What's wrong with 'pissing off the fairies'?

@WILDSWAN16: You are perfectly entitled to decide what is acceptable in your own home. Unfortunately that has no impact on the world outside which was my point.

Yes, norose I agree with that, and that was my point too, not that I don't see a difference between 'being pissed off' or telling somebody to 'piss off' but that the sign and the pretty fairy grotto didn't sit right with each other.IMHO

Exactly Rosesarered thank you I still would love to visit a fairy grotto ????just the child coming out in me ?

Been otherwise engaged today, alima. I wasn't ignoring your question from this morning. I do see that (the fact that) the phrase don't piss off the fairies jars with some people, but I think there's a huge (HUGE) difference of connotation between a piss and a fuck. Fucked off could be interpreted to mean raped to someone who hadn't heard the expression before, depending on the context. So the context is still the most important indicator of meaning and, therefore, whether one need feel upset/jarred/offended or worried on someone else's account.

There will always be different interpretations of meaning for any given argument or joke, story, or, forgive me, innocent piss-take.

Re what rar and norose are saying, I get that, but the context in question is a child's fairy grotto, so for me, it's obvious that the sign is innocent in intention.

If the sign occurred in an adult setting, it could very easily have a different, and unpleasant, interpretation.

Context matters.

Sorry Baggs but difference of connotation between a piss and a fuck gave me a childish snigger! I'm no help to the discussion at all, sorry. As you were....

Why not a sign saying ' don't upset the fairies' 'or don't annoy the fairies' or even 'don't swear infront of the fairies' . It's a money making gimmick to get people to buy it and feel a little bit naughty .Its reverse psychology to get you to buy it , a fairy Ohhps sorry fairly obvious selling technique that appeals to us the gullible consumer

Why not indeed except that that wasn't the question.

If kids can't take don't piss off the fairies as it was meant, I very much doubt if they'd know what swearing was.

The phrase piss off, when not used rudely, isn't swearing anyhow. Not everything that is rude is swearing and not everything that is swearing is rude.

Wouldn't want it in my garden. Can swear with the best worst of 'em, but my garden is sacrosanct.

This discussion reminds me of when I was 7 and one of the boys at school told me that if I said 'bloody' that was OK, but if I said it and it was spelt 'bluddy' it was swearing.
I believed that for years.

Baggs, I totally agree with your post 16.14.28.

Lewlew an apology which isn't an apology is simply rude, so stuff it.

Just to spell it out to you I have no problem people disagreeing with me and I'm happy to let my SiL's ruling stand. But as Baggs and I (and a few others) have tried to explain the meanings of words differ in contexts and that isn't understood/accepted by some then I think I'll leave it at that.

Being pissed off is one thing . Using the f word is another.

Lewlew an apology which isn't an apology is simply rude, so stuff it

A quote for the open-minded: "Piss and fuck, completely different concepts joined by a common organ".

For the open minded or for the coarse minded

aerial intercourse in an oscillating perforated pastry

It's not really a case of what is or isn't classed as swearing,it's about a (supposedly)magical grotto full of fairies & make believe for children to enjoy, so why spoil & coursen it with a phrase that is inappropriate to the theme ,ambience & target group it is surely aimed at ?

Anya... thanks for the English lesson, presumptions me thinks?. I don't think you'll find too many GN's who are easily shocked but you will find loads who just don't like vulgarity. Each to his own.

I wonder if it is the sentiment of the quote I gave that is considered coarse or just the words? If I were to rephrase it as "urination and copulation..." etc, would the statement of fact still be considered coarse?

Or you could have kiddy diction: "weeing and mating" (kids who watch nature programmes will have encountered the verb to mate, I presume.

So, is the meaning coarse or just the words? Asking because curious.

Neither offend me, personally Baggs.

I wouldn't use those words if in company and see no different to posting here sorry Baggs

Which words, annie? The ones in the original quote?

I must admit I am never shocked at all at the language people used. But I never, ever use much beyond, bum, bloody or s--t, and then never in real life sort of thing. Once when the children were small I slipped and badly twisted my ankle. As I lay there I said "shit, shit, shit" and the children burst into tears, not because I was hurt but because I swore!!!!

I wouldn't use certain words in certain company but I thought on a forum for grandparents, people would be grown up enough to cope with the discussion of any word(s) in the language, even ones a dictionary might call vulgar slang. It has been an interesting surprise to me on this thread how many people seem to approve in effect of the censorship of vocabulary.