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“Lovely”

(161 Posts)
RosiesMaw2 Sat 05-Oct-24 18:14:03

Why is everybody referred to as “lovely” ?
You know the sort of thing, I suspect I am guilty of it too.
“My lovely cleaner, my lovely hairdresser, my lovely gardener etc?”
This from a post by our local WI FB group (place names redacted))
What a fabulous day out with our lovely WI ladies to The Kings Gallery and the Royal Mews - plus we were joined from a couple of lovely ladies from xxxxxxxxxx WI too
A superb day out with lots of lovely chats over tea and coffee getting to know one another a little better 😍 and two fabulous exhibitions that we all really enjoyed 🎉
Huge thanks to lovely xxxxx from xxxxxx Coaches for getting us there safely and huge thanks to all the lovely ladies on the trip

AIBU to find this all a bit saccharine and 🤮🤮🤮🤮

Jaxjacky Sun 06-Oct-24 09:56:43

Doesn’t bother me, it’s usually said in a pleasant way, far better than an unpleasant discourse

HelterSkelter1 Sun 06-Oct-24 10:36:36

Allira. We no longer have robins nor blackbirds in our garden because of the magpies. I too look forward to a sparrowhawk again who got a magpie last year on the grass surrounded by 4 other magpies who squawked and hopped about but did nothing to help.

Allira Sun 06-Oct-24 10:39:36

HelterSkelter1

Allira. We no longer have robins nor blackbirds in our garden because of the magpies. I too look forward to a sparrowhawk again who got a magpie last year on the grass surrounded by 4 other magpies who squawked and hopped about but did nothing to help.

There's nothing lovely about them!

Tenko Sun 06-Oct-24 10:55:53

I use lovely a lot . And I don’t have a problem with it . Lovely is a joyful word imo. I prefer lovely to perfect .
Life’s too short to worry about words .

Cossy Sun 06-Oct-24 10:57:58

Dottydots

Well, I had a lovely walk up the road today and bought some lovely flowers. A lovely man then caught my eye, so I gave him a lovely smile and a naughty but lovely wink. All in all, a lovely morning.

Utterly fabulously, wonderfully, amazingly, really really lovely! grin

Cossy Sun 06-Oct-24 10:58:23

Tenko

I use lovely a lot . And I don’t have a problem with it . Lovely is a joyful word imo. I prefer lovely to perfect .
Life’s too short to worry about words .

Dead right, you lovely lovely lady! flowers

RosiesMaw2 Sun 06-Oct-24 10:58:57

Aveline

But if the word 'lovely' makes her happy then that's fine. No need to be the teacher here!

Pots and kettles!

Aveline Sun 06-Oct-24 11:51:23

How lovely of you to say that RosiesMaw2! I'm not the one preaching though.

RosiesMaw2 Sun 06-Oct-24 12:13:27

No need to be the teacher here!

Any point in commenting on anything at all if one is just shut down ?
Don’t bother to answer- rhetorical question.

Cossy Sun 06-Oct-24 12:18:42

MissAdventure

Seeing as nobody seems to be suggesting alternatives, I've just googled, where it suggests, alluring, and a couple of others, and quickly moves onto gorgeous, stunning, and words that to me, are far more effusive than I'd use.

Not that I'd say I met an alluring woman,anyway.

😂😂😂😂😂

harrysgran Sun 06-Oct-24 12:29:05

Doesn't bother me however the number of times I hear literally horrendous and obsessed from mainly the younger generation drives me mad

HousePlantQueen Sun 06-Oct-24 12:30:44

grandtanteJE65

There is a fashion in language as in everything else.

Remember our school-days (late 1960s) when everything was "fab"? Then "fantastic", "groovy" and more recently "awesome".

"Lovely" instead of "nice" will go the way of all the others. It is harder to predict what the new term will be.

My English teacher was very critical of the word nice.

Summerfly Sun 06-Oct-24 12:37:27

IAM64 - guilty as charged RosiesMaw. My dogs, my children, grandchildren, friends are all lovely, I’ll try to be more articulate

Me too IAM64. My lovely mum, friends etc. 😉

Aveline Sun 06-Oct-24 12:43:57

Lovely is good enough for me!

SueDonim Sun 06-Oct-24 13:16:15

Deedaa

Lilypops Consultants have a code they use when describing patients. Very pleasant means that you were a perfectly nice person that he had no problem dealing with. I'm out of touch with consultants' letters now so I can't remember other (less flattering) Examples.

A friend was most indignant when his consultant described him in a letter as a ‘sprightly older gentleman’. Dh pointed out that he was well into his 70’s so it was a pretty accurate assessment. grin

WRT the OP, I think I’ll start describing things as luvverly. wink

Musicgirl Sun 06-Oct-24 13:26:20

I was at school in the seventies. Everything was ace or brill then, unless it wasn't; in which case it was a no no.

Musicgirl Sun 06-Oct-24 13:28:53

@SueDonim, this reminds me of my grandmother's last hospital stay before she died. She was very indignant about the fact that she was in the geriatric ward. After all, she was only ninety at the time.

Allsorts Sun 06-Oct-24 13:37:07

Nice is a bit of a bland word, could mean anything. I dont mind lovely, been called worse.

paddyann54 Sun 06-Oct-24 13:42:14

I,ve seen words come in and out of fashion the past few years.There were “creative” everything for a while from decorators which was fine to plumbers and carperfitters…not sure how creative Idwa t my plumber to be or my husband whose mechanic had creative in his note heading.

Then there was “stunning” everyone in every picture online wa stunning ,every ordinary view of a hill or a plant was stunning every grotty house on right move was a stunning family home .
I was happy to see the back of stunning .Lovely isn’t used much here but I,ll look out for it it will be interesting to see people’s idea of lovely

Aveline Sun 06-Oct-24 13:53:09

DGS tells me that 'mid' and 'zesty' have completely different meanings these days. I'm scared to open my mouth around him!

RosiesMaw2 Sun 06-Oct-24 14:12:09

Oh dear, yet again the curse of Gransnet has struck!
(Getting the wrong end of the stick then beating OP over the head with it)
My argument (to save anybody who CBA to read my original post or didn't), was not exactly with the word itself, with the over use of the term. I have no problem with lovely grandchildren lovely sunny days, lovely meals or even lovely flowers. My moan was prompted by seeing it attributed to every other word.
Overuse cheapens a word IMO and squeals of "You lovely ladies" " lovely chats/my lovely cleaner/ gardener/ hairdresser" etc just sound patronising.
End of, as far as I am concerned

Aveline Sun 06-Oct-24 14:13:00

Lovely!

TwiceAsNice Sun 06-Oct-24 14:16:27

Try and think of some other adjectives was my first thought.

Lovely is often used as a form of endearment in Wales , where aim originally from

rocketstop Sun 06-Oct-24 14:23:43

Well seeing as I was a sixties child, I've been known to use the word 'Fab' ...'Ooh I had a fab day out'
even better in my Yorkshire acccent 'It were fab' grin

RosiesMaw2 Sun 06-Oct-24 14:31:14

Aveline

Lovely!

But hardly original