General Chat

I knooooow. ;) (Oops, that was to CarolB - I'd missed the intervening interventions.) I was explaining the why of it -- from a pendulum swing, starting by going back, then going forward. Apparently it dates from 1605-1615!

I can trace the origins of words back 400 years, but not my danged grx2 grfather less than 200 years ago ...

And I do just think it's so funny that so many people think "back and forth" is old-fashioned, but somehow "to and fro" is just the height of modern. ;)

Haven't read all the intervening pages... I use " back and forth" ...also " hither and thither " if it's a random wandering lol

I would use the phrase "there was a lot of coming and going" ...a pendulum goes "to and fro"

xx

I can't remember the last time I got involved in a conversation about a pendulum, it seems so old fashioned lol

I've come to my own personal conclusion that for me it depends on the context, I wouldn't say back and forth to the kitchen, it does sound very formal. However, it doesn't sound odd if someone said that they were going back and forth to the hospital although I probably would have said backwards and forwards.

No, no, no, no, BR.

Clock pendulums do not swing from right to left. They swing from left to right.

Left = back
Right = forth

Sigh.

I think I would say backwards and forwards and also back and forth.

But the thing that made me giggle Janey was you asking somebody to help you win an argument!!!!! You usually manage that all on your own!

Well, the person who kept condescendingly telling me how good working-class northern girls talk to their dogs - like they are the pinnacle of human evolution! - hasn't replied, so maybe I won by default/grinding her down. ;)

I demanded that Liz attend and then ignored her.

This was one of the 3 things I saw (on a very quick glance) where you said it:

"I saw a little mouse scooting back and forth with a peanut to store them somewhere"

There, now everybody point and laugh at her!

I was going to say exactly the same, Ann, lololol!!!!!

I would have written Back and Forth then, as well, lolol!

Oh.... I am not Northern stock, mind.... does that alter things???? ;¬))

Love

Daff xxx

I use the term "back and forth".

Deb

Of course you do, Deb. You're a proper Canuck / colonial. ;)

And the whole world knows that Canadians speak the properest English!

Try getting a job teaching ESL in Japan with a "northern" accent and watch yourself get beaten out for the job by someone from the true north strong and free ... who speaks with no accent at all. ;)

I have just asked my Oh what he says...and just like a man...he says the opposite to me.He says backwards and forwards........but don't trust what he says...he is an eejit :-))))

Susan who has many pendulums in the house cos other half mends and makes clocks :-)

Edit: Just had a thought...doesn't a pendulum swing from side to side?




oooo....I can feel a song coming on...trala la...London swings like a pendulum do

This Thread is going Backwards!!

Can we please move Forwards?

:0))

Allan

Well,from a proper Northern lass,,,I say back and forth,,been saying it a very long time too....

Hi Janey, well you would find that example, wouldn't you lol? I didn't phrase it very well:

The mouse wasn't actually taking the same peanut back and forth, lol, it was taking a peanut back to it's hideyhole and then coming forth -or maybe fifth when the hedgehogs were around - to grab another peanut which it took back to it's larder and sallied forth again for more.

Haven't found the stash of peanuts but said mouse is probably no more, as o.h. found one quite like it, deceased in the rat trap last week, snapped in the trap. He was hoping I would remove it as he is very squeamish - it was me who had to scrape a dead one off the car tyre once and pick up a dead bird in the garden when I first met him (my hero NOT) but I refused as I was so cross he had caused little mouse to have such an awful end.

Don't worry about ignoring me Janey, it happens lol

Lizx

I was told that the people of Caithness (Scotland) speak the most 'proper' English - one particular (Caithness) lady was amazed that I - an English person - knew when to use 'whom'!! LOL

This discussion has been going back and forth for 24 hours - lol

No DET it's been............

to-ing and fro-ing!!

:0))

Allan

I thought we had progressed to Swinging High and Low!!

I'm beginning to suspect that, unlike the man who threw himself of the top of the Eiffel Tower, we will never reach a conclusion.


Allan