More British Understatement

Not madly edifying

Or litotes, as the Greeks called it.

Confronted by a scene of mayhem, you say: "There seem to be one or two problems here. "

If your whole team is steadfastly opposed to your plan, you say: "There seems to be a little bit of an issue with this."

If a fight broke out at your daughter's wedding, you tell your friends: "It wasn’t madly edifying."

“1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure,” said the Queen on a year in which her three eldest children’s marriages broke down and one of her palaces caught fire.

“Certain people wanted their share of the gold and when it wasn’t there waiting for them, they started getting very upset.” (A gangster - he meant they started shooting people down.)

Hunting man has remarkably few legs to stand on. #bbctbq (Dave Plummer ‏@primevalmudd 2014-02-09)

Suggesting that a mosque in Athens wld somehow be the fault of Zionism doesn't show the Gk Church at its absolute best. (Tom Holland)

Troops and tanks in target area continue to be faced with serious resistance. Situation "unpleasant". (UK war cabinet, via Dan Snow)

Just got an ad, across a youtube video, that promised "smart underwear for smart men". I would have you know that my response wasn't delight. (Truett Ogden)

very inclement weather: tornado, torrential rain, blizzard

More here.