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Comments 24

bopeepsheep December 29 2012, 22:54:20 UTC
Adults by their first names - yes, that would be acceptable, as would 'auntie/uncle' if the relationship is close or there's some diplomatic reason to use it.

Parents of a 50-something man: Mum and Dad, most likely, but if he has a tendency to use nicknames and pet names, it might be something more personal. (My grandmother was Mum to one daughter and Blod to the other, for instance.)
His kids would call their parents Mummy/Daddy or Mum/Dad depending on age (the 5 year old might still use the first, but the 11 year olds might consider themselves too old and shorten it).
Grandparents could be anything from a wide selection: Granny, Gran, Grandma, Nana, Nanny, Nan, Grandad, Grandpa, Gramps or Grampy, Poppa - you've not indicated any non-southern-English heritage for him (Somerset only has one M btw) so I wouldn't choose anything less well-known.

Generic pet names for kids could include: sprog(let), monkey, pet(al), cheekychops, poppet.

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jayb111 December 29 2012, 23:01:42 UTC
Can't help with the medical questions, but for names: small children usually start off saying Mummy and Daddy, but by the time they start school or soon after (that is by five or six years old) it usually becomes Mum and Dad. (I know it can vary in different parts of the UK, I'm basing this on what OP has said about the character's background.)

Nanny/Nana/Granny/Grandma, Granddad/Grandpa are the most common names for grandparents, but families often have their own variations.

Children are likely to call a long time friend of the family by his first name. In the past he'd have probably have been Uncle So and So, but I think that would be quite unusual for a young man now. If it was a much older man they might say Uncle John (or whatever his name was).

'Love' is an all purpose term of endearment for women. And there are regional equivalents, but none that would suit your character. Otherwise, I'm not sure UK men really go in for a lot of terms of endearment and nicknames for loved ones.

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wwmrsweasleydo December 29 2012, 23:09:38 UTC
Answering the British pet names part of the question ( ... )

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charlycrash December 30 2012, 00:08:58 UTC
it's quite common for very fond husbands to refer to their wife affectionately as 'The Missus', 'The Ball and Chain', 'Her indoors', or less insultingly, as 'The better half'.

Or even "the enemy".

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reapermum December 29 2012, 23:20:05 UTC
Continuing the pet names, chutch, bug-a-lugs for the children, bab for his sister.

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shark_hat December 30 2012, 09:59:29 UTC
It's buggerlugs, isn't it?
I've not heard "chutch", is that a south-western thing?

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reapermum December 30 2012, 11:10:42 UTC
I'm probably out of the SW, but always thought of chutch as a general term. And since it's not in the OED how you spell bug-a-lugs is personal preference. I thought it meant Big Ears, as an extension of bug for big protruding eyes.

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tari_sue December 30 2012, 11:59:58 UTC
Sorry, I'm from the south west and have never ever heard of chutch, it might be just personal to your family or particular neck of the woods?

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fififolle December 29 2012, 23:24:46 UTC
I'd avoid 'sweetie', 'baby girl', and 'mom' from your lists. They don't feel appropriate for a man of that age in the UK.

I might be falling into a terrible cliched trap of a man from Somerset but he could call his wife 'lover' or 'my lover' *g*
Boy petnames could be 'son', 'lad', or some diminutive of his actual name.
Similarly for the colleague, some diminutive of his actual name might be appropriate, so instead of calling him, say, William, he might call him Billy, even if no one esle does.

Glucagon works within a few minutes, exerting a strong effect in around 10 minutes. It is possible that he could be able to eat and drink almost immediately, and that with simple help could carry on as normal, but it would always be advisable to seek medical help to ascertain his ongoing condition. It's one of those situations where you could make anything work. But if help was available, and he was a sensible person, he'd be checked out in a hospital.

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