the dark...

Great story, btw.