[salad77]

Looks like "The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language" applies.

Origin unclear but according to https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/English_language attributed to George Bernard Shaw.

I read the original and did not pick up the nuance until it was pointed out; then the alternative reading was also entirely reasonable even if it was not my first understanding. The cultural ambiguity of English at it's best.