MLG CREW INTERPED CLRNC TO BE AN 'EXPECT' CLRNC; CONTINUING AS PREVIOUSLY CLRED.

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ORIGINAL CLRNC WAS THE JASEN ARR INTO IAD. WASHINGTON DULLES -- FIRST APCH CTLR; OR IT MAY HAVE BEEN WASHINGTON APCH CLRED US DIRECT TO THE ARMEL VOR STAR AND ISSUED DSCNT CLRNC. AFTER SWITCHING TO APCH CTL AT DULLES; WE THOUGHT THE CTLR ISSUED AN 'EXPECT' CLRNC TO RWY 12 AND DIRECT TO MANNE INTXN. WE INTERPED THE ENTIRE CLRNC TO BE AN EXPECT. WE BECAME BUSY SETTING UP FOR RWY 12 ILS AS IT WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE RWY WE ORIGINALLY PLANNED. WE WERE DSNDING THIS WHOLE TIME TO APPROX 10000 FT. I'M NOT SURE OF THE TIMING; BUT THE CTLR ASKED US IF WE WERE PROCEEDING DIRECT TO MANNE. HE SAID (VERY TERSELY); THAT HE HAD CLRED US DIRECT TO MANNE. WE WERE SCRAMBLING; TRYING TO BRING IT UP IN THE FMS AND DIDN'T ANSWER HIM. HE CAME BACK AND GAVE A HDG FOR VECTORS FOR THE ILS. A COUPLE OF THINGS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS -- THE HR OF THE DAY DIDN'T HELP US OR THE CTLR. (WE HAD FLOWN THE ALL NIGHTER.) HIS PHRASEOLOGY WAS NOT VERY CLR AND WE BOTH INTERPED HIS CLRNC TO BE AN 'EXPECT.' WE ALSO HAD BEEN TAKEN OFF THE STAR INCLUDING MANNE INTXN; SO WE HAD DELETED IT FROM THE FMS WHEN SETTING UP FOR THE APCH. WE BECAME CONFUSED WHEN HE CLRED US BACK TO AN INTXN ON AN ARR WE HAD BEEN TAKEN OFF.