to hate when people say 'lady' instead of just saying woman

[paintandbrush]

Eg. "a lady came into the shop earlier and asked me..."
"I met a lady in the library who..."

Not the greatest examples, but I keep hearing this in a simpering, mincing, totally non-sarcastic kind of way- generally from social-climbing types who are anxious to sound 'polite'. Please, please do not let us go down the American route of perceiving the word woman as a kind of belittling slur. It shouldn't be.

[AerithEarthling]

I say lady I think it sounds more polite

[AgeingArtemis]

I don't mind people saying "Ladies and gentlemen" or other uses of Ladies where it would be the equivalent to gentlemen.

I don't mind "mind that lady" as long as it would also be "mind that gentleman", however I suspect in this context gentleman is used for older men, whereas lady is a woman of any age. I hear "man" used in this sort of context much more than "woman" but it's not worth making a fuss over.

What DOES annoy me is "Ladies" being used in the context of "Ladies hockey" or "Ladies clothes" when the equivalent is quite clearly mens. What is wrong with "Reading womens football team" (for example) ffs?

(And yes, lady does sound a bit prissy and have connotations of naiceness"

[PassiveAgressiveQueen]

I was to,d lady was the polite word from birth, hard habit to break.

[VaVaVooom]

Totally agree OP.

Lady is a tad 'naice'....

I also find it quite patronising.

[WalkingBlind]

I'm very northern and very broad. I use lady/woman for an older woman and lass/girl for younger. Nothing implied just the dialect in my area. I get referred to as lady/lass/bird/missus and use man/fella for a male