10 most common Christmas sayings...
and what they really mean!
It's that time of year again when the actor in all of us makes an appearance. From pretending we're pleased with another pair of socks, to offering our services in the kitchen, Christmas is a time when we are most likely to say something...but mean something else. Talking the language of Christmas is the challenge.
From "oh, just what I've always wanted," to "no, I really couldn't manage another mince pie", Christmas is a time when communication is anything but simple. New research from Vodafone UK reveals the top ten most common sayings we're likely to say or hear this Christmas - and what we actually mean by them.
Top of the list is "just what I've always wanted", which is uttered most often, though not that convincingly as three in four of us immediately assume they mean just the opposite. Other Top 10 fake festive phrases revealed by the research include: "no, of course the turkey isn't overdone," and "of course I'm not drunk" which has a believability rating of less than 5%!
The festive text message also features in the Top 10: "I won't be home late" and "be there in a minute" are the two statements that we most often send in the full knowledge that we're not telling the truth. The manner in which we avoid certain situations is also surprising, with 19% of us admitting we would rather text or phone our partner to let them know we're going to the pub instead of coming home to cosy up on the couch, than deal with them face-to-face.
Actress and top Mock the Week comedienne Lucy Porter is determined to wade through the verbal minefield this year. She says, "I get quite excited about Christmas and I have been reading the Vodafone research about the language of Christmas. It's interesting that we communicate in different ways and have to deal with various issues - buying and receiving presents, cooking Christmas lunch, dealing with relatives who wish to help you out in the kitchen, chatting with colleagues at the office party and when out for a drink... Christmas is a linguistic minefield and an entertaining time for communication'.
