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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Inappropriate mnemonic from school?

219 replies

Angelofmycoins · 23/05/2025 21:35

Son is doing exams Y11 - he has just told me they were taught this mnemonic in science (physics?) when they were in Y9:

'Gay X-men Use Vibrators In My Rectum'

(for remembering types of waves ie gamma, x, uv etc)

Aibu in thinking its inappropriate? He did remember it so he argues it worked!

For context, fee paying school, all boys.....

OP posts:
noworklifebalance · 23/05/2025 23:09

Angelofmycoins · 23/05/2025 23:02

No its because of the unfortunate culture (stereotype? Prejudice?) that historically
surrounds boys' public schools - and has been alluded to in responses to this thread

I don’t think it is a public school thing per se but maybe a boy thing and most boys only schools were public schools.

DBSFstupid · 23/05/2025 23:13

noworklifebalance · 23/05/2025 23:07

Oh what did I say that was funny? Genuine question!

I know loads of inappropriate mnemonics- haven’t forgotten them or what they stand for 30 years down the line.

It's just the whole thread!!

OP is outraged, (but won't say anything)
you don't think it's that bad
the 'cock' mnemonic
people getting the wrong end of the stick... etc.

It's just tickled me and I havent even been drinking!

lanthanum · 23/05/2025 23:15

I avoided "Naughty Elephants Squirt Water" (for compass directions) after one pupil decided that the naughty elephants did something far less innocent. I'll bet that some of that class remembered his version, and probably didn't remember that it did not come from me.

Franpie · 23/05/2025 23:16

Dramatic · 23/05/2025 21:39

Wow 😂

I only remember which way stalagmites and stalactites go because our teacher taught us the phrase "tites (tights) must come down"

Ha! My male a level geology teacher took great delight in telling us “the tites come down then the mites run up”. We never forgot it. My kids know the saying too now 😂

LakieLady · 23/05/2025 23:18

RedPandaClaws · 23/05/2025 21:41

I'm sorry I know it's wrong and inappropriate, but I'm just 😂😂😂

Me too!

I clearly have the sense of humour of a year 11 boy.

Ladamesansmerci · 23/05/2025 23:18

We learned Sex on Holiday Can Always Help Those Orgasms Arrive for trigonometry in Maths back in the day 😂 I'm pretty sure a boy came up with it, but it stuck, and the teacher ended up using it too 🙈

sweeneytoddsrazor · 23/05/2025 23:19

Our school was rough as hell but we were taught really tame ones compared to this.
We had toa cah soh - to oil a car always have some oil handy.
In biology we had Mrs Gren.
In English we had stationery- e for envelopes and stationary- a for automobile., necessary- 1 collar 2 sleeves.

ChicJoker · 23/05/2025 23:19

LOL. I remember my teacher blurring “ebenezer good” in class when teaching us about e-numbers. “Es are good” and then told us about ecstasy 🤣

Carpaltoenail · 23/05/2025 23:45

I think it’s awful. Completely inappropriate for a teacher to say this to any age of pupils.

SwornToSilence · 23/05/2025 23:47

I suspect your son and his peers made up that not the teacher

HuffleMyPuffle · 24/05/2025 00:01

Stravaig · 23/05/2025 22:50

Yeah, that 'tights down' shite is sexist creep teachers going out of their way to be misogynistic, snigger with the boys, make the girls uncomfortable.

Stalactites, with a c, grow down from the Ceiling; stalagmites, with a g, grow up from the Ground.

But tights do hang down

It's not sexist just to use the tights hang down version

Calliopespa · 24/05/2025 00:06

I’d tread carefully op.

I think there’s a distinct possibility your DS made it up and blamed the teacher once he saw your reaction.

I’d alert him first if you do tell the school or it might be like carrying a plate of custard towards a strong fan.

Calliopespa · 24/05/2025 00:07

HuffleMyPuffle · 24/05/2025 00:01

But tights do hang down

It's not sexist just to use the tights hang down version

We had stalagmites have to hold on tight.

OxfordDress · 24/05/2025 00:09

It’s not a great advertisement for an all boys private school.

rosemarble · 24/05/2025 00:09

HuffleMyPuffle · 24/05/2025 00:01

But tights do hang down

It's not sexist just to use the tights hang down version

Yes, I have always visualised a pair of tights hanging from a washing line or something. You then don't need anything to remember mites, cos if it's not hanging down it's growing up.

UnctuousUnicorns · 24/05/2025 00:21

We were taught "Stalactites stick tight to the roof, and the stalagmites might one day join them."

JemimaPiddlepot · 24/05/2025 00:24

Never happened.

HuffleMyPuffle · 24/05/2025 00:31

rosemarble · 24/05/2025 00:09

Yes, I have always visualised a pair of tights hanging from a washing line or something. You then don't need anything to remember mites, cos if it's not hanging down it's growing up.

Yep I've always thought of it as the tights hanging on a line

Not anything pervy

EBearhug · 24/05/2025 00:37

Blimey, I just remembered SOHCAHTOA and VANDERTRAMP. No fancier mnemonics. I was thinking about the latter earlier today, and wondering if anyone doing French from the start in Duolingo would have any idea why some verbs take être as an auxiliary, and which, because it doesn't really explain it (I was doing it for revision rather than learning )

We did have "dic had a duc with fer on its bac, it's a fac" in a Brummie accent in Latin, for dicere, ducere, ferre, facere, but I don't remember why these verbs were linked. To say, to lead, to carry, to make. Ah, irregular imperatives, says Google.

Mind you, I'm doing Welsh as an adult, and it was only recently when someone said, "o for ovaries, w for willies" that my memory really lodged which is masculine and feminine for hon and hwn (meaning "this".) Mind you, it's only of marginal use if I can't remember the gender of most nouns.

So perhaps if smuttiness helps us remember, so be it. However, a mnemonic like that would have made no sense to me at that age, especially as I was st school in the era of Section 28. I suppose boys in the age of Internet and mobile phones would be rather less naive than I was then.

I think I wouldn't complain, but if I happened to meet the teacher at an open day or speak at parents evening, I might comment that the mnemonics could be more acceptable to parents. But I realise you may not get that opportunity, so it will probably remain unsaid.

Obeseandashamed · 24/05/2025 00:48

Is this a school that is soon going to be going co-ed? I have been told about this pneumonic by a child in a younger age group at an independent boys school. It’s very testosterone heavy and there have been some questionable comments re: masculinity / sexuality a few times over the years. It’s not ok!

Obeseandashamed · 24/05/2025 00:49

Reading re: fees probably not the same school which makes it more worrying!!

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 24/05/2025 00:49

Dramatic · 23/05/2025 21:39

Wow 😂

I only remember which way stalagmites and stalactites go because our teacher taught us the phrase "tites (tights) must come down"

StalaGmites are on the Ground and stalaCtites are on the Ceiling

foreverblowingbubbless · 24/05/2025 00:57

Dramatic · 23/05/2025 21:39

Wow 😂

I only remember which way stalagmites and stalactites go because our teacher taught us the phrase "tites (tights) must come down"

Omg I hope that wasn't me BUT on the other hand you remembered it 😂😂

Calliopespa · 24/05/2025 00:59

Calliopespa · 24/05/2025 00:07

We had stalagmites have to hold on tight.

Aah autocorrect wins again!

StalagTites have to hold on tight.

Velmy · 24/05/2025 01:10

thistimelastweek · 23/05/2025 21:48

Is he at Eton?

If he is this won't be the worst thing he'll have to deal with involved a rectum 😭