Why do people write Sans instead of with
Why do people write Sans instead of with
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cliffords

Original Poster:

4,508 posts

53 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
I have seen it quite a bit on here, and other platforms too.
I understand it means without not with, but usually used as with?
I was at the park sans the kids.
I have the basic spec car sans steel wheels
I had fish sans chips and curry sauce

You get the drift. What is the intention here why do they do it.

Lots on PH today hence the post. I don't speak French or write it, am I misunderstanding

Edited by cliffords on Monday 18th August 17:21


Edited by cliffords on Monday 18th August 17:27

spitfire-ian

4,245 posts

258 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
cliffords said:
I have seen it quite a bit on here, and other platforms too.

I was at the park sans the kids.
I have the basic spec car sans steel wheels
I had fish sans chips and curry sauce

You get the drift. What is the intention here why do they do it.

Lots on PH today hence the post.
Sans means without.

cliffords

Original Poster:

4,508 posts

53 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Yes I amended my post pressed send ahead of myself.
However given your corrections, it makes even less sense

andyb28

1,165 posts

148 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Not noticed it myself, but do they also write avec instead of with too? biggrin

spitfire-ian

4,245 posts

258 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
cliffords said:
Yes I amended my post pressed send ahead of myself.
However given your corrections, it makes even less sense
Because some people don't know the meaning and they think it sounds fancy. A kind of a real life Derek Trotter smile


anonymous-user

84 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
spitfire-ian said:
Because some people don't know the meaning and they think it sounds fancy. A kind of a real life Derek Trotter smile
Mange tout

Glassman

25,056 posts

245 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Bluevanman said:
spitfire-ian said:
Because some people don't know the meaning and they think it sounds fancy. A kind of a real life Derek Trotter smile
Mange tout
Man get out.

Leftfootwonder

1,783 posts

88 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Quite the faux pas. Just sending this as I leave my cul-de-sac, en route to the café.


cliffords

Original Poster:

4,508 posts

53 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Leftfootwonder said:
Quite the faux pas. Just sending this as I leave my cul-de-sac, en route to the café.
Touche

Bonefish Blues

36,754 posts

253 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
It's just one of those small shorthands that has passed into relatively common use.

GetCarter

31,297 posts

309 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Sans Serif

It's the Adobe generation.

Type has or does not have serif

Just google, you'll understand.

Wills2

29,774 posts

205 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
cliffords said:
I have seen it quite a bit on here, and other platforms too.
I understand it means without not with, but usually used as with?
I was at the park sans the kids.
I have the basic spec car sans steel wheels
I had fish sans chips and curry sauce

You get the drift. What is the intention here why do they do it.

Lots on PH today hence the post. I don't speak French or write it, am I misunderstanding
Can you link to the posts as I've not seen it, but then I'd always read those at face value, I went to the park without the kids, I have a basic spec car but without the steel wheels etc...so I wouldn't notice the error without further context.

Perhaps "sans" has been added to other misused words and phrases such as damp squid, tender hooks and mute points...


Bonefish Blues

36,754 posts

253 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Search is your friend - plenty come up, both in thread titles & posts.

Ezra

901 posts

57 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Can you link to the posts as I've not seen it, but then I'd always read those at face value, I went to the park without the kids, I have a basic spec car but without the steel wheels etc...so I wouldn't notice the error without further context.

Perhaps "sans" has been added to other misused words and phrases such as damp squid, tender hooks and mute points...
'sans' further context, surely?

croyde

26,459 posts

260 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Can you link to the posts as I've not seen it, but then I'd always read those at face value, I went to the park without the kids, I have a basic spec car but without the steel wheels etc...so I wouldn't notice the error without further context.

Perhaps "sans" has been added to other misused words and phrases such as damp squid, tender hooks and mute points...
And Pedal Stool laugh

Hoofy

80,136 posts

312 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
If you mean "instead of without" then probably because it makes it more interesting to read and type, I guess.

If you mean "instead of with" then probably because the above but they don't speak French.

Or the word has now been bastardised and is actually used instead of "with" rather than "without". Also see the first sentence.

biggrin

Let's face it, we all use a little bit of flowery language. It makes reading things more interesting. "The 911 Turbo was very fast" compared to "The 911 Turbo shifted faster than Donald Trump finding out that the Epstein files had accidentally been released into the public domain." biggrin

AmyRichardson

1,992 posts

72 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
4 key strikes plays 7, plus additional savings often made by omitting the determiner (e.g. "sans wife" vs. "sans my wife") which really is a mystery, and a bit Trotter, as French doesn't work like that.


Bill

58,806 posts

285 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Can you link to the posts as I've not seen it, but then I'd always read those at face value, I went to the park without the kids, I have a basic spec car but without the steel wheels etc...so I wouldn't notice the error without further context.

Perhaps "sans" has been added to other misused words and phrases such as damp squid, tender hooks and mute points...
This, I've never read "sans" and thought they meant with.

LunarOne

7,339 posts

167 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
If anyone's been using sans to mean "with", then it must be the same people who use "could care less" to mean "don't care at all" and who use "entree" to mean "main course"...

andyb28

1,165 posts

148 months

Monday 18th August 2025
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Can you link to the posts as I've not seen it, but then I'd always read those at face value, I went to the park without the kids, I have a basic spec car but without the steel wheels etc...so I wouldn't notice the error without further context.

Perhaps "sans" has been added to other misused words and phrases such as damp squid, tender hooks and mute points...
Also like a Moo point, Cows opinion doesnt matter.