A few translations, or what you see is not always what you get…

Occasionally it’s handy to wrap up what you’re saying, as in

Thank you for your helpful fax/ letter/ e-mail [You mean I’ve got to do something about this?]

Sorry, I evidently didn’t explain that well [Listen up, Cloth-Ears]

We’re having limited success with x [It isn’t working]

It was good of you to go into so much detail [I can’t believe that anyone can whinge at such length]

See what support X needs [Find out what X is doing and stop him or her]

I feel someone else should be given the chance to do this [I don’t want to]

Can you improve on that price, please? [I want to pay less]

(Special one for contractors, this) Can I help you? [Who the hell are you and what the blazes do you think you’re doing?]