guys who say "the wife" instead of "my wife"

[Skittles]

now what is that all about

[In_The_Wind]

1. Perhaps he kindly thinks of her as the boss.

instead of a possession

[ForrestGump]

2. I don't like it

I wouldn't mind betting that my next old lady wouldn't think much of it, either.

:P



Uh-oh...I bet the old ball-and-chain sees this... :D

[Random_Australian]

3. You bet the old 'Trouble & Strife' will!

[ForrestGump]

4. All I want to do is put me plates of meat up

and tune out 'er indoors and the dustbin lids... :D

Gordon Bennett...

[terrya]

5. They should be taken out and shot.

What, now their love and life partner is some sort of inanimate object? "Here's my home. This is the living room, this is the kitchen and here's the wife".

It's stupid.

[Random_Australian]

6. That is not the implication, here at least.

[Random_Australian]

7. That is not the implication, here at least.

[Left Is Write]

59. That's rather how I feel about it.

[Neoma]

8. Ether way, at least he claims to have one.

[jmm]

9. How true

It's certainly better than guys who have "roommates" or "special friends."

[Random_Australian]

10. I have flatmates, and special friends.... if I have friends that is.

[jmm]

14. Sunday I ran into a guy I use to work with

and hadn't seen in almost a year. To make a long story short I had phone problems around the time I left that job and lost contact with most of my friends from work. I exchanged numbers with him because I was interested to see how he was doing although I honestly was more interested in finding out how others I was even closer to were. He called me that night while I was on a train and we talked until we got disconnected due to bad reception. When I called him back I got his answering machine message stating that he and his wife were not available. I have a feeling his wife (I'm guessing she's the "roommate" he referred to) would not like some of the things he said to me or the voice mail and text messages he has sent.

When I worked in retail plenty of guys with "special friends" would come in shopping for women then have the nerve to hit on me like I didn't see the rings on their fingers or other obvious signs they were married.

[Random_Australian]

16. I could have sworn your screenname was 'Jim'... oops!

You had me confused for a bit there.

I'm not one of the infedility types.

I may soon have a special friend, and perhaps soon my first ever girlfriend!

Life is pretty cool.

[Dangerously Amused]

17. Right. Or they're "separated."

:eyes:

[DrDan]

11. I have always preferred 'the little woman"

a bit more intimate, don't you think?

[realisticphish]

12. Whenever I hear that

I am reminded of a MST3K episode ("The Starfighters" to be exact)
One character says "the wife"
tom: the wife is sure going to be glad to see the me tonight
crow: we're going to have the sex!

[bbernardini]

13. I say it, but I often adapt it...

I just like the way it sounds. It's an entertaining variation. However, I often use a Patton Oswalt-ism and say "the goodly wife".

[Blue_Tires]

15. my cousin says "the wifey"

[tjwmason]

20. Wifey is apparently perfectly acceptable to refer to women in Scotland

When I first went up to university I was surprised to hear one of my new chums (a Scot) using it to refer to women (e.g., shop assistants). But it is fairly widespread and (as far as I could tell) had no negative associations. :shrug:

[Magrittes Pipe]

18. I much prefer "the old ball-and-chain."

:thumbsup:

[jane_pippin]

19. My uncle does that.

I used to think it was weird and wrong, but he and his wife have been together for, oh, I don't know, forty years or so, have six kids, and every time I see them together they seem to be in love with each other so now I just laugh to myself when he says it. I don't know why he does it or what other people are thinking when they say it, but when my uncle does it doesn't bother me, (and, as far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to bother his wife either.)

[AirmensMom]

21. I think it makes them sound like big dumb brutes

with a club in their hand, trying to sound tough. And it doesn't matter if it's "the wife", "the little wife" (:puke:), "the wife" ... it's all demeaning. Why can't guys say, "my wife"? :shrug:

[Iniquitous Bunny]

22. I prefer when he grunts and calls me "woman".

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

23. This is a big deal.... why?

I think a good barometer of "taking things far too seriously" is when one takes umbrage over the use of the most common word in the English language.

[Skittles]

56. not taking umbrage

just curious

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

62. Perhaps, but a lot of people here are, apparently.

Which is pretty sad.

[Skittles]

66. all I can say is

I would not care to be referred to as such, not at all

[Rob H.]

24. Even guys who say "my wife" can drive me crazy

Especially when that's all they ever call them. I always think, "Obviously your wife has a name of her own, so why don't you ever say it?" An acquaintance of mine years ago never referred to his wife as anything other than My Wife--I never met her and to this day I have no idea what her name was.

It seems as if the married women I know always refer to their husbands by name. I don't get it. :shrug:

[B3Nut]

25. I sometimes say My Better-Looking Half

because trust me, it's the truth! :D

"Wifey-poo" sometimes shows up in moments of warped levity...and "hubband" as well...but we're a bit strange. ;)

Also I'll refer to her as The Director of Finance...because I sure as heck can't direct finance worth a damn!

hehehehe

Todd in Beerbratistan

[billyskank]

31. Jesus

You say, "my brother," or "my sister," don't you? Wouldn't you say, "my mum," "my dad," "my son," "my daughter?" So what is wrong with "my wife"?

Some of you just really need to lighten up.

[ScreamingMeemie]

34. Thank you billy. MrG only calls me "my wife" when at work. Our private

life doesn't mix with his job. He doesn't want them knowing a damned thing about us. At his last company, they were stunned to see him with a wedding band on his finger when he came back from our weekend honeymoon. I like it that way. I know he's not talking locker room talk with the guys. We are a private family. :hi: :hug:

[Rob H.]

