Guys. He is a former high-ranking British official criticising the US government on a matter of security.
What he means by "puzzling“ is "completely mad, incomprehensible, weirdly pro-Russian and potentially profoundly damaging to the US as well as Ukraine“.
What he means by "puzzling“ is "completely mad, incomprehensible, weirdly pro-Russian and potentially profoundly damaging to the US as well as Ukraine“.
Reposted from
Keir Giles
Once again, the word "puzzling" is entirely out of place.
www.washingtonpost.com//world/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com//world/2025/...
Comments
If things excalate and get really worse, the situation may "take him by surprise".
E.g. "not too great, I'm afraid" means "the world is collapsing round our ears, and by the way would you like a cup of tea?"
Injecting bleach. A dose of bright light. Tariffs up, down, in, out, hokey, cokey and around. Hegseth, Noem, Gabbard, Gaetz. RFK. All *very* puzzling.
They Say: [generic nice thing].
They Mean: I loathe how you are wasting my time just by being in this program your work is trash I hate you hate hate hate you.
Is this chart even about cultural differences at all?
We had a spot of bother yesterday but it's OK now
they really meant:
It was an extremely hard fight, and the enemy nearly broke through, but we eventually stopped them
and i somehow naturally read the UK one in a man's voice, the US a woman's
Also true in England of, for example, when someone really thinks the whole strategy & ideas need total reconstruction:
Sport: our technique is sound but we could make some small adjustments
Politics: we should improve our policy presentation
I think it was called ‘Yes Minister’.
“You may wish to apply Occam’s Razor and conclude that he’s simply in the pay of the Kremlin, but I couldn’t possibly comment.”
"A frank/honest exchange of opinions": someone had brought a knuckle duster.
"problematic inclinations": police are examining his hard drive
Insinuate that it might fund a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine?