It’s the Easter holidays. Not half term?!

[StopitSarah]

What is this new craze for calling the school holidays “half term”?! I noticed it a bit in the Christmas holiday and now we’re in the Easter holidays I’m surrounded by random parents who refer to it being half term.

It’s not half term!! It’s the main school holiday!

This isn’t people with no children/grown up children either. It’s people with children currently at school.

If it was a friend saying it I’d ask them what the fudge they were saying. But it’s not - it’s parents at holiday clubs/out and about etc.

”beautiful day to be at the zoo isn’t it?”
”yes, such great weather for half term!”
me “??????”

Not people I feel I can say “it’s not half term?!” to because it’s just casual passing conversation.

But I’m also overheating it being called half term.

Phew. Please stop it if it’s you. Because you’re wrong. It’s not half term. AIBU?

nothing Else to moan about?

I have no idea! I work in a school and hear it more and more! Only from the parents though. Staff definitely know if it’s only a half term or longer holiday 🤣

All these people making excuses for calling the end of term holidays "half term", are the reason why the English language is becoming almost unrecognisable.
First we've got Americans saying "I could care less" then YouTubers saying "With that being said" in entirely the wrong context and millions of so-called English people saying "brought" when referring to buying something!

The above has become commonplace because nobody has corrected people! Before too long, we'll have Oak FurnitureLand having a sale on "Chester Draws" and M&S selling boxes of "BallBalls" in their Christmas departments!

Yes, I do realise that language evolves, of course I do! But this isn't evolution it's DEvolution! I also realise we all make mistakes but usually they're recognised AS mistakes and if we can, we correct our mistakes or we hope others close to us will correct us.

Ok, thanks all. Thanks to the people who agree with me and thanks to those who don’t. Enjoy your half term.

Ill look back later but I’m off to bake a cake with my children (I actually am). Chocolate, since you asked.

Don't forget "dinning tables"... argh

Our kids always get out on the last Friday of March, regardless of when Easter actually falls, but they're still called the Easter holidays. They are 2 weeks - half term is only a week and usually in the middle of terms.

I get you OP. It's not at all important, but it's very irritating. Like when people say they've got blood pressure, or Good King Wences. Just use the right words, people.

I agree it's incredibly irritating.

I accidentally called it half term the other day.

And I work in education.

The world don't end 🤷‍♀️

@SocialLite Oh god yes! As well as "2 bedroomed house" (How can a house be bedroomed?!)
Another one that takes WILL POWER to ignore, is when some says they/someone else have "Mental Health" instead of mental health issues. The will power is required to stop myself from explaining that everyone has mental health ffs

This is the first time I have voted in AIBU! You are 100% NBU. I have 2 children well past school age, but this still annoys me no end. It doesn't affect my life and there are a million other things going on in my life right now which are both tragic and much more important.

But I agree with you and I find it intensely irritating.

Get a grip

I’m a teacher. I don’t give a fuck what anybody else refers to the holidays as, because a) I know it’s not really half term and b) I know I’ve earned it, whatever anybody calls it. It just seems such a small thing to get irate about.

Why does something have to be your biggest concern in order to have a thread on it?

I also find it irritating. It's not on the same importance scale as climate change

You're right, OP, this is the Easter holidays. Half term was in the middle of the term.

What’s the issue? It all means the same; school is closed.

Grrr argh! Posted too soon.

Not on the same scale as climate change but really irritating! Just like referring to the day before easter sunday as easter Saturday - it is Holy Saturday! The ovtave of easter hasn't begun yet so it can't be easter Saturday (easter Saturday is the Saturday after easter....).

It comes under the same lazy inaccuracy that boils the piss of my naturally pedantic nature. It doesn't really matter it's just inaccurate and leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding

Completely agree, OP. They’ve been calling it half-term on This Morning. So annoying. IT’S THE EASTER HOLIDAYS!

@EddyF school is also closed (for most) on Saturdays and Sundays. But it would be annoying and confusing to mix them up too.

@itsgettingweird
“And I work in education.

The world don't end 🤷‍♀️“

hopefully not teaching grammar…

It really annoys me too. Will these people also be calling the summer holidays half term?! That will be the longest half term known to man!

You are not being unreasonable. My boss at work said the exact same thing today - "Ah things should be quiet this week because it's half-term".

Erm, no! It's the Easter holidays!

@Lancasterel 😂😂 I hadn’t thought of that! The half term that spans July and August 🤣🤣🤣

Yes it’s the end of term. Not that I could get worked up about though.