to say belly instead of tummy?

[CartwrightMiss]

Visited my niece today, and played the wheres your nose/ears/eyes game.

When I said "where is your belly?" my sister snapped, don't say belly, say tummy.

Apparently it's common and said like "bell-leh"

Maybe I am unreasonable to say belly, but my niece still pointed to her stomach when I asked where her belly was

I say tummy, well I used to say tummy anyway. Now I'm an adult I say stomach. I must admit that I dislike the word "belly" when used in adults, not sounding snobbish or anything but it does tend to tougher types who use it.

All that being said though I call a sofa a "settee" and apparently that's very common?

Spelt it correctly first time NeoPedant! T'was early 2nd time. Sorry, but if you're going to critique, RTFT .

I think tummy sounds childish. I say belly.

I prefer tummy to belly and I'll correct my DS if he says belly (as I think they tend to use belly more in his nursery).

I know it's silly but I just think tummy is a nicer word to use with a child. Belly always makes me think of an overweight old man with a beer belly!

I associate belly with beer belly (hairy, shirtless and sunburnt). Yuk.

I use tummy for small children, stomach for everyone else.

Belly/tummy/abdomen/trunk/midriff all absolutely fine.

Stomach is not unless you are specifically referring to the digestive organ. I get irritated when that is used incorrectly because it sounds ignorant.

I am clearly far to posh to care about sounding common

I say belly! Nothing wrong with people saying tummy because it just depends on what you hear as youre growing up but you must be a bit precious to find belly coarse! And I find it a bit odd that people say 'xxx is fine for children but it is abdomen / stomach for adults'.

When your kids turn 18 will you tell them off for saying tummy like they were instructed to do so for the past 18 years?

'Oh dont say tummy dahhhling its your abdomen! What will the neighbours think! And dont you dare meet up with xxxx i heard his/her mother says belly!!!'

GET A GRIP

I hate the word belly when it's used on those annoying web adverts that promise "Mom loses 2 tons of belly fat in half an hour by following this one weird old trick" type of thing. Urgh.

YANBU - hate, hate, hate tummy especially when used by adults about themselves/ complaining that they've got "tummy ache" or "an upset tummy" [boak]. It is one of the very few things that used to give me The Rage when used by HCPs during pregnancy too. Can just about cope with it when used by under 5s, but it's a close thing. I know IABU and have issues, but have to say it's the first word that springs to mind when we have the periodic "which words can you really not stand" threads.

YABU, but i just couldn't say belly, absolutely hate it for some reason.

Second worst ever word after hubby

I'm the other way round, don't like the word tummy, it's belly, bellybutton or stomach.

Please... I hate belly and tummy!!! What the hell is the difference? It is quite like the word " yummy" I also hate!!! Grown adults should never add a "y" to to the end of anything unless you are talking to a two year old. It was always traditionally called " stomach". For some reason, now with all the opiods and constipation commercials etc. we dumb down and baby grown adults.

@Sand33

Please... I hate belly and tummy!!! What the hell is the difference? It is quite like the word " yummy" I also hate!!! Grown adults should never add a "y" to to the end of anything unless you are talking to a two year old. It was always traditionally called " stomach". For some reason, now with all the opiods and constipation commercials etc. we dumb down and baby grown adults.

How did you manage to find a 7 year old thread to comment on??

Belly: "Old English belig ‘bag’, of Germanic origin, from a base meaning ‘swell, be inflated"

Tummy "mid 19th century: child's pronunciation of stomach."

Stomach: "Middle English: from Old French estomac, stomaque, via Latin from Greek stomakhos ‘gullet’, from stoma ‘mouth’. The early sense of the verb was ‘be offended at, resent’ (early 16th century)."

So surely tummy is more common than belly, since it's newer and baby talk? And stomach isn't much better, unless you think French is superior to German (which was a cultural norm at the time, and likely why it took over, because it was considered more sophisticated).

I tend to think of 'belly' as an Americanism. I'm pretty sure I've only heard belly button in America/on American TV.

Tummy sounds very childish!

I say belly

I use & like belly. It's normal where I am from. Maybe I'm coarse/common/rough etc. Rather that than be a stuck-up pearl clutcher 🤷‍♀️

I’m crying with laughter at these comments, didn’t realise belly was perceived a saf lundun thing til now, guilty as charged sorry.
Tummy is childlike, can’t imagine saying it to another adult, we mostly say belly or stomach in the common parts of London

YABU. Belly is awful!

To me a belly is an obese abdomen. Tummies come in all sizes. "beer belly".

Agree stomach is for your upper abdomen (where your stomach is) only.

YANBU. I actually can't stand the word 'tummy', it's so twee.

Then again, I use the word 'Belly' & I am a decidedly common Londoner

And how did you scroll down afull page to find me? LMAO!!!

I say tummy and my DH says it's twee. He also says belly is common.
I can't win

I too hate belly and indeed belly button also and never use either. Stomach and navel for me.