But these dependable staples will be no help in the coming weeks. If you're anything like me, you may only be dimly aware of the World Cup (which begins on Thursday) – but once it starts, woe betide the clueless man or woman who attempts to speak freely when they're in the presence of die-hard football fans. You have the power to enrage an entire room of people with a single, ill-timed question. You have the potential to provoke a withering response from a friend, an angry diatribe from a colleague and a month-long dose of frosty looks from the local pub landlord – all thanks to a throwaway, off-the-cuff comment.