54. See my response to Left Is Write below

It goes into more detail about why I found it weird.

Maybe "drive me crazy" was a bit over the top--I was just sayin', is all. No offense intended. :)

[Left Is Write]

36. I never say my husband's name here.

I always call him "my husband" or "Mr. LIW".

I say "my husband" if I need to refer to him in conversation and the person/people I'm talking to aren't necessarily familiar with his name. Talking to friends and family, of course I use his name.

[Rob H.]

53. That's just it

I wouldn't expect someone to mention his/her spouse's name on an internet message board, but I hung out with this guy, off and on, for the better part of a year before I moved out of state and he never mentioned his wife's name once. My other friends and acquaintances usually refer to their spouses or whomever they're dating by name. It just struck me as a little weird that he never did, is all.

He was/is a fundagelical, too, which I later found out from a mutual friend. It made me wonder if he referred to her just as "my wife" as his way of claiming her as property. (I know it might sound crazy to wonder that, but bear in mind that I live in the Bible Belt, so believe it or not, it's entirely possible.)

[ScreamingMeemie]

38. MrG is always "my husband"... Only friends, and a few DUers know

his real name.

[Ariana Celeste]

50. I always call my SO "My SO", "the man", or

my "hubby". Because people who don't know him aren't going to know who I'm referring to if I call him by name. And I certainly will not call him by his name to people who I don't know personally.
He does the same referring to me. I am his wife, or his old lady, or whatever.
I really don't see how it's a big deal.

On edit: not while talking to him of course.....

[miss_american_pie]

26. Eh, my husband refers to me that way

when talking with his friends.

Just so long as he remembers he's got a wife, I don't really care. :)

[m_welby]

27. what a strange thing to comment on

I refer to my spouse as 'the wife', among other things. Online she is regulary referred to as 'SWMBO' (She Who must Be Obeyed - from the Movie 'She').

It doesn't seem to bother her at all. I call her all sorts of things randomly. Of course we've been happliy married for over 25 years now. y'know why? Because we don't get freaked about stupid crap like the difference between 'the wife' and 'my wife'.

We also refer to each other as cutie, sweetie, honey, b**ch, and a****le, Big deal.

[Skittles]

57. not freaked out

just curious

[skygazer]

28. Meh.... beats "the old lady"

I don't know - this is not something that's ever bothered me. Actually, "my wife" has sort of a possessive sound to it and could have potential to bug me more, depending on use and context (like when it's used with someone who knows the woman - why not use her name?).

"The wife" sounds more to me like a playful nickname. And in a relationship, playful nicknames are good. Ours are "beastmaster" and "godzilla."

[DBoon]

29. She would rather be called by her first name

but I point out there are many women named Karen, but that I have only one wife, making "my wife" unique.

To which she replies, "You damn well better only have one wife."

[Jokerman]

30. How about a grown man who calls his wife "mommy"

Creeps me out. I prefer calling my SO by her NAME.

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. My husband will call me Mama sometimes. We have kids. Not like

I'm his Mama, but I AM a Mama...

[Midlodemocrat]

45. Ha. I can beat that, Mrs. G.

My FIL calls me 'Mama'.

Drives.Me.Nuts.

I have a name, fucktard. (no, I wouldn't really say that)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

44. Now that's just WEIRD.

:crazy:

[JVS]

49. Or women who call the husband daddy

[Left Is Write]

55. Ask the Reagans about that.

[ProfessorGAC]

32. Not Me!

I never say that. And even worse is the phrase "The Little Woman". I think that's just a stupid thing to say.
The Professor

[matcom]

33. me neither

i prefer "the good skirt in the kitchen" :D

[Midlodemocrat]

46. Yeah, I meant to ask you.

How'd that Barefoot Mrs.Matcom thing work for you? I'm guessing not so well.

[matcom]

47. well she is still greyhoundless

so, not TOO bad :D

[Left Is Write]

35. Drives me up the wall.

My husband used to do it. To the best of my knowledge, he has dropped that irritating habit.

[ScreamingMeemie]

37. My brother in law calls his wife "Lumpy"...now that I wouldn't stand for.

;)

[Left Is Write]

39. Lumpy Grumpy?

:crazy:

[ScreamingMeemie]

41. She's more of a MrsLumpy than a Grumpy. She's married to my husband's

brother so I don't have to claim relation...and I don't. ;)

[mduffy31]

40. Were pricks

[WritingIsMyReligion]

43. "The wife" can be playful.

On the flip side, "my wife" can be seen as possessive.

So there's the good and the bad to both.

:shrug:

[Left Is Write]

58. "My wife"

isn't any more possessive than "my mom" or "my dad" or "my kids" or "my sister".

[WritingIsMyReligion]

63. Yeah, but you know how we uppity women can get...

"YOU DON'T OWN ME!!"

:D :P

[Left Is Write]

65. Well, as a married uppity woman...

I prefer my husband say "my wife" rather than "the wife".

:)

[JVS]

48. That dreadful hag I married

that's what I always say ;-)

[sinkingfeeling]

51. Ownership of a 'thing'.

[Ariana Celeste]

52. my SO and I do that...

it's in an affectionate way, though. And playful. :). Also in a joking manner. Just depends on the person saying it. :hi:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

60. Topped only by the husband (I know)

who informed the doctor doing his wife's breast biopsy to be careful because "that's my playground."

argggggg

[WritingIsMyReligion]

64. WTF?

:wtf:

[Jade Fox]

61. It makes it sound like all wives are interchangable.....

or it's a subtle way of disowning and distancing yourself from your own wife.

It always gave me the creeps when my dad said it, but that may be more about my dad.