Grandmother's boyfriend

j...@arcade.demon.co.uk

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Aug 10, 2012, 5:11:06 PM8/10/12

to

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675

Is it me, or does the phrase:

the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_

sound really weird? None of the news reports have
actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
that just means I'm caught between the dissonances
of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
"you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".

JGH

Django Cat

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Aug 10, 2012, 5:36:23 PM8/10/12

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j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>
> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>

> the missing girl's grandmother's boyfriend

>
> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances

> of "she's a grandmother at HOW old???" and
> "you can't call him a boyfriend at your age".
>
> JGH

37

--

John Dean

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Aug 10, 2012, 6:54:53 PM8/10/12

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"Django Cat" <nota...@address.com> wrote in message
news:r9fVr.715160$Ql1.6...@fx02.am4...

Grandmother 46 (became a gm at 34), bf 37.
The bf was previously the bf of the missing girl's mother. The mother is now
30.
"A body" has now been found at the gm's house. The bf is "assisting police
with their enquiries".

--
John Dean

Cheryl

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Aug 10, 2012, 6:57:49 PM8/10/12

to

That's very young for a grandmother, especially the grandmother of a
grandchild who was not an infant.

But a lot of grandmothers seem to have boyfriends these days. I agree it
sounds odd, but what do you call him? I suppose if he lived in her house
(or she is) most of the time, you could call him her partner. It always
makes me think of business partners, but a lot of people use the term.

--
Cheryl

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 10, 2012, 7:11:55 PM8/10/12

to

Other reports refer to him as the grandmother's partner.

The grandmother, Christine Sharp, is aged 46.
Her partner or boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, is 37.

A recent report said that Stuart Hazell had previously had a
relationship with the mother.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

j...@arcade.demon.co.uk

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Aug 10, 2012, 7:28:16 PM8/10/12

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Cheryl wrote:
> But a lot of grandmothers seem to have boyfriends these days. I agree it
> sounds odd, but what do you call him?

One of my aunts is 55 and has lived unmarried with her partner for 25+
years. He's refered to as "Nigel".

My great-uncle had a "lady friend".

My family's ancestry is in a small fishing town where middle-aged
men would get lost at sea, and middle-aged women would die of
motherhood. Fairly often a widow and widower would move in together
and not always get married, but it would be unspokenly known that
they were sharing a bed. I can't for the life of me dredge out
from my memory what the relationship was referred to as. I think
it was along the lines of: when aunt Hannah was widowed, "uncle"
Robert took her in.

JGH

Irwell

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Aug 10, 2012, 7:33:05 PM8/10/12

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Has the Oprah show migrated to A.U.E?

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 10, 2012, 7:57:48 PM8/10/12

to

I think the subject matter is more in the Jerry Springer genre.

Cheryl

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Aug 10, 2012, 8:38:01 PM8/10/12

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My grandfather, after my grandmother died, wanted to find a woman to
live in and do all the housework in return for room and board. Without
actually saying the words, he made it clear he wasn't looking for
another wife and sex wasn't part of the deal. It just seemed like a
win-win situation to him - there were, after all, lots of poor widows
with nothing more than the most basic level of government support who
would probably be delighted for a nice place to live rent-free...he was
very much a man of his time and place. The women, on the other hand, had
moved on and had no particular desire to provide housekeeping services
in return for free rent, so he had to settle for worrying his children
and grandchildren, and occasionally having much younger women come in
for a few hours every so often until he'd quarrelled with so many of
them over their poor housekeeping skills and phone habits, the people
who organized the service wouldn't send any more.

On the other side of the family, there was a great-uncle who had a very
good female friend all his life. They never married - I was told that
when they began their careers, she would have had to abandon hers if she
married. I must have been an adult, or very close to it, before I
realized that they were assumed to have shared more than friendship all
those years, because, as you say, it was never spoken of that way.

Same sort of thing, actually, more recently, for a male relative who
never married but had one or two close male friends over the years.

Women, even if they lived together, were assumed to be friends saving
money because women got paid so little that it was hard to make ends meet.

I think 'friend' was the general term, perhaps 'very GOOD friend' with a
special emphasis.
--
Cheryl

Steve Hayes

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Aug 11, 2012, 12:03:16 AM8/11/12

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On Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:11:06 -0700 (PDT), j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

Well perhaps "toy boy" or "gigolo" might be more accurate, but the BBC
wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that, would it?

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

fabzorba

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Aug 11, 2012, 2:39:21 AM8/11/12

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I'm a little confused here. I’ve linked to the site you gave, and
there is no "boyfriend" to be found there. In fact, the story speaks
of "Mrs Sharp's partner Stuart Hazell, 37", as "partner" is now the
accepted, if flawed, choice to designate one of a couple in a de facto
relationship.

Note also that Mrs Sharpe's age is given as 46, and that of her
partner as 37. That means both of them are quite young, and there is
not a vast age difference between them.

Many people imagine grandparents as much older than someone in their
mid-forties. In fact, grandmothers can be in their early 30s. The
people who are young grandparents are typically lower-working class,
often with a history of alcohol and drug misuse, poorly educated, and
often with an extensive history of children born out of wedlock and to
different fathers. To such people, a grandmother who is younger than
many first-time mothers amongst those from higher stations would not
appear unusual.

Myles [what big eyes you have, granny…] paulsen

Peter Moylan

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Aug 11, 2012, 2:45:01 AM8/11/12

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I'm a grandfather, and in my mid-60s. My girlfriend is a grandmother. At
our ages, that's hardly surprising.

--
Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org
For an e-mail address, see my web page.

Athel Cornish-Bowden

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Aug 11, 2012, 2:54:16 AM8/11/12

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No matter. It's outside my TV experience either way. I don't think we
get Oprah in France; we do get Jerry Springer, but somehow I've managed
to stay away from it.

