Little Minx

(I had to look up ROFL)

LOL HollyDaze.

We will stand firm rosequartz and Ana - I'm not having some of my favourite words hijacked by small minded people! If we're not careful, before long, we'll all be saying ROFL instead of saying 'I found that really funny' in order 'to keep up with the times'!

I was reliably informed that bloody was NOT a swear word, but if it was spelt 'bluddy' it was swearing.

This was by another 7 year old when we were waiting for the school bus. I have always said it as 'bloody' so I never swear.

Thank goodness so many of us hadn't realised that 'sod' meant something completely unrelated to clods of earth...or did it ever, really?

Oh dear, I just read my last post and I am beginning to sound like my dear MIL.

Yes, me too. Just because a word or phrase is appropriated by a group who use it in a negative fashion does it mean the rest of us have to stop using it in the old-fashioned way?

No, I say.

Thistle, I feel sorry for you, how upsetting. I can't understand why your son "got heavy" about it. Clearly you were not using it in the sense that he thought you were - so why didn't he say "Mum! You can't say that nowadays" or something similar. He really should be explaining himself to you, or even apologising. I'd not pussyfoot around him about it. I'd be telling him it upset me and why. Sod all this eggshell treading.

When I first saw the thread title, I thought it was about a girl band, but I see they are,"Little MIX" - they were X Factor winners.

Thistle.

a 'silly old sod' she thought it meant sod as in clod of earth, not as in sodomite

You're joking! I am standing firm on this one - my parents definitely told me that a 'sod' was a clump of earth and I offer this as exhibit one:

www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/garden-soil-zmaz95djzgoe.aspx#axzz34vcxSnAk

What wrong with saying 'little monkeys'? My parents used to call me a little monkey - along the lines of my being as crafty as a cartload of monkeys (usually when I was trying to pull a fast one!)

<sigh> I give up ...

Oh dear i keep calling my lovely little grandson ' my little brown nut' because he has beautiful big brown eyes and goes a lovely brown colour as soon as the sun comes out. I mean as a term of endearment. Will I get arrested or scorned by my family. I think perhaps your son realises he overreacted and you were upset but didn't want to face you. The next time he comes perhaps you could say ' I'm sorry you were upset by my use of the word. It was used with affection by my generation. I was upset by your reaction." But you know what, a face to face conversation is easier. I wouldn't be surprised if you both end up apologising to each other. This would be how it would be played out with my sons. My reaction would have been exactly the same as yours. I hope your feeling better and it's smoothed over soon.

I agree, rosequartz.

Also I suppose with monkey there is the whole evolutionary debate and racist views that black people are not as 'evolved' as white people and therefore much closer to monkeys

Changes in the meanings and acceptability of words don't necessarily equate to 'progress'. If a word like 'monkey' is appropriated by racists and used negatively against black people, then it behaves the rest of us to move on and drop that word if it could be misconstrued. Some changes are progress- not using bint or bird to refer to women are two examples, shirt lifter for gay people is another - so it all depends

Not the crap one I read which DD2 calls the Daily Moan. She keeps nagging persuading me to read the worthy leftie one which I do sometimes online.

Sorry, but why do we have to keep up? Why can the younger generation not be expected to make allowances for our quirks? Are we right or are they; things do evolve but do we have to lose the past? Give and take I think.

What's a 'quality newspaper' in your opinion, GrannyTwice?

Crafting

I suppose we would have to be careful not to call certain children 'lovely little sausages'. [sigh] it all gets so difficult.

GillT57 and Ana
Thistledoo Don't apologise again, just let it go.Sometimes it's like walking on eggshells with some sons and daughters.

Eleothan- that's the point isn't it - not what we mean by it but how it is interpreted today. There are so many neutral words send terms of endearment we can use - I often make words up in fact- that we don't need to court problems. As for keeping up to date, I think reading a quality newspaper, listening to various radio 4 programmes, engaging with debates around equality and diversity, the world of work ( either paid or voluntary), listening to our children and discussing with them all help with this

Granny, the was at the ignorant football fans, not your post.

I'm with everyone else. You should explain to your son that words had different meanings years ago and the term was only meant in an affectionate way. I frequently refer to my grandchildren as lovely little sausages. Doesn't mean that I think they are made of offal and stuffed into pigs skins. We love our grandchildren and would never mean them any harm and he should realise this.

Thank you, GrannyTwice, but I do know why it would be unacceptable to call black children 'little monkeys', I didn't need it spelled out for me, nor was I 'bemoaning' anything!

The fact that ignorant football 'fans' do and say such things hardly points to 'progress'. Rather the opposite, in fact.

Seems a bit of an over-reaction to me but perhaps you could explain to your son that, whatever the accepted meaning of the word is now, in the past it was often used to mean "cheeky" - and that, of course, you would never intentionally use an insulting term to or about a child.

As for the word "monkey", I have called my own children (who are mixed race) and grandchildren "little monkeys", meaning playful and mischievous, but I can see that it is a word that could be misinterpreted and so better not used.

Minnie the Minx is 61 now so is she a bit old to be mischievious?

GrannyTwice

Can't keep up with it and I'm not 70 yet!

Perhaps we should have a dictionary published on GN of what was acceptable and is not any more?