| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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5. Gender: Sexist Language and Assumptions
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| § 21. lady |
| Lady is normally used as a parallel to gentleman to emphasize norms expected in polite society or in situations requiring courtesies: Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. If you are trying to describe a woman with a strict adherence to rules of correct behavior, you might call her a lady; and if you use the word lady, it will probably be interpreted in this way. In much the same way, gentleman brings to mind a man of refinement. Thus, you might say I met a nice woman at the zoning board meeting last night but My five-year-old behaved like a lady throughout the afternoon tea party. | 1 |
| Many people consider the attributive use of lady, as in lady doctor, offensive and outdated. When the sex of a person is relevant, the preferred term for this usage is woman. | 2 |
| Lady also sees productive use in speech as a sarcastic epithet for a rude or inept woman who is a stranger, as in Hey, lady, I was in line before you! | 3 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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