Hows your partner??

Nuttzz

I was asked today, for some reason the term partner really bugs me, since when did my gf and I move to the wild west or set up a partnership????

At what point does a GF/BF become a "partner"? A friend of mine started talking about her partner they were going out for a month.

Perhaps im just a grumpy sod

Karoma

Who asked you? Perhaps they were uncertain as to your sexual orientation.

Ruu_Old

Partner seems a bit too business-ey for my liking. Maybe when two people move in together or share something, I dunno.

Talliesin

Nuttzz wrote:

I was asked today, for some reason the term partner really bugs me, since when did my gf and I move to the wild west or set up a partnership?

Presumably they assumed you had set up a partnership rather than just being something that isn't too serious.

Besides it's too tricky to remember whether to ask "how's your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband/shag buddy/paramour/patrona/mistress/master/slave/dom/domme/subby/main squeeze". It's hard enough to remember whether someone has 0, 1 or more partners.

embee

When we had a baby.

I never called him my "partner" up to now, but since we had the child, he gets referred to as my "partner" in certain circumstances.

daiixi

Depends on the person I'm talking/referring to as to what I will call their significant other/other half/better half etc. E.g. it feels pretty weird to refer to the long term live in boyfriend of a fourty year old friend as their "boyfriend". "Partner" just seems more apt.

humbert

I suppose it's either laziness or political correctness, it's rather impersonal either way.

Cake Fiend

And here I was wondering whether I should be worried that herself introduces me as her 'piece of ass'...

Exit

Cake Fiend wrote:

And here I was wondering whether I should be worried that herself introduces me as her 'piece of ass'...

Depends on what part of the ass she's talking about. If it's the asshole, then you should worry.

Bob the Builder

[SIZE=-1]Partner: Short for "life partner". Gender-free, hetero-assumption-free term for someone with whom one is involved, usually in a primary relationship. (2)

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Girlfriend: The term girlfriend is usually used in one of two senses, each implying a kind of intimate friendship: *When describing a girl or woman as "girlfriend" of a heterosexual woman, it is usually used in terms of very close friends. It usually has no sexual or romantic connotation in that sense of its usage. ...

..I know, i know, I cheated, I used Google...:(. But now we know, if someone says, hows your partner, you can assume, they are asking you if you are homosexual....:D
[/SIZE]

Exit wrote:

Depends on what part of the ass she's talking about. If it's the asshole, then you should worry.

Definetley wouldn't be a good sign!

Black Swan

Partner? Sure. I call em a lot of things (almost always good).

Sparky

Me bleedin' burd!


I think when you have something serious to share, ie like a baby as embee pointed out, then that's where partners seems to sound better.

zuutroy

nevf wrote:

[SIZE=-1]When describing a girl or woman as "girlfriend" of a heterosexual woman, it is usually used in terms of very close friends. It usually has no sexual or romantic connotation in that sense of its usage. ...

"Don't go there, girlfriend"....accompanied by hand movement as if cleaning a window.

Irjudge1

embee wrote:

When we had a baby.

I never called him my "partner" up to now, but since we had the child, he gets referred to as my "partner" in certain circumstances.

Same here, once the kids came along we became partners. Never bothered me or my partner/girlfriend/missus (all the same person by the way) one way or another how people referred to us even if it was husband and wife.

"Significant other" is the only one that I don't like because it just sounds ridiculous, as if they shouldn't be named.

The only thing worse would be an "insignifcant other". That would hurt that would.

hunnymonster

I had a really bizzarre conversation with my car insurance company last year. I could insure my "partner" on my policy for nothing but they wanted about 200 euro to insure my "boyfriend" even though there were no differences in the requirements for the two positions. Needless to say, he's my partner for car insurance purposes.

CathyMoran

I think of the term partner as someone who is in a serious long term relationship wheras girlfriend/boyfriend is a less serious relationship, but that is just me - luckily I can refer to my partner as my husband now.

senordingdong

Nuttzz wrote:

I was asked today, for some reason the term partner really bugs me, since when did my gf and I move to the wild west or set up a partnership????

At what point does a GF/BF become a "partner"? A friend of mine started talking about her partner they were going out for a month.

Perhaps im just a grumpy sod

How many days did she have left untill retirement?

Miguel_Sanchez

Special Lady is the preferred nomenclature round my neck of the woods.


Personally when I'm asking how someone's boyfriend/girlfriend is I use their name. As in "How's Sharon?" or "How's Mike gettin on?"

Lust4Life

Posted by Nuttzz:
since when did my gf and I move to the wild west or set up a partnership????

Did you respond with "Woah, Thar, Cowboy! She's just my Philly!"

Andrew 83

I'd always refer to her by her name or, for someone who doesn't know her name, as my girlfriend.

darkflower

Partner is fine. it takes a little time to get use to it though.;)

Talliesin

I suppose it depends on how old you are. I'm only 30 so I grew up with that expression being the norm.

ferdi

people who have 'partners' instead of 'gfs/bfs' are the same people who have 'issues' instead of 'problems'.

i hate the term personally, politically correct wishy washy nonsense - your living in sin and no ammount of vague terminology will change that.

when women say they have a partner its when 'boyfriend' sounds a little too flimsy because secretly they were wishing they could say 'husband'.

when men say they have a partner its when their girlfriend has told them to say partner.

faceman

I like the term 'partner'. to me it signifies your relationship is serious (more so than a casual term like girlfriend) Just because someone isnt married doesnt mean their relationship is not as serious. imho of course.

iguana

faceman wrote:

I like the term 'partner'. to me it signifies your relationship is serious (more so than a casual term like girlfriend) Just because someone isnt married doesnt mean their relationship is not as serious. imho of course.

