I'm one; Anyone else? an O.. F...

grumppa!

On the contrary, grumppa, if you walk on the outside out of habit and because it is comfortable for you, that is fine. I have a comfortable side myself; I prefer to be on the right side of whoever I'm walking with, but that's because a problem with the sensitivity of my right ear. I always used to walk on the outside of Minibags when she was a small child, for reasons of safety and, dare I say it, protection. But that is because a child needs protection near roads. Walking on the outside of an adult because you prefer it is a perfectly good reason for walking on the outside. Walking on the outside of a woman to protect her is just nonsense nowadays unless one lives in a very barbaric country.

I prefer the term egalitarian to feminist/ism, because then the equality, whatever it is, applies to everyone, male or female.

I've been told the sword story too, retiredguy, and wondered the same thing about left-handed swordsmen, but I expect left-handers just had to learn fencing skills right-handed.

Even back when I was a kid you'd not get very far down the street wearing a sword anyway.
Someone would call the police for sure.

I live in a city where it used to be customary for slops to be thrown out of the upstairs windows of tenements with overhanging storeys (to the cry of "Gardyloo!" or "Watch out for the dirty water") The explanation for a gentleman walking oin the outside of the pavement was that the lady was then under the overhang, and less likely to be deluged (dirty water was a euphemism, it was the chamber pots that were being emptied).

Happy days eh?
Makes more sense than swords anyhoo.

thatbags on the inside of the pavement to prevent your crinoline from being splashed with muddy water when the horse and carriage go through a puddle of course!


I think that DH is a boring old fart, but I wouldn't change him for anything.

I am neither an old fart nor a baby boomer so am all at sea - who or what am I?

Mr Bags is an old fart too, but he's not boring and he is an egalitarian .

I am not going to be offended by any old fart who holds a door open for me; I would do the same for the person behind me, unlike the tattooed muscular young fart in a vest who let a heavy shop door slam in my face when my hands were full of parcels.

I prefer to think of DH as a gentleman, he always walks on the outside, holds my hand to cross the road and does all the other polite things. Being born in 1946 I consider myself to be a baby boomer.

I was defining DH as a 'boring old fart' using some of the definitions above.

However, he doesn't 'tip his cap' as he doesn't wear one and has been known to swear in front of me - but not at me!

Old Fart - old tosh.

Walking on the outside is all very well but DH has always infuriated me by pretty much picking me up bodily and chucking me onto the inside if I've forgotten and started walking along the outside!

I think I would find that rather annoying.

My nephew once brought a family party to a standstill when he suddenly called my Dad (anyone's idea of a perfect old fashioned gentleman) a 'boiling old fart'. Talk about misheard lyrics! Give him his due, Dad happily accepted his new title and at the next party turned up wearing an old fart badge. Bit worried about the boiling bit -jalfrezi based?!

Of course I like people to be polite and thoughtful, caring and generally good citizens. Who wouldn't ? That's not being an Old Fart. Old Farts imo are smug and rather arrogant and believe in the myth of 'the good old days' and do not want to listen to the opinion of anyone who does not think exactly as they do!

p.s i often walk along the street with women friends ..who should protect who in that situation!

Nytsom

Well I fully understand what you are trying to say, in a fashion I thought was supposed to be a jovial tongue in cheek fashion.

Why!

Because you have just described my dear dad and I do not find the term 'Old fart' patronising, I think it describes my dad rather well, he was 'a true gentleman with character and loyalty ' to the tee.

I think the thing about keeping the sword arm free applies to the groom standing at the altar during the wedding ceremony. The walking on the outside of the pavement is to avoid ladies being splashed by passing hansom cabs.

Left-handers fence left-handed and, as there are far fewer of them and right-handers rarely fight them regularly, they are especially difficult to defeat. I was lucky because my fencing master was left-handed.

Our town has a Facebook group for reminiscing called "Old Farts and Fogies" and I am proud to be a member