Pardon?

[MothersGrim]

AIBU to not bother with the word "Pardon" for my young children? It seems like a generational thing to me but my parents and in laws correct my young children when they ask "What?"

I was just curious what the expectation is nowadays, should I be teaching them 'pardon'? Is it bad manners not to

I was told it should be "What did you say?"

I couldn't care less about what's common or posh or anything that Stephen Fry's housemaster might have said, saying 'what' makes you sound at best gormless and at worst outright rude.

What do you say instead of toilet then?

Loo sounds ever so twee to me.

Salle de bains. I insist only French is spoken for unsavoury things. I'm so not u, you see

Ligil... perhaps you would say bathroom? "Could I use your bathroom?" Instead of "could I use your toilet?"

"What" sounds incredibly rude. I use "pardon" or "sorry I didn't hear that"

I usually say "sorry?"
Or "Hmm?" if I'm talking to my husband.

'What' sounds so very rude to me.

I would not be happy if my children or a student in my class responded to me in that way. 'Sorry' and 'pardon' both fine and sound polite. I think the class thing is very outdated.

The idea that "pardon" and "toilet" are somehow common/naff/rude is something I have only ever heard on mumsnet. It's an alternate universe!

This is an eye opener for me! I was always brought up to say "pardon" and that saying "what" was just not on. My son says "pardon" and gets "I don't answer to what!" if he tries otherwise. I'm in Scotland if that's relevant.

I actually can't believe people think using the word toilet it common! I've clearly been living under a rock...or am incredibly common??

Can't believe the mixed responses! In central Scotland "pardon?" is the polite/posh response and "what/whit?" is incredibly rude. However I always say "sorry?" and will teach this to DS.

Also, I always though settee was posh and couch was common?

There's just a disproportionate number of etiquette snobs on MN who think that because Nancy Mitford or Stephen Fry say something about anything it must be right. I very much doubt most of these 'saying toilet is common' people would have thought such a thing until reading that eyebrows were raised at Carole Middleton saying it at Buck House or some such gibberish.

Ackshewly Tam I've always thought pardon and toilet are rude, it's got fuck all to do with Carole Middleton or MN.

But y'know, judge away!

me too flightywoman, I can't help what my mother taught me....
None of this matters, its just silly chat.

Pardon, serviette, toilet - never used in our family for as long as I can remember. Often, I'm ashamed to say, there will be an embarrassed silence and shifty meeting of glances if used by a guest. I'm trying to teach my children to be less anal but it's not easy. Old stuffy habits die hard.

On burping - Oopsie daisy
On farting - blame the dog

There is nothing so rude as openly judging someone else upon their use of language.

KondosSecretJunkRoom

One of my children has, inexplicably, started to say 'pardon'.

I can be heard shouting saying, 'aargh! Stop saying PARDON!'

I can't bear it.

Benny Kill them.

My amazing grandmother would spin in her grave if she thought any of her descendants would say "Pardon."

It's "What?"

Why would you say "Pardon." Just why?

I'm common as much then.

Since when was pardon rude? I'd consider what to be rude and I can't get used to the sorry thing. Moved to a different area in my twenties and their version of pardon was sorry, I would alway respond with a bemused head tilt and a 'that's ok'

Common and muck that was meant to be.

Oh in Scotland if it's relevant

Now look here, my Mater brought me up to say

Sofa
Lounge
and Crapper

She also beat it into me to say Pardon - 'what' being unspeakably rude.

My Mater knows a thing or two about what's what, and 'what' most definitely is not.

Common and muck that was meant to be.

Oh in Scotland if it's relevant

What as a stand alone word could sound barked so I get where the rudeness comes from but pardon is so twee. Bit different if you fart in front your whole management team when a quick pardon me would be appropriate although what? With quizzical look would be funnier.

Extending what to form a sentence would remove the potential rudeness of it tho...

My DH 'spends a penny' drives me bloody nuts! I like toilet it's practical and classless I hate loo, lav etc.