Brits can't agree on the proper name for school non-uniform days

29 June 2024 , 03:00

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What did you call non-uniform days at school? (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)

Some of the best days in the school calendar are the ones where you don't have to wear your uniform.

Remember having non-uniform days at school? They were often tied to an event such as Children in Need and involved wearing whatever clothes you wanted in exchange for bringing a small donation - usually around £1 - to give to charity. But what did you call those unique school days?

For many of us, they are quite simply known as non-uniform days and nothing else. But did you know there are millions of adults and school kids alike who have a myriad of different names for the events? A viral debate has started on social media over the topic, and no one can agree on the correct answer.

The debate began in the comments section of a video posted on TikTok by @clearhistorypod after the podcast shared a clip of the two hosts discussing non-uniform days.

One of the hosts tried to share a story which began: "On mufti days ...", before she was cut off by the other host asking what she was talking about, before adding: "Are you sure you didn't go to a private school?"

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The woman continued to repeat the phrase "mufti day", baffled that her male co-host didn't know what she was talking about, before asking him what he called it. He argued it was simply a "non-uniform day", and the woman then pleaded with podcast viewers - and TikTok commenters - to defend her. She added: "I need you all to back me up right now, it's called mufti day."

Mufti day was a common name for non-uniform days in the comments of the video, with many people from around the country agreeing they use the unusual title. Most of those who call it mufti day seemed to be from cities including London and Nottingham, and while some argued it must be a Southern thing, several commenters noted they used that name in Liverpool.

Others were staunchly against the idea of calling it mufti day, with some pointing out that the name sounded like it should be a "rude" slang term. Someone joked: "Anyone who calls it mufti day has a trust fund," while another added: "You would get absolutely leathered in Scotland for calling it a mufti day."

And it wasn't just an argument between "mufti day" and "non-uniform day", as some rogue commenters threw out other random names for the unique school days too.

Someone said: "I've never heard of mufti day. Non-uniform day or tag day," as another agreed: "Tag days we called it when I was in school, but now as a teacher I call it non-uniform days."

There was even one commenter who referred to it as an "own clothes day" - but they seemed to be alone in that take.

What did you call non-uniform days when you were in school? Let us know in the comments!

Zahna Eklund