AIBU about the word ‘horrid’

[VivienneHolt]

I’ve seen this on about 4 different threads in the last couple of days. AIBU that it gives me the rage?

Terry Pratchett said it best in the Hogfather:

‘That’s horrid’.

Horrible, thought Susan. The word is “horrible.” “Horrid” is a childish word selected to impress nearby males with one’s fragility, if I’m any judge. She knew it was unkind and counter-productive of her to think like that. She also knew it was probably an accurate observation, which only made it worse.

I don’t think I’ve ever encountered it in the real world save for in some of Enid Blyton’s more saccharine efforts, but suddenly it seems it’s invading mumsnet. It’s so twee and prim! It’s one of those words that immediately changes my whole perception of the post, regardless of what else it says.

Am I unreasonable to have such a visceral reaction?

What other words give people instant rage?

I use the word horrid quite often. And vile.

The word 'poo' when used by adults to other adults. Say 'crap' or 'dump' or 'shit'.

My mum was south African and we all did noo-noos....which made Tellytibbys hilarious for me when it came out.

My latest is 'enbiggen'. Something I do to photos on a touch screen.

Love the Simpsons!

Re ‘what’s wrong with using other words’ - I have no objection to a wide vocabulary, unless a specific choice of word makes you sound like a petulant 3 year old stomping her feet because she has been denied an ithe cweam

Funny you should say that, Vivienne Holt, but I had the same antipathy towards 'horrid' for many years but not now, I think it's OK.

Had a quick look down the first page and came across 'mucus'. Laughed at that, would the poster rather someone said slime, pus or discharge :-)?

Then there was 'supper', can't see anything controversial about that and I use the word. I didn't know it had any sort of effect on anyone so we live and learn.

'Beastly' is splendid! We used to use that at school - "Don't be so beastly", etc.

'Tea' is just tea. I might have a cup in a bit. Yorkshire tea bags.

I said, "Hoorah" earlier on to my GP who gave me healthy blood results. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't like 'gifted' and 'gifting' or 'gift' as a verb. They all seem to be commonly used now but I grate my teeth. However they are grammatically correct, as is 'gotten'.

I'm going to have a good look through this thread to see what other 'loaded' words there are.

My mum was south African and we all did noo-noos....which made Tellytibbys hilarious for me when it came out.

When I was a child we called them blogs.

Imagine how that's been for the past couple of decades....

PS: I meant to say instead of 'gave', 'given' or 'give'.

I see above that 'tummy' has been mentioned and I find that word infantile. It irks me when used by adults.

don't know anyone in real life who refers to any meal as supper

You've never been to a chip shop in Scotland in that case.. ;)

I like cross. It’s ideal for things that aren’t worth getting angry about.

Yummy, on the other hand irritates the life out of me. And delish.

I like yummy and I will defend it against the onslaught of the nom noms.

l'm with Peitho on this one. lt's very Enid Blyton!

Totally agree OP. I’m as thick as a brick butty but every time I see or hear that word I immediately think of that phrase too.
Sir Terry was a genius and an all round good egg as well.

The word that really gets me (for reasons l can't quite put my finger on) is adults referring to their mother as 'Mummy'.
l saw Prince Charles refer to the Queen as Mummy and it seems so incongruous (to me, anyway) for a 70 year man to say that.

l am as common as muck, though....

l'm from the North East (Northumberland) and never in my life did l ever hear anyone use the word 'grim' until l moved to Yorkshire.

There's a lot of hatred of the Yorkshire dialect on this thread.

But if you loik up the origin and usage of the words, they're all being usrd correctly.

If, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Roald Dahl (I'm a TP fan as well) use a word then it's good enough for me.

I thought horrid fell out of fashion because of horrid Henry.

My sister in law will sometimes respond to the dramatic wailing responses or her children to minor inconveniences with an absolutely deadpan ‘how perfectly horrid for you’ and that always amuses me, so I will accept a self-aware, ironic usage.

Oh God, grown men who call their mother 'mummy' should be subject to a prison sentence, a fine, and a public flogging.

Oh, yes times a million with (beastly) knobs on, on poorly.

I hated it even when I was a kid. I was off sick with a serious bronchial infection, and remember thinking the teacher was a cretin for saying I'd been poorly. I was ill1

*of her children!

I use horrid to mean nasty/mean (horrid person etc) but horrible to mean horrifying/shocking/revolting. Now googling as I can't find my dictionary.

Horrible is much worse (or at least a more severe insult) than horrid I think.

I’m most upset about “poorly” being dissed. Where I was brought up that was a normal word. As was dinner for lunch and tea for evening meal. Supper was a superfluous indulgent late night snack.

I moved down south decades ago and “corrected” my ways to fit in. But what vacuous snobbery on this thread. In this day and age, tsk, tsk......

do people still say 'you're a brick'? I can imagine that one causing some confusion seeing as 'you're a prick' is in such widespread and enthusiastic use!

I feel this way about the word 'cross'.It's so weak! If I'm annoyed about something, I'm either fuming, raging, pissed off or angry. that's the point of "cross". It's at the mild end of the anger spectrum. If I had to work myself up to being fuming, raging, pissed off or even angry every time something irritated me a bit, my nerves would be frazzled!

I always find it quite strange that people on MN are "fuming" or "raging" over the most minor of things. Maybe it's because they don't have a word like "cross" to describe what they're really feeling?

I think of horrid as one of the old fashioned words which is less used nowadays

It's a perfectly normal,every day word