ma'amd

[joank]

No, it is not another writing of some straight say ma'am to you.

I was going to a movie and was fully dressed. The ticket taker asked me a question and (being sightly hearing impaired) I said Ma'am? to her. Not the best way to ask for clarification. Big mistake?

BTW, I was wearing a navy dress, yellow flats and matching purse. I looked good, for an old geezer.

[Laura912]

In this neck of the woods, you made a polite response regardless of how you were dressed, and being a little hearing disadvantaged, I would have said the same.

[STACY B]

One thing for sure ,, With a hearing impairment you don't have to worry about everyone talking an laughing at you ,,lol,,, You CAN'T HEAR UMMMMMMMM Anyway !!

[Beverley Sims]

Very awkward if you mistake what is said to you.

[jjjjohanne]

I don't understand, what was awkward about it? Because you were enfemme and asked a woman, "ma'am"? I'm southern enough that it is confusing to me! :) I would probably do that and never think it was inappropriate.

[joank]

Thanks you for the responses. Ma'am was a snap response on my part that I do in male mode all the time. I'm cowboy enough that this a natural thing. In girl mode, I was concerned.

[Tracii G]

I think it was fine to say that or excuse me? Women here say both.

[Shananigans]

Psh, that's fine! Happens every day where I live!

But, my step mother is from Maryland and she was ma'am'd while we were out for dinner and I like to have never heard the end of it. She took it as being called "old woman." I tried to explain to her that virtually every woman in the South that is older than a teenager gets called ma'am most of the time.

TONE can be a big thing though. I've noticed when people say "ma'am" in a way that they haven't clearly heard the other person, it's usually with a sort of rude tone. I am mainly just thinking of my mom here...whenever she is annoyed with some other woman and didn't quite hear her, she'll get this raised eyebrow expression and ask, "Ma'am?" Cracks me up just thinking about it...of course, I mock her relentlessly afterwards. So, if you got a bitchy tone when you asked "ma'am?" then yeah...yeah, you might have been judged. ...Not really for any gender reasons, just because you might have came off as a bitch. Happens to the best of us though...I wouldn't be apologetic about it, it's her fault she needs to speak up ;)

[jjjjohanne]

I call my preschool daughter ma'am sometimes out of habit. I'll have to listen to see if women say ma'am to each other around here.