Language Evolves To Avoid Possible Offence?

[sunny-dave]

Watching a recent Doc Martin last night (is Clunes entirely well, his face is becoming more and more like a 'skull with ears'?) - I noticed that when Doc was approaching a small child with a hypodermic, the parent reassured her using the phrase "only a little scratch".

I would always have expected the phrase 'only a little prick' - after all it is an injection, not a scratching process.

A quick poll of the others watching (including a medic) said that 'scratch' is now the norm - so we lose clarity (and another potential 'Carry On' moment) to the gods of political correctness.

The emasculation and drift to ever increasing blandness of our once rich English phraseology and language continues ...

[murraymints]

eh ? LOL

[aelmpvw]

'only a little prick' could confuse the child into thinking their parent was talking about the doctor

[ummmm]

I only ever remember it as 'only a little scratch'

[corylus]

Nurses would know what you mean re: doctors/medical students!

[pixie374]

Me too... Have you used the phrase a lot, Dave? ;-)

[douglas9401]

Fear not! They'll never take 'prick up your ears'.

[pixie374]

... Because "cock your ear" isn't much better...

[murraymints]

This will hurt just a bit..were the words I remember..

[sunny-dave]

I'm old enough to remember Smallpox vaccinations - which were actually explained to us children as being different - 'just a little scratch' - because they were a surface vaccination.

Everything else was 'a little prick' because it was an injection.

[Mamyalynne]

'A sharp scratch' is the term I hear most and has been for a long time.

[Spicerack]

People said 'its only a small prick' to me.

[murraymints]

have needle phobia now.. I think because of childhood memories..our nurse was not a gentle sort...

[sunny-dave]

I do remember one charming GP - a personal friend in later years - who (the very first time we met professionally) said :

"Sorry old boy - need to check the rear lobby" - and had completed the procedure before I worked out what exactly he meant ...

[Mamyalynne]

People can be so hurtful Spice.

[aelmpvw]

60 years ago when i was a child the nurse kept a bowl of smarties on her desk as a bribe for children receiving inoculations, apparently i told her where she could stick her ******* smarties

[murraymints]

except the blue ones ? like them

[sunny-dave]

While we have the Scots in attendance - why do you call injections "Jags" rather than "Jabs"?

[murraymints]

cos they are Jaggy jaggy ouch ouch !

[gness]

Nurses got fed up with the following, Dave.....

Nurse: You'll just feel a little prick.
Man: Well that'll be a change from what I normally feel, love....

[THECORBYLOON]

If a wee one has never had a jag, it's unlikely they'd know what a prick would be but they'd know what a scratch is.