How far north...

[windshieldbug]

But for YOU it's, "Bless your heart, darlin'"...

[bort]

Up north, i think "darlin" would be considered sexual harassment

[Heavy_Metal]

In the Baltimore area, it's "hon" instead of "darlin' ". Same thing. Keep heading north.

But depending on how far north you go, you might encounter this:

http://www.bobanddoug.com/sounds/sb/takeoff2.mp3" target="_blank

[Northernlb]

Mason dixen line, ya'll disappears then as well.

[Radar]

Up here in Western NY it's Hon, or Sweetie and I've only noticed that since I've gotten to be old enough to be the father of most of the waitresses or clerks that refer to me that way.

[Heavy_Metal]

......... and I've only noticed that since I've gotten to be old enough to be the father of most of the waitresses or clerks that refer to me that way.

Well, that applies to maybe half the people in this thread- if they don't do that to younger guys, maybe they think we actually have money............

[iiipopes]

Mason dixen line, ya'll disappears then as well.

Mason-Dixon Line.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mason-and-Dixon-Line" target="_blank

[Dan Schultz]

Don't know exactly about the 'darlin' bit but you sure as Hell cannot get descent grits in Indiana!

[Donn]

Service industry here does not use any terms of endearment whatever, that I have noticed. But I have noticed, in the last 3 or 4 years, a lot of "Perfect!" as an all-purpose response. It makes some sense if you've just handed them exact change, but usually it's not about anything that was perfect in any way. Any more, I guess, than addressing someone as "darlin'" is a token of affection.

You don't have to call me darlin', ... darlin' / You never even called by my name.

[iiipopes]

Service industry here does not use any terms of endearment whatever, that I have noticed. But I have noticed, in the last 3 or 4 years, a lot of "Perfect!" as an all-purpose response. It makes some sense if you've just handed them exact change, but usually it's not about anything that was perfect in any way. Any more, I guess, than addressing someone as "darlin'" is a token of affection.

You don't have to call me darlin', ... darlin' / You never even called by my name.

Indeed. "Perfect" seems to have replaced "Thank you" when interacting in a business sense. Which makes no sense to me, especially in this context:

(Calling in to check an account, whether credit card, bank statement, any one of a number of loans, etc.)
"Hi. I'm (name) calling about (fill in the blank)."
"Yes. May we confirm your account with (added associated piece of information)?
"Yes. That would be (giving the piece of information to verify the account).

Now, the proper response should be, "Thank you. One moment while I pull your account up, please," or something similar. Instead, I get "Perfect! How can I help you?" which is both a non-sequitur improper use of the word "perfect," and a total disregard that I stated the purpose of my call right out of the block.

sad-charlie-brown.jpg

[bort]

^ Funny, sad, true.

Reminds me of the disappearance of "You're welcome" as a response to "Thank you."

As in:

"Thank you."
"No problem."

Wait... did you think I thought there was a problem? Who mentioned a problem?

(And worst of all, I know that I say that, too.)

[Three Valves]

Hepsters.

[Donn]

"Perfect" seems to have replaced "Thank you" when interacting in a business sense.

It's used more often than that here, more like "OK." (Maybe some people used to respond with "thank you" to everything you said to them, but that's just another debasement of the language.)
- "What about you, anything to drink [sir|darlin'|hon'|bub|there is no appropriate way to address you]?"
- "The quadruple imperial IPA."
- "Perfect."

I wouldn't be surprised if there's an industry blog somewhere, that's behind this. Your people have got to stop saying "OK", and start saying "perfect", or you'll be buried by your competition! It would be several years old by now, maybe a decade.

[windshieldbug]

"I find you dragging in measure 214"
"Perfect!"

[humBell]

Been called "Boss" a number of times.

That always feels awkward.

"Brother/Sister" seems more comfortable. And i felt stupid when i finally realized "B'rer" was short for brother...

Passing through Maine the other day, they had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. I'm not wise in the ways of grits, but that was my soft spot when exposed to Southern Breakfast foods.

[roughrider]

In Canada, you would never hear such terms of endearment. We are a very shy and self-effacing people whose idea of a stimulating conversation starter is "Cold enough for you today?"

[Donn]

In Canada, you would never hear such terms of endearment. We are a very shy and self-effacing people whose idea of a stimulating conversation starter is "Cold enough for you today?"

But you have French as one of your national languages, and it has familiar/endearing built in - service personnel with the French Canadian version of that unwarranted and presumably unfelt affection could address you in 2nd person singular. (I think - can't claim to know the language very well.)

[roughrider]

In Canada, you would never hear such terms of endearment. We are a very shy and self-effacing people whose idea of a stimulating conversation starter is "Cold enough for you today?"

But you have French as one of your national languages, and it has familiar/endearing built in - service personnel with the French Canadian version of that unwarranted and presumably unfelt affection could address you in 2nd person singular. (I think - can't claim to know the language very well.)

While French certainly is one of our official languages, it is highly unlikely that service personnel in any French speaking community in Canada and especially Quebec or New Brunswick would use such terms of endearment. Whether French or English speaking in this country, we just aren't made that way. North Dakota and Minnesota would be the American equivalents to us. As a resident of Minnesota described how the state takes to newcomers,"We like to winter' em and summer ' em and then we'll take them in". That is us as well.

[opus37]

I never hear Hon or Sweetie or Darling in Minnesota (or most of Wisconsin), unless I go to a restaurant that is pretending to be Southern Style. I am however getting tired of being addressed as "Sir". I'm not a officer and I don't like feeling old.

[Three Valves]

I'm not a officer and I don't like feeling old.

You are too old to be an officer!!