In Britain, children are typically raised to use polite language like please and thank you, but social interactions don't always follow these rules. For instance, a direct command like 'Give me that pen' can come across as rude compared to a polite request using 'could you please'. A famous poet, Michael Rosen, recently experienced a boy addressing him in a highly informal manner by saying 'Hey, you're thingy, innit?' while stopping him in the street. This interaction used the word 'thingy' to bridge a memory gap and 'innit' to emphasize a point, which seemingly violated traditional rules of polite social discourse.
Whether an interaction is considered rude depends heavily on how the listener perceives it rather than just the words spoken. Michael Rosen didn't feel insulted by the boy's informal greeting because he interpreted it as a signs of excitement and civility rather than aggression or offense. Politeness serves a greater social purpose by helping individuals integrate and gain acceptance within their community. When a two-year-old child ignored a cook at school, the mother felt significant embarrassment and tried to explain away the behavior as tiredness or boredom. These excuses, often referred to as 'this and that', serve as social buffers when conventional manners aren't met.
English speakers use various expressions to handle informal or potentially awkward social situations. The word 'thingy' is a useful informal placeholder used when a specific name is forgotten, similar to the slang phrases 'what's-his-name' or 'what's-her-name'. To remind someone to be especially careful about their manners, the idiom 'mind your Ps and Qs' is commonly employed. Being 'well-disposed' toward someone indicates a general liking and approval of their presence. Finally, the phrase 'this and that' is used when describing several small, unspecified tasks or events from one's day.