Old woman!

No, we would not describe another person as a fat, smelly man or woman, but it has always been acceptable to describe people as old or young.

It doesn't worry me. For the last three days, I have been trying to dig a potato patch by removing turf from an overgrown stretch of garden. Said patch is meant to be 6 ft by 10. Forty years ago, it would have taken me at the outmost two hours to remove turf and another two to dig over the soil. Right now I have done half.

The job has taken me twice two hours, and I am thankful that it has poured all day, and I had a visit to the dentist and some shopping to do, so no gardening.

I know I am old when I take on that sort of task, if I didn't realise it before - but needs must when the devil drives and with the rising prices a potato patch seemed like a good idea.

But ouch my back!

TBH doesnt bother me what I am called...I AM old and dont care ......although it does remind me when someone offers me a seat somewhere !!! One ;young man' even offered to open a door for me this afternoon ! was so kind of him ha ha ..........guess when we were young anyone was old .....what goes around comes around !

Alison333

Perhaps the cleaner's English wasn't very good - in some cultures being 'old' is seen as deserving respect so people should hurry up and help them!

Why are people making excuses for her??
She was local, she was rude, I'm not that upset.

That reminds me of a scene in Minder many years ago. A couple of young boys called Arthur Daily ‘stingy old ba***rd”. He shouted back at them “oi!!! Less of the old”. ?

Not necessarily Suzey. In hospital after the birth of my 4th child, the girl in the bed opposite had just had a baby and we were discussing baby names. Then her mother, the grandmother, came to visit and she introduced me to her. I remember she was 36, 2 years younger than me.
She certainly could never have been described as old.
Baggs
I am never the right age. I'm trying to apply for an energy saving grant and find you have to be over 75. I may have reached the qualifying age by the time I have finished filling in the online form.

Completely unnecessary to say anything other than "a woman". Age irrelevant. With manners like that the cleaner was possibly just a short step from adding: "Get a move on - she's on her last legs".

Very impolite,but never worry life will catch up with them one day.

When my husband was a prefect at school one of his duties was to ensure the boys who travelled on the public bus home from school behaved. One day some boys rushed onto the bus and OH said, "Come on lads, let this old lady off first". The "old lady" hit him very hard with her handbag and said, " I am not old". Lesson learned, all his life he has referred to females as young ladies and has been thanked many times for being polite. He still does it and as he is 71 next birthday, it is now more usually factual than cute.

OK, who's willing to post a photo of themselves on this thread to prove they aren't old? I will if some of yous will.

Suzey

If you're on here you're old end of

Chuckle ?

If you're on here you're old end of

Perhaps the cleaner's English wasn't very good - in some cultures being 'old' is seen as deserving respect so people should hurry up and help them!

In America on Tuesdays in certain stores you receive 20%off on certain days for being of a ‘ certain ‘ age. One day I was well miffed as I’d missed giving them my ID so imagine my deflated feeling when told , oh don’t worry we automatically gave you the OAP discount …. Didn’t even need to prove it ?‍♀️

When I was 50 I was congratulated by a group of young Dutch men, because I had been on a scary fairground ride!!

Should have shouted back "and there is a very rude cleaner working here".

I work in the local school breakfast club along with two others.
I’m 65 my friends and colleagues are respectively 51 and 64.
One of the 11yr old year sixes looked at us and sniggered
“you’re all old”.
I went up to him and said Tom (not his name) you’ll be old one day, that’s a certainty. You’ll either be old or you’ll be the alternative I think you know what that is, and Tom it comes around much quicker than you’d believe. I’m not ashamed to be old my life’s been a blast. I Hope yours be will too.
I turned my back and left him with his mouth opening and closing like a little goldfish.
It was our turn to snigger then. Ha!

LovelyLady

Perhaps give the cleaning lady the benefit of the doubt. She was perhaps encouraging them to come sooner given your age.
Old lady at till - please give her some consideration and come quickly.
Yes folk do see us as old. Years ago people didn’t live this long. So we are old if we’re over 60. Just factual.

No, she was just rude.Probably didn't know any better.

Esmay

It is very rude .
I'd rather be called lady !
Customer would be the correct /more polite term .

About 25 years ago ,I heard my friend's husband (who actually knew me ) describe me as some foreign woman at the door !
I'm not foreign and I didn't like being called woman !

My daughter in law read the letter the hospital had sent to her doctor. It began 'this Chinese woman has complained of....etc.'. No name given and she is Not Chinese!

Doodledog that tickled me. ??

Saggi

Why are people bothered by the word OLD. It’s what we are. Kids don’t get excited being called kids …. because that’s what they are!!!!
It’s like those ‘twee’ people who can’t say ‘died’ and have to scrabble around for another word or phrase. ‘Passed’ being so ‘yuk’ . Passed what I feel like asking !!

The Kids aren't kids either they are not baby goats. First lecture when training to teach 50 years ago. I think you mean children.

Bodach

I don't know about you lot, but I positively embrace my aged (mid-70's) status. Being called "old" doesn't bother me at all. If I were being referred to as "silly old" or "ugly old" or even "miserable old", then I would probably object to the first part, but not the second - which I bear with considerable pride, satisfaction and a smidgen of surprise at having made it thus far...

I started referring to myself as an old lady when I was approaching my 60th birthday, to get used to the idea of being seen as an old woman! I don’t make any attempt to look younger, other than rejecting grey hair as I don’t think it suits me.

Totally unacceptable behaviour.........I would have complained there and then to the store manager AND written to Head Office too!

Where's the respect? It shouldn't matter what age or ability a person is and on this occasion the dialogue should have been "Is there a checkout operator available, there's a customer waiting"! Not difficult is it?

Tell her she should go to "Specsavers " Other opticians are available but should we recommend them to such bad mannered people?

At a state school , in Lancashire in the 50s, there were several words we were not allowed to say.... or things it was suggested we had better not do.
Apart from the not wearing of gloves or hat and the not eating in the street ( these seemed fairly common from a grammar school with pretensions) it was regarded as a grave sin if we underlined our signature. This portrayed lack of confidence?

We should NEVER say Toilet or Lady..... we were , in fact, women of the new world.... setting out to put things to rights but we should, always be polite enough to allow the char lady/ cleaning lady her own pretensions

Unfortunately not everyone has been shown what good manners are.