The Australian Dictionary of Invisible Culture for Teachers
understatement
attitude: some people can think like this (see more)
Many people in Australia think like this:
When I want to say how I feel, it is good if I say something like ‘good’ when I want to say ‘very good’.
When I want to say what I think, it is good if I say something like ‘I think’ when I want to say ‘I know’.
When I want to say a word like ‘all’ it is good if I say ‘many’. When I want to say a word like ‘many’ it is good if I say ‘some’.
Note
Note that at each line it is 'it is good if I say' rather than listing what it is bad to say. This allows for the spectrum of variation in understatement, and also allows for sarcastic and humorous uses.Back to Expressing opinions