I really don't like being called "mate".

[NoDontLookAtMeImShy]

By anyone. I can't decide if it bothers me more coming from men or women.

I really hate it.

dh has once called me "mate" ....I frostily pointed out that a man and wife do things that he would absolutely not consider appropriate with his mates, and if he called me mate again then there would be an end to anything of that nature.

I just have never understood these threads about hating certain words. I just can't grasp how the use of a word can fill people with such anger? Obviously I understand when that word is something racist or extremely offensive but just standard everyday words like mate? 🤔

Much more preferable to ‘hun’. But so long as the intent with which it is said is friendly I find it hard to get worked up by any form of address.

I hate it too, I hate it more when people call their children mate!
Stop calling a toddler mate, he's your child not your bloody mate, ridiculous!

I absolutely HATE it!!!!!

I call folks mate all the time, regardless of gender. If I'm asked not to, I'd respect that though.

I personally don't hate it at all but suspect the dislike for it (especially on Mumsnet) is a class thing....

Agreed. I'm from a background where 'mate' is just a unisex term you use when you're being friendly to someone, whether it's your actual best friend or a colleague who's done you a favour or the person you just bought a cup of coffee from, or whatever. I'm amused at how absolutely horrified so many people are on this thread. My grandparents called everyone 'mate' all the time and I greatly enjoy carrying on the tradition.

I'm sure we all have things we don't like to be called and of course, context is important - I'm happy for a bus driver to call me 'love' when they tell me what the fare is, but I wouldn't expect my boss to call me 'love' in a meeting. But I'm finding it quite weird that people are getting annoyed by people calling other people 'mate'. What does it matter to you if some total stranger calls their own child 'mate', for instance?

I only call people mate when they are being a twat - lol

I thought I'd heard everything until I moved to a Midlands area and found myself being called "sug" short (I assume) for sugar pronounced "shug".
And I had thought "mi duck" was odd.

I don't mind it. It seems to be a unisex term and it makes me smile. But I always HATED "luv".

I don't mind mate too much, or being referred to as "guys" in a mixed setting.
However, I am another who can't stand hun, lovely, sweetie, beaut etc etc. And I also really hate pal.

I was on a thread the other day and apparently this never happens 😀

It does however happen quite frequently

I dont mind mate or dude depending on the circumstances, but the default of guys .in restaurants etc winds me up

I don’t do anything about it though

I detest being called hun. The last workman who called me that was corrected very sharply. Ff's.