--
athel

fabzorba

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Aug 11, 2012, 3:06:43 AM8/11/12

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On Aug 11, 2:03 pm, Steve Hayes <hayes...@telkomsa.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:11:06 -0700 (PDT), j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
> >http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>
> >Is it me, or does the phrase:
>
> > the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>
> >sound really weird? None of the news reports have
> >actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
> >that just means I'm caught between the dissonances
> >of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
> >"you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>
> Well perhaps "toy boy" or "gigolo" might be more accurate, but the BBC
> wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that, would it?
>

That's just plain tacky, Steve, and I mean thoroughly tacky. It's
really a very ordinary thing to say. I had expected more from you, and
I was disappointed. Please take the time from your busy schedule to
note the following:

1. The ages of the couple are Mrs Sharpe 46, partner 37. This means
they are quite young, and as I pointed out above, the age difference
is not vast. If you had bothered to check the story before making your
vulgar pronouncements you would have seen this immediately. "Take the
time to check sources, it's time well spent". I've got this written
above my office door, and I think it should be above yours.

2. OP's point was not that grandmother was obviously a cougar, and her
"boyfriend" a gigolo. Cougars and gigolos are the denizens of a
moneyed society, not of the social milieu depicted here. He was
asking, basically, how old one can be before they are no longer tagged
"boyfriend" and "girlfriend". You neglected to read the story given in
his link, and then compounded that negligence by misunderstanding the
nature of his query. I know it was not deliberate, I will grant that
to you. You do it far, far too often for there to be any conscious
artifice at work.

3. English is a strange tongue. It has a dozen different words for
"former", but no socially acceptable one for a de facto relationship.
Thus, when you introduce such to guests, what do you say:

"Oh, everyone, my lovely de facto"? No, sounds ugly, cold and
legalistic

"…my lovely lover"? Too racy, will get people breathing heavily

"…my lovely partner"? Ambiguous. Could be a business partner and you
are trying to charm them

"…my lovely girlfriend"? As discussed, rather odd when you are in your
sixties

"….my lovely latest fuck"? See entry for "lover" above. And she
wouldn't be after that…

myles [hope that helps…] paulsen

Katy Jennison

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Aug 11, 2012, 3:42:13 AM8/11/12

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On 10/08/2012 22:11, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>
> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>
> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>
> sound really weird?

I find it jarring every time I hear it. I conjecture that perhaps that
was how they themselves described him.

--
Katy Jennison

Peter Young

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Aug 11, 2012, 4:48:10 AM8/11/12

to

English notoriously lacks an all-purpose term for "person of the
opposite sex in a sexual relationship but not married". In our
maternity unit I was greatly amused when for a time the word "consort"
was used. In a newspaper correspondence some time ago the word
"bed-steady" was suggested. The Scandinavians do it better, I think,
but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
"sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
to "sambo".

Peter.

--
Peter Young, (BrE, RP), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004.
(US equivalent: Certified Anesthesiologist)
Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired.
http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk

fabzorba

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Aug 11, 2012, 4:51:52 AM8/11/12

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I must say I can't make head or tail of this. How often DO you hear
"missing girl's grandmother's boyfriend"? This is the first time for
me.

And who is the "they" in your query? If they are the girl's family,
then I would conjecture that they described the boyfriend as""Stuart"
and the missing girl as "Tia".

myles [launching hairy boomerang that is monobrow] paulsen

fabzorba

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Aug 11, 2012, 5:00:08 AM8/11/12

to

On Aug 11, 6:48 pm, Peter Young <pnyo...@ormail.co.uk> wrote:
>
> English notoriously lacks an all-purpose term for "person of the
> opposite sex in a sexual relationship but not married". In our
> maternity unit I was greatly amused when for a time the word "consort"
> was used. In a newspaper correspondence some time ago the word
> "bed-steady" was suggested. The Scandinavians do it better, I think,
> but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
> if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
> "sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
> to "sambo".
>
> Peter.
>
> --
> Peter Young, (BrE, RP), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004.
> (US equivalent: Certified Anesthesiologist)
> Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired.http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk

Thanks for reading my analysis above and making PRECISELY the same
point so that those who have kill-filed me can be apprised of the
truth on this matter. An acknowledgement on the lines of "as that
miscreant Fabzorba wrote above" might have been made by one who has an
academic backgrouind, even if it involves putting others into a deep
sleep, something you have for a career elsewhere, and pursue here as a
hobby.

,myles [and it's working....zzzzz...zzzz...snorre
snorrree..s..s...zzzz....xxxxx.....zzfsssss....ddrroooollll...mmmefffff..mmyeeeryyyyy...fffff.....sluppppprrr...sffffllll...drrooool
zzzzz seeeeehhhtttt...uh uhh uhhh...] paulsen

Django Cat

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Aug 11, 2012, 6:01:56 AM8/11/12

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Irwell wrote:

> On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:11:55 +0100, Peter Duncanson [BrE] wrote:
>
> > On Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:11:06 -0700 (PDT), j...@arcade.demon.co.uk
> > wrote:
> >
> > > http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
> > >
> > > Is it me, or does the phrase:
> > >

> >> the missing girl's grandmother's boyfriend

> > >
> > > sound really weird? None of the news reports have
> > > actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
> > > that just means I'm caught between the dissonances

> > > of "she's a grandmother at HOW old???" and
> > > "you can't call him a boyfriend at your age".

> > >
> > Other reports refer to him as the grandmother's partner.
> >
> > The grandmother, Christine Sharp, is aged 46.
> > Her partner or boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, is 37.
> >
> > A recent report said that Stuart Hazell had previously had a
> > relationship with the mother.
>
> Has the Oprah show migrated to A.U.E?

In case non-Brits don't know, we're actually discussing yesterday's
news that a young girl, missing for several days, has now been found
murdered. The grandmother's boyfriend has been arrested.

