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#2 (permalink) Mon Mar 05, 2007 19:03 pm meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Anothere dictionary says:
"get in a pet" means "get the sulks"
But "sulk" means to be silently angry and refuse to be friendly or discuss what is annoying or upsetting you.
To me it seems totally different from "Pet".!!!
Help! |
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Phoo I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 127
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#3 (permalink) Tue Mar 06, 2007 0:49 am meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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| I have never heard this use of the word "pet" in my entire life, and I can't find any example of it on Google. It doesn't make sense to me either, so if I were you I'd just ignore it, and I would be very suspicious of that dictionary. |
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Jamie (K) I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 6552 Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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#4 (permalink) Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:52 am meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Hi Jamie and Phoo,
My home e-dictionary also provided me with 'to be in a pet/ to take(the) pet meaning 'to have the sulks',' to be in the sulks' . It would be better to use 'beast' instead of 'pet' :-) (Just a joke!) |
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Pamela I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 1271 Location: RF
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#5 (permalink) Tue Mar 06, 2007 13:55 pm meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Hi Phoo
I've never heard 'pet' used this way either -- even though this definition does appear in both American and British dictionaries.
I did a search of the BNC got only one single result in which 'pet' appears to be used this way.
If I were you, I wouldn't worry about this definition. _________________ "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln |
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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 8316 Location: USA
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#6 (permalink) Tue Mar 06, 2007 14:45 pm meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Thanks everyone!
It sounds as if I'd better ignore it and put the effort on something else, someting more meanigful. |
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Phoo I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 127
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#7 (permalink) Tue Mar 06, 2007 19:46 pm meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Hi,
Surely it is very useful to know unusual expressions like that...
Englishuser |
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Englishuser I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Posts: 806
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#8 (permalink) Tue Mar 06, 2007 20:30 pm meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Hi,
It occurs to me that this use of 'pet' may well be a corruption of 'being petulant'. 'Petulant' describes a mood where you are irritable or impatient.
A _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Present Simple |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 13891 Location: UK
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#9 (permalink) Wed Mar 07, 2007 17:56 pm meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Umm...Petulant
I have learned a new English word!! Yee-ha! Actually, the disaster was a blessing in disguise! haha |
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Phoo I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 127
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#10 (permalink) Wed Oct 27, 2010 1:04 am meaning of "I am in a pet" |
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Hi, I have included a picture with this but I'm not sure if it will get through or not. If not, let me know and I could email it to you.
You have all fathomed it out right. "In a pet" means to be in a petulant mood - stroppy, moody and stamping one's little foot ! My parents, my grandparents and my great grandparents all used it. I may be guilty of using it myself! It's origins are in the Victorian era, and the postcard I have attached comes from an enterprising studio based in England at the end of the 19th century. On the card you will see the title at the bottom "in a pet" and the studio name and locations at the top. This particular photo was taken in London I believe.
So there, I think, is the positive proof and the photographic evidence - my age and how I know all this?? Just don't ask !!! But hope it helps!
Steve Essex Spaniel |
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EssexSpaniel New Member
Joined: 27 Oct 2010 Posts: 1
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#11 (permalink) Thu Nov 11, 2010 22:50 pm in a pet useful in NYT crossword I'm doing |
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I had never heard of "in a pet" for "sulking" either till it appeared just now in a New York Times crossword I'm working on. I can see from other postings here, the "pet" part is probably a shortened form of "petulant", i.e., "petulant mood." This illustrates just how ephemeral slang can be.
Could be, also, the social sin of sulking is less frowned upon than it once was, or that ruder terms might be applied to someone who sulks. |
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E_Canuck New Member
Joined: 11 Nov 2010 Posts: 1
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