tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post776787496818011205..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: to create (intransitive)lynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-79831208788914478142009-07-06T12:28:50.906+01:002009-07-06T12:28:50.906+01:00I've heard "create" in the sense of ...I've heard "create" in the sense of "throw a childish tantrum" once or twice from my husband. He grew up in the 1940s in both Poole (Dorset) and Australia, and lived a lot of his life in London and many other places, so I'm never quite sure where he's picked up vocabulary from.Robbienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11277836740725915132009-05-28T10:39:04.251+01:002009-05-28T10:39:04.251+01:00You're far more likely to hear it than to read it....You're far more likely to hear it than to read it.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50340367803965530762009-05-28T02:24:37.299+01:002009-05-28T02:24:37.299+01:00I'm 100% British, I read a huge amount, and I've n...I'm 100% British, I read a huge amount, and I've never heard this usage before.Andy JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15819413906544791899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85897692130156942832009-05-10T05:25:00.000+01:002009-05-10T05:25:00.000+01:00Ros: "Fussing" is what babies and the like do when...Ros: "Fussing" is what babies and the like do when they need to be put to bed or the like. (My grandson is sitting on my arm at the moment and fussing up a storm.)<br /><br />To use it of an older child or adult is to implicitly call them a baby.<br /><br />Picky: Are you sure it was "create didoes" rather than "cut didoes"? A "dido", says the OED, is a prank or trick, or alternatively a row or other disturbance, but "cut didoes" is the usual idiom.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71993962687764759802009-05-02T09:14:00.000+01:002009-05-02T09:14:00.000+01:00I'm wondering if BrE 'creating' is similar to AmE ...I'm wondering if BrE 'creating' is similar to AmE 'fussing'? In the UK, 'to fuss' is to go to a lot of (unnecessary) effort to get things 'just so'. But I think in the US it can mean 'to make a fuss' or 'to cry'? Might the two words be halves of the same expression 'to create a fuss'?Roshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669423378438380019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-76522712575395991482009-05-01T09:08:00.000+01:002009-05-01T09:08:00.000+01:00It's been my experience that the usage of 'create...It's been my experience that the usage of 'create' is less about age and more about location, as are many words in Britain. While living in Northumberland or Whitechapel I never heard the usage, yet in Essex I do. But not a lot, it must be said. I do remember the first time I heard it, a friend was referring to naughty children and I knew immediately what she meant. It just made sense to me--the kids were certainly creating something and it wasn't good!Michellouihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16841678308675092702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67042139344894128482009-04-30T14:22:00.000+01:002009-04-30T14:22:00.000+01:00Karina, I don't think so. A lot of Scots dialect w...Karina, I don't think so. A lot of Scots dialect words are similar to Scandinavian words, and "greet" meaning "cry" is related to the Swedish "grata" (with a circle over the first "a").<br /><br />Kate (Derby, UK)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-58666903460614158002009-04-30T00:58:00.000+01:002009-04-30T00:58:00.000+01:00I've only ever heard 'creating' used about small c...I've only ever heard 'creating' used about small children too. It's not that unusual but quite old fashioned, from the school of 'poorly', which also only ever seems to be used by middle aged people to small children.<br /><br />Incidentally I think the British distaste for the use of 'Graduate' in the high school context may be because finishing school is not an achievement in the UK- everyone does it, there isn't a definite pass/fail aspect (poor exam results don't preclude a pupil from having completed their schooling)Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90574394352051787972009-04-29T14:26:00.000+01:002009-04-29T14:26:00.000+01:00It just occurred to me that "create" in the sense ...It just occurred to me that "create" in the sense of "whining" or "crying" might be the origin of "greeting", or "greetin'" in Scottish, used to describe the whining of a child. It's a possibility given that some Scottish dialects tend to stretch out the diphthong "ea" to something more akin to "ee".Karina_UKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13430589082491072902009-04-28T17:02:00.000+01:002009-04-28T17:02:00.000+01:00I like the way Freddy Mercury combined both meanin...I like the way Freddy Mercury combined both meanings in his lyrics for <EM>Friends will be friends</EM>: Another red letter day/So the pound has dropped and the children are creating.Frugal Dougalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07459572116047155640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-77540853770212727992009-04-28T08:44:00.000+01:002009-04-28T08:44:00.000+01:00I'm from the South of England, and am certainly fa...I'm from the South of England, and am certainly familiar with 'create' meaning 'throw a tantrum', but only used of children, not adults.RWMGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04271851970303022440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52269819515622961502009-04-28T04:28:00.000+01:002009-04-28T04:28:00.000+01:00As an AmE speaker, I'd pick up the meaning on the ...As an AmE speaker, I'd pick up the meaning on the first example, but reading the quote from the <I>Times</I> out of context, I'd associate that "creating" with "<I>pro</I>creating"!