To think his passport will arrive in time?

I'm soooo pleased! Keep it under lock and key until you go!

I am smiling for you. Great news!

Ah thats briliant such a releif!
Enjoy your holiday .

They post it through your letter box, so no need to worry. Posties are instructed to do this if no one in, with passports.

Fair enough. The term is xenophobic / offensive which I pointed out to the OP (who was nothing but gracious). It's then up to her, and anyone else who doesn't know the term is offensive, if they keep on using it or not - hopefully they don't.

Anyway @anonhop very happy to hear it's all worked out with the passport, looking forward to hearing it arrives in time for your trip.

People are entitled to find things offensive. But thats it. No one is entitled to police people's language.

What is wrong with you? You seem like you need to get some help because this is… unhinged.

Me too.

My old passport was received in their offices on a Thursday, approved at 1am on Friday, printed by 8.30am on Friday, sent for delivery, scheduled for delivery on Saturday. I received a message from the courier to say that I didn't have to be in, as long as I had an individual letterbox that they could access. It was delivered by lunchtime Saturday.

I really think we should be praising our passport services. They are doing a fabulous job (for many, if not for all).

It's not something to get so worked up over.

Meanings and associations change and I think it's a sign of maturity to say ok, this has moved on from what it once was and let something go. OP's reaction was the graciousness we should all have when someone lets us know the general consensus is that something is offensive.

My recent moment like this was 'Chinese Whispers'- a game we played my childhood without any apparent malice towards the Chinese. But I have been told the game is now 'Telephone' and I understand it- the origin stories for the original name can't have been anything nice.

I have had similar moments of clarification on the word 'Tribe' for a kids group, and 'retardation' for the slowing down/ lagging/ delay of computer systems with use and time which- although the correct technical term for when this happens- seems to make people jumpy using something so close to the insult bestowed on people, and so I am now using workarounds. I also grimaced when DP used 'like selling snow to Eskimos' on a work call recently and had to have a quiet word with him that evening... I mean we all have our blind spots in our knowledge.

For what it's worth I haven't seen or heard the phrase having a paddy used for a long while. Are you sure these are current programs you are watching?

That's crazy. When my photo was rejected (hair over an eyebrow) at my one week fast track appointment I was directed to some photo booth machines by the counter to take new ones- I was told to come back to the counter after to continue. I can't believe they sent him away!

Late to the thread obviously but I was going to share that I had a similar situation with my DD’s passport last month - we had the in-person appt, I received an email as we left the Passport Office to say it was approved & being sent for printing, it was dispatched the next morning & arrived the day after that. That was Liverpool.

Very pleased it has worked out for you!

Why are you getting so worked up? I learned that it was an offensive phrase a few years ago. But I spent a good 45 years not knowing! That’s okay, it came from a position of ignorance rather than deliberate racism on my part and now I know better.There are lots of phrases that have dodgy origins and as we are learning more, we change the words we use. I don’t have an issue with that.

Every year there are posts like this, and every year I am willing for posters to get their passports so they can have the holiday they have been looking forward to. I have everything crossed for you!

You need to calm down

Why am I uneducated? Do we really need to start comparing qualifications and profession because I'm happy to do so because your accusation is absolutely disgusting! You call hell out of innocent people for using an innocent saying that's been on the go for generations yet according to you anyone using that saying is uneducated? You've made yourself look thick by that allegation - you've lied about my education and insulted me which by default insults the OP that you've attacked already and you are basically accusing most of the UK of being thick! That expression is used in films and TV, people from every walk of life use it because they've grown up with it and don't know what it originally meant. Why single me out and accuse me of being uneducated! That's something really wrong with how you think and how you treat people, you are an uncivilised person that enjoys belittling people. Insult me again and I'll report your comments!

Another hyper sensitive has joined in the attack on the OP thanks to you! You've literally grown up in a world where everyone uses that expression with absolutely no ill intent or no clue it referred to the Irish! You need to remember that there are hundreds and hundreds of old sayings in use that people just pick up just from being born and hearing people from previous generations or watching old comedies and nobody has a clue where these sayings came from or the true meaning and thats when you have to use your intelligence and know that saying has a completely different context now. You really didn't need to start something over it because you ain't going to stop people across the UK using very well used sayings ok innocence.

I replaced my passport the first week of this month. Submitted online application at 11am Monday then old passport posted immediately. My new passport dropped through the door at 10am on Thursday 😮

Less than three days from start to delivery, couldn't believe it.

Just because you’re uneducated doesn’t make that phrase ok. I’m 36, Scottish with no Irish family or friends and I know that that phrase is not ok.

Just stop using it. You didn’t know, fine. But now you do. So don’t use it.

Don't pretend it's racism! People have used that saying for years without any racist intent and you know that! I had no idea it was related to the Irish and my great grandad was Irish and I'm proud of that. I think you are being unfair and you and the other women just like being offended and making people walk on egg shells. There are bloody hundreds if not thousands of well used old sayings that people don't have a clue where they came from and what they meant. I'm 46 years old, I don't know a world where people don't use that expression! It's a "you" issue!

Oh give over.

I have family who find this offensive, I pointed it out and the OP was very gracious. The thread moved on.

Now you are making it an issue.

I can't believe this is what you've made an issue about! Most of society use that phrase without even a clue it means anything to do with Irish people? I can't believe she had apologise profusely for a statement everybody uses without malice! You are one of those people that wants everyone to walk on egg shells! I bet you use phrases that you don't know where they came from!

They tend to underpromise and overdeliver, so it's possible.