What I was trying to convey was that "scruffy" is not a sophisticated word (therefore not what sorrow wsa asking for.) It was slang, but has become absorbed into the UK form of the language by constant use (and, it appears, into the US form as well.) It is useful because it is a single word, whereas to make a remark about someone else's appearance sound inoffensive, one would have to use a phrase; e.g., "He does not look very tidy," or "Could you wear something smarter, please?"

For an innately polite and reserved nation like the English, it is very hard to make comments on someones appearance or personal hygiene without being thought 'offensive.'

(And I didn't mean that you were being offensive, Branny - I was just talking about the word, 'scruffy.')

Last edited by Rhubarb Commando; 05/17/13 03:49 PM.
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