Chrimbo

[mike11111]

Am I the only person who has a violent antipathy to this derogatory, illiterate term for Christmas? I ask this not because of any religious reason, merely out of concern for ignorance and disrespect which may be caused to others.

[karenmac60]

I know there are links to Bo Selecta, but I'm sure I first heard it used in Brookside a long time before that.

[scotman]

Chambers (10th) spells it Crimbo

[boxtops]

LOL jno, you are fo right.

[beso]

jno /// the -o ending is standard abbreviation, though actually more common in Australia, I think (where rubbish men are garbos). //?

Yes we have garbos but I have never heard crimbo used in Australia. Wiktionary says it is a UK term.

[jno]

that's interesting, beso, I wondered if it had been picked up from Home and Away or something, along the lines of arvo and bottle-o (or, er, beso?). I can't think of any other British diminutives ending in -o, though, so I don't know where it came from.