A friend of mine was teaching English to a class of adults who had recently moved to the United States. After placing several everyday objects on a table, he asked various students to hand him the ruler, the book, the pen, and so on. The lesson proceeded smoothly, and the students seemed engaged and serious. Then, my friend turned to an Italian student and said, "Give me the kays." The man looked surprised and somewhat confused. Thinking the student hadn't heard him clearly, my friend repeated, "Give me the kays." The Italian shrugged his shoulders. Then, he threw his arms around the teacher's neck and kissed him on both cheeks.