When is it appropriate to refer to someone as a lady? Is woman a better word to use? Is it ever appropriate to refer to adult females as girls? It all depends on context — who’s doing the talking and who’s doing the listening. This is part of a complete episode.
After an international team of scientists and staffers spent six months at a research station in Antarctica, their accents changed ever so slightly, according to an acoustic analysis by German researchers. The slang terms they shared include dingle...
Is the booty as in shake your booty related to a pirate’s booty? The booty that means “derriere” is an alteration of botty, which is itself an alteration of bottom. The booty that means “loot” or “plunder”...
Maybe there’s a cultural difference, but as a Brit I will always call females “ladies”. No one has told me it’s “creepy”.
How else would you address a mixed group more formally than “Hey guys” if not by using “Ladies and Gentlemen”.
I run an English practise group here is Madrid, Spain and always greet the females with “Evening Ladies”. Now, for me, there is a distinction between a “girl” and a “woman”, but was brought up to believe that referring to “That woman over there” was rude and I should be saying “That lady over there” – even if the lady is a “young lady”.
Incidentally, I feel women who refer to the males in their lives as “boys” are being demeaning. My niece refers to her husband to be as “My boy” and I can’t help but think she’s putting him down. However, I am getting on a bit, so perhaps there’s age specific cultural gap.
In fact the whole possession thing – my boys, my peeps(ugh!), my girls – I find belittling.