UK terminology

[Ireth]

Question for anyone here who's from the UK, particularly England. As a child/teen, when you get/got in trouble, do you use the term "grounded" to refer to things like being confined to one's house or bedroom for a certain time period, losing privileges like internet use or seeing friends, that sort of thing? If being "grounded" is more of an American/Canadian term, what do you use instead?

 

[Gryphos]

For me it was grounded, mainly because I can't really think of an alternative word for it.

 

[teacup]

I'm from the northwest of England, and we use the word "grounded" here. I'd imagine it would be very common in any English speaking country, because as Gryphos said, it's hard to think of an alternative that has the same effect.

 

[Ruby]

Hi Ireth, I'm in London. When someone is "grounded" by their parents or person in authority, it means they have to stay at home and are not allowed to socialise: no parties, nights out etc. it's a punishment for bad behaviour. However, not being allowed to use internet or computers is just a punishment. I hope this helps!

 

[Ireth]

Thanks, everyone! ^^

 

[teacup]

Oh, I should have mentioned I've only heard "grounded" being used to refer to not being allowed to go outside (except for school and such), so I don't know whether it applies to other punishments in England.

 

[CupofJoe]

If you are looking for an older term than "grounded" I was "banished" to my room when I was a whipper-snapper... It meant the same thing, but as a 9yo child there wasn't a whole lot of socialising going on... it mainly meant I had no access to the TV and had to read or do my homework...
Even just being told to "Go to your room" had all the implied"... and you are not going anywhere else..."
Like so many American thing I think "grounded" came to common usage with ET. I don't remember Halloween [we celebrated burning Catholics on Guy Fawkes night instead] as a child until ET and then everyone was doing it... Halloween and not burning Catholics...

 

[ACSmyth]

I'm an older bird, and I agree with grounded being a relatively recent term. I certainly don't remember it from when I was little, although maybe it was among teens who went out of an evening? We just weren't "allowed out to play" LOL!

 

[Hagan]

Pretty much as you describe it, being 'Grounded' and privileges being revoked (80's to 90's kid).

 

[TheMirrorMage]

Yeah it's grounded in the UK.

I don't know if this is because it's been "brought over" with American culture, but I suspect so.

HOWEVER

Wikipedia relates it to the notion of being grounded as a pilot for poor behaviour. So using it in most fantasy settings (if that's what you're looking for - I think you might be looking for an older term?) isn't going to be "realistic", the word wouldn't have evolved without planes, so...

I'd probably go with either "banished" or "confined", if you're looking for a more fantasy-like word for it. Taking from the pilot reference, perhaps "moored" or "ported" as more original/made up words related to sea-faring rather than aeronautics (off the top of my head). Maybe "stabled" for horse-based cultures.

Hope it helps.

 

[HUnewearl Shiro]

Yeah it's grounded in the UK.

I don't know if this is because it's been "brought over" with American culture, but I suspect so.

HOWEVER

Wikipedia relates it to the notion of being grounded as a pilot for poor behaviour. So using it in most fantasy settings (if that's what you're looking for - I think you might be looking for an older term?) isn't going to be "realistic", the word wouldn't have evolved without planes, so...

I'd probably go with either "banished" or "confined", if you're looking for a more fantasy-like word for it. Taking from the pilot reference, perhaps "moored" or "ported" as more original/made up words related to sea-faring rather than aeronautics (off the top of my head). Maybe "stabled" for horse-based cultures.

Hope it helps.

Confined is my favourite. It really suits the idea of not being able to go about your life freely, instead being held against your will. It's also a stronger word than grounded, in my opinion.

 

[Ireth]

Thanks! Grounded or contemporary real-world equivalents are exactly the term I'm looking for; the characters who would be worried about such are teenagers in almost-present-day England. (At least, it was present-day when I started writing back in 2011.)

 

[CupofJoe]

One that I heard last night [and made me laugh out loud for just a moment, much to the chagrin of the target] was "go to the naughty step". I think it is meant for young children but was said to a teenage girl [daughter of a friend] who was deemed to be acting childishly. I know there is an element of added humiliation [or abject lesson depending on your point of view]. What surprised me was that the daughter sat on the stairs and did not use her mobile phone for well over an hour before coming back and apologising.

 

[Chilari]

Just coming here to add, when I was grounded, it was for a length of time measured in weeks, and never shorter than a week. If I just wasn't allowed out on a single day it wasn't refered to as "grounded". I'd get sent to my room for more minor misdemeanors (once without supper, so I ate toothpaste and threw up because you're not meant to eat toothpaste). Getting sent to my room was usually not much of a punishment - unless my parents also confiscated the book I was reading, or there was a TV programme I particularly wanted to watch.