What is the most pretentious thing you've seen someone do?

[kinzarose]

Inspired by another thread. When I was at university there was an older lady who thought she was vair posh, was very keen to have her designer labels on display and loved name dropping brands into conversation. We had a group tutorial over lunch once, so we all ate together. This woman took a two foot (yes, literally) wooden salt and pepper mill out of her bag, stood up and started grinding pepper onto the shop bought sandwich she had with her. It was just the most pretentious thing ever, she was a "food snob" apparently 🤣

My mother was the most pretentious woman ever, used to turn up to school looking like princess Margaret, big hat and three quarter length gloves.

A fucking catholic secondary modern in Rotherham

@84Win

DameMaureen I have no idea! That's what I was confused about... It was just the way she completely changed the pronunciation, and then seemed put out when I realised she actually meant Battersea. Strange lady.

I remember in the 90s there were a lot of Sloanes who liked to party in "Clarm & St. Reatham" (I imagine because of certain eligible Princes also enjoying a night out in CLAPHAM AND STREATHAM!

@Bovrilly

I know a Ptolemy. Everyone calls him "Tolly"

Same here - I wonder if it's the same one

I think Tolly is probably the only sensible nickname for a Ptolemy! What else could it be abbreviated to?

There's also a Flossie, a Radders and a Tonks in that circle.

So many knobbers in this world.

I once worked with a man who used the phrase "veritable smorgasbord" at every given opportunity. God, it got on my tits.

I'm an ex headteacher (secondary) and it used to make me cackle whenever I saw that a colleague had got them to paint NPQH after their name on the school sign.

I love schools where the HT has their name and rank on a car parking spot. Mr. Joseph Alan Bloggs BA (hons), PGCE, NPQH and the latest addition FCCT.

@LegoSteppingStones

HighlandCowbag "I say it a lot to teenage dd who is adamant we are middle class when we are actually working class. Apparently getting mealdeals from M and S, having 2 fat ponies and me being at uni means we are. We definitely aren't"

@HighlandCowbag
You're definitely not working class!

Eh, to be fair, I used to have ponies, regularly shop at M&S/Ocado and have just finished a MA.

I'm very definitely (still?) working class 🤣

Watching my older brother trying to impress by demonstrating how you could tell a good Chablis by the slight greenish tinge as you tilt the glass of wine away from you. Shame we were actually drinking Pinot Grigio.

Also claiming fluency in French and instead just speaking English with a weird French accent and saying stuff like ' the Tower Eiffel' after having spent 2 weeks working in Senegal.

Such a pretentious twat, oh my days.

@dayswithaY
"adequate comensurables. I think she meant food"
Howling

@minou123

I was told off my friends mum.

Apparently, it is very unladylike to say "I'm stuffed" if you are full.

You should say "I'm Complete"

My parents were killing themselves laughing when I told them.

We all still say it 25 years later

My dad would find it upsetting too, apparently it used to mean I'm pregnant.

@Bovrilly @Yesitsbess if Tolly has three siblings with equally unusual names then we probably know the same one
Lovely family, their collection of names are quite something!

@84Win

Met someone through work, who when asked, said she lived in a place she pronounced as "Batt-ErhSeeUh" Turns out (after some perplexed inquisition) that she lived in Battersea, and was just a bit of a knob. Can't rename a place just because you're embarrassed, love.

I have actually heard someone say,"claaaaam" refering to Clapham.

But I do think cities can have pretentions eg Magdelen bridge in Oxford, Belvoir in Leicester.

And don't get me started on Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs.

@KaleJuicer

In Florida a few years ago where I had scrimped and shopped around and managed to get a good deal at a luxury hotel, following our stay at a budget Disney hotel (the cheapest one). Cue seven year old rolling around on the ground screaming when we were waiting for the transfer "BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE FOUR SEASONS!"

We quote it back to him whenever he is pretentious now, much like the E C O N O M Y child above!

Haha reminds me of being in Fiji with a then-3yo who started saying "F for Fiji" and "S for Sheraton". We promptly added "B for budget" and "K for K-Mart"

And later that night, the teenage dd of dhs mate was flapping a fleecey throw around getting snuggled up in it. Girlfriend 'ooh careful dahling it's a cashmere pashmina'.

Oh dear, how common, there is no such thing as a non cashmere pashmina, you think she'd know.

I'm going back a few years here but a friend told me her children were such little snobs they insisted on calling all chocolate eclairs Profiteroles. Apart from the fact they are not the same thing they all - including her - pronounced it Profeetrolls.

This isn't pretentious, just funny (IMO).

My cousin lives in an area known for its sailing. She came to pick up her DS aged 3 from school to find the teachers all in bits laughing.

Apparently they were showing pictures of things to learn the alphabet . (A is for apple ) etc They showed a picture of a boat (B-boat) and asked the class what it was and the entire class of little kids chorused enthusiastically; 'yacht!'.

Did audio typing for a company that did rehabilitation assessments for injured people. BATH was a regular word used. New person started and spoke with regional accent so said baff but then met a rich man at work and went snobby and thought she was better and started dictating barth. Used to crack me up.

When I was in college there was a fellow student who every single day dressed, spoke and acted like a 17th Century European aristocrat, complete with ruffles embroidered coat, gloves and cane. Actually it was a bit of a mashup as he also wore a tophat. He was Chinese

Oh my god @pinkstripeycat unless there are two of them (which I guess is entirely possible) then I have 100% met this guy. I think I spent the entire meeting just staring at him in confusion thinking ‘you cannot be for real, right?!’

The university in question wasn’t the Courthauld, by any chance…?

(That in itself probably made me sound pretentious… that’s not where I went to uni but if I’m remembering right, I’m sure that’s where this guy said he went)

I once worked with a lady called Shiobhan (which is pronouced Shi-vawn as everyone knows) who insisted on being called SHOW-bin as she thought the proper pronunciation was common

@SirChenjins

I once worked with a lady called Shiobhan (which is pronouced Shi-vawn as everyone knows) who insisted on being called SHOW-bin as she thought the proper pronunciation was common

...is that how she spelled it, too?!?!

...is that how she spelled it, too?!?!

Tbf, if it is, thats probably down to her parents..

Although how anyone can think that show-bin sounds better than Siobhan I have no idea.

Which hotel in Saudi Arabia serves alcohol????

That's what I'd like to know. Plus, restaurants do not take kindly to customers bringing in their own food, so if he was furtive about his peanut butter there was good reason.

American business man in his 60’s sitting by himself in his very nice suit talking loudly on his phone

Oh, my word! The man was American and speaking loudly? Thank goodness Brits have a reputation overseas for being softly spoken and humble.

What an obnoxious post by @Toasteh.

No - it was spelled Shiobhan but pronounced SHOW-bin (the emphasis was to be on the first syllable)

Yes, it probably did come from her parents - but what a ridiculous thing to do. It's like calling your son Matthew. but insisting he's called Matt-HUGH

A very desireable area in the North West is Worsley which in the 1970's reorganisation was 'moved' into Salford, not sure some people are over it even yet, Salford definitely isn't on their addresses if they can avoid it. At the same time other areas started to class themselves as Worsley when they were certainly not, it makes for some laughs.

@JudgeJ

I've got a friend who insists she lives in Worsley when she's got a Wigan postcode, always tickles me