DC
--

Percival P. Cassidy

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Aug 11, 2012, 6:14:05 AM8/11/12

to

On 08/11/12 06:01 am, Django Cat wrote:

>>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>>>
>>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>>
>>>> the missing girl's grandmother's boyfriend
>>>>
>>>> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
>>>> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
>>>> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances
>>>> of "she's a grandmother at HOW old???" and
>>>> "you can't call him a boyfriend at your age".
>>>>
>>> Other reports refer to him as the grandmother's partner.
>>>
>>> The grandmother, Christine Sharp, is aged 46.
>>> Her partner or boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, is 37.
>>>
>>> A recent report said that Stuart Hazell had previously had a
>>> relationship with the mother.
>>
>> Has the Oprah show migrated to A.U.E?
>
>
> In case non-Brits don't know, we're actually discussing yesterday's
> news that a young girl, missing for several days, has now been found
> murdered. The grandmother's boyfriend has been arrested.

The term "step-grandfather" in the heading of Channel 4's report strikes
me as odd:

> http://www.channel4.com/news/body-found-at-tias-grandmothers-house

The term would be appropriate only if the grandmother and her partner
were in fact married.

Perce

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 11, 2012, 7:14:41 AM8/11/12

to

Yes.

But that some would see that as nasty discrimination against unmarried
couples versus married couples.

Peter Brooks

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Aug 11, 2012, 7:52:30 AM8/11/12

to

On Saturday, 11 August 2012 10:48:10 UTC+2, Peter Young wrote:
> On 11 Aug 2012 Katy Jennison <ka...@spamtrap.kjennison.com> wrote:
>
>
> but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
> if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
> "sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
> to "sambo".
>

But I imagine that's with a long 'a', unlike the lover of tiger pancakes.

GordonD

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Aug 11, 2012, 7:57:45 AM8/11/12

to

"Peter Young" <pny...@ormail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:42777cbd5...@pnyoung.ormail.co.uk...

> On 11 Aug 2012 Katy Jennison <ka...@spamtrap.kjennison.com> wrote:
>
>> On 10/08/2012 22:11, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>>
>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>
>>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>>
>>> sound really weird?
>
>> I find it jarring every time I hear it. I conjecture that perhaps that
>> was how they themselves described him.
>
> English notoriously lacks an all-purpose term for "person of the
> opposite sex in a sexual relationship but not married". In our
> maternity unit I was greatly amused when for a time the word "consort"
> was used. In a newspaper correspondence some time ago the word
> "bed-steady" was suggested. The Scandinavians do it better, I think,
> but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
> if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
> "sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
> to "sambo".

Before the term 'partner' came along, Scots people would have referred to a
'bidie-in', i.e. someone who lived with you. This did not cover, say,
students sharing a flat; the implication was that you were referring to a
couple in the accepted sense.
--
Gordon Davie
Edinburgh, Scotland

"Slipped the surly bonds of Earth...to touch the face of God."

Cheryl

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Aug 11, 2012, 8:34:56 AM8/11/12

to

It rather depends on how long he's been around, and his status in the
family. Sure, he'd be 'Stuart' if he was, in fact, a de facto family
member, but people often have other terms for relative's lover who isn't
married to her and is probably a temporary presence in the relative's
life. Especially if they don't like him. If you relative marries someone
you don't like, you have to put up with him with as much grace as you
can muster. Same thing if he's been there 20 years and looks like a
permanent fixture. Not so much if he moved in last week and he (or she)
gets bored with partners after six months or so.

--
Cheryl

j...@arcade.demon.co.uk

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Aug 11, 2012, 9:52:29 AM8/11/12

to

fabzorba wrote:
> > > Is it me, or does the phrase:
> > > the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>

> I must say I can't make head or tail of this. How often DO you hear
> "missing girl's grandmother's boyfriend"? This is the first time for
> me.

I'm not talking about "missing girl's", I'm talking about
"grandmother's boyfriend" as indicated by me underlining
that part of the phrase lifted from the linked-to news
report (since changed slightly).

"grandmother's boyfriend" just sounds odd. As I pointed
out in my second post, I don't think any specific
phrase was used in the instances I can remember of
40+/50+ people in unmarried coupledom. I can remember
references to "A taking B in" or "A moving in with B"
but nothing as to "A is B's something" until they
got married if they did.

One exception, "uncle Henry's sister-in-law" who had
moved in when Henry's wife died, and later became
"uncle Henry's wife", but there was a pre-exisiting
relationship to latch onto.

If they are not living together it can sometimes be
a bit easier: Uncle Ernie's cousin Connie was his...
erm... Well, uncle Ernie and aunt Connie were, you know,
walking out together... ;)

JGH

Peter Young

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Aug 11, 2012, 10:59:23 AM8/11/12

to

Yes, that's another one mentioned in the newspaper correspondence that
I mentioned upthread: the "ummer". "This is Janet, my ... um...er".

Nasti J

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Aug 11, 2012, 11:13:51 AM8/11/12

to

On Aug 10, 2:11 pm, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances

> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".

How ageist of you.

John Dean

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Aug 11, 2012, 12:02:43 PM8/11/12

to

"Django Cat" <nota...@address.com> wrote in message

news:o4qVr.1279112$LY3.6...@fx22.am4...

And now the grandmother has been arrested. Ditto a next-door neighbour. If
anyone has a warehouse of torches available, there's a bunch of villagers
who'd like to hear from you ...

--
John Dean

tony cooper

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Aug 11, 2012, 12:21:48 PM8/11/12

to

On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 06:52:29 -0700 (PDT), j...@arcade.demon.co.uk
wrote:

>fabzorba wrote:
>> > > Is it me, or does the phrase:
>> > > the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>
>> I must say I can't make head or tail of this. How often DO you hear
>> "missing girl's grandmother's boyfriend"? This is the first time for
>> me.
>
>I'm not talking about "missing girl's", I'm talking about
>"grandmother's boyfriend" as indicated by me underlining
>that part of the phrase lifted from the linked-to news
>report (since changed slightly).
>
>"grandmother's boyfriend" just sounds odd.

