How to understand dame as a paradoxical word? my dictionary said dame could describe a woman with special honors. It also said this word may cause offense. It got me confused why would someone feel of

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Damon

How to understand dame as a paradoxical word?

my dictionary said dame could describe a woman with special honors. It also said this word may cause offense. It got me confused why would someone feel offended when people call her dame?

Jan 6, 2017 1:34 PM

Comments · 3

Another use of the word 'dame' is in the phrase 'pantomime dame', which is "a comic middle-aged female character in modern pantomime, usually played by a man". In England we don't use the word 'dame' much in normal conversation. Only when talking about pantomimes or people with special honours (e.g. "Dame Judi Dench" "Is she a dame now?"). The word is used by some people (very informally) to talk about a very sexy woman so I suppose it could cause offence if said in a derogatory (disrespectful) way..

January 6, 2017

You're confused because you chose to rely on a dictionary. :)

Men with special honours are called Knights. Women with special honours are called Dames. This is an old British tradition (and embarrassingly, a past Australian prime minister recently tried to re-introduce the tradition here).

"Dame" can also be used to mean "a random woman". I take it as a US usage... it makes me think of trashy detective stories. By the way, we don't use the term in Australia.

There are many kinds of English. :D

January 6, 2017