# "Our Hyacynth"?? Use of the word OUR **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751 "2003-04-20T02:07:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/1 "2003-04-20T02:07:26Z")
On the show “Keeping Up Appearances” the charachters us the phrase. “Our Rose is coming to dinner.” or “Our Hyacynth can be a pill” I have never heard any other British show use the term “OUR” in front of a name before. Is that for real? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/2 "2003-04-20T02:28:06Z")
Well, it’s definition 1e in the OED: > [@](#): > > Used familiarly with a Christian name to denote a relative (esp. a child) or acquaintance of the speaker. I’ll leave it to someone from that side of the pond to answer how common the usage is. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/3 "2003-04-20T03:38:02Z")
My grandmother on my father’s side used “our” to refer to relatives. It wasn’t generally constant, but usually as a question when a name was mentioned. (i.e., I saw Mike yesterday. _Our_ Michael?) I live in the States, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/4 "2003-04-20T03:42:47Z")
I’ve read it in English mysteries, especially the older ones. It seems to be used mostly by the working class. BTW, I love “Keeping Up Appearances”! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/5 "2003-04-20T04:15:10Z")
It’s mostly a northern English phenomenon, used, as previous posters said, when referring to a member of one’s family. It’s especially common in Liverpool. I don’t know if the series “Bread” (set in Liverpool) ever made it across the pond, but it was always used in that. I’m not sure where “Keeping Up Appearances” was meant to be set, but certainly the “common” side of the family sounded quite northern. I assume this was deliberate, as northern = common to a lot of (southern) Brits. ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/6 "2003-04-20T04:20:14Z")
Sure, it’s used. I think I’ve heard it on “Coronation Street”, and I’m fairly sure I’ve heard it used in conversation while that side of the pond. Incidentally, I can’t stand “Keeping Up Appearances”. I used to enjoy it, but that woman is so nasty I can’t take it any more. If I could jump through the screen and throttle some sense into her I might watch it again, but being unable to affect the Evil One and those losers that put up with her makes my blood boil. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/7 "2003-04-20T04:20:54Z")
Watch [Billy Elliot](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0249462). Not only is it an excellent, critically loved movie, but it has a gratuitous use of ‘your’ and ‘our’ as adjectival indicators of familial relation. Peace, Your moriah ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/8 "2003-04-20T04:43:10Z")
Can’t you just imagine **TubaDiva** ’s family referring to “Our Humble TubaDiva”? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/9 "2003-04-20T05:21:49Z")
Fierra’s relatives in Birmingham have used this phrasing too when I visited them with her. I’ve also heard it from people we know in Devon and Cornwall. ---
**Author:** ![straykat23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@straykat23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straykat23)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hyacynth-use-of-the-word-our/169751/10 "2003-04-20T05:24:50Z")
It made its way to Ireland as well; just ask our cousin Nellie in Limerick.