People calling the school summer holiday ‘half term’

gettingridofstuff · 2023-08-31T14:30:25+00:00

I don’t know why, but it drives me crazy! What do they think a half- term is?? I think I know that IABU, but please tell me there are other pedants like me out there?

MidnightOnceMore · 31/08/2023 15:32

I've never heard this for summer!

I am not v pedantic though so whilst I agree it is incorrect, I may just have not registered if someone has said it to me.

DappledThings · 31/08/2023 15:33

It's not just the summer holiday. People call the Christmas and Easter breaks half-term as well. It iritates me too. Although I've only heard it applied incorrectly to Christmas and Easter, not the summer break.

HeatherMoores · 31/08/2023 15:34

Not this again!

ClaraMarmalade · 31/08/2023 15:35

My kid isn't school-aged yet so I normally just call it half-term without thinking as that's become synonymous with school breaks in my mind. I know it's wrong.

PersilPower · 31/08/2023 15:35

Yes!!! literally saw this on someone’s Facebook post this morning. Ruined my day.

Lifeinlists · 31/08/2023 15:38

It's not pedantic. If people don't understand the concept of a school term first of all, and then it being split into two halves and the holiday in the middle being at the halfway point of the term, ie Half Term (!) then what can you do?

Unfortunately, like so many other 'ideas' these days, people just copy one another without even thinking

HeatherMoores · 31/08/2023 15:39

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4769673-have-people-started-to-say-half-term-to-refer-to-all-school-holidays

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2903791-to-be-annoyed-when-people-call-the-easter-holidays-half-term

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4777890-to-not-understand-why-everyone-is-calling-every-school-holiday-half-term-all-of-a-sudden

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4525431-Half-term-didnt-used-to-exist-did-it

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4785476-why-does-everyone-think-its-half-term

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4203861-It-s-the-EASTER-HOLIDAYS-not-half-term

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/946662-to-think-that-this-current-school-holiday-is-not-half

Have people started to say ‘half term’ to refer to all school holidays? | Mumsnet

To me the school holidays coming up in a couple of weeks are the Easter holidays. The other long school holidays are the Christmas holidays and the su...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4769673-have-people-started-to-say-half-term-to-refer-to-all-school-holidays

DappledThings · 31/08/2023 15:40

HeatherMoores · 31/08/2023 15:39

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4769673-have-people-started-to-say-half-term-to-refer-to-all-school-holidays

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2903791-to-be-annoyed-when-people-call-the-easter-holidays-half-term

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4777890-to-not-understand-why-everyone-is-calling-every-school-holiday-half-term-all-of-a-sudden

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4525431-Half-term-didnt-used-to-exist-did-it

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4785476-why-does-everyone-think-its-half-term

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4203861-It-s-the-EASTER-HOLIDAYS-not-half-term

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/946662-to-think-that-this-current-school-holiday-is-not-half

Well people are still getting it wrong so no harm in bringing it to the fore again I say!

Shopper727 · 31/08/2023 15:50

Ive never referred to any school holidays as half term. We don’t really have them and October is called October holidays and Easter is Easter hols we have a week in feb that is made up half in service and half something else. Feb hols, is that wrong too? Does it matter? Summer holidays are just summer holidays

Thisislifefornow · 31/08/2023 15:55

Does it matter? You know what they are referring to if they were to mention it. It's not like you don't understand. You have far to much time on your hands if you let things like this wind you up.

BackToOklahoma · 31/08/2023 15:56

As long as I know what people mean, I don’t care.

HeatherMoores · 31/08/2023 15:57

DappledThings · 31/08/2023 15:40

Well people are still getting it wrong so no harm in bringing it to the fore again I say!

Show quote history

I think it’s well and truly here to stay by the looks of things!

drpet49 · 31/08/2023 15:57

They sound thick. I’ve never seen/ heard anyone say this.

LylaLee · 31/08/2023 15:59

Probably the same people who say, 'could care less'.

The actual meaning of the words doesn't factor in when they speak.

Ohthatsabitshit · 31/08/2023 15:59

It’s live pacific / specific you just have to ignore it.

hdbs17 · 31/08/2023 15:59

DH calls summer holidays half-term and it drives me insane!!

It's not a half-term because they're out of term!!!

ProudToBeANorthener · 31/08/2023 16:00

I’m no pedant but if children can’t use cutlery and adults can’t remember what a school term is there’s no hope for of getting anything right that matters. Rules are important; the give cohesion to society and stop people from beating each other up.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 31/08/2023 16:11

Yes it annoys me too.

And it does matter because you don't know if they are referring to eg the Easter holidays or May half term.

Original poster

gettingridofstuff · 31/08/2023 16:17

I'm so glad I'm not the only one, though I can see it's not something that bothers many others. I have no idea why I react to it so much- one of the people who says it actually works in a school!

@HeatherMoores, alright, calm down! 😅

OP posts:

rwalker · 31/08/2023 16:22

I’m more interested in why it an issue

Original poster

gettingridofstuff · 31/08/2023 16:25

@rwalker, in general, or for me specifically?

It's incorrect to call the Christmas, Easter or summer holidays 'half-term'. That's the name for the short holidays between the three terms of the school year.

As someone pointed out above, if it was November and someone asked me if I was free to meet up with them in 'half-term', I'd think they meant the February half-term week... but someone misusing the name might mean Christmas.

OP posts:

DappledThings · 31/08/2023 16:28

rwalker · 31/08/2023 16:22

I’m more interested in why it an issue

It's not a big issue. But it is annoying. As are many things!

OnAMidnightTrainToGeorgia · 31/08/2023 16:28

It's just referred to as 'the 6 week holiday' round here

Just as annoying!

MrsJellybee · 31/08/2023 16:32

gettingridofstuff · 31/08/2023 16:25

@rwalker, in general, or for me specifically?

It's incorrect to call the Christmas, Easter or summer holidays 'half-term'. That's the name for the short holidays between the three terms of the school year.

As someone pointed out above, if it was November and someone asked me if I was free to meet up with them in 'half-term', I'd think they meant the February half-term week... but someone misusing the name might mean Christmas.

Yep. Has happened to me. Friend wanted play-date ‘at half-term’. Said fine. She then contacted me in Easter holiday to arrange a time. I said fine, but thought you wanted to meet at half-term (May). Replies ‘It is half-term!’ Couldn’t be bothered to argue. You really do have to check what people mean these days though.