Of course it's odd. Anyone knows that he should be referred to as
"Grandma's gentleman friend". Benefits should not be discussed or
even contemplated.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

j...@arcade.demon.co.uk

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Aug 11, 2012, 12:29:58 PM8/11/12

to

tony cooper wrote:
> Of course it's odd. Anyone knows that he should be referred to as
> "Grandma's gentleman friend". Benefits should not be discussed or
> even contemplated.

My brother is younger than me, aged 39, and refers to his "lady friend".
I still can't get used to people of my age having adult children at
university. ;)

JGH

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 11, 2012, 12:48:08 PM8/11/12

to

On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 17:02:43 +0100, "John Dean" <john...@FRAGmsn.com>
wrote:

When I heard that the grandmother's boyfriend had previously had a
"relationship" with the mother I let my mind wander. Was the man "up to
something" with the girl? Did the girl threaten to tell? Did the mother
or grandmother discover what was been going on? Etc.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 11, 2012, 12:53:15 PM8/11/12

to

On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 06:52:29 -0700 (PDT), j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

>I'm not talking about "missing girl's", I'm talking about
>"grandmother's boyfriend" as indicated by me underlining
>that part of the phrase lifted from the linked-to news
>report (since changed slightly).
>
>"grandmother's boyfriend" just sounds odd.

Although the man is a decade younger than the grandmother, with her
being in her 40s, he is too old to for him to be her "toyboy" and her to
be a "cougar".

Evan Kirshenbaum

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Aug 11, 2012, 1:28:43 PM8/11/12

to

j...@arcade.demon.co.uk writes:

> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>
> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>

> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_

>
> sound really weird? None of the news reports have actually mentioned
> how old the grandmother is, but that just means I'm caught between

> the dissonances of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???"

Apparently about 34, if she's now 46 and her grandaughter is 12.

Poking around, the average age at first grandchild in the US is
apparently 47, at least according to recent surveys.

> and "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".

I don't have any problem using the word for people my age (which is a
couple of years older).

--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
Still with HP Labs |He seems to be perceptive and
SF Bay Area (1982-) |effective because he states the
Chicago (1964-1982) |obvious to people that don't seem
|to see the obvious.
evan.kir...@gmail.com |
| Tony Cooper
http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

Charles Bishop

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Aug 11, 2012, 2:41:18 PM8/11/12

to

In article <42777cbd5...@pnyoung.ormail.co.uk>, Peter Young

<pny...@ormail.co.uk> wrote:

>On 11 Aug 2012 Katy Jennison <ka...@spamtrap.kjennison.com> wrote:
>
>> On 10/08/2012 22:11, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>>
>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>
>>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>>
>>> sound really weird?
>
>> I find it jarring every time I hear it. I conjecture that perhaps that
>> was how they themselves described him.
>
>English notoriously lacks an all-purpose term for "person of the
>opposite sex in a sexual relationship but not married". In our
>maternity unit I was greatly amused when for a time the word "consort"
>was used. In a newspaper correspondence some time ago the word
>"bed-steady" was suggested. The Scandinavians do it better, I think,
>but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
>if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
>"sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
>to "sambo".
>

POOSSLQ, possibly POSSLQ never made it, did it? Though it was in a poem by
Ogden Nash(?), possibly.

Sooner or later, won't there be a new (or repurposed) term to describe the
living arrangements that aren't of the usual man/woman/children family?
Language changes slowly sometimes as we collectively try new terms to fit
new conditions.

--
charles

Percival P. Cassidy

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Aug 11, 2012, 2:10:12 PM8/11/12

to

On 08/11/12 02:41 pm, Charles Bishop wrote:

>>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>>
>>>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>>>
>>>> sound really weird?
>>
>>> I find it jarring every time I hear it. I conjecture that perhaps that
>>> was how they themselves described him.
>>
>> English notoriously lacks an all-purpose term for "person of the
>> opposite sex in a sexual relationship but not married". In our
>> maternity unit I was greatly amused when for a time the word "consort"
>> was used. In a newspaper correspondence some time ago the word
>> "bed-steady" was suggested. The Scandinavians do it better, I think,
>> but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
>> if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
>> "sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
>> to "sambo".
>>
>
> POOSSLQ, possibly POSSLQ never made it, did it? Though it was in a poem by
> Ogden Nash(?), possibly.
>
> Sooner or later, won't there be a new (or repurposed) term to describe the
> living arrangements that aren't of the usual man/woman/children family?
> Language changes slowly sometimes as we collectively try new terms to fit
> new conditions.

I've heard the term "friends with benefits", but is seems to be used
only among considerably younger people.

Perce

Message has been deleted

Robin Bignall

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Aug 11, 2012, 2:53:43 PM8/11/12

to

Now we learn that the police searched the grandmother's house four times
before they found the girl's body, which might have been moved between
the attics of adjacent houses.
--
Robin Bignall
(BrE)
Herts, England

Andrew B

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Aug 11, 2012, 3:06:34 PM8/11/12

to

On 10/08/2012 22:11, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>
> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>

> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_

>
> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances

> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and

> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>

> JGH

Looking at the covers of various of today's (UK) papers, I spotted the
words "lover", "partner", "boyfriend" and "step-grandfather" being used.

Skitt

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Aug 11, 2012, 4:08:15 PM8/11/12

to

Steve Hayes wrote:
> j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>
>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>
>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>
>> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
>> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
>> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances
>> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
>> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>

> Well perhaps "toy boy" or "gigolo" might be more accurate, but the BBC
> wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that, would it?
>

That's "boy toy", not "toy boy".

