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Original poster

Have people started to say ‘half term’ to refer to all school holidays?

125 replies

UpperLowerMiddleClass · 23/03/2023 17:39

To me the school holidays coming up in a couple of weeks are the Easter holidays. The other long school holidays are the Christmas holidays and the summer holiday/break. Each of the three school terms have a break in the middle called ‘half term’.

But increasingly I’ve noticed people refer to any school holiday as ‘half term’, both on here and in life generally. I had a conversation recently where I completely misunderstood a school mum - she was talking about plans for the half term. I thought she was being very organised and talking about the May/June half term, but it turned out she was talking about (what I’d call) the Easter holidays.

Has anyone else noticed this? Has the terminology somehow changed without me noticing?

OP posts:
wheeltrims · 23/03/2023 18:34

My husband refers to all the school holiday as half term and it drives me bonkers!

Perihelion · 23/03/2023 18:34

In Scotland they're generally called the February holidays and October/Tattie holidays. The council seems to think they're called mid term holidays.

Annietheacrobat · 23/03/2023 18:35

Not where I am

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Pixiedust1234 · 23/03/2023 18:36

I have noticed it too and it bugs the hell out of me. I wonder if people are avoiding the religious aspect of it all, eg lots dont say Happy Christmas its Happy Holidays, so to stop saying Easter Break its half term instead?

TheEarlofButties · 23/03/2023 18:40

You’re all wrong. It’s spring break.

Puppers · 23/03/2023 18:41

Yes people do say half term when they actually mean Easter or Christmas. It would never occur to me to be "infuriated" or even "annoyed" about it. It literally does not matter one single iota. It's generally very obvious from the context which holiday is being discussed (99 times out of 100 people are talking about whatever holiday has just been/is just coming up) and even if it's not obvious...so what? If anyone actually corrected me on this I would mentally mark them down as pedantic and rude and avoid them in future.

CherryCokeFanatic · 23/03/2023 18:42

I couldn’t get annoyed about this

NeverDropYourMooncup · 23/03/2023 18:43

It all blurs into one once you've worked in schools for over a decade.

MercyChant66 · 23/03/2023 18:44

Perihelion · 23/03/2023 18:34

In Scotland they're generally called the February holidays and October/Tattie holidays. The council seems to think they're called mid term holidays.

Growing up in Scotland, the October holidays were always the tattie holidays - and we did sometimes actually pick potatoes!

lieselotte · 23/03/2023 18:44

I noticed my leisure centre were advertising "half term intensive swimming courses" on Monday. For April, not May. I also thought "it's not half term!"

rampila · 23/03/2023 18:44

OMG YES YES YES!!!!
It's so annoying.

Fudgewomble · 23/03/2023 18:44

It’s wrong wrong wrong. Upcoming holidays are end of term Easter holidays. But don’t get me started on the (otherwise unpretentious private) school my DC are at calling the three terms Michaelmas, Lent and Summer…

MsJuniper · 23/03/2023 18:47

I seem to remember some years ago when people were being silly on the internet or radio people would say, "oh is it half term again?" meaning are the kids off school and mucking about? I thought it was a joke though referring to all school holidays as "half term" but now I'm not so sure.

I am a primary teacher in England and everyone I know refers to the terms as Spring 1 / Spring 2 etc and the holidays as Christmas, Easter & Summer holidays. Half term holidays are usually referred to by their month e.g. October half term or by their parent term e.g. Summer half term.

Kta7 · 23/03/2023 18:47

Yes, not RTFT but YANBU at all (I know this is in chat)

Florenz · 23/03/2023 18:56

Do people call the summer holidays "Half Term"?

LucyLeave · 23/03/2023 18:56

Fudgewomble · 23/03/2023 18:44

It’s wrong wrong wrong. Upcoming holidays are end of term Easter holidays. But don’t get me started on the (otherwise unpretentious private) school my DC are at calling the three terms Michaelmas, Lent and Summer…

Sounds very pretentious to me.

slithytoveisascientist · 23/03/2023 19:00

Yes I do this but it's not on purpose, it's because I have no idea what's going on

AlltheFs · 23/03/2023 19:05

It’s a sign of how increasingly dim most of the population is getting, they literally don’t understand the meaning of the words they say. They just say them, even when they make no sense whatsoever.

I work in HE. Each cohort is increasingly incapable and these people go on to be parents. It’s terrifying really. Give it another 50 years and the human race will
be completely incoherent.

icanneverthinkofnc · 23/03/2023 19:06

ClassicLib · 23/03/2023 18:31

Not understanding the difference between half term and the end of term is similar to not understanding the difference between degrees Celsius & Fahrenheit, or using one scale for hot temperatures & the other for cold. It’s a useful idiot signifier.

😂

Fathobbit · 23/03/2023 19:07

Sometimes our Easter holidays haven’t included the actual Easter weekend though. So just saying Easter gets confusing too. I only ever hear half term for this specific end of term. People normally just say Christmas and summer for the others.

iusedtobeasize8 · 23/03/2023 19:15

AlltheFs · 23/03/2023 19:05

It’s a sign of how increasingly dim most of the population is getting, they literally don’t understand the meaning of the words they say. They just say them, even when they make no sense whatsoever.

I work in HE. Each cohort is increasingly incapable and these people go on to be parents. It’s terrifying really. Give it another 50 years and the human race will
be completely incoherent.

This 👍

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 23/03/2023 19:23

It’s still the Easter holidays coming up at Gdcs’ school in Oxford - and it was half term not too long ago.

ASignfromabove · 23/03/2023 19:24

AlltheFs · 23/03/2023 19:05

It’s a sign of how increasingly dim most of the population is getting, they literally don’t understand the meaning of the words they say. They just say them, even when they make no sense whatsoever.

I work in HE. Each cohort is increasingly incapable and these people go on to be parents. It’s terrifying really. Give it another 50 years and the human race will
be completely incoherent.

😂

Tiras · 23/03/2023 19:32

I'm guilty of this, when i was at school every break was called half term apart from summer and its just stuck

Tiredmum100 · 23/03/2023 19:33

Puppers · 23/03/2023 18:41

Yes people do say half term when they actually mean Easter or Christmas. It would never occur to me to be "infuriated" or even "annoyed" about it. It literally does not matter one single iota. It's generally very obvious from the context which holiday is being discussed (99 times out of 100 people are talking about whatever holiday has just been/is just coming up) and even if it's not obvious...so what? If anyone actually corrected me on this I would mentally mark them down as pedantic and rude and avoid them in future.

Exactly my thoughts.

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