OT meaning of sad [was: Serious OpenSSL vulnerability]

[Bill Oliver]

On Fri, 11 Apr 2014, Steve Searle wrote:

> Around 12:36pm on Friday, April 11, 2014 (UK time), Rolf Turner wrote:
>
>> Although I am not British, I thought I was reasonably well-informed
>> about British colloquialisms, and I am unaware of "sad" being used as an
>> insult.  I guess that to call someone a "sad case" is an insult, but
>> "sad" on its own is different.
>>
>> Are you sure you didn't mean "sod"? :-)
>
> I am British (English) and calling someone sad is a minor insult.
> Usually implying they are unpopular or have no social skills - "The sad
> bastard is staying in on Friday night".
>
> It still retains its official meaning too.
>
> Steve
>
>

Just goes to show that no matter how hard you try not to offend, if someone wants to be offended badly enough, he or she can manage it.


billo