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My son's reaction to the phrase "picky bits".

155 replies

SquirrelsAreGo · Today 01:28

My son is having a weekend of birthday moments ahead of the day on Tuesday. He is turning 17, and we've been teasing him about how he needs to know the dark side of being an adult (for some context, he is ND, funny, and plays along beautifully, adding his own roasts about how his older brother not adulting properly). He really enjoys word play, and learning British phrases that haven't made it to Oz where we now live.

We were discussing what he wanted for lunch, making suggestions for picnic type foods. At the time I was grasping for the word "picnic" so said "if we were in the UK, some people would describe them as 'picky bits'. He looked me straight in the eye and said " Why? Why would you do that to me? Is this what comes with being an adult?? Gdammit!" Grin

Fascinating that, even without me giving any idea of how I feel about the phrase, his reaction was the same as mine. I sat him down and explained that this is what we meant by having to get used to the adult world, and that I was sorry we had to ramp it up so hard, but we only had until Tuesday to get him educated.

And then I remembered the word picnic and the world tilted back onto its axis.

OP posts:
Besidemyselfwithworry · Today 19:46

Mystifyingly · Today 01:43

But everyone thinks that phrase is awful. It sounds like a buffet of toe jam, earwax and pus.

I agree it’s a vile phrase!

FirstNationsEnglish · Today 19:50

Grammarnut · Today 07:41

No it doesn't. Picky tea, means a small buffet style meal e.g. anything you fancy that will go on a small plate e.g. carrot batons and humus. Of course, I live in middleshire...

Edited

In our house, it is called 'nibbles'. I agree with the folk who see bits of flaking skin and scabs, bogies and worse with the phrase 'picky bits'.

Grammarnut · Today 19:57

BettyJoanPerske · Today 08:34

The phrase is 'picky bits', though. 'Picky tea' is also vile but not quite as evocative of pieces of shed bodily material.

'Light bites' is horrid. We have always had picky tea. It means you pick what you want from an array of portable food. I don't see why the name is vile. 'Picky bits' OTOH does now make me think of toe nail clippings.

7catsisnotenough · Today 20:11

Ok, haven't rtft but picky bits is a thing in my house aka a carpet picnic (thanks Julia Robert's 😉)

nevernotmaybe · Today 21:27

The phrase is just a marketing gentrification of older original phrases. Nonsense that hopefully dies off, glad he rightly sees it as nonsense.

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