You're right. Actually, I remember a story [1] of a British army commander asking his American superior (on a UN mission) for help by saying "Things are a bit sticky, sir". Unfortunately this was taken to mean that everything was fine, so no reinforcements were sent.

I understand that the Dutch are very much at the other end of the spectrum - very direct and straightforward.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/apr/14/johnezard