Members SuperBacon Posted July 21 Members Posted July 21 I am sorry for starting a thread for such a minor thing but this has annoyed me forever. Can anyone tell me that the phrase "picky tea" or "picky bits" was or is ever used by you or your family? I feel like this is a very modern thing that people have convinced themselves was a phrase "back in the day" as I've never spoken to anyone that's ever used it. I don't mind it as a modern phrase even if it is a bit twee, but is it actually a phrase used in the good old days of boiled ham and new potatoes in a tin? Is it because I come from that there (Greater) London? Quote
deathrey Posted July 21 Posted July 21 (edited) My old manager used to use it circa. 2005. Now Fran was an upper middle class almost retiree who spent all day talking about her horses and drinking Pimm's. She would also talk enthusiastically about having picky bits with her Pimm's on a weekend. I remember it because it was not something I had ever really heard before and her lifestyle was so far removed from my reality that it sticks in my head. Edited July 21 by deathrey Quote
Paid Members JLM Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 I have moved around a lot and have lived in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Kent and Merseyside for significant lengths of time. I had never heard this term until the past few years. I really do not like hearing adults use it. Triggers a similar response to adults saying “tummy” and “poorly”. I have the hobbies and, at times, the humour and maturity levels of a man child, but I draw the line at speaking like a toddler. Quote
DavidB6937 Posted July 21 Posted July 21 Another for not hearing it until recently and then hearing it everywhere and people thinking it's a bit 'cheeky' or whatever and I just want them to fuck off. Quote
Paid Members Carbomb Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 7 minutes ago, JLM said: I have moved around a lot and have lived in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Kent and Merseyside for significant lengths of time. I had never heard this term until the past few years. I really do not like hearing adults use it. Triggers a similar response to adults saying “tummy” and “poorly”. I have the hobbies and, at times, the humour and maturity levels of a man child, but I draw the line at speaking like a toddler. "Tummy" I agree with, but I've heard loads of adults use "poorly" regularly. Never thought it sounded like toddler-speak, thought it was just old-fashioned English. Quote
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 We used to call it a picnic tea. Dunno if it's short for that. When my missus was little, she used to ask for "Cheese and meat and things" for tea. Adorable. Wish she'd stop now though, she's 47. Quote
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 I used to talk with my ex about us getting stuff in for tea that we could just pick at, like a few bags of those mini pizzas, samosas, spring rolls etc they do in the supermarkets around Christmas, but never heard it called or called it a picky tea. Quote
Paid Members JLM Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 5 minutes ago, Carbomb said: "Tummy" I agree with, but I've heard loads of adults use "poorly" regularly. Never thought it sounded like toddler-speak, thought it was just old-fashioned English. Bless your poorly lickle tum tum. Poorly is indeed old fashioned English and is perfectly acceptable but I definitely associate it with school. It’s worse in the North I find, where it’s pour-leh or pewer-leh. I should stress that these are only very very mildly irritating to me. I do verbally abuse the speaker and slap them across the jaw but I never leave a mark. Quote
Paid Members TheBurningRed Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 My mum called it picky bits when I was growing up in the early 2000s @SuperBacon and we’re from the same area. Maybe it didn’t reach your ends. My wife describes any kind of sickness as poorly. Which includes my mental breakdown a few years ago. Where I was beyond poorly if anything. Quote
Paid Members johnnyboy Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 1 hour ago, SuperBacon said: Can anyone tell me that the phrase "picky tea" or "picky bits" was or is ever used by you or your family? Yes., early 00s. I'd only seen it on a shelf edge label in a supermarket this year though. Absolute trendsetter B-) Quote
Members SuperBacon Posted July 21 Author Members Posted July 21 13 minutes ago, TheBurningRed said: Maybe it didn’t reach your ends. You're saying it didn't get on the H22 Hoppa to Ivybridge estate? Fair enough, not many people wanted to Quote
Paid Members Arch Stanton Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 'Picky bits' definitely feels like a twee modern phrase for me. Pretty sure we never used that growing up Round Are Way. Quote
Paid Members gmoney Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 I can well believe it was a regional phrase that got picked up into marketing vortex and is now everywhere. It doesn't bother me really. Holibobs, however... Quote
Paid Members FLips Posted July 21 Paid Members Posted July 21 Yeah we've used and still use "picky tea" since we were kids. We don't use it in an ironic way or to keep up with trends, we just mean we can't be bothered to cook so lets have some cheese and crackers and pickled onions or whatever. Quote
Members SuperBacon Posted July 21 Author Members Posted July 21 2 minutes ago, FLips said: we just mean we can't be bothered to cook so lets have some cheese and crackers and pickled onions or whatever. This was just a salad when I was growing up, usually when we went round my Nans, despite there being very little components of a salad involved. Quote
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