Referring to the man who I live with and share a bank account with as a boyfriend just seems to say that our relationship is less than it is. I had boyfriends when I was 5. Then proper boyfriends as a teenager and in my early twenties, back when I was living with my parents. To me boyfriend is synonymous with carefree, easygoing times.

When you live with someone you make important life decisions together, you are the person they rely on when things are bad for them and they are for you. That is a partnership and as such I think partner is a nice way to describe each other. It says, "we're in this life together" I still refer to my husband as my partner sometimes.

rediguana

Nuttzz wrote:

I was asked today, for some reason the term partner really bugs me, since when did my gf and I move to the wild west or set up a partnership????

At what point does a GF/BF become a "partner"? A friend of mine started talking about her partner they were going out for a month.

Perhaps im just a grumpy sod

I don't like the term 'partner' either. It doesn't make things seem very sexy.

Also, if someone mentions that they have a 'partner', I assume they're gay.

kizzyr

Myself and my boyfriend are both 29, have been together for almost 8 years now and have been living together for almost 4 years but NEVER refer to each other as partner. Yuck yuck yuck I hate that word, it really makes things sound like a business arrangement IMHO and if people need to use the word "partner" to make people think their relationship is serious then they have other, more pressing problems.

Bateman

Don't have a problem with the phrase partner myself.

Oh, and she's in foul humour.

senordingdong

Talliesin wrote:

I suppose it depends on how old you are. I'm only 30 so I grew up with that expression being the norm.

I would have thought it was a recent tren in an attempt to not offend same sex couples.

Irjudge1

ferdi wrote:

people who have 'partners' instead of 'gfs/bfs' are the same people who have 'issues' instead of 'problems'.

i hate the term personally, politically correct wishy washy nonsense - your living in sin and no ammount of vague terminology will change that.

when women say they have a partner its when 'boyfriend' sounds a little too flimsy because secretly they were wishing they could say 'husband'.

when men say they have a partner its when their girlfriend has told them to say partner.

:eek:

Living in sin. Excellent!!:rolleyes:

Talliesin

I don't think same-sex couples are more likely to be offended if you accidentally say "boyfriend" when you should have said "girlfriend" or vice versa than opposite-sex couples.

If anything straights seem to be more likely to be annoyed if you accidentally assume they are gay. Straights are so damn touchy, tbh.

Red Hand

"Partner" seems very dry and formal to me, personally. Very business-like. I'd much rather someone using the person's name or b/f/g/f.

Reminds me of Father Ted, "Song for Ireland".


Producer-He's my partner.

Ted-Your business partner?

Producer-No? Hes my lover.

A little bit later

Ted-Ah, sure it must be great! The whole rough-and-tumble of homosexuality!


Brilliant!:p

ferdi

Irjudge1 wrote:

Living in sin. Excellent!!

You may think so now but it wont be so excellent when your burn for eternity in HELL!!!!!

Nuttzz

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote:

"Partner" seems very dry and formal to me, personally. Very business-like. I'd much rather someone using the person's name or b/f/g/f.

exactly and its worse when kids are involved, it sounds like they have shares in them!

Jimoslimos

Nuttzz wrote:

exactly and its worse when kids are involved, it sounds like they have shares in them!

Yep, and the woman always has the 50.1% controlling stake

Seriously though its gf for me and we've been going out for close on 7 years. The word "partner" makes me feel old, and I'm not ready to be old.

Dreamer 7

When i was having my kids they always called him my husband (were engaged) and I never corrected them. To me partner is either business or same sex couple

NextSteps

iguana wrote:

Referring to the man who I live with and share a bank account with as a boyfriend just seems to say that our relationship is less than it is. I had boyfriends when I was 5. Then proper boyfriends as a teenager and in my early twenties, back when I was living with my parents. To me boyfriend is synonymous with carefree, easygoing times.

When you live with someone you make important life decisions together, you are the person they rely on when things are bad for them and they are for you. That is a partnership and as such I think partner is a nice way to describe each other. It says, "we're in this life together" I still refer to my husband as my partner sometimes.

Yeah, it's a tricky one. He's my partner when I'm talking to Eircom or someone I want to take us seriously as joint house owners or whatever, or if I want to imply that it's a long-term, marriage-like thing. But it's a lousy term. But then 'husband' doesn't appeal either - feels very old!

nesf

embee wrote:

When we had a baby.

I never called him my "partner" up to now, but since we had the child, he gets referred to as my "partner" in certain circumstances.

Same here, it's less awkward than saying fiancee (which is just cumbersome imho).

Flukey

If someone introduced someone with them as their partner, the natural question for me to ask them is "What business are you both in?" There is nothing wrong with using terms like boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, fiance, fiancee etc. For the record, I don't have a partner. I am self-employed.

Tazz T

I'd say people are partners when they're in the business of raising children together. Up until then it's bf and gf having a bit or craic and the only business conducted is lending each other money occasionally.

qz

Mine calls me her 'teammate' for some reason
As long as the sex is routine, I don't think it matters all that much.

Flukey

So qz, do you score often?

bug

I'm 28 and the first time I heard it was a few years ago, he was a fifty year old homosexual man. They did have a lot of investments together and incidently some business arrangements.

Since then I've heard people my own age and in work say it and it takes on a whole other dimension to me. Its like their trying to cement it together for other people, as if the term gf or bf is just too flimsy for them.

I dunno whatever floats your boat, I don't really like it though.

I call him by his name, mostly, and whatever else I call him would just appears as asterix here.