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

[UpperLowerMiddleClass]

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?

If you're going to be picky the half term is the bit of the term they're in school for, either side of the half term holiday.

Yeah my primary school child says! I told her it's not half term.

I say Half term for this break , never really thought it annoyed people. Yeah no idea what Whitsun is , I'd just look at you blankly.

I've heard the DS1ex partner refer to it as half term, I thought it was a mistake until she repeated it.
Then again, she's not particularly bright to get it right. I'm not an ex mil from hell, I promise, she is a nightmare MIL for the future

I view it along with 'brought' when they mean 'bought', 'pacific' instead of 'specific', etc

People who are dim say it.

I don't mean that to be rude, not everyone is as intelligent as others and they clearly don't see the distinction.

I’m in enthral Scotland and have never heard anyone refer to it as Half term, which makes me honk it’s an English term for school holidays.

we refer to them as Christmas, summer, Easter, October and February holidays.

Central Scotland that should say! Fucking autocorrect.

Best response so far 😂

Anyone can get a Masters, it tells you nothing. I’ve got 2, it’s nothing special.

But yes I do judge, no-one is too busy to use their brain or use a calendar correctly.

I’m a busy parent with a shopping list of academic qualifications, a senior role, a house renovation, needy horse and ailing parents. But I still know if it is Easter or half term without thinking because I’m not an idiot. Being busy is irrelevant.

Yes!! I've noticed this too!

Yes- heard this the first time today! I was completely confused. Had to say, you mean Easter holidays, right? Where’s this come from?

Only on Mumsnet have I heard every holiday referred to as half term.

Yes! My daughter keeps referring to Easter break as half term, and now I've started doing that! Argh!

Well it is like half term isn’t it? i.e. time off school. People know what you mean when you say it.

I only know it as exeat...

Only thick people.

I have noticed a few people doing this, it is definitely a thing. But they’re all the sort of people who write “U ok hun”

Someone referred to the Easter Holidays yesterday as Half Term yesterday and it took a lot of strength not to say @half term was in February, these holidays mark the end of the Spring Term".

I’ve noticed this too and it’s very annoying
however surely technically “half term” is the 5-7 week teaching period, of which there are 6.

Exeat is a long weekend, usually a bank holiday. IME of 80s/90s private schooling which is the only place I've ever heard the term used

No they don't always. It could cause a lot of misunderstandings.

The Woman who said it to me yesterday was a Professional and I was there for a meeting.

Yes people do

I think it is because half term always refers to a period of school closure whereas 'summer holidays' or 'Easter holidays' could mean several things- the parent's annual leave from work, bank holidays, an actual vacation.

So I think people are using half term to mean 'when the kids are off school'

As with many linguistic things it is a useful disambiguation (although I agree confusing as half term has a specific meaning)

There is a book called "the language instinct" by Pinker which is really interesting on this kind of thing (actually a great book altogether, even if 25 years old)

Totally agree.

A colleague of mine has done this and added 'half term' to our calendars when actually it's the EASTER holidays. I got totally confused about this when trying to arrange meetings this week.

It's so bloody irritating!

No