To be so terribly, terribly cross?

[musicforsmorks]

In reality, I am asking is it being remotely unreasonable to suspect that hardly anyone uses this phrase in 'real life'?
It's all very well when one is perusing their Enid Blyton collection but I have honestly rarely come across it as a common element of social/familial dialogue (and I've been around a bit ).

Another one is 'Oh my goodness!', which, whilst having stood the test of time (unlike the poor, neglected cross), still doesn't crop up with regularity in my social circles or professional life very often.

Also interested in hearing other people's thoughts on certain phrases, and whether they are particular to MN, the written word, or just off with the fairies or whatnot.

My favourite MN regular is the did you mean to be so ruuuude?
Although, whilst frequently tempted, I have not yet had the pleasure of uttering it with any true gravitas in real life :(

I’m a primary school teacher. I often use the phrases ‘I’m so cross’ (I might say terribly cross next time now. Lol) and I also say ‘oh my goodness’. I only use these phrases to the kids, because I don’t think the more colourful language I use around other adults would be very suitable around a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds.

I've just remembered my Gran used to say, (to substitute "Oh my goodness" I think), "Oh my goodnight" or "Well! Goodnight again!"
I've never ever heard it since so don't know if was ever commonly used.
She did invent quite few of her own sayings which we now fondly refer to as "Granisms".

I can honestly say I’ve never used the phrase ‘I’m terribly cross’.

Mainly because it doesn’t express just how cross I actually am

I’d generally go for the ‘full of expletives’ approach…as in: “I’m f*g well f*d off!!” kinda thing

I use both phrases daily. I too work with small children so they both work great. “Goodness me” is a common one too!! I’m have a little old lady inside my 40 something body!

I use ‘oh my goodness’, ‘oh my giddy aunt’, ‘sugar’ and even ‘oh blueberries’, as seen in a Hey Duggee episode.

I use both 'cross' and 'oh my goodness' every day. Oh my goodness is my go to when I need to avoid swearing.

I use some rather twee phrases at work, along the lines of 'oh my goodness' and 'fancy that' because my bosses are fanatically devout God botherers and really wouldn't like any swearing at all. They are brilliant employers and pay well, so I wouldn't want to offend them.

Swear like a trooper at home though

I favour ‘how rude’ said in one’s best indignant received English tones. I like the old phrases when used judiciously. 🤓😁esp when one don’t speak proper like in normal life.

My 3 year old days oh my goodness and her little friend often states she is very cross :)

I use ‘oh my goodness’ all the time especially in the last 7 years post kids! My husband uses ‘blimey’ in the same way. Enid Blyton wasn’t going to use harsh swear words in her stories was she,

I'm even more Enid Blyton and say that I am "jolly cross" when annoyed and use "oh my goodness" daily. However, my friends do take the piss out of me for it regularly...

No, I don't say it, and it definitely has the ring of adult disapproval to me, someone who has the authority to tell you off. Parents get cross. Teachers get cross. Adults interacting with other adults don't get cross, they might get angry, frustrated, annoyed, irritated, upset, offended, but to me "cross" sounds like something you'd tell a child you are so you don't have to explain the complexities of more adult emotions.

Yes I work in primary so ‘oh my goodness’ is a regular when ‘ oh my god’ wouldn’t do.

I personally like to use the phrase "Drat" and "Double drat" - always makes me laugh

Never hear ANYONE else saying it

I say “oh my goodness” all the time.
Also, “you’re making me cross”.

I have always used the word ‘poorly’ and it doesn’t seem out of place down south where I live. I picked it up from my northern parents, but I’m sure everyone around me uses it down here too. I don’t like ‘oh my god’ unless it has fucking between the my and god and has to be a response to something dramatic. Otherwise it’s ‘oh my gosh or goodness. I use ‘cross’ around the grandchildren although the eldest tells me ‘you can swear, nanny. Mummy does.’ 😂

I use a whole range of twee Mary-poppins-like expressions to the DC instead of what I’m actually thinking, because I don’t want them to swear like troopers. Mainly when I want them to hurry up, a lot, things like chippity-choppity, hippity-hoppity, best foot forward, stop footling around, stop fussocking around, for example. While in my head I’m screaming so many expletives!

Love the word drat!

I do throw in the occasional "Oh Sweet Moses" courtesy of Chandler Bing.

I remember my primary school teachers regularly using these in the late 90s earls 2000s.

Oh, I say I’m terribly cross all the time. And ‘absolutely smashing’ as well 😁. I also have the worst potty mouth - it’s good to keep people on their toes ☺️

I use cross! Sometimes things make me fucking cross too

I confess that I actually said "Oh Gosh" during sex!

I use cross and goodness daily . Also blimey and crikey but follow my French father with Merde and sacre bleu

I used the phrase "I'm really rather annoyed." the other day. My boss laughed at me because I was actually abso-F*ING-lutely LIVID and with very good reason. She found it funny (not in a nasty way) that I was so restrained.

She says that she always knows when I'm seriously angry because the angrier I am, the more polite my emails are. She's not wrong.