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Clichés past their sell-by date

(78 Posts)
absent Mon 11-Mar-19 04:26:51

I recently re-encountered the phrase, "She got herself pregnant". Well, in the 21st century with IVF and its d-i-y equivalent with the turkey baster, that is, of course, possible. However, when it is followed with "Boys will be boys," that doesn't seem to be the case – and that is another expression that should be put in the bin.

It made me quite cross.

Baggs Mon 11-Mar-19 05:37:25

Except in cases of pregnancy caused by rape, I'm not sure I agree, absent. Is it not taking away a woman's agency in the process if she is not the one who, with help obviously, gets herself pregnant? What I'm asking is who has the ultimate decision about becoming pregnant? Surely that is women—certainly in societies where contraception is easily available?

Baggs Mon 11-Mar-19 06:59:41

If it is the implication in the phrase that the woman who "gets herself pregnant" is "no better than she should be", then I agree that it is potentially a phrase to be sniffed at.

M0nica Mon 11-Mar-19 07:45:30

This phrase is new to me. As my MiL always used to say 'It takes two to make a bargain.'

Grammaretto Mon 11-Mar-19 07:49:51

I heard my FiL talking about a "bit on the side" and a "floosie"
I just shook my head as he is in his 90s but really! I'm ashamed at myself for not teaching him better over the years.

Riverwalk Mon 11-Mar-19 08:09:21

I dislike 'fell pregnant' - it's used on GN from time to time.

gillybob Mon 11-Mar-19 08:13:02

I “got myself pregnant” at 17 and I “made my bed and lay in it “ . confused

LullyDully Mon 11-Mar-19 08:15:05

The saying which is out dated for me is.......^sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me^. Surely proven to be untrue in this world of social media we all inhabit. I can remember people saying things many years ago which can still hurt.

Anniebach Mon 11-Mar-19 08:41:08

‘ it’s up to the boy to try and the girl to say no’

‘He had to marry her’

‘Knickers come off faster than trousers’

‘A boy can’t chase a girl with his trousers down’

dragonfly46 Mon 11-Mar-19 08:44:24

Annie grin

Anniebach Mon 11-Mar-19 08:51:15

I forgot three dragonfly

‘She has got herself into trouble ‘

‘She was lucky he married her’

‘Don’t you bring trouble home ‘

Trouble being a pregnancy ?

gillybob Mon 11-Mar-19 09:05:42

Yes I have the experience of “having to get married “ after having my son . No surprise that the marriage lasted only months .

Grammaretto Mon 11-Mar-19 09:28:32

gillybob imagine that now. I don't think it happens anymore which is a good thing. I got "now don't be getting yourself pregnant because no nice man will marry you".
I'm still confused.

gillybob Mon 11-Mar-19 09:33:22

I can’t imagine it now Grammaretto and to be honest it didn’t even happen so much in 1980 when I had my son . My parents were deeply ashamed and thought that if they “forced” a marriage everything would turn out okay . How very wrong they were . I shamed them yet again by getting divorced only months after the marriage . Oh dear .

Floradora9 Mon 11-Mar-19 09:49:00

How about " a touch of the tarbrush " My cousin said this to her mother who must have had Indian blood in her but always denied it . I thought it was a pity she denied this part of her heritage but being born in India in the early 20th century it was difficult . I used to love hearing about her time in a boarding school where her mother was a housemother she had little Indian princesses in the school beside her . Having married my uncle, a jute wallah , they came to the UK and she never wanted to go back to India.

Grannybags Mon 11-Mar-19 09:55:48

I "lived in sin" before we married but no one seems to do that these days!

EllanVannin Mon 11-Mar-19 09:56:12

A girl can become pregnant at any age but has to have consent to marry if she's under 21 !!!???

EllanVannin Mon 11-Mar-19 09:59:42

" Get married to give the baby a name "-----?

janeainsworth Mon 11-Mar-19 10:29:22

I "lived in sin" before we married but no one seems to do that these days!

Me too grannybags, but I disagree that no-one does it now.
They all do!
The difference is that it isn’t regarded as ‘sinful’grin

Grannybags Mon 11-Mar-19 10:30:38

Exactly janeainsworth!

M0nica Mon 11-Mar-19 10:43:11

Ellenvannin Is your point that if a girl has a child at 11 she should be allowed to marry at 11?

Jalima1108 Mon 11-Mar-19 10:56:51

Shotgun wedding
She's in the family way
She's got herself in the family way (without help presumably!)

dragonfly46 Mon 11-Mar-19 11:01:39

Gillybob you were lucky in a way. My friend's family hid her away when she was pregnant at 17 and after she had the child they put her up for adoption. Even though they reunited when the girl was in her thirties my friend has suffered terribly from guilt.

What about 'keep your hand on your ha'penny'

gillybob Mon 11-Mar-19 11:10:06

My parents didn’t know I was pregnant dragonfly or things may have been very different. To be fair nor did I, until I had the baby . He was very small so the doctors assumed 4-5 weeks early.

What about “can’t keep it in his trousers “ as my sons father clearly couldn’t shock

Margs Mon 11-Mar-19 11:19:37

An extension of that Grammaretto is "no nice young man who really respects a girl would EVER ask to sleep with them before marriage".

Ha!Ha!Ha!