DFIL - comments about DD

[Aweeweecupoftea]

So my DD started crying when I tried to hand her to my DFIL. He said to her, "you're just a little greeting faced bitch aren't you?" (We're Scottish by the way). He said it as if it was a term of endeerment

Aibu to not want him to say that again?

He's always saying things I deem strange and innapropriate! What should I say to him in these situations?

My grandad was Irish and used to call me a little whore (pronounced with two syllables - hoo-err

Miffer I've seen that word generally written as 'hoor' and I didn't even realise it was a derivative of 'whore' at all, I thought it was a completely different/separate word.

Maybe a bit like 'quare', afaik 'quare' isn't directly from an Irish (Gaeilge) word but it seems to be uniquely an Irish word (or even uniquely a culchie word as I've never heard it said in Dublin). Unlike 'craic' which is an actual Irish language word.

My family my are Scottish and we use bitch like a term of endarment. Would probably never occur to to my aunts that it wouldn't be a nice thing, they come looking for the kids and say 'there you are you wee bitch' when they find them

simplysleepy, Northern Ireland background and it was used like that in my family. Apparently my DD caused a storm at uni when she mentioned it, they wanted to get her counselling for the abuse. She thought it was hysterical.

I'm Scottish and that's a disgusting thing to say!

I know someone who used to call his daughter and granddaughters a 'little bitch' as a term of endearment! He was a farmer and I remember he said it at a party, completely full of love for his granddaughter, but the other mums' faces were as it's obviously just not what you expect to hear! I was embarrassed for him but he was oblivious. He truly meant it in love! It is an old-fashioned thing I think but I believe it's entirely inappropriate in 2017!!!

Is 'greeting' not a Doric word? I don't hear it in Edinburgh much, but did in Aberdeenshire growing up. It's not slang, regardless of what some idiot has written in the Scotsman. As for 'greeting face' - when I was about 8 we were doing Indians at school and were told to come up with an Indian name for ourselves. One of the Doric-speaking girls chose Greeting Face because her grandad always said she was one. It stuck in my mind because I thought it was a horrible thing to call yourself!

I've never heard 'bitch' used as an endearment either!

I am from Edinburgh, and the 'little greeting faced' is utterly fine Scots, if not entirely helpful for a good handover with fil. I would say that even if bitch is historic Scots (which I never come across) and I have family from across the central belt, it's not really appropriate. And you or dh should highlight this...

'FIL, I'm sure you mean no harm at all but we don't like dd to be called a 'little bitch'. Please can you find another word to use?'

If he does it again you take dd back in your arms and say,' FIL, we've talked about this. Please stop.'

oh for god's sake!

People - slang, not slang... stop derailing the thread! The OP has asked for support, not a linguistics debate!

My Scottish granny gave me a bollocking for calling my sister a cow, but my brother called her (Scottish granny) a bitch and she didn't bat an eyelid. We were advised that cow was a much nastier insult than bitch which made no sense to me as a kid. Either way, I would lose my shit at anyone calling my child a bitch (or a cow or anything else for that matter)

Seems most likely he used it as a term of endearment. A simple 'please don't use it, I know you don't mean any harm but it has another, more common meaning and we really don't want dd to be called that word' should do it. You could add 'call her a hoor instead' but personally I wouldn't 😉

I'm Scottish and I've never in my life heard bitch as a term of endearment, I would be a bit if I heard someone referring to a child as such.

Greeting faced is used all the time in these parts, I called DS it yesterday when he was acting lik a greeting faced little shit sugarlump.

A member of my family does this "come & give me a cuddle ya wee bitch". It's meant as a term of endearment but it makes my buttocks clench. Cannot stand it but they would be mortified if I said it offended us.

Its not "odd" to use this word in Scotland at all.

Greeting sorry!