--
Skitt (SF Bay Area)
http://come.to/skitt

Skitt

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Aug 11, 2012, 4:09:54 PM8/11/12

to

Peter Duncanson [BrE] wrote:
> j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

>> I'm not talking about "missing girl's", I'm talking about
>> "grandmother's boyfriend" as indicated by me underlining
>> that part of the phrase lifted from the linked-to news
>> report (since changed slightly).
>>
>> "grandmother's boyfriend" just sounds odd.
>
> Although the man is a decade younger than the grandmother, with her
> being in her 40s, he is too old to for him to be her "toyboy" and her to
> be a "cougar".

That's "boy toy", not "toyboy".

unread,

Aug 11, 2012, 5:06:51 PM8/11/12

to

"GordonD" <g.d...@btinternet.com> filted:

>
> How often in recent years has this scenario played out? Child goes
> missing; tearful relatives make a public appeal where they plead
> with whoever has the child to "just let her come home"; relatives
> are arrested and charged with the murder.

If you want to feel *really* old, note that if JonBenet Ramsey had
lived, she would have turned 22 last week....r

Percival P. Cassidy

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Aug 11, 2012, 5:30:13 PM8/11/12

to

On 08/11/12 12:03 am, Steve Hayes wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:11:06 -0700 (PDT), j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
>
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>
>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>

>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_

>>
>> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
>> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
>> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances

>> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
>> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>
> Well perhaps "toy boy" or "gigolo" might be more accurate, but the BBC
> wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that, would it?

Do you mean that Auntie BBC would hesitate to use such words on the air?
I was somewhat surprised recently to hear on BBC World News (TV) the
actual name of the Russian protest group (mentioned elsewhere on a.u.e)
whose trial has just ended: "Pussy Riot" -- although the "headline" had
not used the name; perhaps this was to give those of delicate
sensibilities an opportunity to kill the sound just in case the name was
broadcast.

Perce

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 11, 2012, 6:39:33 PM8/11/12

to

Unless I'm missing your point, "toyboy", with or without space or
hyphen, is the normal BrE term.

OED:

boy toy

2. A young and attractive man regarded as the plaything of an older,
often wealthier woman (or occas. man); a toy boy.

1982 N.Y. Times 18 Oct. c15/2 They're soon joined by a wealthy
local widow (Tanya Berezin) and her new ‘boy toy’ of a lover
(Brian Tarantina), an aspiring tennis star.
1996 San Francisco Examiner (Nexis) 11 Dec. c1 At 31, David Ross
definitely could qualify for the ‘boy toy’ sobriquet... With dark
hair, light skin and coal-black eyes, Ross is model handsome.
2000 ‘J. Churchill’ Mulch Ado about Nothing xxiii. 173 Stefan is
very good-looking and I can see him dropping Julie when he
realized he was just her boy toy.

toy-boy n. slang a good-looking youth who is ‘kept’ by an older
woman (or occas. man) as a lover; the younger partner of an older
woman.
1981 Event 9 Oct. 29/4 Toy-boy, the youthful lover of an ageing
woman.
1983 Financial Times 31 Mar. 19/4 At the start he is observed as
Caesar's toy boy, stripped for the religious ceremony.
1987 News of the World 15 Nov. 32/2 At 48 she is like a teenage
girl again—raving it up with four different lovers including a
toyboy of 27!

R H Draney

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Aug 11, 2012, 6:39:43 PM8/11/12

to

Percival P. Cassidy filted:

>
>I was somewhat surprised recently to hear on BBC World News (TV) the
>actual name of the Russian protest group (mentioned elsewhere on a.u.e)
>whose trial has just ended: "Pussy Riot" -- although the "headline" had
>not used the name; perhaps this was to give those of delicate
>sensibilities an opportunity to kill the sound just in case the name was
>broadcast.

I was not surprised to find that the same Phoenix newspapers and broadcast
outlets that felt compelled to refer to a group playing at some big festival
concert as "B.H. Surfers" (the group is properly "Butthole Surfers") had no
hesitation in listing one of the other groups appearing there as "The
Chingaderos"....r

--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.

j...@arcade.demon.co.uk

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Aug 11, 2012, 7:08:04 PM8/11/12

to

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
> "Pussy Riot" -- although the "headline" had not used the name;

Ooowwwwhhhh. There goes my childhood!
# long tails, and ears for hats #

JGH

tony cooper

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Aug 11, 2012, 7:28:41 PM8/11/12

to

My local newspaper has carried accounts of the trial, but the group is
never named.

Steve Hayes

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Aug 11, 2012, 7:38:15 PM8/11/12

to

On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 12:57:45 +0100, "GordonD" <g.d...@btinternet.com> wrote:

>Before the term 'partner' came along, Scots people would have referred to a
>'bidie-in', i.e. someone who lived with you. This did not cover, say,
>students sharing a flat; the implication was that you were referring to a
>couple in the accepted sense.

And then there was "gentleman friend".

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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Aug 11, 2012, 8:16:50 PM8/11/12

to

Robin Bignall wrote:

> Skitt wrote:
>> Steve Hayes wrote:
>>> j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

>>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>>>
>>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>>
>>>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>>>
>>>> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
>>>> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
>>>> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances
>>>> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
>>>> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>>>
>>> Well perhaps "toy boy" or "gigolo" might be more accurate, but the BBC
>>> wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that, would it?
>>
>> That's "boy toy", not "toy boy".
>
> 'Toy boy' in the UK, Alec.

Yeah, I forgot. Thanks, Robin.

