Page 8 | It's not bloody half term!

OnHerSolidFoundations · 25/03/2024 14:39

Just ignore it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Strawberrycheesecake7 · 25/03/2024 14:38

I’m a teacher and I have even heard this from other teachers. It’s so annoying and makes no sense. Half term holidays are the holidays half way through the term. The clue is in the name.

Mnetcurious · 25/03/2024 14:37

SabreIsMyFave · 25/03/2024 14:14

I hear people complain a lot about this on here, every Easter. But I have never heard anyone in real life call the Easter Holiday 'half term.' Do people actually say this? What did they call half term then??? (The one in February?)

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Some people just call EVERY school holiday half term!

Fast800 · 25/03/2024 14:37

Deathraystare · 25/03/2024 14:16

I just want to know (as a childless adult) when are the children actually in school!

The other 75% of the year.

Mnetcurious · 25/03/2024 14:36

Agree, I find it very annoying.
There are three school terms, so three half term holidays and three bigger holidays at the end of each term (summer, Christmas, Easter). It’s not hard, people!

Youdontevengohere · 25/03/2024 14:35

Deathraystare · 25/03/2024 14:16

I just want to know (as a childless adult) when are the children actually in school!

They’re at school for 39 weeks of the year. Plenty of opportunity for you to do things/go to places without pesky children around!

Fixerupper77 · 25/03/2024 14:34

I have a thread in the Pedants Corner about this if you want to join! Lol

Thighdentitycrisis · 25/03/2024 14:33

I dislike it too but I’m probably a fuddy duddy

Gettingonmygoat · 25/03/2024 14:32

Heaven forbid we should name a Christian festival in the educational calendar.

DinnaeFashYersel · 25/03/2024 14:30

Zyq · 25/03/2024 12:05

It causes confusion unnecessarily. If someone tells me now that they're planning to go away for half term, I assume they mean the end of May, not Easter.

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No end of May half term in Scotland. So if someone said half term I would just ask them when they were going on holiday.

If people are so easily confused by others holidays and it matters so much they can just ask follow up questions sure.

SabreIsMyFave · 25/03/2024 14:17

DespairAgony · 25/03/2024 13:42

am a teacher and guilty of calling all holidays half term! Sorry OP...

There is NO hope for the planet if you're a TEACHER, and YOU call the Easter holiday 'half term' @DespairAgony 😆😂

(I am joking!)

Deathraystare · 25/03/2024 14:16

I just want to know (as a childless adult) when are the children actually in school!

SabreIsMyFave · 25/03/2024 14:14

Dotdashdottinghell · 25/03/2024 08:13

Why / when did every school holiday become half term?

The half term holidays are February, Whitsun and October, not Easter, Christmas and thr summer.

People keep saying "Happy half term" or "Enjoy the half term" etc. Why is this an accepted thing?

I hear people complain a lot about this on here, every Easter. But I have never heard anyone in real life call the Easter Holiday 'half term.' Do people actually say this? What did they call half term then??? (The one in February?)

VampireWeekday · 25/03/2024 14:10

Mnk711 · 25/03/2024 12:38

And the amount of people on this thread saying it is fine to call it half term is why the dictionary now notes that the use of the term 'literally' can also mean figuratively (the opposite of its actual meaning).

There's actually good precedent for this. It's a form of hyperbole, like "perfect" or "starving" when something is merely very good or someone is merely very hungry. "Literally" when used in "literally starving" just adds to be hyperbole. It's like how we use "totally", "completely" and "absolutely" in e.g. totally confused, completely exhausted, absolutely furious. In the vast majority of cases where these terms are used, you are not as confused, exhausted or furious as you possibly could be - it's a bit of hyperbole for effect. When it matters and if challenged, people readily go back on figurative uses of literally, just as they do for all hyperbole. That shows that figurative uses of literally are not mistakes, they're just language for effect.

Anxiouslump · 25/03/2024 14:09

Huh, that’s weird. It isn’t a thing where I live. Half terms are what you get between holidays.

Ladyluckinred · 25/03/2024 14:06

Nevergoodenoughforthem · 25/03/2024 13:49

Hilarious! Apparently I’m thick and ignorant for accidentally calling it HT. I have a million critical issues on with work, children and health atm. I’m not excusing my mistake but it’s not important. It’s thinking it’s a Friday when it’s (sadly) Monday. Get over yourselves and chill a bit more.

Oh my luv, I hope you didn’t get that from my post, where I say those who call it half term are thick and ignorant. I was being sarcastic, probably should have put a little winky face at the end. Reading it back, it actually reads like I meant it.

Really does not matter what it’s called in the slightest. As you say, people have far more important things going on x

VampireWeekday · 25/03/2024 14:01

I am guilty of this. It sounds insane written down but honest to God: I cannot remember. I can't remember if we are in the middle of a term that runs from Feb - June or whether we are at the end of term. I'm very tired and stressed. I do know it's Easter though, and if it really matters I stop and make sure I get it right. I'd like to think that if I had to write it down for work I'd get it right !

fridaynightdinner12346 · 25/03/2024 13:58

It annoys me no end too!! It's the Easter holidays! The spring term has ended; the Summer term will begin after the holidays. Glad it's not just me getting wound up by it 😂

RandomUsernameHere · 25/03/2024 13:58

Here, the February, May and October holidays are not (or should not be) called half term either. There are 6 terms, not 3 terms with a half term break in between.

ClamFandango · 25/03/2024 13:55

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 25/03/2024 08:44

Oh it annoys me too.

Its not half term every time the kids are off.

And don’t get me started on people (incl a particular teacher) describing a “half of term” as in the six weeks that are at school as a “half term”. Caused a lot of confusion about when projects were due!

Ah but I think the teacher was "correct" in that what this thread is referring to as "half term" used to be called the "half term break" - which occurred at the end of Half Term (which meant the mid-point of a term). That's definitely what we called it at my school in the 80s.

Outonabranch · 25/03/2024 13:55

i have junior school age kids and never heard of this

Nevergoodenoughforthem · 25/03/2024 13:49

Hilarious! Apparently I’m thick and ignorant for accidentally calling it HT. I have a million critical issues on with work, children and health atm. I’m not excusing my mistake but it’s not important. It’s thinking it’s a Friday when it’s (sadly) Monday. Get over yourselves and chill a bit more.

Frangipanyoul8r · 25/03/2024 13:47

Never heard Xmas, Easter or summer holidays called “half term” where I live.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 25/03/2024 13:46

DespairAgony · 25/03/2024 13:42

am a teacher and guilty of calling all holidays half term! Sorry OP...

Why???
why is it so hard?

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 25/03/2024 13:45

This 100%, it annoys me so much.

People seemed to always get it right when I was at school and it is now those same people who are the parents now and getting it wrong so I don’t understand it.