Referring to high street establishments by a diminutive term

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McDonalds as "Maccy D's", William Hill as "Willy's", Marks and Spencer as "Marks and Sparks"... is this ever defensible?

Also, suggest other new terms for high street stores in this thread.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

What specifically does "high street establishments" mean? Is it a catch-all term for shopping-dining district?

― Truckdrivin' Buddha (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 15:44 (twenty years ago)

It wasn't until only fairly recently that I realised that "Marks and Sparks" was not the shop's proper name!

― Masonic Boom (kate), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 15:45 (twenty years ago)

Bought some socks from the 'qlo last nite.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

Fancy a sandwhich at Pret?

― chap who would dare to thwart the revolution (chap), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

Only if we can follow it with a drink at Spoony's.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 16:03 (twenty years ago)

Then we can maybe catch a few dances at the Rhino.

― chap who would dare to thwart the revolution (chap), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

Why would it not be defensible?

― Anti-Pope Consortium (noodle vague), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

i figure'd we could get some breakfast croissants at the BK Lounge?

― pete d, Tuesday, 2 August 2005 16:29 (twenty years ago)

nicknames longer than the real name: classic
jack in the crack
crack in the box...

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 17:36 (twenty years ago)

Sometimes my grandma pronounces Target "tar-JHAY".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

I pronounce it "targay"

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

"Wally World"

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:25 (twenty years ago)

Sometimes my grandma pronounces Target "tar-JHAY".

dude everybody pronounces it "tar-jhay"! your grandma is everybody.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:28 (twenty years ago)

Mickey D's
BK Lounge
Taco Hell
Wally World
Tar-jhay
Pizza Butt
I-BARF

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:34 (twenty years ago)

Haha trememdoid did you start calling it that after watching Menace II Society? I did. Some Canadian ones:

Tim Horton's = Timmy Ho
Earl's = any barfing noise
Mac's = Le Couche Tard (that's what they're actually called in Quebec but I say it to sound like I'm going to a snazzy afterhours instead of going to buy Zig Zags and iced tea

― LeCoq (LeCoq), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

I've never heard of an Earl's, but if a barfing noise would work for it, I think calling it "Hurls" would work as well.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:41 (twenty years ago)

none of my pals know what i mean when i call H&M 'Hennies'. my girlfriend recently explained this to me: girls say Hennies, boys say H&M. which makes me a complete girl. not that i go there anymore, since they removed the boys' department *sob*

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 07:39 (twenty years ago)

Is Hennies a contraction of H&M or did it change its name from Hennies to H&M? I think I thought it was the latter but I realise I've never seen a shop with "Hennies" over the door.

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 07:43 (twenty years ago)

h&m is the shortened term tho! it's hennes and moritz, or something. my g/f calls it hennes, and yes i call it h&m.

'woolies'

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 07:44 (twenty years ago)

TK-Maxx = Tinky Maxx around these parts.

― Craig Gilchrist (Craig Gilchrist), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 07:44 (twenty years ago)

b..b..but Hennies is quicker to say than H&M. so which is shorter, really?

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 07:48 (twenty years ago)

either way, i'm still a big girl.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 07:49 (twenty years ago)

A mate of mine always refers to BK as "Buggery-King"; which, although amusing, is longer than the original name and so doesn't count.

― Stone Monkey (Stone Monkey), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 09:44 (twenty years ago)

IT'S ALL AT THE CO-OP NOW

THE WONDER OF WOOLIES

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 09:46 (twenty years ago)

When I was a little tiny C J, I used to mispronounce Marks & Spencer as "Marks Expensive".

Dorothy Perkins always used to be Dottie P's. Does Dorothy Perkins still exist? I don't think I've seen one for about ten years.

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 09:49 (twenty years ago)

http://www.webdjsitalodisco.ch/Vinilcovers/David_MarkTracy_Spencer-Follow_You.jpg

― stockholm cindy (from norway) (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 09:54 (twenty years ago)

there's a 'Dottie P' in southend, so yeah.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 09:58 (twenty years ago)

Mingies

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:08 (twenty years ago)

Yeah but that was the way you were supposed to pronounce it - John Mingies!

