A month later

than my last posting, I write today about a phrase that is 'bugging me', as in, 'irritating me'.
On the return ferry of DFDS, Newhaven to Dieppe, I ate fish and chips.  The chips were dry but the fish and batter were excellent. I rarely eat fish and chips.  BUT, I had to eat something 'to get me through', as in, 'to help me fall asleep as soon as I had finished my meal yet keep me awake to drive after 23h that night'.   I'd eaten a delicious M&S chicken sandwich for a late lunch on the three hour route to the ferry port. Breakfast had been late with freshly squeezed orange juice, a fried egg on toast and mushrooms (cooked breakfast for me is unusual ), tea, coffee, toast and marmalade.

After my meal washed down with ONE glass of red, the cork going back into the bottle and driven home in both senses of the phrase, the naval waitress came to collect my tray.
She said, "Are you done?"

I am not at all ever perfect with my own spoken or written English and certainly am not strong on knowledge of grammar but I found this colloquialism difficult to accept!  I understand that English people, British people and other nationalities use this expression, but in this context I had to say something!

I explained that in my opinion it was better to say "Have you finished?"  or  "Have you finished your meal?"  She was very good to not take offense.

I also explained that there is a phrase used in UK that I cannot abide. When one is in a shop or elsewhere, the server/shop assistant, etc, says "Are you OK?" or something similar,  and I stand and say, "Yes I am fine thankyou", whereupon they look a bit surprised. If they don't lead on to ask how they may help me, then I continue to say, '...but if you are asking how may you help me then...'dah de dah de dah...', explaining my needs!

There's also another annoyingly weird East Anglian or English expression which for the moment escapes me!

However, I love linguistics and the use of vocabulary.  I realise that the usage of words and phrases has developed over time.  English is very much a living language and I like that.  French is becoming progressive too.  There are borrowings and conversions of spellings, grammar, definitions and the rest every day from international countries and cultures and this is what makes Language so very fascinating and 'the devil of a job' to learn and master!

Now... "I'm done!!!"  ... as in, "Now I have ended my posting of rambling thoughts, as well as ended my one month sabbatical from such efforts!" 

N.B. Maybe the word DONE, also being used by GOOGLE BLOGGER on a button to click to say, 
'post is ready to publish'  is another area from which words and their meanings are evolving!

P.S. Words and communications are often inadequate, fraught with misinterpretations!