Skitt

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Aug 11, 2012, 8:17:57 PM8/11/12

to

Steve Hayes wrote:

> Skitt wrote:
>> Steve Hayes wrote:
>>> j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:

>>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>>>
>>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>>
>>>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>>>
>>>> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
>>>> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
>>>> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances
>>>> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
>>>> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>>>
>>> Well perhaps "toy boy" or "gigolo" might be more accurate, but the BBC
>>> wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that, would it?
>>>
>>
>> That's "boy toy", not "toy boy".
>
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=toyboy
>
> 1. toyboy
>
> The boyfriend of an older woman.
> "My friend Mary dates a guy who's 11 years younger than her, she loves having
> a ToyBoy and I bet he loves having an older woman too"
>
> I've not heard of a "boy toy" before.

It's AmE. Sorry.

Peter Moylan

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Aug 12, 2012, 2:26:09 AM8/12/12

to

On 12/08/12 04:30, Lewis wrote:
> In message <k06763$1au$1...@dont-email.me>

> Percival P. Cassidy <Nob...@NotMyISP.net> wrote:

>> On 08/11/12 02:41 pm, Charles Bishop wrote:
>
>>>>>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_
>>>>>>
>>>>>> sound really weird?
>>>>
>>>>> I find it jarring every time I hear it. I conjecture that perhaps that
>>>>> was how they themselves described him.
>>>>
>>>> English notoriously lacks an all-purpose term for "person of the
>>>> opposite sex in a sexual relationship but not married". In our
>>>> maternity unit I was greatly amused when for a time the word "consort"
>>>> was used. In a newspaper correspondence some time ago the word
>>>> "bed-steady" was suggested. The Scandinavians do it better, I think,
>>>> but with unintended comic overtones for an English-speaker. Forgive me
>>>> if I've got my Norwegian wrong, but the term is something like
>>>> "sammandboender", literally "together-liver", but it gets abbreviated
>>>> to "sambo".
>>>>
>>>
>>> POOSSLQ, possibly POSSLQ never made it, did it? Though it was in a poem by
>>> Ogden Nash(?), possibly.

"And I will give my heart to you
If you will be my posslq."

I think I first read it in 1980, in an article by Herb Caen. I don't
recall any mention of Ogden Nash.

--
Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org
For an e-mail address, see my web page.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 12, 2012, 4:54:19 AM8/12/12

to

But if you'd held your tongue there would not have been this opportunity
to post definitions to inform those who were not familiar with the
phrases and their pondiality.

GordonD

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Aug 12, 2012, 4:56:02 AM8/12/12

to

"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:XnsA0AC8F924...@74.209.136.98...

Sorry, that doesn't do anything for me. I know who she was but the case
really didn't make a big impact in the UK - if it did it was along the lines
of how shocking it was that Americans would have beauty contests for
six-year-olds rather than the killing itself.

But to rework your statement for a UK readership, Jamie Bulger would also
now be 22.

R H Draney

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Aug 12, 2012, 5:03:18 AM8/12/12

to

GordonD filted:

>
>"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>news:XnsA0AC8F924...@74.209.136.98...
>>

>> If you want to feel *really* old, note that if JonBenet Ramsey had
>> lived, she would have turned 22 last week....r
>
>
>Sorry, that doesn't do anything for me. I know who she was but the case
>really didn't make a big impact in the UK - if it did it was along the lines
>of how shocking it was that Americans would have beauty contests for
>six-year-olds rather than the killing itself.

The shock at this point is not that a six-year-old was killed or the
circumstances that surrounded the case, but from noticing that someone the world
knows as a six-year-old would now be a college senior....

Try this variant: next January, Sharon Tate would have turned seventy....r

Nick Spalding

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Aug 12, 2012, 5:12:21 AM8/12/12

to

GordonD wrote, in <a8nu1m...@mid.individual.net>
on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 21:36:02 +0100:

The subject of this thread has been charged with the child's murder,
according to BBC3 news this morning.
--
Nick Spalding
BrE/IrE

Iain Archer

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Aug 12, 2012, 5:40:41 AM8/12/12

to

"Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <ma...@peterduncanson.net> wrote on Sun, 12 Aug
2012 at 09:54:19:

I'm still not sure from what's been said whether "toy boy" at all
current in AmE, or even to what extent "boy toy" has bedded down there.

There's also even more scope for confusion, in that "(big) boys' toys"
(also "men's toy's") is used in BrE, mainly I think for mechanical or
gameish gadgets that some men might like. Is that around in AmE too?
--
Iain Archer

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Aug 12, 2012, 6:26:44 AM8/12/12

to

On Sun, 12 Aug 2012 10:40:41 +0100, Iain Archer <i...@montaigne.me.uk>
wrote:

It may be of US origin.

OED:
boy toy, n.
Chiefly U.S. colloq. (freq. depreciative).

1. A toy which typically appeals to boys; (also) a gadget, esp. an
unnecessary or extravagant one, designed to evoke a somewhat
childish appeal in men.

1967...
1988 D. Ing Chernobyl Syndrome 40 What he owned was nifty:
foreign sportscar, solid state stereo, Cuisinart, gadgety camera
and other mouth-watering boytoys.
1997 Buffalo (N.Y.) News (Nexis) 16 Feb. 15 b, In the boy-toy
arena, Mattel has opened the garage door on Hot Wheels X-V Racers,
the first self-powered cars in the speedy little line.

Then:

2. A young and attractive man regarded as the plaything of an older,
often wealthier woman (or occas. man); a toy boy.

3. A young and attractive woman regarded as a plaything for men.

Irwell

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Aug 12, 2012, 11:05:08 AM8/12/12

to

In Los Gatos during the 1980s, there was a
shop called 'Toys for Boys'. Their specialty
was antique swords and armour.

