During our 2010 trip to New York, The Wife and I made a point of visiting every Irish Pub we came across in Manhattan. On one occasion, we entered a pub on the Lower East Side to find the bar was completely full, but there was seating in the restaurant area. A friendly manager sat us in the restaurant, explaining we could still drink and eat at happy hour prices. Our waitress, however, was a grumpy New York waif, whom we deemed “Surly Sarah.” At the end of our meal, she brought us the bill with full menu prices, even though we’d ordered well within the happy hour timeframe. Surly Sarah was more than a little inconvenienced by the fact that we had not read her mind and reminded her of this beforehand.
THE WIFE: “You decide in your head to charge us full price? Can I smell this? No.”
Click here to learn more about the term “Denglish.”
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OK – I give up! What was she really trying to convey with ‘Can I smell this?” The nearest I can come is ‘This stinks’.
No. It refers to something like …”Should I know that? (I can’t smell I it). Maybe that makes more sense :)
It´s called “absurd humour” – there is NO explanation:)
Ha ha, that is funny. I didn’t get the joke at first. Looks too weird in English.
I’m sure there is a story/legend behind this phrase: Can or how can I smell it.
It’s a good one.
Way to go, girl!
“Sense” versus “smell”? I’m going to start using this all-purpose phrase from now on!