Gransnet today....Just my opinion.

Think that 'messages' may be central belt/north of England term, I certainly used it in my Edinburgh childhood. Where I live now uses the Doric dialect and the word 'eerins' is used for shopping

Never heard of eerins. But it reminds of a patient who came to see my OH and he asked him if his urine was OK. The patient replied - Yes, I can hear fine! It was in Herefordshire!

Yes 'messages' is, or was used for shopping in Geordieland. In the part where I lived anyway.

I went for messages and chapped the door. I also signed (sp?) a cup under the tap. It means to rinse.
Anyway to answer the OP. I don't find GN today to be bland. In fact I think it is more inclusive than it was with lots of new names appearing in posts. I joined a couple of years ago and to begin with I thought that threads were being manipulated by puzzling posts which alternated between being nice and nasty without any discernible reason. I began to wonder if two people were posting under the same name. I couldn't be bothered with that.
We are all big enough and ugly enough ( as my OH would say) to start new posts and hope that others find them interesting. If they sink like stones, then heyho! Try again.

DH is from Glasgow originally. "Messages" is one of several different terms he has used over the years. I tend to wait for him to finish speaking so I can determine whether I can get the gist. He does come in handy to translate Billy Connolly for me!

"The title was something like "Manners for Nice People who sometimes say F**k". I'm one of those"

thatbags - that made me laugh. I am one of those too. People who think I am nice (and I am, generally,) are often shocked that I use some of the words I do when ranting. Most of my x-rated stuff is in frustration at myself, I should add! I can turn the air blue in the kitchen.

Not only that, some people think that over 60s are either miserable old bags or saintly pillars of the community. I find that strange. We are products of the years in which we've lived. My Mum used "ruddy well" when she was annoyed and any other 'bad' word was strictly forbidden at home. Nice girls didn't swear (or 'cuss' as she called it.)

I don't like unnecessary bad language in polite company, ever, feeling I have a wide enough vocabulary to avoid it, but I suspect that even my grown children imagine I am a bit of a prude because I am their mother. If only they knew - not just the language I am capable of using, but the erm..fruity adventures I've had too. It would make their hair curl!

Glad you enjoyed it, Day6. I checked and it's actually "Good Manners for Nice People who sometimes say F*ck". Fab title, I think.

My daughters, all three of them, know I use so-called swear words more now than I used to, mainly "as fillers, as padders, as emphasis adders". It's my rebellion (I didn't in my teens; was a right goody goody, daft wee bugger that I was) against erosions of liberty that are happening in society now, you know, being told how we should behave, what we should eat, blah, blah.

And talking of that, I was listening to a very good discussion between Dave Rubin (American comedian turned interviewer of interesting people) and Joanna Williams who is the author of "Academic Freedom in an Age of Conformity". Link here should you be interested in listening.

I like the term "the messages" it seems to cover all the different little things you need to do when you go out.
I might have misinterpreted that though. I am only an English woman.

I'm sure jingle is still on GN , she changed her name often enough. I don't mind outspoken I just didn't like nasty. One reason I kept away for a long time, I only submit now periodically until she raises her head over the parapet. I was one of the earliest joiners, I got a prize for it, I loved it and chatted back and forth. Became friendly and had private chats with two members who have left. I can't blame it on one person but there was a lot of nastiness back and forth.

Thank you for the explaination re "chapping" . It makes perfect sense now

The story about the lady "greeting" made me giggle Anya . I have heard that expression so many times and the penny has just dropped. "Stop yer greetin' woman" actually means stop crying bloomin' heck I would have never worked that one out!

Roses the loo?

Yes, gilly the loo....there have been so many pennies dropped!

Another Northern expression is being 'starved' meaning freezing cold, not hungry.

My mum used to use that expression, roses. She grew up in Yorkshire.

Does anyone remember the expression 'mizzling' used in Yorkshire for fine rain. Also used to tell my children to ' frame ' when I wanted them to do something properly

Ooh yes, 'frame yourself !' had forgotten that one, how about 'side the table' as well.Meaning clear the table.Not forgetting to mash the tea.

Jane Austen used mizzle for light rain. I've never heard it used otherwise.

I still use all those expressions - starved with cold, mizzling, and frame. And I always mash the tea.

There's a word in North German dialect 'miseln', which means a fine rain - the sort when it's misty and the air is damp, but it's not actually raining. I would guess that's where the word 'mist' comes from. It's obviously a very old word - perhaps Anglo-Saxon.

Good for you Night-owl I suspect that you still live in Yorkshire( or the North) which explains it ( or do you?) A lot of us moved away years ago, so these phrases fell out of usage.I remember my late MIL being bewildered by the starved comment and also siding the table.

Another Yorkshire term for being hungry is clemmed as in "I'm fair clemmed" (fair =very). Familiar anyone?

Not to me, but then never heard anyone use mizzle either.I think it depends on where you lived, and how rural /city etc.

My Grandmother came from Lancashire, and she used very different words.

My Edinburgh granny used 'mirr' to describe that sort of shimmery air when it wasn't quite raining. I still use it but only with DH

Have you moved * nightowl*?

My lancastrian nan used starved for cold, siding the table, mizzle for misty rain and mardy!