Letter: My table talk relied on Huck Finn exaggeration

Gillian Tett’s column “New York or London — what’s your table talk style?” (Magazine, Life & Arts, June 22), compares Brit and Yank versions of “not done” table talk. It reminded me of an exchange I once had with a kind Oxbridge lady. In those long-ago unmarried days an Oxford lady lawyer liked me. As a Harvard (and Michigan Law) grad I also liked her. Offering a sincere compliment, she described me as “unusually sophisticated — for an American”. With equal sincerity I responded: “Let’s say I’m in the top 10 per cent. Perhaps a Huckleberry Finn ‘stretcher’, but it makes the maths easier. That means more than 30mn people are just like me.”

“Oh, I see”, replied my Oxbridge friend. “It’s a very large country”, was my equally-polite response.

Terry Murphy
Life Member, American Law Institute
Bethesda, MD, US