Some names take to abbreviations whereas others do not. You never hear anyone say they're going to get the paper out of Smithy's.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:12 (twenty years ago)

b-but that's how you are supposed to pronounce it!

(xpost because I do not type fast enough)

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:12 (twenty years ago)

I know. It's still "diminutive" as it omits "John "

Anyway, I just wanted to say Mingies because it sounds great.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:15 (twenty years ago)

C&A always got called Coats'n'Ats in our family.

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:16 (twenty years ago)

Oh, our lost Celtic letters...

― Masonic Boom (kate), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:16 (twenty years ago)

We used to call C&A "Cheap and Awful". Which was unfair, because it wasn't entirely awful.

Oh wait, yes it was.

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:23 (twenty years ago)

i say "Canda" to myself in my head, but never out loud.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)

Harvey Nicks

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:45 (twenty years ago)

i call Debenhams "Debbinghams" because it annoys my girlfriend. but that doesn't count.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 10:46 (twenty years ago)

Some Scots not only say "Tesco's" for Tesco, "Safeway's" for Safeway etc. but even "Morrisons's" for Morrisons.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

Morrisonses? I like that, I think I'm going to nick it.

― Masonic Boom (kate), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:52 (twenty years ago)

And Sainsburyses?

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

When I was on jury service at the Old Bailey some fifteen summers ago, the prosecuting counsel repeatedly referred to Tesco as "Tescos" as in rhymes with "Lesbos." He also wrote the word Heinz (as in Baked Beans) as "HIENZ" and pronounced it as "Hientz."

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

And Sainsburyses?

My colleague says possibly.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

But bear in mind that it's only in recent years that the firm has tried to get down cuddly with its consumers and branded its stores "Sainsbury's". So people might still be used to adding a single 's' to the old "JS Sainsbury".

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:58 (twenty years ago)

IT'S ALL AT THE CO-OP NOW

The Co

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 11:58 (twenty years ago)

Ah yes, the co.

I was giving out to them about that. "It's already an abbreviation of co-operative Movement! Why not go the whole hog and just call it 'c'?"

Scots are so lazy.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:02 (twenty years ago)

"Boots's" is another.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:03 (twenty years ago)

Scots are so lazy.
We are N... ah fuck it, can't be arsed.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

I don't really think they're lazy. I think they are more keen on making names sounds all homely, though.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)

When I worked for Arcadia all the staff abbreviated the store names e.g. Tops for TopShop (not TopM for TopMan though), Miss S for Miss Selfridge, DPs for Dorothy Perkins. Poor old Evans & Burtons didn't have abbreviated versions.

― Emma, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:07 (twenty years ago)

That reminds me - Dotty P's.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:11 (twenty years ago)

Tap Shoap: the joy of the west coast Scottish accent encapsulated. cf. also Clatty Pats.

― lazyjane, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 12:54 (twenty years ago)

Classic when the name goes through many permutations amongst your friends so as to be unrecognisable.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

Top Shop = Toe Show, right?

When I was young I called Frreemen Hardy Willis, the shoe shop, "Free Hard Willy". Don't ask. Really.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:07 (twenty years ago)

I still think it's weird that Britishes call it "TK Maxx."

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:11 (twenty years ago)

Er... what is it called there then? This is going to be a revelation I can tell.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

TJ Maxx. I don't know why they're different.

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:14 (twenty years ago)

JR Maxx

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

TK Maxx is so depressing.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)

http://www.siglandia.net/Immagini/TF%20USA/tj%20hooker.jpg

ihttp://www.dynamicforces.com/images/maxx-tpb3.jpg

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

B3ta Maxx, surely

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

"Tescos" is non-standard?!

surely everyone sez lets go to tescos

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 15:31 (twenty years ago)

Sometimes my grandma pronounces Target "tar-JHAY".

-- nickalicious

Yeah, I was just about to say that Nick's Tar-jhay is similar to the UK Toh Show, but then Charlie beat me to it.

