Is 'what?' really the correct thing to say when you don't hear something??

[Twiglett]

as opposed to 'Pardon' or whatever

If it is, why is it?

I remember reading it somewhere

"What" sounds rude - esp. round here where the 't' is usually dropped and it comes out "Whuh" - drives me insane! Don't care if pardon is non-U, it sounds a hell of a lot better than whuh

What does U and non-U mean?

upper and non upper

sort of early mumsnet speak

is there something wrong with lounge ? ( afterall I do lounge around there..perhaps that's the problem)

My DD always say "home now" as we turn into our cul-de-sac. Should she say "house now" ?

We've got a front room, we always have had. I can't ever remember using lounge or living room. So am I incredibly posh or incredibly common?!

front room = working class, serenity - not common!

And lounge is genteel.

I think a drawing room needs a piano in it, because it is where the ladies would withdraw to entertain themselves while the gentlemen did port and cigars. Our piano lives in the dining room so we have a sitting room.

Does no one else have a 'parlour'?? Dd1 always has 'luncheon', never lunch, which sounds v old-fashioned!

In English classes at school we were told that 'somebody' was vulgar and it should be 'someone'. We were not allowed to use 'was what' in our essays and had to rephrase. Oh happy days!

luncheon makes me think you must be eating that disgusting pink tinned luncheon meat

Lounge is so yuk a word. I was brought up with lounge, loo, pardon and serviettes!! Such a combo

Nowadays I have a sitting room, only my MIL has a drawing room. I have napkins, unless they are paper, and I use what and loo

I remeber when we had a nanny and she was always saying to my kids it's not what it's pardon, and I had to ask her to stop

She also started the 'ta' thing for thank you AGGGHHHHGHHH

I read a book when i was about eight which had a film director in who kept saying "spiffing" all the time and I was so pleased with the word that i started using it myself

i couldn't understand why i got so badly teased for saying it..