An American visiting England walked into a hotel lobby and pushed a button for elevator service．“The lift will be down presently，”said a nearby clerk．

 

“The lift？”said the American．“Oh，you mean the elevator．”

 

“No，I mean the lift，”replied the Englishman，annoyed by the American' s arrogance．

 

“I think I should know what it's called，” said the American．“After all，elevators were invented in the United States．”

 

“Perhaps，”retorted the Englishman．“But the language was invented here．”