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 alternate oh my goodness with what the fuck, the second being my particular favourite.

I am another fellow teacher and certainly say ‘oh my goodness’ very often. I too have many phrases I use to stop me from saying this I shouldn’t

This has made me laugh. I do get terribly cross sometimes, and both oh my goodness and goodness gracious are normal phrases for me. I do have a powerful use of the word cross, that my (now adult) dd told me always made her behave considerately. In a nice calm voice I would say "mummy is not cross, just terribly disappointed". Apparently that was far worse than any shouting or ticking off!

I use 'cross' a fair bit, not terribly cross though - that requires FFS or similar.
DS9 applies a liberal sprinkling of gosh and oh my goodness though which we love.
Might have something to do with reading all the Enid Blyton series with him for the past 3 years

Oddly enough when I read your heading, I thought now there's a word you don't hear much any more. I like it though.

I had to create a user nale just to respond, my goodness, I'm so glad that this was tongue in cheek because I was about to respond no, but you're being super weird, have you aways talked like Enid Blyton's nanny?

That being said, I work in a Primary School and oh my goodness is much more acceptable than WTAF. Although, as someone with a French surname, I did have one smirking smart alec child ask me today how to say "seal" (the animal) in French. I wrote it down and walked away

A friend of the family went to prison for fraud and my nan said he was "a frightful disappointment to his poor mother.." always made me hope to never make my folks that disappointed, it sounded so understatedly bad...

@RhymesWithBouquet

I had to create a user nale just to respond, my goodness, I'm so glad that this was tongue in cheek because I was about to respond no, but you're being super weird, have you aways talked like Enid Blyton's nanny?

That being said, I work in a Primary School and oh my goodness is much more acceptable than WTAF. Although, as someone with a French surname, I did have one smirking smart alec child ask me today how to say "seal" (the animal) in French. I wrote it down and walked away

Of course, I meant to say, "name" not "nale" and I was going to save you all the effort of asking Google by telling you the word is "phoque" as he clearly knew #TheCheekyLittlePhoquer

I use terribly cross and other phrases like that but l was raised on Enid so it figures

We've occasionally had people say that DD's vocabulary is rather surprising, & then they talk to me & get it. My parents would absolutely go up the wall if I even said "damn" when I was younger (I'm talking teens & as a young adult BTW, not just primary age). I got used to not swearing & it just stuck, I also read a lot of Enid Blyton, classic literature etc. OTOH DH sometimes swears like a sailor & is very inventive with it, so DD hears an extremely wide range... My friends at school used to tease me mercilessly about my choice of non-swear words.

We say "I'm very cross" in my family quite often.

I have a colleague who has been known to say "oh fiddlesticks!" when he's REALLY really put out but he will most often catch himself and just say "oh FIDDLE!!!"
Cracks me up 😂

I am frequently “terribly cross” & known to exclaim “crikey bobs” in 1950s fashion. I have a filthy mouth & really make an effort to not pepper every sentence with four-letter words because, frankly, I am not an oik. I love the variety and complexity of language and I’m not offended by swearing at all; it is often how rather than what is said that causes offence.

He also has a weird thing about calling someone 'a caution'.

@musicforsmorks , my gran used to say this. It means naughty but in a funny way.

@SunscreenCentral

We say "I'm very cross" in my family quite often.

I have a colleague who has been known to say "oh fiddlesticks!" when he's REALLY really put out but he will most often catch himself and just say "oh FIDDLE!!!"
Cracks me up 😂

I had a phase of saying ‘Fiddlesticks to you, Ma’am’ I think I got it from ‘Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat’

I se "goodness" and "my word".

Can't remember tha last time I said I was "cross" though/

I’m a primary school teacher so these phrases are part of my everyday vocabulary haha

I use gosh and oh my goodness a lot in daily life and so do my friends. We are of an age... (late fifties).

I have a friend who talks about being cross and my auntie does as well. it sounds old-fashioned to me. I'd say pissed off or hacked off, or, if at work, annoyed. I don't use it much because I don't get cross much. The people I know who use it do seem to enjoy getting rattled about small things and then clinging on to the crossness.

I use silly, cross, good grief, daft, blimey, fiddlesticks at school a lot. Fuck, shit, bollocks, cuntyballs when not.

"gordon bennet" was the phrase i used instead of an expletive in an adult very low level ESOL(English for Speakers of other Languages) class. After much gor-DON be-NETting? (wrong intonation) from learners we spent the next five minutes practicing chorally with correct intonation and emphasis. Obvs most did not understand what the hell it meant.

@Flangeosaurus

I like “Oh my WORD”. It particularly makes DH laugh because I have a very broad Northern accent and he thinks it sounds hilarious It’s absolutely a child friendly replacement for what I would rather say, which is “fucking hell love”. That doesn’t sound so nice from a 5yo.

My dear oul Mum used to say "You're as cross as two sticks" Never heard it outside of NÍ & use it regularly here in Frogland

I say "oh my goodness" as saying oh my god feels a bit... off . I am not a church goer or even a bit religious but I did go to a catholic school so I think it's from there .
We are also poorly in this house and I do get very cross and occasionally I'm livid .

But 10 mins ago I did just call my STBEXH a cunt so it's swings and roundabouts really

I use fiddle/ fiddlesticks. My goodness! Oh gosh
And variations of because I have to remain professional at all times at work
( ‘interesting’ comes up too if a patient/ colleague is being ridiculous)

My Nan used to say ‘golly gosh a gumbles’!!

I use ‘cross’ if I’m more than slightly irritated but not actually furious, or the perennial MN favourite - raging.

I did just get cross with whoever does the voice-overs on the Cancer Research TV ads, for saying REEsearch about ten times, instead of reSEARCH.
Yes, I’m a grumpy old pedant-bag.

I would make you laugh then, as I use phrases like terribly cross, oh my goodness / gosh, jolly good, crumbs, and many other probably very old fashioned sayings. As a result, my children also use these (one is particularly fond of using the word "wack-o" when something's rather good or he's pleased about it). My husband thinks its hilarious but he's from a different part of the country and had a very different upbringing to me, so we just tease each other gently for our respective turns of phrase.

I’ve always used cross - usually very cross, or really cross - lots and didn’t even realise it was unusual or old-fashioned.
I do know that I’m considered a bit ‘oddly polite’ for saying ‘oh my gosh’ and crikey and whoops … among others I can’t think of just now
Only just learnt that poorly isn’t commonly used either. I did grow up with Enid Blyton though…