Mike L

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Aug 12, 2012, 11:05:27 AM8/12/12

to

On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:06:34 +0100, Andrew B <bul...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On 10/08/2012 22:11, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19206675
>>
>> Is it me, or does the phrase:
>>

>> the missing girl's _grandmother's_ _boyfriend_

>>
>> sound really weird? None of the news reports have
>> actually mentioned how old the grandmother is, but
>> that just means I'm caught between the dissonances

>> of "she's a grandmother at *HOW* old???" and
>> "you can't call him a _boyfriend_ at your age".
>>

>> JGH
>
>Looking at the covers of various of today's (UK) papers, I spotted the
>words "lover", "partner", "boyfriend" and "step-grandfather" being used.

Those contemptible rags, the Star and the Daily Mail, actually did use
the word "toyboy" discussed upthread.

--
Mike.

GordonD

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Aug 12, 2012, 11:10:27 AM8/12/12

to

"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message

news:k07rg...@drn.newsguy.com...

> GordonD filted:
>>
>>"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>>news:XnsA0AC8F924...@74.209.136.98...
>>>
>>> If you want to feel *really* old, note that if JonBenet Ramsey had
>>> lived, she would have turned 22 last week....r
>>
>>
>>Sorry, that doesn't do anything for me. I know who she was but the case
>>really didn't make a big impact in the UK - if it did it was along the
>>lines
>>of how shocking it was that Americans would have beauty contests for
>>six-year-olds rather than the killing itself.
>
> The shock at this point is not that a six-year-old was killed or the
> circumstances that surrounded the case, but from noticing that someone the
> world
> knows as a six-year-old would now be a college senior....

unread,

Aug 12, 2012, 10:21:56 PM8/12/12

to

On 11-Aug-12 6:57 AM, Cheryl wrote:
> On 10/08/2012 7:06 PM, Django Cat wrote:

>> 37
>>
> That's very young for a grandmother

She is older, but 37 year old grannies are common on council housing
estates.

R H Draney

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Aug 12, 2012, 11:08:45 PM8/12/12

to

John Dean filted:

>
>
>"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message

>news:k07rg...@drn.newsguy.com...

>>
>> Try this variant: next January, Sharon Tate would have turned seventy....r
>>
>
>Abraham Lincoln would have been 203 ...

As crossed my mind a few weeks ago when I saw the movie where he hunts vampires,
he never got to be more than three years older than I am right now....r

Steve Hayes

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Aug 13, 2012, 12:54:45 AM8/13/12

to

On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:30:17 +0100, "John Dean" <john...@FRAGmsn.com> wrote:

>
>"GordonD" <g.d...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
>news:a8p9d6...@mid.individual.net...

>> But to rework your statement for a UK readership, Jamie Bulger would also
>> now be 22.
>
>The parents were greatly upset that the media decided to call him 'Jamie'.
>Most of them eventually acknowledged the family's wishes and called him
>'James'.
>
>http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/feb/09/bulger.childprotection

And, in the light of subsequent revenlations, O the irony!

"'While the News of the World will, reluctantly, obey the court order banning
the media from publishing information about the schoolboy murderers' new
identities... we WILL monitor this evil pair closely.We shall do all in our
power to watch over them. That is the very least that a law-abiding society
deserves.'"

Paul {Hamilton Rooney}

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Aug 13, 2012, 1:30:33 AM8/13/12

to

On 13-Aug-12 12:54 PM, Steve Hayes wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:30:17 +0100, "John Dean" <john...@FRAGmsn.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> "GordonD" <g.d...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
>> news:a8p9d6...@mid.individual.net...
>
>>> But to rework your statement for a UK readership, Jamie Bulger would also
>>> now be 22.
>>
>> The parents were greatly upset that the media decided to call him 'Jamie'.
>> Most of them eventually acknowledged the family's wishes and called him
>> 'James'.
>>
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/feb/09/bulger.childprotection
>
> And, in the light of subsequent revenlations, O the irony!
>
> "'While the News of the World will, reluctantly, obey the court order banning
> the media from publishing information about the schoolboy murderers' new
> identities... we WILL monitor this evil pair closely.We shall do all in our
> power to watch over them. That is the very least that a law-abiding society
> deserves.'"

Irony?
Listening to phone messages that are easily accessible to all is hardly
in the same category as butchering infants.

Steve Hayes

When my 42-year-old brother and/or his 38-year-old wife pick up
their 6-year-old son from school, the other parents assume they
are his grandparents. (Parson Cross, Sheffield).

JGH

Guy Barry

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Aug 13, 2012, 9:09:39 AM8/13/12

to

jgh wrote in message
news:e535c6b7-b32e-4a7a...@googlegroups.com...

> Makes very strong biological sense. I've argued elsewhere that
> eventually society will have to morph such that people in their
> 20s give birth, when they are biologically best viable, but people
> in their 50s /raise/ the children, when they are financially best
> viable. You pop your sprogs, then give them to your parents to
> raise, then spend the next 25 years becoming financially placed to
> raise your grandchildren.

I was brought up by my grandparents (my mother was 31 when she had me).
It's not that uncommon.

--
Guy Barry

Paul {Hamilton Rooney}

unread,

Aug 13, 2012, 8:22:08 AM8/13/12

to

On 13-Aug-12 7:56 PM, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>>> She was a strong advocate
>>> for having your children first and your career second).
>> There's something to be said for it.
>
> Makes very strong biological sense. I've argued elsewhere that
> eventually society will have to morph such that people in their
> 20s give birth, when they are biologically best viable, but people
> in their 50s /raise/ the children, when they are financially best
> viable. You pop your sprogs, then give them to your parents to
> raise, then spend the next 25 years becoming financially placed to
> raise your grandchildren.

That is pretty much what happens in China, though people are having
children later in the cities these days.

>>> But unless your entire social circle is made up of such families,
>>> that's still young to be a granny.
>
> You're not a granny at 37. You're a grandmother. Granny is much
> older, granny explies age as well as offspring's offspring.
> (Additionally, in my family, Granny is grandparent's mother.)