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00896016774271431159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-8055403149186754182009-04-27T16:07:00.000+01:002009-04-27T16:07:00.000+01:00A toddler may also 'create havoc', which is a bit ...A toddler may also 'create havoc', which is a bit - um - oxymoronic, and may be a variant of 'cause havoc'.<br />This intransitive UK use doesn't seem to have a positive aspect, such as 'don't disturb Daddy, he's creating in his study'.biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52486939337344584492009-04-27T13:26:00.000+01:002009-04-27T13:26:00.000+01:00Thanks Lynne - and apologies for straying. Have c...Thanks Lynne - and apologies for straying. Have clicked as instructed and, blimey, that is a seriously informative piece.<br /><br />You should have been ruder to me, then I could have replied "Oh, don't create so!"Pickynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39256748622234153372009-04-27T11:56:00.000+01:002009-04-27T11:56:00.000+01:00The funny thing is, the carer I heard it from is A...The funny thing is, the carer I heard it from is American (though a long-time UK resident). She's picked it up from training/working in childcare here.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24665703907026976392009-04-27T11:52:00.000+01:002009-04-27T11:52:00.000+01:00Also, one can click on the 'education' tag in the ...Also, one can click on the 'education' tag in the left margin of the blog homepage in order to get to the full list of education-related postings.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20161849369447768532009-04-27T11:51:00.000+01:002009-04-27T11:51:00.000+01:00@Picky: Please click on the link from 'BrE doesn't...@Picky: Please click on the link from 'BrE doesn't use graduate for sub-university transitions' in the post to get to one of the posts that answers your questions. Let's not go that far off-topic here, please!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-80491561492832202092009-04-27T11:49:00.000+01:002009-04-27T11:49:00.000+01:00Never heard "create" used like that, but then I do...Never heard "create" used like that, but then I don't have children.Ginger Yellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06103410278129312943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-82344476634305109242009-04-27T09:29:00.000+01:002009-04-27T09:29:00.000+01:00My admiration for Anne Bancroft reminds me of the ...My admiration for Anne Bancroft reminds me of the film The Graduate - does AmE use the noun the same way as BrE? And "undergraduate"?<br /><br />And what is a "graduate school"?Pickynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60278569494175263952009-04-26T16:55:00.000+01:002009-04-26T16:55:00.000+01:00And I could very well imagine using "graduate" for...<I>And I could very well imagine using "graduate" for the Baby-Toddler transition, albeit jocularly</I>I agree. I think that the rule in British English is that "graduate" is used colloquially for an elevation of some sort, but <B>academically</B> only for University transitions.Sophie Sofasaurusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78439940341239718292009-04-26T12:41:00.000+01:002009-04-26T12:41:00.000+01:00And you could "create a scene" (at least, being an...And you could "create a scene" (at least, being an Englishman, one couldn't create a scene, of course, but one was aware of the concept).Pickynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-606868846391382582009-04-26T10:41:00.000+01:002009-04-26T10:41:00.000+01:00My reaction to "create" is identical to Johnny E's...My reaction to "create" is identical to Johnny E's. But then my exposure to infants is mercifully slight.<br /><br />Also, I would write "whingey" rather than "whingy" to indicate the rhyme with ..ahem.. "stingy". Likewise "mang(e)y".<br /><br />And I could very well imagine using "graduate" for the Baby-Toddler transition, albeit jocularly. The OED has (added in 1993, sense 6b):<br /><I>To move on to a more advanced or exalted level, to rise in rank or grade; spec. in drug abuse, to progress to a more powerful drug.</I>mollymoolynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-27630003122342902992009-04-26T09:43:00.000+01:002009-04-26T09:43:00.000+01:00In my BrE youth you could "create a dido" (whateve...In my BrE youth you could "create a dido" (whatever that is) or "create merry hell", both with the meaning "create a noisy fuss". Of course you could also "play merry hell with .."Pickynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89935348731316846902009-04-26T02:37:00.000+01:002009-04-26T02:37:00.000+01:00Eva: I wanted to do my high school graduation with...Eva: I wanted to do my high school graduation with cap and gown and all that jazz, but "tradition" in my high school called for tuxedos for boys and white dresses for girls. Dreck. So I sat it out.<br /><br />I've had some more schooling since then, but for one and another reason no actual degrees, so that was it.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-82266448754458007452009-04-25T21:51:00.000+01:002009-04-25T21:51:00.000+01:00Anon - you missed out the absolute best one: Starb...Anon - you missed out the absolute best one: Starbucks baristas are known as <I>partners</I>. I have no idea if it's even a co-op - it seems unlikely - but even if it is that's all kinds of pretentious.<br /><br />As for "creating" - lived in SE England all my 21 years and have never heard it. Has it got a particular region/class association? Sounds related to "starting (on s/o)" - giving someone aggro, as in that staple of saturday night repartee "oi mate, you star'in? d'you wan' some, do ya? c'mon'en!"Johnny Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332149992788801634noreply@blogger.com