to not like it when people refer to children with Chicken Pox as having The Pox

[hootloop]

It is probably just me but to me they are two very different thing.

Chicken Pox, a very common usually (although sadly not always) mild childhood illness.

The Pox, nasty sexually transmitted disease mostly associated with the past. More correctly known as syphilis.

Am I being unreasonable to cringe a bit when someone says or posts that their child has 'the pox'?

I thought The Pox, historically was bubonic plague - I stand corrected. ( Am ambivalent about its usage to describe Chicken Pox)

MN is a very odd place. Currently a thread running about words people get wrong- lots of contributors. But this gets a 'surely there are more important things to worry about'. Odd.

Only on MN might you comment on something minor that annoys you and get accused of being obsessive.

Wow, just wow.... yes I think YABU and quite pedantic and really rather strange.

I cheerily and happily call CP "the pox" and am v surprised that anyone would take issue with that... Quite obviously it refers only to chicken pox and no other form of pox... I'm relatively ignorant but even I'm pretty sure small pox has been eradicated so clearly would not be referred to... Never heard of an STD called the pox..

V strange...

Agree candy

In RL you mention to a friend "that really grates on me when someone says X"

Friend says either "yeah me too" or "really? Doesnt bother me"

End of!

The Clap is gonorrhea not Syphilis!

See i'd think small pox, not syphilis. Thats the Clap

My thought exactly.

Clap is gonorrhoea

Perfectly ok to not like it. I don't get why people object to you posting about it.

But as you can see, some people (probably lot of people) never even knew it had an old meaning. I've not heard it used to mean an STD for decades.

Pox is just anything that leaves you, well pock-marked.

I think its mainly just you.

As a kid I used to call it Chickenpops. I thought each of the spots was a single 'pop'. :)

YABU

I refer to illnesses in general as The Pox.

I wish the pox upon people, sometimes I pray the pox smites them down. I'm channelling the 17th century in general.

I refer to syphillis as knob rot. I'm a bit uncouth.

Do you also think when someone calls a child a bugger they are implying they indulge in homosexual bum fun?

I had chickenpox as an adult and still refer to that time as 'The Pox'. DD has had a vile cold for the last two weeks, which I have been referring to as The Plague. It's a little gentle hyperbole for comic effect.

I referred to someone's dc having the pox just the other evening.

DS1 (9) had a piece of creative writing on display at school the other - a short play thing set on a ship in the sixteenth century. My absolute favourite line was "But Captain, 25 men died of scurvy and the pox last week" I sniggered loudly. I'm not sure PSHE has covered syphilis in any detail

Seriously, some of you need to remove the sticks from your arses.

So I've just learnt 'the pox' is syphilis. I generally said just the word pox because it was hilarious to hear DD say 'I got pox' as she was only teeny. Hope no one thought she was saying the other pox

I think it's just you but if you don't like the phrase then you don't like it. It's not unreasonable

I like calling it 'the Pox'. I have very few opportunities to speak in a medieval voice, so while mine childe be cursèd with pox, I'm going to embrace the only silver lining of the situation.

I always remember the episode from Friends when Phoebe has chickenpox and gives it to Charlie Sheen.
"I have the pox."
"Chicken or small?"
It's just the way he says it that cracks me up. :o

Although I actually call it chickenpops after one of the children in school called it that.

'I have very few opportunities to speak in a medieval voice'

Funniest thing I've read all day. Possibly longer. Thanks for the laughs.

My DS has had the pox last week. I'm amazed that people can actually get their knickers in a twist about this! Definitely a first world problem...

Whats wrong with chicken pox parties littlemiss? Are you vaccinating or hoping they'll just get lucky?

You'd hate it here, OP.

Not only was CP 'The pox' back in the day but the kids were 'poxy kids' when they had it

I like 'lurgy' too, especially the dreaded kind.