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Loving the common thread so much thought we should go “POSH”

(114 Posts)
Sago Thu 11-Aug-22 13:48:45

My mother had an endless list of things deemed common, I thought it would be fun to do her posh (I hate the word) list!
She would actually say poash just to make it sound poasher!
She also had the habit of lowering her voice a few octaves when saying anything French.

Anything French or disguised as French ie, Jacques Vert, Pâté, Croissants.
All M&S food
Colmans mixes (really)
Conservatories
Earl Grey tea
Cruises
Long dresses
Dinner Dances
Asparagus
Wedgewood
Any foreign holiday destination except mainland Spain.
En suite bathrooms
Anything with a hint of peach or apricot, her house was a shrine to peach and apricot tones?
Weddings in marquees
Double barrelled surnames
Play for Today
Good Housekeeping
Tablecloths
Any food sat on top of a doily.
Being able to recite any
Embellished towels
Pearls

Alan Bennett would have had a field day.

Oldnproud Sun 14-Aug-22 07:19:29

I've had to think long and hard about this, before answering. I really can't think of any individual behaviours that I think of as 'posh., though i not sure why.

The word just makes me think of it a whole lifestyle:

Posh is living in a large old 'family' home that has seen better days, with threadbare carpets and furniture, speaking with a public school accent, having several smelly old black labradors or spaniels in the house, swearing a lot, being slightly eccentric (what is eccentric could be the next thread!) and not giving a damn what anyone thinks about 'one'.

Actually, I've really liked the few people like that who I've met grin

Oldnproud Sun 14-Aug-22 07:28:56

I've just realized why I was struggling to come up with individual 'posh' things - it's because I think of them as pretentious rather than posh, though yes, I would say "ooh, aren't you posh!" to a friend who suddenly decides to do some of the many pretentious things already mentioned upthread grin

Witzend Sun 14-Aug-22 10:48:59

Oldandproud, your mention of swearing reminded me of that upper-crusty family once featured on TV - the ‘F**king Fulfords’, was it?

Grandma70s Sun 14-Aug-22 10:54:55

Whe Prince Charles was given some napkin rings as a present he didn’t know what they were. This is because posh people don’t roll up their damask table napkins and put them in a napkin ring. They have clean ones every time.

Calendargirl Sun 14-Aug-22 13:33:15

I thought most of the Royal Family used Mama and Papa. Think the Queen called her mother Mummy.

Am sure when Prince Charles spoke about the DofE after his death he referred to him as ‘his darling Papa’.

And has also spoken of the Queen as ‘his darling Mama’.

Always felt that ‘Mummy’ was used by him to make him sound more ‘one of us’

M0nica Sun 14-Aug-22 14:55:08

My DGC call their mother mama or mumma, nothing exceptional about their background.

Prentice Sun 14-Aug-22 16:07:04

my parents thought that owning a cheque book was posh, and I did enjoy writing a cheque when I came to own one.
I thought that owning fish knives was posh too, and I still don't have any.
speaking in a certain way was posh too, calling a house a hice.
also for some reason, having oriental wool rugs in the home.

watermeadow Mon 15-Aug-22 19:17:52

To my mother the word posh was common, though she never used either word.
Like sex, it was never spoken of and we were expected to learn what it was by osmosis.

grandMattie Mon 15-Aug-22 19:23:44

My family was terribly grand. We had to have our friends vetted and their pedigree thoroughly checked before being allowed to play with them! Can you imagine?
Loads of servants, a nanny…. But that was how life was in the Colonies
Then I went and married a working class bloke, a wonderful man. Didn’t go down too well at first, then they realised what a pearl he was. ?

Calendargirl Mon 15-Aug-22 19:31:22

I have a set of fish knives and forks, never used them.

Then a couple of weeks ago had some girlfriends round for afternoon tea. Didn’t have any little tea knives and forks, so used the fish ones, they are quite small and pretty.

As one of my friends said as she cut up her scone with her fish knife, “Serves the same purpose”.

MissAdventure Mon 15-Aug-22 19:37:41

grandMattie

My family was terribly grand. We had to have our friends vetted and their pedigree thoroughly checked before being allowed to play with them! Can you imagine?
Loads of servants, a nanny…. But that was how life was in the Colonies
Then I went and married a working class bloke, a wonderful man. Didn’t go down too well at first, then they realised what a pearl he was. ?

smile
I do enjoy a love story.

Deedaa Mon 15-Aug-22 19:46:59

When it comes to posh some of the oldest families are the nicest. When I lived in Cornwall my friend and I used to go round to various venues setting up entertainments for people. A few were very old families in houses going back many centuries. They were always the ones who wanted to be sure that we had everything we needed and were always ready to pitch in with the clearing up and washing up so that their staff weren't faced with the work in the morning.

The ones that you might call New Money were usually keen to make sure that we knew our place.

Callistemon21 Mon 15-Aug-22 19:51:35

grandMattie

My family was terribly grand. We had to have our friends vetted and their pedigree thoroughly checked before being allowed to play with them! Can you imagine?
Loads of servants, a nanny…. But that was how life was in the Colonies
Then I went and married a working class bloke, a wonderful man. Didn’t go down too well at first, then they realised what a pearl he was. ?

I'm wondering if my Aunt was their Nanny ?