Quote Originally Posted by Alan H View Post
Bill, if my sister in law was to compliment me on acting like a gentleman, I would be pleased. If one of the women or men in my department used the term approvingly, referring to me, I would consider it a compliment.

But on X Marks the Scot, the term seems to me to have gathered up a whole lot of connotations which have *Nothing* whatsoever to do with honorable, masculine, kind, and considerate behavior.

So in fact, were someone to refer to me, now as one of the "Gentlemen of X Marks the Scot", I would...yes....be annoyed by it.
Gotcha! I was worried when I saw your symbolic cussing and the attack on the Dandelion folk (or which I'm one). I guess I just saw those as being folks who believed in good manners, so I joined. I wouldn't want to have a group for folks who believed in bad manners.

SO... if I do call you a gent some time, know that it's meant with kindness and masculine respect, because that's what it would mean to me. I think you may be right that it has gathered up some newer and rather silly connotations in our recent discussions that themselves make me raise my left eyebrow as I pause with my cut crystal glass of carefully selected single-malt scotch whiskey.

I want to be a "gentleman" but in the sense of being polite and appropriately courtly while admitting to you and through you to our public that if I bow to a young lady, it's probably so that I can have a good look at her ankles!

Yours,

Bill+