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Information about Understatement

Understatement is a form of speech in which a lesser expression is used than what would be expected. This is not to be confused with euphemism, where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression.

Understatement is a staple of humor in English-speaking cultures, especially in British humour. For example, in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, a suburban dinner party is invaded by Death, who wears a long black cloak and carries a scythe. He is the Grim Reaper; the party is over; the guests must all go with him. "Well," says one party guest, "that's cast rather a gloom over the evening, hasn't it?" In another scene, an Army officer has just lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and responds, "Stings a bit."

Examples

Event: The rocket carrying Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in a catastrophic fireball shortly after take-off on January 28 1986. Comment: Steve Nisbett, public commentator for Mission Control at NASA: "Obviously a major malfunction...". [1] It should be noted that he was watching computer telemetry at the time, not the actual launch, so this was not intentional.

Event: British Admiral David Beatty had just watched two of his battle-cruisers explode and disintegrate under German fire at the Battle of Jutland, May 31 1916. Comment: "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today..." [2]

Event: A 2006 interview regarding current affairs in the Middle East with the Egyptian Foreign Minister. Comment by the Foreign Minister: "I think there's a problem between Shias and Sunnis". (BBC World Service, 23:50, Australian Eastern Standard Time, May 18 2006)

Event: During the Kuala Lumpur to Perth leg of British Airways Flight 9 on 24 June, 1982, volcanic ash causes all four engines of the Boeing 747 aircraft to fail. Although pressed for time as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, Captain Eric Moody still managed to make an announcement to the passengers. Comment: "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress."

See also

British humour is a somewhat general term applied to certain comedic motifs that are often prevalent in comedic acts originating in Great Britain and its current or former colonies.
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personification of death as a living, sentient entity is a concept that has existed in many societies since the beginning of recorded history. In Western cultures, death is usually given the name "The Grim Reaper
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Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia being the first.
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January 28 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The excommunication of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor is lifted.

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1950s  1960s  1970s  - 1980s -  1990s  2000s  2010s
1983 1984 1985 - 1986 - 1987 1988 1989

Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA logo
Motto: For the Benefit of All[1]

NASA seal
Agency overview
Formed 29 July 1958

Headquarters Washington D.C.

Annual Budget $16.
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David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO (17 January 1871 – 11 March 1936), was an admiral in the Royal Navy.

Early career

Born at Howbeck Lodge (originally one of the Earl of Shrewsbury's hunting lodges), in Howbeck, which is a hamlet in the parish of Stapeley,
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Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht (Battle of the Skagerrak); Danish: Søslaget ved Jylland / Søslaget om Skagerrak) was the largest naval battle of World War I and the only full-scale clash of battleships in that war.
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May 31 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great) (19th dynasty) becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1880s  1890s  1900s  - 1910s -  1920s  1930s  1940s
1913 1914 1915 - 1916 - 1917 1918 1919

Year 1916 (MCMXVI
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Middle East is a historical and political region of Africa-Eurasia with no clear boundaries. The term "Middle East" was popularized around 1900 in Britain, and has been criticized for its loose definition.
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Shī‘a terms
  • Shi'a Islam
  • Moderate Shi'a
  • Real Shi'a
  • Shi'a of Ali
  • Shi'a of Uthman
  • Shi'a of Mauwiyah
Shī‘a Islam, also Shi‘ite Islam or Shi‘ism
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Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Sunnism or as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic:
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BBC World Service

Type Radio network
Country  United Kingdom
Availability    International
Owner BBC
Key people Nigel Chapman (Director)
Launch date 1932
Website bbcworldservice.
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May 18 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1152 - Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.

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20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
1970s  1980s  1990s  - 2000s -  2010s  2020s  2030s
2003 2004 2005 - 2006 - 2007 2008 2009

2006 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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British Airways Flight 9

Summary
Date  June 24, 1982
Cause  Flameout of all engines due to blockage by volcanic ash
Site  Mount Galunggung, West Java, Indonesia

Fatalities  0
Injuries  0
Aircraft
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June 24 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces.

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1950s  1960s  1970s  - 1980s -  1990s  2000s  2010s
1979 1980 1981 - 1982 - 1983 1984 1985

Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII
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Volcanic ash consists of very fine rock and mineral particles less than 2 mm in diameter that are ejected from a volcanic vent. Ash is created when solid rock shatters and magma separates into minute particles during explosive volcanic activity.
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Type Airliner
Manufacturer Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Designed by Joe Sutter
Maiden flight 9 February1969[1]
Introduction 1970 with Pan Am and TWA<ref name="milestone" />
Status In development (747-8)
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In rhetoric, litotes is a figure of speech in which a speaker, rather than making a certain claim, denies its opposite; for example, rather than call a person attractive, one might say she's "not too bad to look at".
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This article has been tagged since September 2007.

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For the method of cell division, see .


Meiosis is a figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is.
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