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 :(

'Oh my goodness' and 'oh gosh' are definitely in my vocabulary.

I only started hearing 'oh my days' at my last place of work, and that was about ten years ago maybe? Now it seems to have grown a bit. I like it, but don't use it, as it doesn't seem to fit me.

My GPs and my MIL definitely used to refer to people as 'a caution'. I've gone nostalgic now.

@FatCatThinCat

I once tried the MN 'Did you mean to be so rude?' in real life. They said yes and I was flummoxed and didnt know where to go with it.

This would happen to me.

I also quite like "strike a light"

I feel the same every time I see gosh or my goodness written on MN. I've never heard either of those used in real life.

But what does a caution mean?
I've tried googling and get nowhere, unless I am interested in policing.

@TatianaBis

I used to use “My God!” A lot, but actively trained myself not to use it, as it t could offend Christians.

Oh no I like winding Christians up. Jesus Christ.

I didn’t mind, until I met a really lovely Christian. She never suggested I not blaspheme, but i could see it hurt her, so l stopped.

I once tried the MN 'Did you mean to be so rude?' in real life. They said yes and I was flummoxed and didnt know where to go with it.

Ha prwnt

I use "terribly/very cross", and "oh goodness", "oh blimey/crikey", and "for fuck's sake".

I never used the latter when the DC were younger, but as they have now left home, I use it with gay abandon.

"My sainted Aunt Fanny!" is one I often come out with!! 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

I use Gosh and Goodness a lot, daily probably.

“ What in the name of sanity!”

Victor Meldrew.

"My life" also as a general expression of surprise/disappointment, preferred to "my days" cos I'm not a youth

All common place here. The one I find totally jarring is “folk” and “my gosh” and “heck” are not familiar.

I use “oh my goodness” all the time so my kids don’t end up saying “oh my god” in front of their religious grandparents (PIL).

I also say cross instead of angry. So, “I’m really very cross” instead of “I’m fucking angry”. I think I picked this up from my lawyer husband who through his trade has learned to temper his language.

I say “cross”, but never “terribly cross”. I can only hear that in the voice of Celia Johnson in Brief Encounter. “Thenk you for not being terribly crawss with me”…

I’ve started saying “Oh my goodness” since DD picked it up at primary school. I do have a soft spot for “oh my days”. It’s so London but also quite charmingly inoffensive. “Vexed” seems to be big among da yoof these days.

I use both 'oh my goodness' and 'I'm starting to feel cross' on a daily basis.

"Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs" is a favourite of mine, reminiscent of Alan Bennett.

I use “oh my goodness” and “”terribly cross” often. I don’t however swear. Know which I think is better.

I say "oh my goodness" a lot! And not just around children.
I also say "ever so" which my work colleagues tease me about.
"We went for lunch, it was ever so lovely"

I wouldn't say terribly cross but I would say ever so cross or very cross.

A few more that I don't hear as frequently these days -

Botheration (?)
Bothersome
Fiddlesticks
Dinky-poos

A sales person actually asked me when I was booking a holiday cottage whether I would be having a little 'dinky-poos' during my stay. This was to warn me that accidents might happen and it was best to take out insurance
I was speechless.

@Elderflower14

"My sainted Aunt Fanny!" is one I often come out with!! 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

You win!

Before I opened this I thought we’ll you can’t be that cross if you’ve worded it like that 😂 but no I never hear anyone talk like that in real life

I once tried the MN 'Did you mean to be so rude?' in real life. They said yes and I was flummoxed and didnt know where to go with it.

I think this only really works when people are being gratuitously ignorantly rude, or if they consider you too stupid to realise that they're being rude. If they're being passive aggressive then "yes, thank fuck you've cottoned on" is bound to be the answer.

As for the cross thing. My three year old, was red faced with rage and impotent anger that he was too tired to process or deal with today. But he was trying to calm himself down and use his words. Eventually he bellowed 'I AM CROSS' then kicked the wall. So I guess I kind of associate it with that.

I decided I needed to stop swearing all the time because:

Friends had children
The (extremely frustrating) sport I do there's lots of kids in attendance
I look after an elderly parent who hates swearing and I've never sworn in front of
I made a good friend who's a priest so I stopped blaspheming do much as well, funnily enough most of my crikeys, crumbs, strike a light, are direct swaps for blasphemous exclamation

I found it pretty easy tbh, I actually cringe when people swear excessively in front of kids and sometimes it makes me flip out if they won't stop doing it

I use “terribly cross” a lot. Well not so much now the kids have just about left home!
DS aged 22 often uses ‘oh my gosh’ when I’m pecking his head!