There's an ocean between Britain and the USA, but an even wider division between each country's use of a particular word: 'please'.

Linguists Lynne Murphy and Rachele De Felice explain how one nation's obsequiousness is another nation's obnoxiousness.

PLEASE, READ MORE ABOUT IT:

• Lynne Murphy’s blog is Separated By A Common Language. She has written about ‘please’ and ‘please’ in restaurants.

• Anthropologist David Graeber considers the reciprocity in using these niceties.

• “We should use "please" and "thank you" selectively so we don't confuse each other about the difference between favors and obligations”.

• Why do the British say ‘sorry’ so much?

• This claims to be a history of etiquette, but is mainly about forks. Get the forks right, and the rest follows (or so the fork tyrants would have you believe).

• Emily Post may have died in 1960, but she’s still looking out for your manners. Keeping the Post flag politely flying, her great-great-grandchildren host the Awesome Etiquette podcast.

• There's a transcript of this episode at theallusionist.org/transcripts/please.