Honorific
Thursday August 01st 2013, 10:11 pm
Filed under: Life

Stocking up for tomorrow’s company.

It was going to be a long walk in the sun from the car so Richard dropped me off at the front. I grabbed a cart, got just inside the doorway for a little shade, and stopped and fumbled with my purse to find my Costco card–you’re always supposed to show it to get in.

There was a lull just then in the streams of people, so I wasn’t in anyone’s way. I was having a hard time pulling it out of its spot in my wallet.

“That’s okay,” the woman stationed as doorcheck said to me, “I believe you”–just as I pulled it out. There you go!

“Have a nice day, sir,” she beamed.

Blink.

Skirt. Purse. Recently brushed longish hair pulled to the front (so as to keep it out of my seatbelt while we were in the car.) Tee and tunic.

But then I would be the person who would think one word and have a different one come out of my mouth when I’m tired and only realize it (well I usually do) the moment I heard it myself. So I guess I had it coming.

She didn’t even realize, one way or another.  This is certainly not the South, and given her accent she may never even have heard nor known the word ma’am. How many words in English are gender specific compared to other languages? (Blond and blonde…) Sir is an  honorific where I come from and clearly from where she was coming from, so, enjoy. I laughed and went on my way.


7 Comments so far
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Giggle. Happened to me once, too. Levis, western shirt, long hair pulled back under a cowboy hat, horse at vet, paying bill.

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 08.02.13 @ 7:48 am

I’ve had the reverse pulled on me. Years ago, when I had quite a high pitched voice, people would call me ‘ma’am’ on the phone. I didn’t care for it. I’ll need to put this on my blog. Kinda funny.

Comment by Donald Meyer 08.02.13 @ 9:21 am

While in the GPs waiting room, waiting for my daughter Emily to get called, a little child kept running back and forth to his mother: “What’s that man doing? What’s that man doing?” over and over and his mother would just shush, shush.

I was knitting.

Comment by LynnM 08.02.13 @ 11:35 am

Lol….just ‘ have a nice day’ and don’t think twice,,,,clearly she didn’t. 🙂

Comment by Ruth 08.02.13 @ 2:12 pm

Heh. I’ve ma’am’d a sir before… Ooops.

Comment by Channon 08.02.13 @ 4:12 pm

Jan used to get “sir”ed all the time when she was one of the few women officers on board an aircraft carrier. She just chuckled.

Comment by twinsetellen 08.02.13 @ 5:43 pm

Oh, all you can do is giggle when that happens. Glad you took it in stride. I have almost made that slip at work, after having had male supervisors for over 20 years, and now women. Just the habit of saying yes, sir….but now its yes, s..o, I’ll do it.

Comment by DebbieR 08.02.13 @ 7:54 pm



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