So here's my (current) list:
- The word "freakin". Americans all over the place use it all the time. To my mind, it sounds far too much like Friggin', which is a word I don't feel is suitable for everyday conversation. (Not that I'm a prude or anything, but well, there's a time and a place). Obviously Americans don't know "friggin", but it doesn't stop me from wincing when I hear "freaking".
- Parents (usually designer mothers) who say things like "My kids think broccoli is dessert". Can't remember which one of those mothers (Gwyneth? Gisele?) was quoted thus, only last week, but - give me a freakin' break! No matter how much a human being likes broccoli, it can never be mistaken for apple pie or chocolate pudding. And stop being so freakin' smug Gisele.
- Guests who insist on cleaning up in my house. OK, I appreciate the gesture, but when I say "No, really, just leave it", for the fifth time, I really, really mean it. Because I'm not going to leave you in my kitchen am I? I am going to have to join in - and after inviting you over, and preparing a meal for you, I would much rather enjoy your company over a glass of wine, rather than over the kitchen sink.
- Family members who tip unfinished meals into the sink - and leave them there. Back story - there is a waste disposal in the sink, so the idea is that you put waste food down there, but it usually has to be rinsed down the hole. By the time I realise that you've just left it in the sink, it's hard and stuck on. Oh, and it sometimes smells, and I sometimes get really annoyed.
- Dogs who dig up random bits of my back garden and then get let into the house without having their paws wiped down.
OK, I'm going to stop there before I put myself into a bad mood. 'Tis the season, after all.
Yes. Although, if they are not that familiar with the USA, I don't know if some Brits fully appreciate how similar "Freakin'" sounds to "Friggin'" when pronouced by an American. But they pronounce it as "frickin'" and you are right, Expat Mum, it is a bit shocking to hear a kid say it for a Brit because we mishear it as "friggin'"!
ReplyDeleteMy (American) husband says "freakin" in front of our 4 year old and I scold him on it because it so totally sounds like "friggin" to me and I don't want to be making trips back to England with a 4 year old who says that. Ha!
ReplyDeleteAlso, my kid loves broccoli. But I'm under no illusions that he'd ever choose broccoli when faced with a choice of sweets or broccoli. I also think he's a little strange for liking it in the first place, I have to say.
Surely freakin', friggin and anything else are all just polite ways of saying f***ing? That's what I assumed anyway....
ReplyDeleteJust after reading your broccoli comment, I read a Facebook comment from a friend saying how her toddler really loves brussels sprouts! I did laugh.
Agree with all of the above, except that here in Korea there are no waste disposals. Everyone has these nifty (not) little food-catchers in their sink drains which must be regularly spun dry (there's a magnetic plug that turns on the spinner)and emptied (lest they smell, which they do quickly) into a bag or container, which is then either collected by the bin men or (in our case) carried out to the stairwell and tipped into the food chute, where it is trundled away and turned into compost or animal feed or somesuch. In theory I support this ecological way of living and recycling, but as the sink cleaner in residence, it gets disgusting very quickly. Hmmm... maybe I should just write my own post about this. Anyway...boo to the dish-tippers!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nappy Girl about the freakin/friggin.
ReplyDeleteTipping leftovers in the sink is a horrible thing to do! Yuk!
Calm down, I should.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
Maggie- agree, unless you rinse and turn on the disposal. I love my disposal. It means the bin isn't stinky 'cause all the food gets put elsewhere. The funniest thing is when people think there's a disposal in a sink, chuck all the food in there, and then have to fish it back out because it won't go down! That's yuck!
ReplyDeleteI'd assumed what NVG assumed re the variety of f words. I hate "freaking". Hate it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I had a special feeling when I've read this post....Oh, except the last part, dogs are...dogs.
ReplyDeleteI don't get waste disposals. Every one I've come across hasn't worked very well and is fussy about what it'll accept down it. Seems like a lot of faff to me.
ReplyDeleteRound here they collect food waste, so it goes in a little mini bin in compostable bags, and if you empty it often enough (every couple of days seems fine) it doesn't smell.
Even when we can afford a new kitchen in about 75 years I won't be having a waste disposal unit.
I think freaking is kind of a made-up TV word that real people didn't used to say until they heard it on
ReplyDeleteTV so much they started to say it too. It will pass.