for my heart to sink every time I read the following phrases:

[EvilEyeButterPie]

"I'm not racist but..." (bound to be followed by outrageous racism)

"Political correctness gone mad!" (will be followed by either something totally made up or exaggerated, or totally reasonable, eg selling Eid cards in shops)

Any mention of human rights in any kind of rightwing outlet. As if rights for humans is some kind of controversy.

"The university of life" this is only ever used by people too thick to go to university.

Any more for any more? :o

anonymosity - the playgroup I help to run is called 'Tinytots'. although I didn't choose the name. A friend of mine uses the term 'sproglodytes' which is very appropriate for the DC's who come along!

tiny tots is ok, its "come and have a coffee at our house and the tots can play" context that gives me the gripes. I agree "hubby"makes me gag. Clearly I'm not feeling very generous tonight

I went to the Polytechnic of Life.

Boy. Am I dumb.

Anyone who goes on about the death or decline of common sense is likely to be a crashing bore with a chip on their shoulder.

Have we had "boys will be boys" yet? Used to me to excuse the behaviour of two little charmers who tried to push my DD in a pond once.

"breast is best" - usually followed by a hardcore lecture in how formula is the work of the devil.

"my pregnancy was an accident" - mmm so you didnt actually mean to have sex then

I feel equally the same about mohers who cringe about breast-feeding...'it's like an animal'..ffs tits are full of milk for a human child whats wrong with that?

"was it planned" said to pg women (me at the mo) by almost total strangers,why would i discuss my sex life or contraception with them?
Yes and "some of my best friends are gay/black" before or after a judgmental rant.

RG2 -
Mumcentreplus - yes, I have that inner thought too - my sis and all her AN group said "oo no, I'm not doing that, I would feel like a cow". Exactly. Cows produce milk for their babies, as do all mammals - it's natural ffs. (not in any way a criticism of people who can't BF)

Ah, this thread has me laughing out loud. Yay for Mumsnet!

Nom nom .... Just no

"Barbara Windsor, National Treasure"

Cheryl cole the nations sweetheart boak When a trashy newspaper use the word romp ie he romped with the stunna all night

Can't stand it when people for get the 'the' before baby as in 'how is baby?' - his name is not baby!!!! Agghh. My MIL does it all the time I can't bear it!

have we had the "kiddies" or the "kiddywinks" yet?

"As a Christian I ....................."

Being pregnant, ordering a sandwich/flapjack or whatever and person saying archly 'ah, baby is hungry'.

No, I am hungry, piss off.

:o Unrulysun - bloody right.

This is a wonderful thread. So glad to see someone else who gets very disturbing and anatomically difficult images with the phrase "I fell pregnant"

Any variation on "it's all down to our caveman ancestors, I evolved to be a lazy twat/sexist dickwad/like pink". OH REALLY?

Bubba/Bubs/Boo as a nickname for a child, husband or any goddam thing also has to go.

Calling any parent "mum" or "dad". I am not the nursery assistants mum. For a start she is older than me.

Backtracking a bit...

thumbwitch - did you mother really get judged for NOT going to university (thus replying "University of Life)? Presuming our mothers are in the same generation (mine is 65) going to university was very much NOT the norm for women back then. Odd that they would judge her for it.

I really hope people who went to University don't judge others who didn't. TBH, I have only ever found myself to be judged for going to University (in the ways that the posters mentioned - that I lack life experience, common sense etc etc) but I haven't encountered it the other way. At least, not overtly.

I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to sit through a family meal with my (male) relatives (brother, uncle, father) all saying what a waste of time university is and how they got all their education actually working. I often wonder what would happen if I sat there saying the reverse - about how people who don't go to university must not be very educated, not be well-equipped to analyse complex data etc. It seems much more acceptable to say the former (and yes, the often say "University of Life") than the latter.

eeeew, "rancid knob". That phrase just makes me want to puke.

Thanks Elephant

'How are we today?'

Especially teeth-grating when said to ill people, disabled people, pregnant people, older people etc etc.

chaya5738 Tue 16-Nov-10 12:47:46
"heh, forevervacuuming - your comment about people who went to university (that you would rather employ someone who had actual experience and put in 'decades of graft") EXACTLY demonstrates the context in which the "University of Life" comments are made - to belittle achievements."

You've slightly misquoted me and if you want to talk about context, read my comment in the context of my whole post and you'll see that it doesn't belittle achievements at all.

OP You posted about "people too thick to go to university". By your own logic, as you dropped out, does that mean you were too thick to stay in?

When you hear "Ooh, I don't need all those books telling me what to think" and then "I went to the University of Life, me." I think you know it's the former, not the latter, which is the real problem.

It may be your experience but maybe your experience just isn't that wide. I would say most of the people I know who did got to university (and I'm including those with Oxbridge doctorates) didn't go through academia for learning's sake, but so that they could go on to earn lots of money at work. Most of those I know who didn't, do "bother to read up on history, politics, art and so on", for exactly the same reasons you do.

Any reference to things being good or bad for 'UK plc'. A country is a society, not a bloody company. Usually used by rampant capitalists in an attempt to justify why completely screwing the welfare state is the right thing for Britain.

Oh, and not exactly a phrase, but any incorrect use of 'yourselves'. Usually used by shop staff or people in customer services, in a mistaken belief that it's the polite way to speak to someone. (eg 'It's up to yourselves whether you'd like the pink or the blue', or 'I'll give yourselves a few minutes to look around'). Aaarrgghh!

Chaya - yes she did because many of the people she associated with were professionals with degrees, male and female - I think she thought the females were actually worse - as though she had somehow "let the side down", iyswim. Lots of doctors and lawyers and other degree-holders. And yes, she was of your mother's generation (would have been similar age).
It cut her quite deep - admittedly she was quite insecure herself anyway - but she worked very hard to make the academic "issue" a non-issue in her Council etc. position.

She was very cross with me because I chose to go to a Poly rather than a "proper" University (with some reason, I might add, especially given the threads on here about the RG or non RG Unis) - but the Poly was the only place doing the course I wanted to do, so I went there.