"treats" - really cringey?

[Poppyismyfavourite]

AIBU to find the word "treats" really cringey??

As in "oh I'm on a diet so limiting the amount of treats I eat" or "I brought some treats for the kids"...

In my mind it just really doesn't mean human food at all, it conjures up images of people knawing on a pedigree dentastix... or those disgusting meat sticks that the cats like...

*LIGHTHEARTED (obviously)! Yes I know I have too much time on my hands, but I'm still WFH and a bit bored...

Well, what @DollyDoneMore said, (I love those sweets) and I've always fancied Treat Williams, so for me it's a good word! (Probably not what you meant though, OP!)

Sweet treats makes me cringe to my very core. Just call it cake!

I put poorly poorly on a thread once (that got deleted) I didn't know the mn hatred for that word!!

I'm Scottish and whilst the phrase doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "ah feel pure pish", I still rather like 'ever so poorly'.

Anyone who squeals on me for using it can pick a windae.

DH likes to use cutesy little words like this every so often. I want to kick him in the mouth when he does. Our DC are 9 and 14 so have no reason to use words like "choc choc" and "tweeties" and I've told him they'll be cited in the divorce papers if he doesn't stop.

I have a friend who uses "hubalub" and I will never stop wanting to be sick from both ends when I hear it. Vile nonsense.

Christ on a bike that's bad

@GuiltyBark oh I thought I was the only person on the planet with a problem with veGEtables! I can't bear it! My mil says this and it makes me along with the-ater (rhyming with hater) for theatre. And garrragggggeeee.

@LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood

My otherwise articulate and entirely reasonable DH says “munchies”.

Does he smoke pot?

@MayFayre

Sweet treats makes me cringe to my very core. Just call it cake!

But it might be biscuits, chocolate, Haribo, donuts or something completely different.

@Bodgedboxdye

It doesn’t top “cheeky” that’s the worst.

I could quite happily hear “snack” and “treat” over that.

This^

Friend always talks about giving her kids a 'treaty tea' 😩 . On an unrelated note, dp's 'I'm going to watch a movie' (on the TV) and cupping both hands around his coffee mug while taking gulps makes me shudder...

I agree OP. It doesn't help that the food industry have latched onto the word 'treat' in their advertising as a way to justify eating sugary crap.

Maltesers and others have 'treat' sized bags.

And I also agree on spoilt, particularly 'he/she really spoilt me on my birthday'.

Also, munched on as in 'I munched on some carrots'.....arghhhh! hate it

Picky bits. 'We didn't fancy a big meal tonight so we just had picky bits'

@rawlikesushi

You're all weird.

A snack is a light bite between meals.

A treat, in any capacity, outing or purchase or food, is a lovely reward or something special to enjoy.

I don't use either word with pets - they just get fed a range of different food items.

Hear hear!

However, the word meal is like scratching fingernails down a blackboard to me. It's a nasty, mean, whiny-sounding, bland, maggoty word that conjures up bread, water and gruel in my mind. I appreciate that some of those adjectives are a bit random but that is how the word feels to me. Maggoty, bland and mean.

Those all make me uncomfortable too (splurge, spoiling, pampering) and I think I've just realised why - they all have some implication of underlying sadness (tinged with a bit of guilt).

It's the implication of trying to gain emotional fulfilment through some form of consumption (and the kind of guilty justification of it).

You've summed my thoughts up significantly better than I put it.

I've got a relative who seems to have this justify consumption attitude where it's always a little treat, or 'i know I shouldn't have splurged on... But it was 10% off'.

The people I know who talk about everything as a treat seem to do the very things they're saying are treats so often that it hardly constitutes being a treat. They just enjoy spending money, then justifying it, then spending more.

Snack and treat doesn't really bother me.

HOWEVER,

Posh (in the context of 'premium' food/drink) winds me up something chronic.
Posh chocs (a favourite on here, choc makes me want to cringe myself inside out too)
Posh fruit.
Posh wine.
Posh crisps.
Posh ham.
I've seen all of these on here and honestly, just,

Goodies are a much better description.
I'm not into the whole treat thing anyway, can't stand it when people's kids ask for a treat as some sort of a reward.

I hate Journey too @WhatamessIgotinto

Breastfeeding journey.
Weight loss journey.
Get fit journey.

So wanky.

Treat and snack are both awful.

I used the word crap. Any crap in the house? did you buy any crap for me? Or something nice for more expensive crap, why did you not get anything nice ?

Treat in relation to any food annoys me. I don't mind it so much in relation to treat someone / yourself to something "I treated myself to new boots"

Snack is something between meals, a McDonald's and sandwiches are meals lunch or whatever not a snack.

Even then the word annoys it sounds like snap.

Yep, for me it's "snack". I think it's because people use it so often and seem to be constantly stuffing children for fear their jaws will stop moving in between meals. Never had snacks when we came out of school, after swimming, to keep us going between meals when I were a nipper!

Also agree "cheeky" and "posh" are the worst. I'm just having a cheeky g&t. Alright love, drink the fecking gin. Nobody is going to think you are a raging alcoholic if you don't call it cheeky . And posh crisps, posh ham...are still deep fried spuds and cured pig leg mate. You cannot make those things posh!

I have never heard anyone talk about their journey without at least a hint of sarcasm though. My journey...unless it is to do with an actual journey where you travel geographically is amateur psychobabble imo.

I have spoken! Harrumph and gavel !

Ironically I find ‘cringey’ a cringey word.

I don’t mind treat as I use it to mean something specific. Ie something sugary and sweet or generally just not that good for you. Basically something you should only eat as a ‘treat’

It absolutely grates on me when people say they’ve ‘treated’ themselves to things. ‘Treated myself to a Twix!’ ‘Treated myself to a face mask!’ I don’t really know why it annoys me so much but it just sounds very immature. You’re an adult. You wanted something. You bought it.