Some of the english here has evolved separately and so preserves older forms, but unfortunately for a pedant other times words end up misused. For example 'hotel' almost always means 'restaurant'... or occasionally actually 'hotel' just to throw you. I don't usually mind, you have to try and guess the real meaning of any statement... but the other day I finally felt compelled to launch into a description of why, although beer and whiskey can be purchased from a wine shop, they are not wine (at least in modern english). In the end I settled on a diagram classifying alcohol, and covering various types including cider, beer, ale, lager, spirits, vodka, whiskey, gin, and wine, elaborated with the originating grains and fruits. I finished this lecture with "And that's why all of Andhra Pradesh is wrong" and looked up to see the entire bar staring at me. Thankfully this is just the general state of a bar in India, as nobody can understand me anyway... one of the fellow patrons later confirmed I was the first English person he had seen.
And that is how the english tourist got his reputation... and the least pleasant beer he had ever encountered
R. Kipling
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