Chrimbo

[mike11111]

Am I the only person who has a violent antipathy to this derogatory, illiterate term for Christmas? I ask this not because of any religious reason, merely out of concern for ignorance and disrespect which may be caused to others.

[Count-A-Strong]

I hate the phrase Xmas but do use chrimbo from time to time. Were a funny lot eh?

[NazNomad]

Yule regret this post, I'm sure.

[mike11111]

Naz, have you opened the Christmas crackers early?

[Count-A-Strong]

Wencleslas time you heard the word chrimbo?

[ll_billym]

It's Christmas without the 'Christ' which is about right for the majority of people.

I personally just think it's a nice bit of holiday with some presents and a few drinking sessions but then I don't love Jesus and if people want to love Jesus then they can have a proper Crimbo in their own special way.

[mike11111]

You are now in serious danger of being suspended for excruciatingly painful jokes. Go back to your day job as a writer for tthe Beano.

[mike11111]

ll_billym
It's Christmas without the 'Christ'
Soz, but do I detect a similarity between the first four letters of Chrimbo and Christ?

[Count-A-Strong]

The Christians nicked the festival off the Pagans anyway.

[DTCwordfan]

whats the imbo bit mean - its the first I have heard of it and it sucks.

[Count-A-Strong]

Type proper crimbo into you tube

[jno]

the -o ending is standard abbreviation, though actually more common in Australia, I think (where rubbish men are garbos). The usual ending in Britain is -y ('cardy').

I think it's probably spelt crimbo and 'Chrimbo' is holly incorrect.

[Jan1957]

If you're not religious who cares what it's called. It's just a few days off work and a chance to eat and drink for non-believers, of which I am one.

[NazNomad]

jno's obsession with the correct spelling is really threeking me out now. :-)

[mike11111]

"Holly incorrect" How appropriate and seasonal. However, as it's a made-up word there is no 'correct' spelling as such. Indeed, I would suggest that Chr is more in tune with the original etymology than Cr.

[boxtops]

Crimbo doesn't have the H of Christmas (not in my book) - at least Xmas ((which I too dislike) has the X-Chi from the Greek, but I don't like the shorthand. Crimbo - to me - just means the commercial side of Christmas, I don't like the expression at all. I acknowledge the religious significance many have for Christmas and I don't think it's right to jazz it up or dumb it down - we don't say Happy Hanniko! or Eidbo! or Diwalibo! for Jews or Muslims or Sikhs.

[boxtops]

This is an interesting derivation, possibly from Bo Selecta, hence the Bo? http://www.thinkypedia.com/question/52821/

[jno]

well, it's been Xmas for years, with only minor mutterings of discontent. I don't say "crimbo" because it sounds like trying to be down wid da yoof, and I don't do that. But, like many pious scribes before me, I do occasionally shorten it to Xmas in writing. (And 'Christmas' itself is a shortened form, in both written and spoken English.)

[boxtops]

Indeed jno, you are right there - a few hundred years ago, mediaeval ABers would have been muttering about the shortening TO "Christmas"!

[sara3]

Crimbo or Crimble.. it's all the same to me. we're not religious but will use it as an excuse to have a nice family day :o)

if I went to church I probably wouldn't say that to the vicar.

[jno]

yea verily boxtopf, the riotouf younger generation hath no refpect for ye olden wayf.