Page 4 | Words/phrases you have seen in books that you have never heard a real life person say

OneUmberJoker · 2025-12-17T17:01:12+00:00

Little high little low - stuart little

SaffySaffron · 10/06/2026 19:46

The chin has been defiantly raised twice since I last posted!

SaffySaffron · 05/06/2026 21:38

sunshinehappydays · 05/06/2026 08:49

‘Exclaimed’ no one says that word in real life!

But that would be descriptive writing by the author rather than dialogue from the characters, which is what the thread is really about.

EasilyPleased · 05/06/2026 13:27

Choccyp1g · 05/06/2026 13:00

She is always "padding"

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It is true Jane seems to pad more than she prances, tiptoes or trudges. In a certain type of novel, anyway.

Choccyp1g · 05/06/2026 13:00

EasilyPleased · 05/06/2026 09:54

No, but it’s often used in fiction to indicate surprise/anger/some strong emotion while avoiding using exclamation marks, which apprentice writers are often advised to do. (Though the other frequent advice is only to use ‘said’ as a speech marker, avoiding ‘’she whispered’, ’he shrieked’, ’he hissed’, and especially ‘the double-whammy of ‘“Don’t kill me!” he shrieked in fear’ or ‘“I’m going to kill you very slowly”, he hissed menacingly’ etc.)

I suspect the preponderance of ‘padding’ stems from the same ‘show, don’t tell’ Writing 101 source eg ‘Tell us how Jane moves around her apartment — is she dashing, tiptoeing, staggering?.’

ETA X-posted with you, @Weedingtodo! Agreeing that it’s a ‘written’ not a ‘speech’ term.

Edited

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She is always "padding"

pippistrelle · 05/06/2026 12:45

Treetopssofee · 05/06/2026 12:26

Except you just did 🤣

And you lot you've never heard of a good ride or a jersey IRL need to get out and meet more people outside of your own region!

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Very much agree with this post.

Grateful to earlier posters for the education on jerry rigged versus jury rigged though.

sunshinehappydays · 05/06/2026 12:43

I exclaimed! I didn’t say ‘exclaimed’. The thread title is-words in books we have never heard a real life person ‘say’.

Treetopssofee · 05/06/2026 12:26

sunshinehappydays · 05/06/2026 08:49

‘Exclaimed’ no one says that word in real life!

Except you just did 🤣

And you lot you've never heard of a good ride or a jersey IRL need to get out and meet more people outside of your own region!

Weedingtodo · 05/06/2026 09:57

Oops, cross-posted 😅

BorisJohnsonsUnderpants · 05/06/2026 09:55

notatinydancer · 04/06/2026 16:21

I thought it was ‘do not let us’

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They both are used to convey a very similar meaning.
Don't let's = do not let us
Let's not = let us not

"Let's not fall out over this" has essentially the same meaning as "don't let's fall out over this", the first being slightly more positive and the second somewhat more negative, ie "let's not" is suggesting an action to be taken, whereas "don't let's" is suggesting an action to be avoided or not taken.

EasilyPleased · 05/06/2026 09:54

sunshinehappydays · 05/06/2026 08:49

‘Exclaimed’ no one says that word in real life!

No, but it’s often used in fiction to indicate surprise/anger/some strong emotion while avoiding using exclamation marks, which apprentice writers are often advised to do. (Though the other frequent advice is only to use ‘said’ as a speech marker, avoiding ‘’she whispered’, ’he shrieked’, ’he hissed’, and especially ‘the double-whammy of ‘“Don’t kill me!” he shrieked in fear’ or ‘“I’m going to kill you very slowly”, he hissed menacingly’ etc.)

I suspect the preponderance of ‘padding’ stems from the same ‘show, don’t tell’ Writing 101 source eg ‘Tell us how Jane moves around her apartment — is she dashing, tiptoeing, staggering?.’

ETA X-posted with you, @Weedingtodo! Agreeing that it’s a ‘written’ not a ‘speech’ term.

Weedingtodo · 05/06/2026 09:51

To clarify, I mean it’s fairly common that words we use to express tone of voice or manner of speaking are used in descriptive passages in books, but are rarely used in day-to-day speech.
Exclaimed is one example, but there are many others.

Weedingtodo · 05/06/2026 09:37

People do exclaim though.
I see you have just done so yourself.
They just don’t describe it as such, usually.

sunshinehappydays · 05/06/2026 08:49

‘Exclaimed’ no one says that word in real life!

Grumpymiddleagedwoman43 · 05/06/2026 08:47

3luckystars · 04/06/2026 14:36

I use this phrase. A lot 😁

she uses the phrase fizzog for people’s faces and I have never heard that used though, it doesn’t sound very natural. Is it an insult? Like ‘look at the puss on her’ type remark?

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I think it's short for 'physiognomy' which is a way of saying Facial Features

ElizaMcC · 05/06/2026 08:39

notatinydancer · 04/06/2026 16:21

I thought it was ‘do not let us’

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I think those are the same meaning, in practice? I.e. don't let's worry about it now = let's not worry about it now = do not let us worry about it now

pinkpony88 · 05/06/2026 07:50

“Off with her head!” In fact lots of things in Alice in Wonderland 🤣

MillicentReally · 05/06/2026 07:15

Glowering. Also very few people actually seem to chew their lip when they’re thinking.

tripleginandtonic · 05/06/2026 06:55

Friendlygingercat · 18/12/2025 01:14

How very dare you!

We say that in a nessibg around sort of way quite regularly, like pretending we're insulted.

daffydreams · 05/06/2026 06:53

GonetoGreece1982 · 03/06/2026 21:31

I’ve been reading Marian Keyes Walsh sisters series, she describes men as total rides a lot, I’ve never heard that phrase before.

It's an Irish expression

sashh · 05/06/2026 06:49

SaffySaffron · 23/05/2026 23:09

Yes. No. I don't know.
You're incorrigible.

I've been told to my face I am 'incorrigible' .

Not so much a word as an action, where a character, invariably a man, usually a detective runs their fingers through their hair in bafflement, frustration, etc.

Watch some early Gordon Ramsey 'Kitchen Nightmares'.

SuperGinger · 05/06/2026 04:35

SixSevenShutUp · 09/05/2026 19:34

A jersey is a particular style of knitted jumper. In the olden days people would recognise the pattern. I had an Arran sweater, also a jumper but a different style.

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I always uaed to say jersey born in the mid 70s everyone I knew did.

Treetopssofee · 05/06/2026 01:11

I don't know how to say anything "with a shudder"

In fact it's quite hard to shudder and speak at the same time: try it!

EBearhug · 05/06/2026 01:08

Some of these, like erstwhile and shall and don't let's and you oughtn't to seem quite normal to me.

I suspect there are elements of regional use, and also speech patterns changing overy time.

I grew up on a farm, and we definitely sometimes said there's cold pheasant in the larder or fridge, though not the pantry.

Weedingtodo · 05/06/2026 01:02

KittytheHare · 05/06/2026 00:38

Ahem it’s an Irish expression, not strictly confined to Dublin. We’ve been using it with carefree abandon in the west of Ireland since time began.

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Oops…though I did say it was common in other parts of Ireland too in the very next post 😅

It’s not really used where I live in Ireland (although understood of course), so I don’t think it’s ubiquitous here.

EasilyPleased · 05/06/2026 00:49

MarthaBeach · 05/06/2026 00:37

Dancing in the disco
Bumper to bumper
Wait a minute -
Where's me jumper?

(the Sultans of Ping)

See, I once had a drunken conversation with Morty about what the jumper looked like. No idea what he said, but I was very insistent that it was an army surplus one.