Hennes has no i people! Get your Swedish names sorted! (I really want to test the Hennes vs H&M gender gap).

― Anna (Anna), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone say "let's go to tesco" rather than "let's go to tesco's"? Most supermarkets are like that with the posessive s though, the only one I can think of that isn't is Waitrose.

Saying 'Hennies' is awful twee, in a wrong way; I say 'Hennes' usually, but have been mocked by both genders for not using H&M, which seems to have become standard. Never heard the gender-gap theory before.

― spontine (cis), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

it's cute when people add on the possessive "apostrophe + s" when the store doesn't even bear a person's name. there's a grocery here called c-town and i used to know someone who would always go shopping at "c-town's."

― stockholm cindy (from norway) (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 17:32 (twenty years ago)

or, like, "kentucky fried chicken's"!

― stockholm cindy (from norway) (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

Hennes has no i people! Get your Swedish names sorted! (I really want to test the Hennes vs H&M gender gap).

my favorite little hoity-toity takeaway in the neighborhood is called lassen and hennigs. (no apostrophe, mind.)

― stockholm cindy (from norway) (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

We were interviewing a high-school girl last week and she said she worked at B-Dog's..short for BW3's (long for BW3, short for .. who cares..)

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

C on Town?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

Saying 'Hennies' is awful twee, in a wrong way; I say 'Hennes' usually

Hang on - are you positing a difference in pronunciation between "Hennes" and "Hennies"?

I used to call it Hennes, when it was more clearly branded Hennes & Mauritz. Then it got huge and everywhere and everyone started referring to it as H&M and when I said Hennes some people didn't know what I was talking about, so I gave up and started calling it H&M too.

Sorry for the Dottie P's repetition upthread.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

Yes! 'Hennies' vs Hennis/Hennus/Henners/however else you semi-phoneticise 'Hennes' when the last e isn't pronounced as an I. I have no idea what the correct Swedish pronunciation is, but I don't like the way 'Hennies' sounds.

― spontine (cis), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

I never thought of "Hennies" as a twee version of "Hennes". I just thought that was how it was pronounced, allowing for a bit of natural anglicisation.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 August 2005 20:13 (twenty years ago)

Once some American tourists asked me where WH Smith's was but they pronounced the WH as "WER Smith's". A different thing entirely, but I like it when Americans shorten tube names as well: Leicester, Tottenham, Oxford, Liverpool etc.

― coral/coral/coral, Wednesday, 3 August 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

For a long time I didn't know that H&M stood for anything at all! So perhaps I will break the gender gap on the Hennies/H&M thing. Sigh.

C-Town's? Wow, everyone I knew just called it Crud-Town. Mine was the particularly stinky one by the E/F/G subway on 21st St. Now LIC has gone all upscale, I expect it's been replaced by a Food Emporium or something.

― Masonic Boom (kate), Thursday, 4 August 2005 07:41 (twenty years ago)

many xpost

It's called TK Maxx here because the company couldn't copyright TJ Maxx as it's already under copyright by a (I believe) carpeting firm in the UK.

― Craig Gilchrist (Craig Gilchrist), Thursday, 4 August 2005 11:01 (twenty years ago)

i hear people call it Hennies, i join in and call it Hennies. how am i supposed to know it's actually Hennes, let alone the pronounciation - it says H&M on the sign. so i'm twee. sue me.

― g-kit (g-kit), Thursday, 4 August 2005 11:11 (twenty years ago)

I always call W.H. Smiths 'Wuhsmiths', because it doesn't have proper punctuation.

― mei (mei), Thursday, 4 August 2005 11:17 (twenty years ago)

i went to buy some pencils the other day and was kinda shocked to see WH Smiths selling cigarettes.

― g-kit (g-kit), Thursday, 4 August 2005 11:18 (twenty years ago)

Sometimes I call it 'Wuhuhsmiths'.

― Raston Warrior Robot (alix), Thursday, 4 August 2005 11:20 (twenty years ago)

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