Why didn’t anyone tell me that…?

[Pulcinella]

'Financial Times' for preference - most definitely not the 'Daily Mail' or 'Daily Express'. Then a string vest and big pants - you'll be super-toasty in no time!

Presumably that keeps you 'in the pink'!

(Now where did that expression come from?)

[Serial_Apologist]

Funnily enough I did hear about it in Scotland when I was a volunteer 'helping' the needy who were living in their own homes - often dire tenement flats. When I say 'helping' I recall pasting newspaper on a ceiling for some reason before decorating - presumably to cover over something nasty.

Or having a pink ceiling for political consistency, in your case!

[french frank]

Or having a pink ceiling for political consistency, in your case!

I think the ceiling plaster was heavily cracked and bits were in danger of falling off. We also worked out at the Camphill community, weaving baskets to be sold at their annual fair

[smittims]

'In the pink' is recorded as far back as the 18th century, and there's an example from Thackeray in the 19th. The original usages are often 'in the pink of condition', meaning in the best state of health. It's an expression I've seen misused, perhaps from confusion with 'in the red' or 'in the black'. Someone hears it and decides it's smart to be heard saying it. In the same way 'jejune' and 'catharsis' have become misused recently.

[oddoneout]

Wrap yourself up in newspapers.

But make sure the below stairs staff have ironed them first to stop the ink from soiling one's skin.

[Frances_iom]

For those who sleep in single beds a considerable improvement can be obtained by putting one of the 'baby blankets' under the bottom sheet - these very fine 'fleece like' sheets were sold by Aldi and I presume other outlets - large enough to cover a standard single bed.

[kernelbogey]

Recently, I’ve discovered a few trivial but helpful things which I’m surprised no one told me decades ago, basic things which make life that bit easier…

One of them is that on upper-body garments, the little label about washing etc. is always towards the bottom of the LEFT-hand vertical seam, be it a t-shirt, polo shirt, vest, sweater or whatever. Knowing this makes it easier not to faff around making sure you’re putting it on the right way round, especially in low lighting conditions - quite a lot of my garments have the label at the nape of the neck printed onto the fabric which is much more difficult to see than the bright white label on the left seam.

A Guardian reader (of course) reported in a letter a few years back having seen two coppers on the tube: one had not donned his hi-vis jacket, and, when he did so, the letter-writer had noticed that on the base of the sleeves, inside, was written in large marker-pen LEFT and RIGHT. I pass this on without comment or emoji.

As to the useful labels on the left side of 'upper garments' I suspect that these may have been an EU brainwave - clever chaps these continentals!* - and it may have been on the UK Government's things to be changed by Act of Parliament (at least until yesterday. ).

* This was actually said to us in 1960 by an RAC official at the Port of Dover, advising us to visit a garage in Ostend to deal with a binding brake on our Austin A40.

[Nick Armstrong]

As to the useful labels on the left side of 'upper garments' I suspect that these may have been an EU brainwave -

Well, as Petrushka’s mum told him about it over 60 years ago, maybe not…

[Nick Armstrong]

Are we English-speakers ever actually taught this:



It’s certainly true, and equally certainly I wasn’t ever taught it - just sort of picked it up by osmosis and correctly followed it without being told…

[smittims]

I see no authority is quoted for this apparent 'rule'. It's never occurred to me that anyone who ignores that order 'sounds like a maniac'. And I don't think 'mess with' is good English. So although I don't often use more than one adjective, for my remaining years I think I'll chose my own order.

[Frances_iom]

Well, as Petrushka’s mum told him about it over 60 years ago, maybe not…

and if she bought her knickers from BHS of blessed memory they would be in a twist as they used rh signalling for many (other styles used the rear band)

[Pulcinella]

I see no authority is quoted for this apparent 'rule'. It's never occurred to me that anyone who ignores that order 'sounds like a maniac'. And I don't think 'mess with' is good English. So although I don't often use more than one adjective, for my remaining years I think I'll chose my own order.

But the chances are that innately you'll follow this order.
You'd live in a big old red house not a red old big one.

Here's a Cambridge (yes, Nick; ) dictionary table:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/adjectives-order

[Nick Armstrong]

I see no authority is quoted for this apparent 'rule'. It's never occurred to me that anyone who ignores that order 'sounds like a maniac'. And I don't think 'mess with' is good English. So although I don't often use more than one adjective, for my remaining years I think I'll chose my own order.

More detail here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/adjective-order

[smittims]

Ah yes, I see what you mean. As in ' my big fat greek wedding' etc.

[Nick Armstrong]

But the chances are that innately you'll follow this order.
You'd live in a big old red house not a red old big one.

Here's a Cambridge (yes, Nick; ) dictionary table:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/gra...jectives-order

Precisely