Pedants' Paradise

[vinteuil]

And that kind of womenswear light jackety thing was called a 'bollero', spelled bolero I think, wasn't it? Before Torvill and Dean days. Or is it called a bə-LAY-ro in Shepherd's Bush?

... for the jacket, wiki has -
"A bolero jacket or bolero (pronounced /ˈbɒləroʊ/ or /bəˈlɛəroʊ/ in British English and /bəˈlɛəroʊ/ in American English)^[2] is a more formal garment of similar construction but made of stiffer fabric, essentially a short tailored jacket, inspired by the matador's chaquetilla. Like the shrug, the sides of the bolero only meet at one point."

derived from the Espanish -

https://dle.rae.es/bolero

[kernelbogey]

Danke, bitte; grazie, prego; merci, je t'en prie; gracias, de nada &c ...

I told a new twentyish member of the waiting staff at my local cafe that I had appreciated her responses to my 'thank yous' being 'You're welcome', rather than 'No worries', and added 'Just a personal thing'. Straightaway she responded 'I get it'. I felt a genuine communication had just occurred.

[kernelbogey]

It used to be the case that if you wanted to ask someone to do something the form was either: "Will you please ...?" or to avoid any hint of peremptoriness: "Would you please ... ?" (Answer Yes or No); alternatively "I wonder if you would be so kind as to ...".

This now seems frequently to take the form "May you please ..." (not as yet "Might you please ..." with the possible answer "I might do if so inclined ..."). But how does 'May you...?' mean anything?

I too have not encountered 'may you please...' with the meaning 'will you please'. However - and I'm unsure of the relevance of this - I have encountered 'May you be well', 'May you be happy' and others in the sense of a wish for the other. This seems close to FF's observed usage in that the speaker in each case is hoping for a future outcome for or by the other: in FF"s example, the desire for an action; in my example, the desire for the other's wellbeing. (This may have originated in the US.)

[smittims]

and 'Thank you' for the reminder, frankie! I always say 'thank you' to Bus drivers, it's a rite.

[oddoneout]

... o, we're much more formal in Shepherd's Bush. It's "Thank you, driver" here

Used to having staff not so long ago?
It's just thank you here, and what I've found interesting is that youngsters will often say it as they leave the bus - and may even look up while doing so - and the older generation generally do so, but there is quite a large age cohort in between who just barge off the bus as quickly as they can without any acknowledgement.

[kernelbogey]

It's my belief that 'Thank you very much indeed' is a patrician form of language, and implies - at least to me - that the speaker considers a bare 'thank you' may be considered insincere.

[oddoneout]

I've sometimes been reproved for not saying 'thank you' to someone who's done only what they were obliged to do anyeway. I think such words are more effective when reserved for occasions when they are more appropriate.

The fact that someone is paid to provide the service you have just received isn't necessarily a reason for withholding thanks. Most of those who provide the kind of services that make life that bit better(refuse collection and toilet cleaning for instance) will receive no thanks from their employers, and are largely ignored unless something goes wrong, so a word of thanks from those of us who benefit from their work costs nothing and can be a real boost. I speak as one who had toilet cleaning and litter bin emptying as one part of my job for the last 15 years...

[LMcD]

It's my belief that 'Thank you very much indeed' is a patrician form of language, and implies - at least to me - that the speaker considers a bare 'thank you' may be considered insincere.

Shades of Margo Leadbetter - 'Thank you VERY much, Tom'.

[vinteuil]

Used to having staff not so long ago?
It's just thank you here, and what I've found interesting is that youngsters will often say it as they leave the bus - and may even look up while doing so - and the older generation generally do so, but there is quite a large age cohort in between who just barge off the bus as quickly as they can without any acknowledgement.

... interesting, I had not noticed the younger generation doing this : here it is those of African / West Indian heritage (and particularly the women) who most clearly say "Thank you, driver" when leaving the bus. I think I did not do this when younger ; I do now...

.

[Old Grumpy]

The fact that someone is paid to provide the service you have just received isn't necessarily a reason for withholding thanks. Most of those who provide the kind of services that make life that bit better(refuse collection and toilet cleaning for instance) will receive no thanks from their employers, and are largely ignored unless something goes wrong, so a word of thanks from those of us who benefit from their work costs nothing and can be a real boost.

[smittims]

Yes, good point, oddoneout. I do tell the council litter bin emptiers that I think they're doing a valuable job.

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes, good point, oddoneout. I do tell the council litter bin emptiers that I think they're doing a valuable job.

Which hopefully they know! I always thank them (when I catch them) for returning the bins to the bins compound rather than as usual leaving them at the end of our collective driveway, blocking residents' garages, where it is then up to Yours Truly (the one retired regular in the block) to do. In this age of "small mercies" I guess we have to appreciate Southwark council for still providing weekly collections for all our bins.

[vinteuil]

In this age of "small mercies" I guess we have to appreciate Southwark council for still providing weekly collections for all our bins.

... here we get food bins emptied weekly - but the recycling bin and the rubbish bin are emptied twice a week



.

[LMcD]

... here we get food bins emptied weekly - but the recycling bin and the rubbish bin are emptied twice a week



.

Here, it's anything recyclable (blue bin) and garden waste (brown bin) one week and anything bagged (grey bin) the next. The brown bin (which I don't use) costs an additional £52.50 a year.

[french frank]

Here food and recyclables are collected every week. Black rubbish bins once a fortnight - which I think is a good thing. People should be encouraged to reduce the amount of stuff that goes into landfill or - worse in some ways - is incinerated. And I say unto you: reduce, reuse, recycle. And the greatest of these is ... reduce :-)