to be incredibly irritated by the term 'lady' partuculalry when used by one woman about another.

[moondog]

So faux genteel.
It's woman.
Ok?

[Hassled]

No no no. I can be a lady if I want to be. What did my mother (nearly) burn her bra for if not the right to call ourselves whatever the hell we want? Genteel, bollocks. If I want to live in an imaginary Austenian world, I bloody will.

[Fruitbeard]

YABU.

It's polite.

I always refer to other women as 'lady' to DD ie 'mind that lady, DD!' when she's running along not looking where she's going.

I've never had anyone do anything but smile at me for this as they LIKE being referred to a lady. As far as I'm concerned all women are ladies until they prove themselves otherwise.

Now men saying 'she's my lady'(or special lady, that's particularly boaktastic), that's ewww...

[SixtyFootDoll]

I like lady but prefer to cal myself and my friends 'girls' Ha!!

[moondog]

It's not classy enough to be Austenian.

It belongs to a world of spotting bananas, crochet cushion covers and PG Tips.

[Katisha]

I think it sounds much politer when you are bellowing "Mind that lady" at your children.
I would feel a bit affronted to be called "that woman" by someone else. "That lady" I can cope with.

[pasturesnew]

agree with Katisha.

[Hassled]

Spotting bananas? What? What have the bananas ever done for us?

Anne Elliot was a lady. She wasn't a woman.

[ShellingPeas]

I can see you point as males are rarely referred to as 'gentlemen'.

But it does sound a little odd to say 'give the money to the woman' rather than 'to the lady'.

[Fruitbeard]

Never even seen a crochet cushion cover, but all women are ladies as far as I'm concerned.

Have you never heard that courtesy costs nothing, moondog?

[Ponders]

Oh god, lady is so genteel these days!!!

(Or else David Walliams in a crinoline)

[Katisha]

But while I'm here, referring to a man as "that gentleman" is unbearably twee.

I am right.

[Fruitbeard]

Ooh, and I refer to all random men as 'gentlemen' (beginning to feel like a refugee from a Georgette Heyer novel right now...) - it makes most (male) pensioner's eyes light up with pleasure to be referred to as such.

[Fruitbeard]

Ok, so now I'm twee?

Well, it makes my world a happier, more courteous place, so bloody sod the lot of you!

[Ponders]

And as far as "mind out for that lady!" goes I would always just have said "look where you're going!"

[Katisha]

Oh dear...

[Ponders]

random very elderly men might like being referred to as "gentleman" but I don't think most men under the age of about 70 would appreciate it

[pasturesnew]

agree with Katisha again although poss. not the "unbearable"

[Pyrocanthus]

Hassled: I used to have a copy of a Punch cartoon, in which a lady (definitely) in empire-line frock and bonnet is being addressed by a literary agent: 'The plot's great, Miss Austen, but the effing and blinding will have to go'. She probably replies, 'Genteel, bollocks' .

[Katisha]

All right I take back "unbearable"!

[Hassled]

You see, if we were all just inside an Austen novel this would be so much easier. Moondog would be wrong, Fruitbeard and I would be right.

[Hassled]

Pyrocathanthus - that's made my night

[Hassled]

Pyrocanthus, sorry.

[Pyrocanthus]

I aim to please.

[jemart]

I will join Fruitbeard in twee crochet cushion land (I have seen them in the wild on my grandmothers sofa.....)
You be plain "woman" if you like moondog, I would be pleased to be referred to as a "lady"

[Fruitbeard]

Moondog IS wrong, Hassled.

You and I are right