Posh……..a compliment or an insult?

Obviously, my friends (and people on here) know that I'm not at all posh.

NonGrannyMoll

Just like "working class", "titled", "disabled" or a multitude of other generalisations, it's just another catch-all word the use of which, because it means different things to different people, is almost completely pointless. But we all use these words, all the time (reasons on a postcard, please - no, don't). Finding one definition is impossible - it boils down to "how long is a piece of string?" Just go with the flow of the subject in hand, bearing in mind who's saying it and why.

I laboured under the delusion that I was lower middle class for years and then the "definitive" BBC quiz came along and I found out I was "Traditional Working Class". I do take your point though.

My actual name is deemed posh by a couple of friends. My mother would be so proud.

Someone else I know calls me Fleur although 'I know it's not your name but it's the only posh name I can think of'!

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I think the word is losing its usage now. Young ‘uns would just say ‘wealthy’ nowadays.

‘Posh’ and ‘wealthy’ are not interchangeable. Think of all those pop singers and footballers who are rich/wealthy, but not posh by any stretch of the imagination!

I wish someone hadn’t mentioned trifle. My Mother always said jelly and ladies fingers in a trifle was common. We’d have home baked sponge and sherry but we were still working class and possibly more pissed

Being wealthy doesn't always correlate to being posh, just as being posh doesn't depend on having lots of money, I think.

Am not sure I have ever met someone who says posh in a sneery way, am from Lancashire where people describe anyone who looks as if they have money as posh or anything that looks expensive as posh. As an example when talking to a good friend in London about a meal at The Ivy she enthused ‘that sounds posh’ but was not being sneery at all.

Perhaps wealthy, expensive, smart?

Unused term as it doesn't pertain to anything in our family.

It’s not a word that’s usually used in formal or serious description. It’s used in slang or humorous speech. From me, it would definitely be ironic.

When I was in hospital I was labelled posh, because I don’t speak with a local accent. In hospital there are not many ways of distinguishing assumed social status, but speech is one of them. I wonder if that’s the case in other countries, or if it’s a peculiarly English thing?

How can trifle come out of a packet.
Wouldn't all the layers collapse?
I wonder what they came in before plastic containers were easily available.
I have a penchant for a raspberry trifle. Aldi is even better than Lidl. I only eat one individual one at a time. Not those big family sized ones.
Who mentioned trifle . . .

One of my son’s partner and their family always refer to me as posh. It’s met with much hilarity from my own family and everyone who knows me

My SiL decided we were posh because our trifle didn’t come out of a packet.

I think the word is losing its usage now. Young ‘uns would just say ‘wealthy’ nowadays.

I was bought up in Watford. When I worked in Northampton inthe mid 70s, I was frequently told that I had a posh accent.
Bought up near Watford,

I know what I mean if I say someone or something is ‘posh’.

Not derogatory at all.

My DD used to work for a lady who was ‘posh’ and wealthy, lived in a fine house etc.

But if she had lost her wealth and money overnight, she would always have been ‘posh’.

I think that is irrelevant in modern usage though.
More of a quiz question re origins or abbreviations.

Like Shinamae I was told it was the Port Out, Starboard Home mnemonic - used to remind you which cabin to choose on ships travelling to India in queen Victoria's time. If you had the money you made sure your cabin was out of the sun's rays so you stayed cool. No Aircon in those days!

Speak for yourself.
That's certainly not hw I say or mean it.

Shinamae

I believe it was a status thing when people travelled on ships
If they were rich enough, they could travel Port out starboard Home… And that was apparently a good thing 🤓

Because those cabins were the coolest for passengers travelling to India etc

Posh is the sort of word that is said with imaginary inverted commas, accompanied by a self-deprecating smile , or a sneer. to indicate you know it isn't a real word but you can't think of anything more appropriate.

MissAdventure

How could I forget?
A beautifully turned out man, in a well fitting suit, who smells gorgeous, is well spoken, and appears to be very self assured and competent.

Sounds well dodgy to me.
Run for the hills time.

Milieu and freighted
are examples of posh words.
Discuss.
This where on MN they would announce they are sitting back with popcorn to watch the show.

How could I forget?
A beautifully turned out man, in a well fitting suit, who smells gorgeous, is well spoken, and appears to be very self assured and competent.

Interesting that the word "posh" has come up a few times to do with a car here.
Victoria Adams, now Beckham, was named "Posh Spice" because her dad drove a Rolls.

Just like "working class", "titled", "disabled" or a multitude of other generalisations, it's just another catch-all word the use of which, because it means different things to different people, is almost completely pointless. But we all use these words, all the time (reasons on a postcard, please - no, don't). Finding one definition is impossible - it boils down to "how long is a piece of string?" Just go with the flow of the subject in hand, bearing in mind who's saying it and why.