Home Sex & Relationships
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.

"other half"

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
,
«1

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Irritates me too, to no end. We're two wholes fankewwverymuch. But the only time I've heard it in relation to me is when bfs workmates call me his better half :lol: I tend to refer to my boyfriend as my boyfriend, or partner.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think its because you get to a stage in your relationship when you have been with your partner quite a while you don't want to call them your boyfriend or girlfriend as it sounds too high schoolish, and "partner" or "significant other" sounds too formal when you're chatting with your mates down the pub, so people settle on other half.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I say "my other half", I can see why it might irritate people but I think it's cute and it's force of habit at this point :)

    I guess literally it lends itself to the idea of being two halves of a whole but I think it's just another term of endearment in reality. There are two halves of a relationship after all, so I don't think it relates to being incomplete as a person when you're alone.

    I use it interchangeably with loads of other terms: boyfriend, partner etc. I've never really thought about one being more irritating than another...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    FireFly85 wrote: »
    I think its because you get to a stage in your relationship when you have been with your partner quite a while you don't want to call them your boyfriend or girlfriend as it sounds too high schoolish, and "partner" or "significant other" sounds too formal when you're chatting with your mates down the pub, so people settle on other half.

    :yes:

    This is why I'd use it. Boyfriend sounds a bit young person and temporary, partner makes me think same sex but ashamed of it, and significant other is just too much of a mouthful.

    To be honest I don't think too much about what it actually means. To me it's just a throwaway phrase.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You know, it's been that long since I had a long term girlfriend that I have no idea...

    I think I just called her 'my girlfriend', or 't'missus' (as it wound her up). :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It used to irritate me, but I've caught myself referring to my girlfriend as my "better half" when I don't want to let on that I'm with a woman (at certain church functions, or whatever). It just sounds wrong if I call her my "partner". I called her the "Ball and Chain" once, to wind her up, and it worked a bit too well, so I'm not doing that again!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I tend to say other half.

    Boyfriend sounds like Im 12, fiance sounds daft, partner sounds too formal. I hate hate hate people saying "the boy". Maybe I'll just call him thingy.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've never know nayone to use it. Anyone I know either calls them by their real name or says my girlfriend, my boyfriend, my wife, my husband, etc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just call him my fella, other half, whatever comes into my head at the time i suppose.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think I'd just say my boyfriend, or partener or husband or whatever.

    What really annoys me is when men say 'the wife' :mad: sounds really dehumanising.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I tend to call them "the missus" regardless of them being of the male persuasion. Or, "Himself".
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a relationship of 2 people, so half each i suppose. I don't think you can have a relationship with yourself, unless you count wanking.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well I have been with my boyfriend for nearly 4 1/2 yrs and I cringe when I have to say to people my boyfriend, it really does sound so temporary, which our relationship clearly is not! If I say partner I just feel like an idiot because a lot of people seem to think the term partner is code for same sex partner, which again is not right! If we were engaged I would definately use the term fiance, I would love that! I wouldn't call him my lover as that term makes me think of a bit on the side/affairs etc. I don't really have any strong feelings about the term "the other half", I do consider us as a pair or couple and I guess one of us on our own is just part of the whole. Not saying that I am only half a person without him, that would be ridiculous, but I would be only half of the couple that we usually are.
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    I think this all began by the idea that no man or woman is whole, and everyone needs one of the other sex to be whole.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    rachie004 wrote: »
    I call him my other half...


    Or Captain :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hmm I call him Chris :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I call him "the boy" through habit sometimes. Mostly on here :chin:. I sometimes say "my boyfriend" but that sounds weird to say...don't know why. Most of my friends just know him as Rich anyway, though, so it doesn't really matter.

    I think of "other half" as something really long term or married. So I wouldn't call him that. And "partner" does seem like a same-sex relationship, etc etc. What everyone else has said really :p.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I say other half sometimes...
    I don't mean anything by it though, its just a term isnt it!

    Although I say the misses more often than not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I call him my boyfriend mainly. It is a stupid word which reminds me of being in Year 7 and silly girls screaming "Ooohh he touched your hand, he's your BOYFRIENDDDD!" , and I don't like it, but it's what he is. I'm 18, I'd be given odd looks if I introduced him as my partner.

    But yeah, he is my other half as well. I'm a complete person obviously and have my own life, but there are certain parts of my life that don't function without him and vice versa. I'm sure if we broke up they'd go back to normal, but it's just part of our relationship. So "other half" is a good term really.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Franki wrote: »
    I call him "the boy" through habit sometimes. Mostly on here :chin:. I sometimes say "my boyfriend" but that sounds weird to say...don't know why. Most of my friends just know him as Rich anyway, though, so it doesn't really matter.

    I used to call him my boy person.

    I had a friend who called her boyfriend 'him' all the time. I felt really sorry for him, especially since I can't even remember his name since she hardly ever used it.

    I just call my boyfriend James or my boyfriend but more often than not just James, unless the person I'm talking to doesn't know him.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Am I the only one here who doesnt have a problem with the term boyfriend/girlfriend? I've never thought anything about it til reading this thread.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i call my husband "il hubby" or to him i call him my "lover"
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Generally I call him my better half or my fella. Rarely use boyfriend and I hate partner, just sounds too formal and as though you don't really know what they are imo.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Himself :D

    Or Ben.

    Sometimes Boyfriend, sometimes Partner.

    I think it depends on the situation. We live together so i do find boyfriend a little bit... impermanent.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Am I the only one here who doesnt have a problem with the term boyfriend/girlfriend? I've never thought anything about it til reading this thread.

    I don't have a problem with this either.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It originates from Greek Mythology. According to it, humans had 4 arms, 4 legs and a single head with two faces. Zeus got mad and split them in half creating us humans, therefore our "other half" is our true love, soulmate etc etc.
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    Yerascrote wrote: »
    It originates from Greek Mythology. According to it, humans had 4 arms, 4 legs and a single head with two faces. Zeus got mad and split them in half creating us humans, therefore our "other half" is our true love, soulmate etc etc.
    :lol: Really? I've never heard that one!

    Even gods were men and women though, that would mean they were more imperfect than humans at first. :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I hate the word boyfriend too. It makes me feel really young and as if my relationship is very impermenant. I use it sometimes though, because really what else can I call him when talking to people I don't know? Strangely I don't feel the same about him using the word girlfriend. I don't know why...
    To friends I call him all sorts of daft names, or more often by his own name, which I do with everyone who knows what his name is. It is a problem knowing what to call him.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Pink_Angel wrote: »
    Well I have been with my boyfriend for nearly 4 1/2 yrs and I cringe when I have to say to people my boyfriend, it really does sound so temporary, which our relationship clearly is not! If I say partner I just feel like an idiot because a lot of people seem to think the term partner is code for same sex partner, which again is not right! If we were engaged I would definately use the term fiance, I would love that! I wouldn't call him my lover as that term makes me think of a bit on the side/affairs etc. I don't really have any strong feelings about the term "the other half", I do consider us as a pair or couple and I guess one of us on our own is just part of the whole. Not saying that I am only half a person without him, that would be ridiculous, but I would be only half of the couple that we usually are.


    :yes:
Sign In or Register to comment.