To ask the most annoying/bizarre flex/boast you've heard?

[phonemouse]

One that gets me is people boasting about how 'tiny' they are, but one that always makes me laugh is my MIL proudly mentioning on way more than one occasion how narrow SIL'a feet are like it's something really special 🤣🤣

maybe that’s it…I did it at school and could never face reading it again.

Glad you like it though- it’s probably a great book if it isn’t analysed to death!

Victoria Beckham is the same age as I am, and TKAM wasn't part of my GCSE syllabus - obviously she might not have been under the same exam board.

I agree. Reading many of these, it also seems like what is misinterpreted as boasting might just be the posters own insecurities

I've always been disappointed that Watership Down hasn't featured on a syllabus somewhere, what with the hero's quest, the spirituality, the PTSD, the encounters with the underworld, the concepts of routes to immortality, the tender depiction of death... Although I did have a great working relationship with one of those highly regarded super-duper Heads who used it in his RS lessons for precisely that. Made for some interesting conversations in the staff room.

Surprisingly enough, though, I did read books past the age of 10. Even if one DD's middle name is Hazel

Do you think the rabbits' very matter-of-fact attitude to sex has anything to do with this? They are emotionally anthropomorphised in most respects, but retain their natural attitude to sex ("has anyone mated with them yet?") which perhaps doesn't sit easily alongside their otherwise very human relationships.

That isn't a criticism - I love Watership Down - I'm just trying to think of reasons why it might not be included on any official school reading syllabus.

Now that’s a great book! I always liked the name Violet - even though she came to a sticky end.

Snobbery, I suspect. And could you imagine the enraged posts on here if some parents found out their kids had the opportunity to see the 70s version? It always seems to get people really riled up when it's mentioned.

There's not just sex, there's mentions of going for a shit, a form of forced abortion as a response to overpopulation/famine (in what happens to the does under Woundwort's regime), chemical warfare, genocide, censorship, and swearing as well as religious and mystical experience.

Despite Adams' own almost dismissal of his work, it was so successful because of the wide-ranging themes and meditations upon the nature of existence. Just with bunnies being told to Piss Off by a gull.

I've just remembered. My aunt went on her first holiday abroad and sent us a postcard (1980s) she said how the weather was nice and the food was amazing.

She was self catering.

DM likes to boast that she got over cancer really quickly because she chose to, and she never needs to bother the doctor because she just gets on with things.

Her best friend has cancer at the moment, along with a host of other problems, and DM seems to believe that her friend is doing it for attention and needs to just choose to no longer have cancer because she's fed up with her whining.

I think if you dislike someone you’re primed to take what they say in a negative way. While a lot is boasting, some is just facts about people’s lives.

@ItsThePlayBusDingDing that’s such an awful thing to say . You did nothing wrong x

We used to have a St Bernard dog, who was absolutely enormous even for the breed standard. He was a fantastic lad, his breeder had given him up when he was 3 because he didn't do well in the show ring but he had been very well loved and looked after and was really well muscled.

He weighed 85 kilos (just over 13 stone) and you wouldn't believe the number of people who approached us in the street to tell us about their sister's neighbour's auntie's friend's postie who had a Labrador - nearly always a Labrador anyway, although sometimes a Rottweiler - who weighed "16 stone" and had a head "this big" (with their hands about 2 feet apart). Oh and "it's head was up to here on me" (indicating a point level with their own eyes) 🤔.

Of course the only correct response was "are you sure it was a dog, not a bull, cos I can smell bullshit" but of course my natural politeness meant that I just said "wow that's amazing" 🙄

"My dog's bigger than your dog" is obviously the canine version of "My dad's bigger than your dad"! Bizarre.

And @ItsThePlayBusDingDing 🌻to you, bless you.

People who take pride in 'just saying it how it is!' They think their honesty is endearing and quirky, when really they just sound like they lack the social awareness to think before they open their mouth.

I agree about the age thing.
You see posters claiming their much older dh is so fit and young looking and that it really doesn’t matter that he fathered a child at 69 as he’s just as fit as a 24 year old. No, he’s not. I can 100% guarantee that your dh would not be mistaken for my 20 something son. Also when someone says how old do I look, ever one knocks 5 years off at least. Nobody will say oh you look 80.

Why is travelling off peak a flex? I don’t understand. That’s travelling later than peak time isn’t it? Sorry, bit confused by this.

Agree too about genetic things as a stealth boast.
Also the easy birth brigade. They claim it’s down to effort staying fit and active. Made me feel like dirt when I had ds as it was a very difficult labour and I wasn’t some layabout couch potato.

Long ago I used to work with someone who had a Very Famous Cousin and used to shoehorn his name in all the time. For reasons I can't remember my brother came out for work drinks and I warned him in advance she would find a way to get Very Famous Cousin into the conversation. At drinks my brother mentioned he was about to go on holiday and she said "my cousin goes on planes alot. He's [Very Famous Cousin]". It still makes me smile.

That’s crazy. It’s pure luck. I had easy births and I was like a beached whale.

I have to confess I was a bit guilty of this. Never wanted to make people feel bad, but was so proud of my quick, easy births!

must really have got on people’s tits!

In my defence I had terrible morning sickness both times and so glad something went like clockwork!

Absolutely not down to that! I was overweight and not particularly active in my later 2 pregnancies, they were all as easy as each other. It's definitely just how my body happens to be rather than anything I'd done!

My sister does the small feet thing.

She'll mention her feet are small every day that I see her (and has in fact mentioned them in text messages).

She also reference my (and our mum's) feet and forward as being "massive".

This Christmas she bought me socks and my mum slippers. To both of us she said "hope they aren't too small" . The heel on the socks are on my calfs and my mum could make a good effort at putting both her feet in one slipper.

What's really bizarre is we are all a size 5.

Go figure.

It's also earlier than peak time, so I assume this means they are setting off very early in the morning - i.e. they are very dedicated.

"It's also earlier than peak time, so I assume this means they are setting off very early in the morning - i.e. they are very dedicated."

Or they are on a budget. Nothing worse than arriving in a city in the middle of the night just you and the druggies because that was the only transport you could afford.

Hang on! Woah, unnecessary @Coffeetree. I asked this too, had never heard of it until this thread.

I hate the pregnancy related ones like not having stretch marks because they did x or y. There’s no scientific evidence you can stop them with creams or herbal teas etc but still women say it.