Granny does sound older, I agree.

>
>> The current Mrs R happens to be 37, and from a culture where her
>> neighbours assume she's granny to our infant daughter.
>
> When my 42-year-old brother and/or his 38-year-old wife pick up
> their 6-year-old son from school, the other parents assume they
> are his grandparents. (Parson Cross, Sheffield).

That would almost certainly be the case in my home town too (Liverpool).

Cheryl

unread,

Aug 13, 2012, 8:33:43 AM8/13/12

to

On 13/08/2012 9:26 AM, j...@arcade.demon.co.uk wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>>> She was a strong advocate
>>> for having your children first and your career second).
>> There's something to be said for it.
>
> Makes very strong biological sense. I've argued elsewhere that
> eventually society will have to morph such that people in their
> 20s give birth, when they are biologically best viable, but people
> in their 50s /raise/ the children, when they are financially best
> viable. You pop your sprogs, then give them to your parents to
> raise, then spend the next 25 years becoming financially placed to
> raise your grandchildren.
>

My own mother, when a couple of my classmates had children and were
unable to support them (this being at the end of the period children
were automatically given up for adoption and before government subsidies
were generous enough to pay for independent housing) had them raised by
their grandparents, said something like 'I raised my children; I'm not
raising yours'. Not that I ever needed to ask her to, but now that I'm
older than she was then, I think raising children requires the energy of
youth even more than the wisdom of age.

Not only are 50-year-olds generally less energetic than younger adults,
they aren't all financially well-fixed, nor are they all in good health,
or even alive.

--
Cheryl

Paul {Hamilton Rooney}

unread,

Aug 13, 2012, 8:57:37 AM8/13/12

to

My parents' generation passed such children on to their brothers and
sisters who didn't have so many, or had more money, or bigger houses.
Families are much smaller now, so it's less of an option.

Age and energy? I'm not so sure. My siblings were born over a time
span of 22 years, and my father could outpace me on the hills until I
was in my teens. My own children were born over a time span of 24
years, and although the young ones are full of energy when I'm not, it
ebbs faster than mine.

I entirely agree with your point about money though!

Guy Barry

unread,

You know you're getting old when the US Presidents start looking young.

Paul {Hamilton Rooney}

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Aug 13, 2012, 9:44:51 AM8/13/12

to

My own favourite mistake (occasional apostrophic errors notwithstanding)
is forgetting to close brackets, or typing 9 and 0 instead of brackets.
Yes, I know, I should have learned how to type. But in my day typing was
only taught to girls.

Paul {Hamilton Rooney}

unread,

Aug 13, 2012, 9:51:20 AM8/13/12

to

I had numerous uncles and aunties. Uncle Joe Smith was actually a Jones.
Uncle Bob Lancaster was actually a Smith, and so on. Auntie Jean was
my cousin (or very possibly my half-sister). Attempts to draw a family
tree were always stopped by Mum's or Dad's embarrassing silences and
obvious changes of subject. Wedlock mattered more in those days.
Common then, but now - I am uncertain.

Paul {Hamilton Rooney}

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Aug 13, 2012, 9:53:41 AM8/13/12

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On 13-Aug-12 9:41 PM, GordonD wrote:
> "R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
> news:k09r3...@drn.newsguy.com...
>> John Dean filted:
>>>
>>>
>>> "R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>>> news:k07rg...@drn.newsguy.com...
>>>>
>>>> Try this variant: next January, Sharon Tate would have turned
>>>> seventy....r
>>>>
>>>
>>> Abraham Lincoln would have been 203 ...
>>
>> As crossed my mind a few weeks ago when I saw the movie where he hunts
>> vampires,
>> he never got to be more than three years older than I am right now....r
>
>
> You know you're getting old when the US Presidents start looking young.

Yes, who is that young black boy anyway?
He certainly looks half a century younger than his rivals!

Evan Kirshenbaum

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Aug 13, 2012, 12:24:46 PM8/13/12

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"It's a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age, he
had been dead for two years". Tom Lehrer was eleven years younger
than I am now when he recorded that.

--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
Still with HP Labs |A specification which calls for
SF Bay Area (1982-) |network-wide use of encryption, but
Chicago (1964-1982) |invokes the Tooth Fairy to handle
|key distribution, is a useless
evan.kir...@gmail.com |farce.
| Henry Spencer
http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

Evan Kirshenbaum

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Aug 13, 2012, 12:41:02 PM8/13/12

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He's nine years older than the Republican vice presidential
candidate.

Looking at the current congress, it actually would be possible to have
a half-century difference (the last election's gap looked large, but
was only a quarter century). There are several representatives who
just make the 35-year-old requirement for president, and a few who are
at least 85:

86 John Dingell (D-MD)
86 Roscoe Bartlet (R-MD)
87 Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
87 Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
88 Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
89 Ralph Hall (R-TX)

--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
Still with HP Labs |When all else fails, give the
SF Bay Area (1982-) |customer what they ask for. This
Chicago (1964-1982) |is strong medicine and rarely needs
|to be repeated.
evan.kir...@gmail.com

http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

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Aug 13, 2012, 3:01:48 PM8/13/12

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Guy Barry filted:

>
>
>
>"R H Draney" wrote in message news:k0be8...@drn.newsguy.com...
>
>> Guy Barry filted:
>> >
>> >I was brought up by my grandparents (my mother was 31 when she had me).
>> >It's not that uncommon.
>
>> SDC warmup: what do Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson and Bobby Darin all have
>> in
>> common?...r
>
>Their surnames all end in "n".

Add serial-killer Ted Bundy to the list....

>(I've still had no acknowledgement of my answer to your previous question,
>by the way.)

If you're talking about the one involving a number with a lot of zeroes and
smattering of twos, you had it right, and I also mentioned why your further
suggestion of 1,000,000,000 wouldn't fit....r