This is admittedly a tangent, but I love that British (and apparently Irish) government programs are commonly called "schemes". To American ears, it always sounds like some grand confidence trick is being pulled.

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esperent 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

As an Irish person, in normal speech the word "scheme" has exactly the same shady connotations as it does for Americans. Calling someone a "schemer" is a common insult. I've always assumed the government started using the word in a rare moment of honesty and it stuck.

	▲	TrainedMonkey 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Or perchance it is the other way around. The word started as official term and over time got shady connotation because can't trust Big Government.

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nv2156 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

In India too, discounts and promotional policies are commonly called 'schemes.' I learned the hard way that in the US, the word has a negative connotation when I asked my rental office about any 'schemes,' they looked at me with total shock.

	▲	acuozzo 23 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Similarly, "doubt" has a negative connotation in the US, but I see it often used as a synonym for "question" by Indian speakers of English.
	▲	jerbearito 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		That's hilarious! I hope y'all cleared up the confusion quickly.

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rorylawless 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Growing up in the UK, we would be sent to a “play scheme” during the school holidays. Weird phrase.