Man flu - do YOU know what it really means....?

[joko]

i'm just curious - i already know what it really means...(the notion of the minor cold that gets exaggerated to be an almost fatal illness - by men).

but wondered if its widely misunderstood...or just a few.

because i have noticed a number of people - men and women - claiming to have it because they believe it means an extra strong serious type of flu that only tough men get ... much worse than just normal flu....
they claim to have it when they feel extremely bad - not realising that claiming it really means there is nothing much wrong with them

how many here thought that too?

i have noticed a few times that common phrases seem to often be misunderstood and used to mean the opposite of their original meaning - such as i have heard people use the term "sight for sore eyes" as an insult! - rather than its true meaning that the sight of the person is so welcome and pleasant it soothes sore eyes...

and i've noticed jeremy kyle saying "water under the bridge" to mean far too many bad things have happened between two people that they cant get past them - rather than that the things are in the past and forgotten

cheers

[woofgang]

Nope I understand all those in their original form.

[boxtops]

You could be right, joko - on the flu front, it's irritating when people say "I have a touch of flu" - if you've got flu, you know about it -- if there's a £10 note on the floor, and you don't care, it's flu.

[askyourgran]

Man flu is the worst thing in the world to afflict a bloke, to bring him to his knees, to let him lose the sight of his wallet for a few days. It is all the fault of their blessed mothers for coddling them when they feel slightly under the weather. Bah humbug.

[ABerrant]

I have never encountered "man flu". Perhaps I am an anomoly in having worked with men who, on the whole, turn up for work when greatly debilitated (e.g. broken jaw, broken fingers, all manner of illnesses) and women who fail to turn up because they have decided to take a "duvet day".

[joko]

oh yes there are definitely two types - the ones who need an ambulance for a headache - because its a tumour of course... and then the ones like the knight in monty python who think you can just 'walk off' a broken leg, or a missing limb is a flesh wound...

i have never heard of anyone taking a day off work just for a duvet day though...i thought they were just lazing about on proper days off...

[rojash]

Man flu: Feels sorry for himself, takes to his bed, looks after himself, fit for work in three days, infects maybe 1 or 2 others.

Woman flu: Struggles on, acts like a martyr, goes to work, infects all her co-workers, goes shopping. Fully recovered in three weeks, infects between 30 and 300 others.

[cazzz1975]

a lot of women have no choice but to soldier on normally rojash, especially if they have a family to look after. men are normally fortunate enough to have the luxury of just going to bed and moaning.

[owdhamer]

Lack of sympathy

[rojash]

a lot of men have no choice but to soldier on normally cazzz1975, especially if they have a family to feed. women are often fortunate enough to have the luxury of just going to bed, but they prefer moaning.

[douglas9401]

rojash: Yup! All this gender stereotyping's from the past. The strong matriarchal figure holding the family together is now the Lady down at Tesco in her pyjamas buying Lambert and Butler before going back to be to watch the soaps cos she's ACTUALLY dying but nobody dares challenge the myth.
Yes ladies, generalisation's a beeatch innit?

[birdie1971]

@Boxtops - “... You could be right, joko - on the flu front, it's irritating when people say "I have a touch of flu" - if you've got flu, you know about it...”

I agree. I have had numerous heavy colds (ie. man-flu) in my time. However, I have also had one real dose of influenza. I was 20 years old and I felt like I was going to die. I was off work for three weeks. The first week or so I could barely get out of bed; I ate almost nothing and my weight dropped from 11 stones to 9.5. The remaining time was spent recovering from the rapid weight loss and simply getting back on my feet.

I irritates me no end when I hear people claim that they've had a couple of days off work because they've had 'flu'. Nonsense. They've had a heavy cold and felt a bit lethargic but by no stretch of the imagination have they had influenza.

[birdie1971]

^ * It irritates me... *

[joko]

yes, but if you actually tell anyone they dont actually have flu, just a bad cold they are annoyed and claim to be at deaths door... because they are sniffling a lot and cant get their breath after a good cough...


and i hate it when people are ill but go out anyway - fair enough some things you cant not do, but sitting in the pub coughing and sneezing on people and spreading it round is very selfish... they think 'ahh its only a bit of cold' - but some people like those with asthma or weakened immune system can be laid up for weeks because of your 'bit of sniffle'...

the best way i heard to tell the difference is if you are lying in bed looking out the window and see a £20 on the pavement below - if youve a cold you will go and get it... if its flu you wont/cant