Cocked Up by Margaret Ullrich

Yesterday I wrote about how the British had come to Malta.

They were invited there to help kick out Napoleon.

Napoleon had said he just wanted some water.

Yeah, right.

Then he took over the place.

Doesn't make one feel warm and toasty about the French.

Well, along with eating, the Brits and Maltese did a bit of talking.

We learned some of their recipes.

And they learned some of our language.

Ah, yes... cultural exchange.

British television shows are quite popular in Canada.

Dr. Who had its season premiere last night.

The show's been on since the 60s.

The Space channel ran a Dr. Who marathon all afternoon.

In case somebody is still confused.

I love it, but there are some things I don't get.

River couldn't have called Amy 'Mom' when they first met?

I mean, didn't River know?

I digress... 

Last night, after the premiere of Dr. Who, Torchwood was on.

Another British sci fi favorite.

Long story about a time when nobody dies.

Not such a hot idea.  Really.

I digress... again.

Our local public TV channel also runs British comedies on Saturday nights.

Vicar of Dibley, To the Manor Born, Fresh Fields, As Time Goes By...

Love seeing Dame Judy Dench when she wasn't a dame.

Just the shows to watch with a cuppa and a biscuit.

And let's not forget Merlin, an interesting twist of the Camelot tale.

Gotta love television shows from across the pond.

English is a funny language.

The British, the Canadians and the Americans speak English.

But there are little differences.

The British English still has a trace of Maltese in it.

I get the giggles whenever an actor says "Don't cock up" or "He cocked up".

Cock doesn't have the same colorful history as a few other four-letter words.

It's not as bad as "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge".

Cocka in Maltese means... 

How shall I put this?

Okay, the English word translates as:

excrement - usually considered vulgar.

Yeah, another four-letter word. 

During the war quite a few folks in Malta said cocka.

The word went back to England.

And lives on.

We got meat pies.

The British got cocka.

Ah, yes... cultural exchange.