to have thought it was Dear not Darling?

[MsJupiterJones]

I've been on MN a couple of years and always thought it was Dear Husband, Dear Son etc. I always read other people's posts as Dear SIL, Dear Mother and it even creeps into real life occasionally as I think or refer to people in my life as Dear. However recently I've seen a few references to it meaning Darling Husband, Son etc.

Frankly Darling is a bit effusive for me so I'd quite like to know what you all read it as before I go referring to my DH or DS in future.

AIBU or even just wrong?

I guess it could mean whatever you want it to mean.

I've always thought DEAR.

Then again, depending on your mood, it could be dopey, deadhead, dickhead etc.

The official MNet list shows either.

Therefore YANBU to use dear.

Darling for me but it can be anything you like

If it's Dear for you that's fine

It's always dear for me!

Darling for me

Dear for me!

Dear for me

I wish we could just write them out in full. (I know we can if we want to, but it looks odd if you don't follow the norm)

There's nothing stopping you exotic, I always do.

XH and F for me cannot put a STB as I have no address

DS = dear son

I read it as Dear. Darling makes me think of Blackadder.

In my head when I read it/write it, it's dear.

Dear here too.

I love that it's open to interpretation. Often in relationships when someone refers to their DH who hasn't lifted a finger around the house for the last 15 years I read dickhead husband instead of dear or darling.

There's nothing stopping you exotic, I always do.

Perhaps I will. There is a thread on petty rebellions-I could make that mine.

When I first joined I found DP very funny.

Relatively new on here (few months) but have always thought of it as Darling...

I always thought it was darling although not something I'd ever say in real life. Also I know I spend too much time MNetting as I've started mentally referring to them as DH and DS!

As an aside just scanned the MN list - what to hell do we need EWCM abbreviated for? Am I missing some enthralling threads somewhere

I'm glad most people think of it as Dear although I have no idea why I care!

I always thought STBXH was Stupid Bastard Ex Husband and only recently found out it was Soon To Be... Makes more sense of the initials really... (I'm sure for some it's both)

I think generally on the internet D=Darling. It's not a mumsnet thing. It's an internet language thing.

I like to think that on mumsnet, the D stands for damned or darn or dunderheaded or dim...

I'm with you, thought it was stupid bastard ex husband - thanks for enlightening me . Prefer stupid bastard though.

Dahling.

EWCM is Egg White Cervical Mucus isn't it?

I say them out loud in my head so DD is dee-dee and DS is dee-ess. I also say MIL as "mill", BIL as "bill" and SIL as "sill" so when people add a 'd' I say dee mill, de bill, de sill ...

DCs is problematic for me as it is a plural but in full it wouldn't be Dear Childs but Dear Children so it should really just be DC (dee-see.)

Dratted and Dastardly here