What's wrong with 'pissing off the fairies'?

Re what rar and norose are saying, I get that, but the context in question is a child's fairy grotto, so for me, it's obvious that the sign is innocent in intention.

If the sign occurred in an adult setting, it could very easily have a different, and unpleasant, interpretation.

Context matters.

Been otherwise engaged today, alima. I wasn't ignoring your question from this morning. I do see that (the fact that) the phrase don't piss off the fairies jars with some people, but I think there's a huge (HUGE) difference of connotation between a piss and a fuck. Fucked off could be interpreted to mean raped to someone who hadn't heard the expression before, depending on the context. So the context is still the most important indicator of meaning and, therefore, whether one need feel upset/jarred/offended or worried on someone else's account.

There will always be different interpretations of meaning for any given argument or joke, story, or, forgive me, innocent piss-take.

Exactly Rosesarered thank you I still would love to visit a fairy grotto ????just the child coming out in me ?

Yes, norose I agree with that, and that was my point too, not that I don't see a difference between 'being pissed off' or telling somebody to 'piss off' but that the sign and the pretty fairy grotto didn't sit right with each other.IMHO

@WILDSWAN16: You are perfectly entitled to decide what is acceptable in your own home. Unfortunately that has no impact on the world outside which was my point.

There is a tree in a nearby village with a fairy door in it. We believe in them in Norfolk.
We wouldn't like to upset them so we don't put up any signs. Much safer I think.

BlueBelle Fri 21-Jul-17 08:35:15

YES!... but I seemed to have pissed off the original poster by posting a point of view contrary to hers.

So I will formally apologise... and piss off. fairy cakes to all!

I don't get why anyone would want to mix the two: making a lovely Fairy grotto =i.e. Nice sweet childlike pretty magical etcetc & then add something completely opposite , better in my opinion to have a grotty grotesque grotto where pissing off the fairies, zombies, & Draucula would at least be all of the same ilk?

I'm like that too whitewave, been there too many times in the past. Stick to black coffee and dandelion and burdock nowadays. Lightweight!

Cardiff I totally understand where you are coming from and also totally agree it's pretty tame but by the same token I wouldn't expect a 10 year old to have the expression condoned by its parents what's wrong for a primary age child saying 'don't annoy my fairies' when they are together in their peer groups they might well say Fxxx off and stop pissing me off to their friend but would they say it in front of or to a parent or teacher, you d hope not, so at home you should use appropiate words or else you are just telling them it's ok Just because language has gone into the gutter with a lot of young people it doesn't mean you join them does it ?

Baggs, do you see now why a sign about pissing off the fairies would really jar with some people if it is for a child? My eldest GC is only 6 and so far does not have a mouth like a navvy. All that is in the future for us, not sure what the general consensus is on the age when swear words/slang will become unremarkable. Language changes so quickly. I once described Michael Owen as "spunky" meaning good. Won't make that mistake again!

alima no I never get like that as I have learned the hard way that I am always sick before then so I am always very abstemious. Just 3 absolute maximum. 1 glass each evening with supper.

OK, alima, now you're talking about inhouse jargon. If services people use fucked off in the way you mention, no doubt it will enter the general vocab with that meaning in due course thereby reducing the power of anything fuck related even further. All to the good

Meanwhile people who want to be rude will find endless other ways to be so. Without even using so-called rude words in some cases.

Here's a thing (don't know who said it): "The definition of a lady is someone who is never rude, except on purpose". I've always loved that.

I did ask why one would talk to kids about being drunk.

Yes whitewave but I know exactly what you mean. Were you?

BTW, in case anyone's wondering why I explained different uses of fuck to cubs, it was because some of them were telling each other to fuck off. I reprimanded them for being rude! They'd have got the same reprimand for telling other cubs to "Go away! No, you can't join in!" which, in my book, and based on the universality of scouting values, is equally rude!

The hammer on toe fuck isn't rude at all. It just means ouch.

Well, if the many meanings of a word are not known thereby hangs the sting doesn't it? To be "fucked off" = to be annoyed. Ask any Service person. Could ask who talks to kids about being drunk?

pissed as a fart - that was vulgar!!!

Pissed meaning drunk is standard here too, as is squiffy. Who talks to kids about being drunk?

I used to think squiffy just meant you weren't feeling well but Minibags and her PE teacher corrected me, with much hilarity, when I asked for permission for her to sit out PE one day cos she was feeling squiffy .

Just read this thread and op.

I wouldn't buy it for a 10 year old for sure. My eldest GS is now 17 so I guess he might find it amusing but he's probably grown out of it! Now not sure at what age the window of acceptability is

Don't go fucking off the fairies doesn't mean anything to me, alima. I've never come across "fucking off". If I saw such a sign, I'd just think "Eh? What does that even mean?"

So, you see, I'd still be concerned about the meaning rather than the words per se.

Just wondering Baggs, does that mean it would be ok for the sign to read "don't go fucking off the fairies"? Understand your point entirely but there's a place for everything isn't there. I think the Americans use "pissed" as in angry, fed up. Read the phrase in their novels and it always looks weird. When I was in the Mob, (Wrens) pissed was associated with drinking, getting pissed, on the piss etc. Consequently it is not a word I think suitable for my DGS's use but there again he is only 5. Don't possess pearls and can f and blind with the best by the way.

I can hardly take "pissed off" as a swear word. It seems to be in general use these days as annoyed upset etc . What a lot of shrinking violets we seem to have . There are many expressions now that have lost their power to shock. Maybe I am just innured to my tendency swear when I am stressed.
But as some others have said I am one of those who use rude words .

?

As I've said before, even 8-10 year old cubs understood the difference between the hammer on toe fuck and telling someone to fuck off.

What a word/phrase means as used is what matters, not its disapproval rating when it is used in its rudest form.

Always.

Go, Judi Dench!

too