To think this was a bit tactless of the teacher

[callherwillow]

The teacher in question referred to friends daughter (Year 4) as 'bonny'. I realise that there are areas of the country where this is just a compliment without any other connotations but here it essentially means 'fat.'

The friends DD was a few minutes late due to helping set up the assembly and upon entering had gone to sit with her friends and was stopped by the teacher who tried to steer her to the year 6s and when she politely explained she was in year 4 the teacher commented (in a whole school assembly where the children could all hear her) 'well, you are a very bonny girl for year 4, aren't you?'

Not the teachers finest hour, I don't think?

No, and I've never heard randy used as a mans name, but it doesn't mean that the Americans are a load of liars, does it?

I have never heard bonny in any context other than a complimentary one, from anyone from anywhere. It's a compliment that a child is healthy/thriving/growing, not "Fat"

'You're a very healthy girl for Year 4.'
'You're thriving for year 4'
'You're growing well for year 4'

I think it's a shame that the word has become used in a negative way where you are OP - here it's used as chubby for babies, but older than that it means pretty in an outside-y healthy way (toddlers are usually sturdy for some reason). It should be a nice word!

Saying that, I think saying she looked tall or grown up would have been better.

Sorry, not RTFT.....yet.
But the word
BONNIE = pretty or attractive
And is a Scottish word.

Nobody heard of rhyme Monday's child???
....and the child that was born on the Sabbath day is bonnie and blithe and good and gay.
Pretty sure that doesn't mean fat.

In this context the teacher must have meant to say 'you are TALL for your age'. It wouldn't make sense to say someone is too fat for their age?!!!

However, YANBU OP. It was a bit tactless. If the girl in question is sensitive about being tall for her age, she might have been upset even if the teacher had used the word 'TALL'.
Better if the teacher had not commented at all. But it was probably a spur of the moment comment and not really worth getting upset about.

I'm sure we can all remember a time when someone said something a bit tactless to us when we were kids - you never forget it!!

Also likely we have all made tactless comments too - unintentionally of course...

Ego, pull the other one, you've had an unpleasant agenda on here from the start and don't think I don't know exactly what it is or why you're doing it. I have seen dozens and dozens of threads from you with no specific purpose, so frankly how very dare you try to make me feel wrong or odd for posting on here. I really don't wish to engage with you now or ever and so please don't bother replying as I'm not interested in talking to you.

Polka re negative - I don't think it's some sort of gradual decline :) I've never known it be used in any other way than a nice way of saying fat or chubby.

Examples might be - 'well Anne might struggle with those new uniforms, with her being bonny ... She's on the bonny side after having the baby still so she may be dieting' and so on. If someone said your baby was bonny that would be a lovely compliment :) because babies ARE bonny. Even the scrawny ones

In just going to put it out there and say that OP needs to cancel the bonny cheque.

Yes, they have Navy, but even if they had not I am afraid it doesn't change the fact that where I am from it does indeed mean that as you can hopefully see from the above examples.

I'm not sure why being proved right on this issue seems to be bringing you such a sense of superiority!

I'm*

Hmm, DD did once win a bonny baby competition and she was a very fat baby. Am now wondering whether she won because of the cuteness of her chubby cheeks or the fact that her cheeks were the chubbiest of them all...

OP I'm sure you realise YANBU.

Well, we might be best wrapping the thread up as there's certainly someone here with an agenda and we ARE fixating rather on what bonny means, even though it really does have different meanings according to different parts of the country.

I agree Scotland is most definitely complimentary and imagine other parts are too. But not here! x

Noofly

I'm sure she won because she was utterly irresistible. :)

Babies with great squishy cheeks are officially the best ones. Preferably with massive rubber ring rolls round arms and legs

... so frankly how very dare you ...

Yeah, you've taken that a little out of context, acasual

Navy, nothing for you to get overwrought about,

Good, good :)

Bonny may well have the meaning you ascribe it, but it also clearly has a lot of other meanings. How can you tell if someone is using the standard or dialect version of a word? You can't unless you ask them!