If you come from Scotland, how come you speak English?

Dontcha lurve Merkins? One little slip of the brain can give me enough material for a whole post.

I suppose it was a fair enough question, given that he was a seventeen-year-old hick from North Carolina who'd probly never been further east than the Outer Banks. The correct answer would have involved the Union of the Crowns, the Quarter-to-six rebellion, the outlawing of Gaelic, maybe a sideswipe at the Highland Clearances and the deportation of a sizeable chunk of the population of Scotchland to make room for all the sheep.

But I thought I was being sharp that day and replied: "If you come from North Carolina, how come you don't speak Cherokee?"

Which was a really lucky guess. There must be a squillion Injun tribes in North Merka, and I'd picked a local one by chance.

Hell, I was seventeen myself, so that was pretty damned smart!

But there are better ways to make friends and influence people. Like not being sarky.

Camera-ha and that. The noo.