watching meaning babysitting and other odd stuff

[Wordsaremything]

Is it just me? Seems v American. 'I asked my neighbour to watch my children .' Very passive and odd
Similarly , you don't choose an outfit, you 'pick one out.'
You don't fancy anyone, you 'like' them ( possibly facecloth related , I suppose)
Any more?

The old fart.

You mean I'm not making myself clear or you agree, Derek

Words aren't really your thing are they? Be honest .

I don't think anyone uses the word 'fancy' anymore - it sounds naff, in fact even the word naff is actually quite naff.

"Can I get" makes my teeth itch

When I was growing up "watching" somebody's kids was more informal than babysitting. It feels to me like babysitting is when you pay somebody and you go for a night out. "Watching" is when you nip to the shops or to get another kid from Cubs or brownies.

yes, 'can I get' irritates me as do statements ending 'right now'. I.e "Are you kidding me, right now".

I first hear me "Will you watch", "Can I get" from an Irish family I knew. I have always thought of these as Irish turns of phrase which have crossed the Atlantic with Irish immigration.

I don't think 'watch' is American. My gran used to watch me when my mum was at work 40 years ago in Scotland.

Watch the kids is normal. Older children aren't babies to sit with. They just need, well, watching.

I don't know why you think choose is wrong in that context. When there are a number of options, surely you choose one.

Fancy isn't much used today. It's all done by emoticons these days, no need for words.

The old fart

I read, and re-read that as 'The ODD fart'. All I could think was, nothing wrong with the odd fart if the moment grabs you!

Watching the kids sounds like they are the entertainment.

possibly facecloth related , I suppose

was that an autocorrect from Facebook?

bike here in Ireland we say "mind". Can you please mind the kids for me. "Watch" not so much.

Maybe it's a Scottish/ Northern Irish thing.

Watch the weans, cat, dog, budgie, fish. = look after. In my part of the UK.

Certainly not an Americanism.

They aren't so very entertaining past toddlerhood, I wouldn't watch them for fun.

'Watch' is common in Scotland.

'Choose an outfit' - nothing wrong with that?

I 'fancy' lots of people.

Who's an old fart? apart from me

Isn't watch the equivalent of mind ?

'Watch' is common parlance in Scotland, in my circle it would be quite common to say 'she watches her granddaughter two days a week' or I'm watching my niece at the weekend.

Surely you stop fancying people at the age of approximately 16😂

'Watch the kids' is normal English isn't it?

As is 'Choose an outfit'

'Like' someone or 'fancy' someone is much of a muchness.

So, I'm afraid YABU and a bit daft.

Your title was so strange I just had to come and see what you were on about.

we say 'watch' in that context in wales, and have used that expression since i was a child. its just a different form of 'looking after' isn't it?

also, all the cool kids (so my dd tells me anyway) have 'crushes' these days as opposed to 'fancying' or 'liking'.

"Watch" is a really passive word though. Watch them do what? Play with matches? Drink the drain cleaner? It smacks of non intervention.

"Fancy" I rather like. It is a very frivolous and lighthearted word.