• loobkoob@kbin.social
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    11 months ago

    I don’t know if it’s perhaps a regional thing but, in the UK, “being patronising” is used pretty much exclusively in the pejorative sense, with a similar meaning to “condescending”. I don’t think I’ve ever heard (in actual conversation) “being patronising” used to mean someone is giving patronage, in fact - we would say someone is “giving patronage” or “is a patron” instead. We also pronounce “patronise” differently, for whatever reason: “patron” is “pay-trun”, “patronage” is “pay-trun-idge” but “patronise” is “pah-trun-ise”.

    It seems the pejorative use of the word dates back to at least 1755, too, so it’s not exactly a new development.

    • samus12345@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      in the UK, “being patronising” is used pretty much exclusively in the pejorative sense, with a similar meaning to “condescending”

      It’s the same in the US, and has been ever since I can remember. No idea where this person lives that the positive meaning would be the first thing they’d think of.

    • Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      What about patronising as in ‘patronising this business’? A little archaic, but I do hear it from time to time, usually with the ‘pay’ pronounciation.

      Then again, if someone is accusing me of being patronising (which happens a lot for reasons I don’t quite understand, but I digress), it’s split odds whether I’m “pah-trun-ising” or “pay-trun-ising”.

      English is weird (perhaps this is its wyrd?)