<p>Decoding “preppy” was fun. Anyone want to give “lady” a try? What about “gentleman”? </p>
<p>Do people still say “lady”?</p>
<p>Tramp’s girlfriend?</p>
<p>romani: yes : )</p>
<p>Recently I attended a funeral for an elderly woman and she was praised over and over for having been such a lady. Someone took me aside to ask, they intend that as a compliment? So I’ve been thinking it over. It’s not a concept that exists in your world?</p>
<p>Well, back in the day, “lady” meant a woman of refined manners. </p>
<p>Reminds me of a story. Many years ago, I was a copyeditor for medical textbooks. I was editing a chapter and the author (a physician) was reporting a specific clinical encounter. He reported that the patient "was a 38-year-old lady who . . . "</p>
<p>I changed the word “lady” to “woman” and asked the author, in my written notes, “How do you know she was a lady?”</p>
<p>His written response: "Well, she seemed nice . . . "</p>
<p>His answer made a very dull project into something amusing!</p>
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<p>Not really. I mean, kind of jokingly like when someone burps or something a parent might say (jokingly): “Gee, you’re so lady-like!” But not really, no.</p>
<p>I’d guess “Lady” refers to a well-refined woman or something. Maybe the female equivalent of a “gentleman” but I don’t think I know any and wouldn’t be able to define characteristics to associate with it. Honestly, the first thing that popped into my head with “Lady” was a little old woman wearing white gloves and pearls 
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<p>In my world lady and gentleman still refer to people with refined manners and I still use these words. I didn’t think these words were falling out of use, though manners certainly are.</p>
<p>In the context of “Hey, lady…”</p>
<p>My definition:
- female
- old enough to have school-age children
- not a skank</p>
<p>Maybe some labels are generational? Ema, Romani - Does anyone in your same age social circle say “skank”?</p>
<p>“Skank” kinda stuck w me when I watched Breaking Bad</p>
<p>Not if they want to stay friends with me. I think that’s slightly older than my generation. Slut is much more common.</p>
<p>I think a lady is female who is gracious in her actions and her words.</p>
<p>IMO, every female is a woman, but not every woman is a lady. A “lady” implies manners, graciousness, tact, social graces. Same as the male equivalent “gentleman.” When our kids were little we would remind them to “act like little ladies and gentlemen.” My grandmother and mom were definitely ladies - I hope I am one. </p>
<p>Again…I am a Southerner. </p>
<p>Skank is VERY common with my peers, but I think I am at least a couple years older than Romani-- I am almost 25. Slut is still used but skank is most common. A lady doesn’t know either one of these words. :P</p>
<p>Yeah ema is just a few years older. It’s common with my sister and her friends- late 20s</p>
<p>It was used by counterculture types. “This is my lady.” Bob Dylan: “Lay lady, lay/Lay across my big brass bed.”</p>
<p>My wife might rip the nuts off of anyone who referred to her as a “lady.”</p>
<p>In some usages “lady” is just the female counterpart of “gentleman,” meaning someone with considerate manners and behavior (or, when referring to restrooms, Wimbledon championships, or professional golf, merely women and men, respectively).</p>
<p>But “lady” gets used far more frequently than “gentleman,” and it seems to be used to connote a degree of intentional, dominant-culture femininity, someone who does not challenge or depart from traditional gender roles. The people who use it tend, in my experience, to more politically conservative, and certainly less attuned to the politics of gender (or if attuned, reactionary) than I would generally expect of my friends. I would make allowances for people in their 80s or older (i.e., my parents’ generation), and for people from the South were the term is more ubiquitous and therefore means a good deal less. Generally, however, I think a lot less of people who use it, especially younger people. I have never, ever liked the Commodores/Lionel Ritchie song. Not only would I not name my dog “Lady,” when I adopted a dog whose name was already “Lady” the first thing I did was to change it. (Which does not mean I dislke the animated Disney movie about the dogs.)</p>
<p>That said, I don’t mind ironic usage, as with Rogers and Hart, or Sleater-Kinney’s “Ballad of a Ladyman.”</p>
<p>^^^Wow, that’s a lot of baggage for a small word. </p>
<p>My “lady” friends - female friends my own age - late 40s to early 50s - address group emails with “hi ladies” all the time. I don’t think any of them mean it as a pejorative. Depending on its use, it has many connotations, but the most typical is an adult female who demonstrates good manners and grace. While I don’t really like it when the teenage boy at the supermarket says, “Hey lady, what kind of bags do you want?” I do consider myself and my 21 year old daughter to be ladies.</p>
<p>I think the word “lady” has the same issues that the word “ma’am” does. Northerners tend to think that it is rude and insulting, while Southerners have been brought up (and bring our children up) to use them as a term of respect. We have several discussions about this issue on CC. We can just agree to disagree.</p>
<p>Fwiw, I wouldn’t be insulted by the word “lady” or “ma’am”. I use “ma’am” when a person is a woman and I don’t know her name “Excuse me, ma’am, you dropped your wallet!”
Now if someone told me to be more “lady-like” or something, THEN I’d be insulted. </p>