Gransnet forums

Chat

I Hate "The Wife"

(32 Posts)
Rufus2 Thu 06-Sep-18 11:27:45

An expression that irritates is often used at my local lawn bowls club, "the wife", as if she's an inanimate object; much as I would refer to "the lawn-mower", "the car".
Vera would have killed me if ever she heard that, with it's connotations of "housewife"etc.
What's wrong with the given name? Much friendlier; and safer! grin

PamelaJ1 Fri 07-Sep-18 08:33:12

Bikergran- just read your post to my DH.
His response- they are braver men than me?. He’s still giggling.

Craicon Fri 07-Sep-18 08:48:05

Nothing wrong with hubby, hubs, hubster whatever. I actually think it sounds nicer than DH.

harrigran Fri 07-Sep-18 09:02:04

There are worse things to say, it is common to hear "our lass" here in the NE. I long to ask who they share her with.

Granny23 Fri 07-Sep-18 09:17:02

In a different context, I resolutely hang on to the title Wife rather than Carer. If I were merely The Carer, I would have run away long ago.

Juggernaut Fri 07-Sep-18 10:10:08

DH would never call me 'the wife' and I'd never call him 'the husband'!
We both use abbreviations of our given names, so we're 'S****’ and C****'.
We use all sorts of names for each other though;
I'm 'She who must be obeyed', 'Anwen' (and when you've done this, do that, and when that's done....), 'Wench' (get to the kitchen Wench).
DH is called 'My first husband', 'Galley Slave', 'James' (home James, and don't spare the horses), 'Dids' (short for Diddums, DS's pet name for DH).
Life's too short to get uppity about what our partners call us, as long as it's done in jest, he can call me anything!

Rufus2 Fri 07-Sep-18 13:56:26

I'm surprised nobody has confessed to using nicknames, for indoors use of course. wink
Vera was a tall, slim lady all her life, but on the spur of the moment I once came out with "Jumbo". I won't regale you with the circumstances, but before I could run she said "I like that" and it stuck! Phew! grin