When did everybody start taking ‘leave’?

ps my husband has always been self-employed. On the few occasions he managed to take time off he called it 'holidays'.

I had annual leave in my job. OTOH Another one is 'taking a break'.
When we lived in France people often rang up to ask "Can we come to you for a few days for a break?"
It wasn't much of a break for us though.

I took leave from my job with an airline in the early 70s.
Holidays were what you maybe did when you were on leave.

I don't think it's a new thing at all..

I worked for British Gas in the 1970's and we had annual leave back then and flexi time which was brilliant.

My dh was in the Royal Navy so it was 'leave' in this house.

Locally, it's the Trades Fortnight.

My American GC have vacations.

Holiday vs Vacation
Here in Canada we mostly call it vacation. A Holiday is a special day like Christmas or Easter which everyone gets off (or is paid extra to work). I believe etymology from Holy Day.
I currently get 30 vacation days per year.

I too think that 'leave' spread from the military and civil service through the public sector. I think partly that it covered other kinds of leave (see above) and partly it wasn't constrained by the specific timing of 'holidays', a term that spread from feast and holy days to be time off for the workers.
Many of us remember 'factory fortnight', which was definitely a 'holiday' and not 'leave', but when I went into the NHS I had 'leave' at different times of the year.

My first job, in 1975, was with the N.A.A.F.I., and it was known as annual leave there. Then I went to work for British Telecom, and it was also annual leave.

I couldn't care less what it's known as, so long as I get paid for time off

I remember people starting to get a ‘ winter week’ many moons ago!

We took Annual Leave when I was a Civil Servant but when I took a job in the HR department of a bank we took "Holiday" which we applied for on the form headed "Annual Leave Entitlement" but was called "Holiday Form" by all team leaders.

Now I'm on my holidays 24/7.

I think it was always so in the public sector and has now spread to the private.

Gilly you are obliged to give your staff 28 days holiday a year so should give yourself the same. There is a reason why we need it.

I've always called it 'annual leave' since I started work as that was what we applied for.
gillybob I hope you'll be able to retirenone day then every day will be a holiday (or not).

"Leave" takes in all kinds of absence from work - we can have sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, study leave, etc. I wouldn't call any of these holidays. I took my statutory annual leave to go on my holidays.

Alima

Holiday planners!

So when organisations are working out summer/C****** absence rosters are they holiday rosters or leave rosters? Teachers/schoolchildren are currently on summer holidays, not leave.
Is there perhaps a regional variation here?

As others have said I would book leave from work so I could go on holiday. Leave is time off work. You wouldn’t say “maternity holiday” or “sick holiday” would you?

Same here Jane10 always called annual leave in NHS and Social Care.

My father used to take leave so we could all go on holiday

Oh what I wouldn't give for 2 weeks "leave" . a holiday would be even better.....

and just incase DH should happen upon this thread.... 2 torrentially, wet days in Cheshire does not a holiday make!

I started taking annual leave in 1971 when I started working. It was rarely a ‘holiday’ , mainly ‘ a day or two off’ .

eazybee I think you are right. I am an army brat so, for me, it was always leave.

I think, now at least, when most people have more official time off work than in previous times 'holidays' refers to when you actually go away on holiday, as in 'where are you going for your holidays?' Time off taken for any other purpose is 'leave', 'I have got a day's leave to get some decorating done.'

I used to work for the Civil Service and time off was always referred to as 'leave'. It was thought of as an absence from work and you might during this time 'go on holiday'.

I agree Tanith having a holiday is very different to being "on leave".

I always had annual leave from NHS but I'd not use the phrase, 'I'm on leave, ' if speaking to anyone I'd tell them I was 'on holiday'.