One of the joys of being married to a non-native English speaker is the merriment that can ensue from even the most mundane observances when inflected with a slight verbal foible. Here are some classics…
“Look, it’s an ice cream bus!” (while looking at an ice cream truck)
“Let’s meet at noon-fifteen” or “I didn’t fall asleep until midnight-thirty.”
“I forgot the sunshine cream.” (sunscreen)
“I smell a skank.” (while walking around the neighborhood and smelling a skunk)
“Thank you for all your precious help.” (synonym of valuable misused repeatedly in emails until I advised against that wording)
(The drawback of being married to a non-native English speaker? Having to explain puns, most jokes, and that we say “patio” with a hard t but “patience” with a sh sound — and getting a look implying the irrational English language is all my fault.)
