Sick of hearing about "bits"

[HelloDenise]

I'm fed up of reading about people going to B&M, Home Bargains, Next, M&S, the pound shop or wherever to get some autumn .... BITS!

Throws, pumpkins, candles, cushions, foliage, wreaths and garlands ARE NOT BLOODY BITS! They're whole, substantial items, not bits of items .

Where the hell did this come from? Or should I be on Pedants' corner?

The revulsion about "bits" comes up so regularly on MN I'm amazed anyone still uses it. The Very Worst is "picky bits tea" which brings to mind a load of chimpanzees picking around the food for fleas to eat.

I think the correct term in this case is “tat”!

Bits and bobs is fine though. And bits and pieces.

I thought the OP had missed off the word “picky” and was preparing to seethe.

😂

I can cope with 'bits', I'd use it as shorthand for a top up shop, or doing a few easy to accomplish tasks at work or home, 'get some bits done' so I could avoid the big things I should be doing but feel like I've accomplished something.

I get murderous rage when podcast I listen to tells people to 'slide into their DMs' when wanting listeners to message them so much that I try to anticipate them saying it so I can skip forward 30s.

But my favourite ever 'picky bits' thread on here was this gem:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4130691-To-want-to-go-to-Markies-for-picky-bits

Because it had everything, it was like someone had typed 'write an OP that will cause the most outrage on MN' into ChatGPT years before anyone even knew about it's existence. Horror, at the phrase 'picky bits', faux ignorance of the use of 'Markies' as shorthand for M&S, class and regional snobbery and to top it all, it was during COVID times so arguments about whether browsing a supermarket for non essential groceries as a bit of a treat was allowed during lockdown.

I dont mind bits.

I might pop into waitrise for some bits on the way home ie not a full shop and not one specific thing but 3 or 4 items that I need to tide me over.

I might think I need some bits for the kids to go back to school, so not big items like shoe shopping but socks, pencil case items

I might go in to town on my lunch break for a few bits eg a birthday card or gift, a book from the library, something one of the kids needs for school or some bin bags or something from the pound shop.

Its the "picky" part of picky bits that's so offensive imo. I wouldn't use that at all.

I thought the induction coincided with the office Christmas party for a minute!

Absolutely love it!! And love that the first presumably appalled reply was deleted too.

Even the word "select" is making me heave.

“I’m just going to the shop I won’t be long”
“what you getting?”
“Just a few bits, I’ll show you when I’m back”

or

”I’m just going to the shop I won’t be long”
”what you getting?”
”Just going to get some throws, pumpkins, candles, cushions, foliage, wreaths, garlands, shampoo, lettuce, potatoes, broccoli, baked beans, tins of soup”…….
Goes on to list about 50 other items but in that time I could of been to the shop and back, so sometimes bits is needed

Bits and bobs does the job.

I'd rather someone say they popped into somewhere to get some bits than tell me the list of pointless tat they actually bought!

But why? My teen mainly exists on this kind of food, quiche, sausage rolls, bread sticks, homous, carrot sticks, cheese. It covers food groups and she can prep it herself. I know it's a MN sin but we don't all eat round the table together so it's convenient. Why does it make people so murderous?

Yes, makes me feel a bit ill when I hear it (honestly).

You even hear it in relation to clothes shopping now.

Hadn't ever considered that it has a minimisimg effect, therefore making it subconsciously easier to spend money on future landfill.

Its 'party food' to me.

I absolutely get the rage when people say “bits” on here. There’s no justification though - if they said “things” it would be ok.

Yes, "things" exists and also covers when you go shopping for 3-4 items.

"Top-up" as in shop (although actually also infant feeding) is another term that makes me feel a bit sick. Why can't we just go to the shop and buy some things we need? Again feel like there is a marketing infiltration into our language here.

'Beige buffet' here

But where do you think language comes from? It evolves and changes through uses and influences. Why is one source of that so bad?

Landfill, greed, filing the void.

Yes! OP I was thinking this yesterday. Bits. Ugh. It's crept onto any thread where someone is considering shopping.

😁

Did you know Jane Austen used ‘super’ in this way?
In Pride and Prejudice, she describes “the excellent understanding and super excellent disposition of Jane”

Because it can be de-humanising. Language shapes our understanding of the world. At this point in history we may be alienated from the production of food and access our nutrition wrapped in plastic but we don't have to speak the language.

Me too! For some reason it makes me rage 😀