>> Perhaps, Pl1 hadn’t yet had a strong enough coffee to pick up on it. <<
Possibly , but there is another possible explanation : As mouton says , this is a tough crowd. One survival mechanism in such an arena is " Keep 'em guessing ".
I've been told that if you and your girlfriend find yourselves walking thru a bad neighborhood at night and notice a group of dangerous-looking thugs who appear to be swooping in for the kill , the best strategy is to immediately start screaming at your girlfriend , using the most vile language possible , while simultaneously pulling her hair and smacking her around. If you draw blood or knock out a tooth or two it's even better. The bad guys will see that you're a raving lunatic and go looking for easier targets. I've never tried this technique but I've had a couple girlfriends in the past when I wish I'd had the chance.
PL1 may just be shrewd enough to be using a variation of this method , IMO.