Are you a toff?

[Blackhawk]

Someone made the point to me that they believed people who owned horses were 'toffs', especially hunters. (They seen a couple of hunts)

So I'm out to prove them wrong as I am certainly no Lady of the Manor!

 

[PaddyMonty]

Absolutely darling.

 

[Blackhawk]

Oh and how would you guys define a toff.

 

[cosmo_sam]

Erm, brought up in a council house on social security - I'm an accountant now, but I live in a terraced house.

Am I a toff?

 

[Blackhawk]

lol examples are good too! I don't think they believed me when I said alot of people live in the city and devote most of their disposible income to horses.

 

[cosmo_sam]

Ok well more examples - My husband is from Toxteth (city centre Liverpool for those sheltered souls who've never heard of it

)

He's now a lift engineer with his own business, but he left school at 16 with no GCSEs!

He rides and his love is now dressage - of course he MUST be a toff?

 

[Blackhawk]

Yes, must be!

 

[Patches]

Most definitely not. But then, I'm not sure anyone would ever consider someone with a Northern/Midlands accent a toff anyway.

Toff's are generally thought to people of the public school educated variety who all speak "proper Queen's English" aren't they?

ETA.

I was brought up on a private estate by my milkman father and secretary mother. Never had a horse as a child as we couldn't afford such luxuries.

Currently live on a huge farm with hubby. Years ago hubby would have been known as "land gentry", a noble person. In this day and age farmers are considered dirty and smelly and miserable. I totally agree with the first two sentiments but he's only miserable when people ask him to fill in more forms/red tape/paperwork before he can milk a cow!

 

[sevenoceans]

I Hunts and are Very skint, i live in ex council area, I am quite polite but dress in jeans and tees...don't dine out in posh resturants. is that toff?? oh i was educated at private school.... never enjoyed that!

 

[joshesmum]

No way i originally come from peckham in london, i now live in hampshire in a council house and i definitly dont do the toff thing.

 

[Blackhawk]

[ QUOTE ]


Toff's are generally thought to people of the public school educated variety who all speak "proper Queen's English".

[/ QUOTE ]

*whipsers* I went to a good public school and I don't think I'm a toff

 

[the watcher]

Toff? - no. Probably middle class in terms of lifestyle choices, upbringing, standards and speech..distinctly working class in terms of income and lifestyle reality (or am I just poor because I have horses?)

 

[Patches]

Noooo.....not everyone who went to a public school is a Toff. What I meant was, for example, I could be a top class polo player (in my dreams) or a Joint Master (or is that Mistress) of a hunt and yet as soon as I open my mouth the toff theory would be dispensed.

It's stereotypical, put the perception of a toff does include the "posh" accent as well surely?

 

[Gingernags]

Nooooo! Not a toff at all. Parents both from council estates. I work in an office, on not that much money, and owe loans for 4WD & trailer and am generally a bit of a scruff!!!

Not quite common as muck, bit more refined than that... but certainly not ladylike or a toff - toffs are the landed gentry!

 

[cosmo_sam]

LOL

Would add, we're not toffs but we don't do inverted snobbery either!!!

I know plenty of public schoolies with plummy voices who are as rough as they come!!

I think there definately are some very wealthy types involved in hunting particularly, but in my experience they're the ones that are the maddest hatters!

I think toffs are stiff, judgemental types and the accent/financial background usually has very little to do with it.

 

[Patches]

That's the perception of toff's to the masses.

Ask anyone on the streets of Northern Cities and I bet they'd all say a toff had the plummy accent Cosmos_Sam mentioned.

Then again alot of people have stereotypical views of people from certain areas at the complete opposite end of the class spectrum.

There is no hard and fast rule. Private education and being born into "class" doesn't automatically make for a person of class, in the way they live their lives or are perceived by others. Heck, I'm not even making sense now!

 

[Dovorian]

What is a toff anyway...........? Do we mean boorish snobs?

 

[Enfys]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh and how would you guys define a toff.

[/ QUOTE ] toff


Wikipedia says:

toff [ tof ] (plural toffs)
noun

Definition:
U.K. upper-class person: a rich or upper-class person, especially somebody who is elegantly dressed ( informal )
[Mid-19th century. Probably variant of tuft, golden plume worn by titled students at Oxford and Cambridge]

I don't classify as one and I've hunted since I was 10 years old.

I've heard of people who hunt/ride called Snobs but that's a completely different thing from Toff.

 

[cosmo_sam]

Interesting point really

A toff as a general opinion, would be the posh voiced loaded type I suppose

As for most horsey types being toffs, I think that the case of the person watching the hunt, they probably saw, smartly dressed, confident people, looking down at everyone (of course they HAVE to!) and having a jolly.

That to the none horsey probably does look quite intimidating and a bit patronising.

At the races, the mounted police make me feel like something on their shoe! It must feel a bit condescending like that?

 

[cazza]

Of Course! One does polo you know . . .

 

[Blackhawk]

[ QUOTE ]


As for most horsey types being toffs, I think that the case of the person watching the hunt, they probably saw, smartly dressed, confident people, looking down at everyone (of course they HAVE to!) and having a jolly.

That to the none horsey probably does look quite intimidating and a bit patronising.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree! Also this person was an anti hunt protestor so I imagine it was even more intimidating!

 

[kick_On]

need description of toff? from your 'friend'

As in my world toffs are in every walk of life and it's not pre-resquite to own a horse etc.... I feel it's your 'friends' are narrowed mind, shallow folk who need to go out more and experience different things in life

sorry pigoen holely folk is grrrrrrrrr to me

 

[cosmo_sam]

Ah! Yes they would not have been in receipt of affectionate/friendly chit chat!

 

[Blackhawk]

[ QUOTE ]
need description of toff? from your 'friend'

As in my world toffs are in every walk of life and it's not pre-resquite to own a horse etc.... I feel it's your 'friends' are narrowed mind, shallow folk who need to go out more and experience different things in life

sorry pigoen holely folk is grrrrrrrrr to me

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a friend

I disagree with the toff label, hence my thread!

 

[jenbleep]

i was brought up on a council estate in bristol, then moved to newquay and lived in rented accommodation with my mum. i have had to pay for everything by myself, and the only way i could ride was if i helped out at the local riding school. i have 3 tattoos, im in debt, and i live in a shared house with 3 other people. im defo not a toff! i enjoy hunting because its fun, and make fun of people who speak like they live in old england. theres posh, and then theres posh! xxxxxx

 

[matthew]

Thing is though- o/h and i always ask 'do chavs no they are chavs?'
So- do toffs actually know they are toffs?

 

[kick_On]

it's a case of lack of knowledge then, but you'll never convert anti, so why bother. If they are a human being they agree to disagree and let it lie........

 

[Blackhawk]

[ QUOTE ]
it's a case of lack of knowledge then, but you'll never convert anti, so why bother. If they are a human being they agree to disagree and let it lie........

[/ QUOTE ]Oh I'm not trying to convert them, I think everyone is entitled to their opinion! They were just using class to back up their arguement and I tried to point out that it makes their argument flawed.

 

[Chex]

I don't think anyone would describe me as a toff in a million years! However there were quite a few people at uni that I would describe as toffs, non-horsey ones at that!

 

[The Virgin Dubble]

Toffs are surely the upper class, landed gentry types? I would love to know who answered yes!