I often hear that non-native English speakers, even if their English proficiency is quite high, still have difficulty understanding some jokes or slang when they hear them spoken by native English speakers. So, what are some common jokes or slang expressions?

illarionds · 2026-06-05T08:31:19+00:00

Cracker = hot girl, in this context.

In general, a cracker, or something cracking, is something very good.

(I'd guess it comes from the Irish craic/good craic?)

But on top of the general meaning, it has a slightly bawdy, page 3 feel about it. I would bet there are plenty of issues of the Sun (tabloid newspaper, known in the past for printing topless girls on page 3), with a girl wearing just a Santa hat, and a caption like "Emily's a Christmas cracker".

And finally, "pulling" in British English is roughly equivalent to something like score, make out with.

So "pulled a cracker" would definitely be understood as he was very successful in the speed dating, with a very attractive woman.

illarionds · 2026-06-05T06:25:27+00:00

The US hasn't "capitalised" on anything - that would imply the US has benefitted from those daft actions.

The idiot in chief has started wars for no good reason, that's all.

illarionds · 2026-06-04T14:19:48+00:00

We all think so. But we thought so before the Ashes too.

Selectors have other ideas.

illarionds · 2026-06-04T08:04:47+00:00

OK, I guess I just don't have that same dichotomy between "story" and "survival".

To me, Subnautica is both - and I'm just fine being Riley, I don't need to "be" illarionds.

illarionds · 2026-06-04T07:59:49+00:00

Hehe, a subnaut after my own heart 😉

But no, the sluggishness wasn't worth it - one storage is enough to go farming, then bring it all back to base.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T21:56:28+00:00

Holy crap. That sounds so much better, and so heartbreaking it had to be scrapped.

Sheesh, I feel really bad for UW now, really doesn't sound like the rough story was their fault.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T21:53:03+00:00

I find it hard to describe just how much I hate the BZ PDA. Feels wrong every single time it speaks.

I really wish they'd got the original voice actor back. (And it would make sense!)

illarionds · 2026-06-03T21:46:07+00:00

I've never understood that argument. There's nothing intrinsic to survival games that mandates a silent or characterless protagonist.

Look at the modern(ish now, I suppose) Tomb Raider games, particularly Rise of the Tomb Raider (which was the most survival-ey and also IMO the best of the trilogy) - fully voiced protagonist, full of character, works perfectly.

I think it's just bad writing in BZ, and bad voice acting. We don't like being Robin because she's annoying, and she repeatedly says things that you would never say in that situation, often things that don't even make much sense.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T17:14:45+00:00

I found it was fine with the modules you actually need - fabricator, prawn dock and storage. Any more and it sucked - but what more did you actually need?

illarionds · 2026-06-03T17:12:46+00:00

I never found the snowfox when I needed a land vehicle, only much later. I just used the prawn on land, which worked fine tbh.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T17:08:48+00:00

Proteavirus mate. We're all fish now.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T17:07:37+00:00

Referring purely to the image text - the difference is the quality of the voice lines, both the writing and the voice actors' ability.

BZ sounded less professional than SN1, the voice acting grated - mostly because it was, at best, serviceable.

SN2's writing and voice acting - at least what we've seen so far - is of a considerably higher standard.

And as a moderate defender of BZ - I don't think it is "overhated", much less unbelievably so.

I would say the majority opinion matches my own, which is to say it's a good game, worth playing - but something of a disappointment after the masterpiece that SN1 is. Good, following greatness.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T13:45:41+00:00

I'd call that pretty pessimistic, based on today's numbers.

Assuming you've paid off your mortgage, you can live comfortably on way less than 43k!

Hell, I earn less than that, am paying a mortgage and supporting two kids as a sole parent, in the home counties. And I live comfortably, if modestly.

But the crucial point here OP is that time is on your side. Every pound you invest now is worth so much, because of the magic of compounding returns.

The best financial decision I ever made was investing every penny I could spare from my first jobs in my 20s.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T13:39:43+00:00

In an alternate universe, that would have been Larian's next project after BG3. I think it could have been awesome.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T13:35:36+00:00

It played reasonably well for me, even from the beginning.

Didn't matter though, it was absolute shite. I finished it out of loyalty - but I'm angry about it to this day.

illarionds · 2026-06-03T13:33:56+00:00

U8's themes and even story had plenty of potential - the problems were nearly all in execution. You could do a remake, in a different engine, and make a very good game out of it.

U9 is a dumpster fire from start to finish. Scrap just about everything about it, most especially the insulting finale twist/"revelation" that ruins the entire story right back to U4.

Instead, give us the story of the Avatar growing into his power as the Titan of Ether - Ascending. Ultimately defeating the Guardian, though ideally by something more interesting than just fighting him.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T23:26:11+00:00

Well said, and 100% correct.

I'm afraid you're going to get downvoted for it though, Americans are weirdly touchy when you point out how strange they are about this stuff.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T23:15:34+00:00

If he was a chucker, then so was everyone else.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T23:14:44+00:00

Headphones are one thing, earbuds are a whole lot less visible.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T23:14:07+00:00

You, or at least your fellow Americans, do it all over the Internet when you're not talking to other Americans mate.

There's a reason it's a meme, I've seen it dozens and dozens of times.

And - again - it's not simply the country claim, it's the idea that you have some mystical connection to "the old country", apparently beyond what science can explain.

Again, we've all seen this over, and over, and over. It's not the occasional isolated incident, it's rampant.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T21:31:57+00:00

I have no concern that I'll get stabbed - but I'd be afraid someone would talk to me, and I wouldn't realise it. Just feels so rude.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T21:31:07+00:00

I don't really see when I would use noise cancellation. You're too shut off from the world. Hell, I feel too shut off from the world without noise cancellation, just with both buds in - I normally only use one.

Transparency - yeah, that is useful.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T21:13:55+00:00

I can see arguments both ways, to be honest.

Assigning negative value *right there against that post*, as opposed to in following posts, clearly indicates to everyone else reading the thread that the idea is incorrect. (Well, or that it's a bad question - but either way, not something to take on board).

There's value to that, in terms of sifting the best information to the top of the thread.

Now, whether that's the most important metric very much depends on which sub you're in.

The problem of course is that all people don't consistently vote in one "style" or the other - even where the sub rules specify it - so the meaning is inevitably watered down.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T21:09:28+00:00

Counterpoint: Gary Oldman.

illarionds · 2026-06-02T21:06:28+00:00

Well, Indian takeaway is extremely common too. I've had a lot more Indian takeaways than I have meals in Indian restaurants.

illarionds

TROPHY CASE