I’ve heard on a podcast wrestling promoter Vince McMahon uses the world “pal” a lot. It can be used nicely, as in “Thanks for your help, pal.” Then there’s this:
Off the top of my head, the only time I’ve heard the word in casual conversation was when I worked at a car dealership in 1991. An elderly salesman used it and so did my 33 year old manager. I suspect he might have got it from the salesman.
Personally, I always thought the word was off-putting, even used in a friendly way. I don’t mind “buddy”, “dude”, “Bro”, and tolerate “Boss”. But to me “pal” seems insincere.
Does anyone here call anyone “pal” or know someone that uses this word? Is there anywhere in country this is commonly used and its considered normal?
Calling someone ‘pal’ does sound dicey. Maybe saying “He’s my pal” is ok, but even the phrase “Be a pal!” sounds like asking for an undeserved favor. Maybe this is from the sarcastlc use in lot of movies and television. It’s usually some sleazy guy trying to talk a sucker into making a dumb decision and calling him “Pal”.
My father, who is 89 and spent most of his life in the Western U.S., uses pal all the time, in many different contexts. When I was a child, we even had a parakeet named “Pal”, primarily so that we could say, “Hi, Pal” to it in the hope that it would respond in kind (it never did).
I find it endearing, mainly because I associate it with my Dad.
In my experience it seems many people that call me “boss” are Asian, Latino or Middle-Eastern so in a way I kinda find it charming.
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It depends on the inflection and speaker’s intent, I guess. “Pal” wasn’t that uncommon where I grew up; “dude” was. But sometimes people are acting ironic, which can be humorous and fine. My go-to: “man.” Like, “Hey, man, how you doing?”
Growing up I heard it from people who were about to ask for a favor, or who were referring to the kids’ vitamins. I’m not sure I heard it again until I heard Jim Cornette using it when imitating Vince McMahon on his podcasts.
I can’t remember the last time I heard ‘pal’ used completely sincerely.
I don’t like ‘buddy’, either. If you are my buddy, you’ll use one of my names, if you’re not you shouldn’t be attempting to create unearned familiarity.
And I hate ‘boss’ as a general form of address. It just sounds so condescending from somebody who you don’t, in fact, have responsibility over (you’re their actual boss, players in a role playing game you’re running, etc). And it only doesn’t feel condescending from them in the specific contexts where you are, in fact, the boss. Talking about work? ‘Boss’ makes sense. Talking AT work? Not an issue. Chatting about TV after randomly crossing paths on your day off? NOPE!
Has anyone else been called ‘Buster’? Came from a (American) women in her late teens or early twenties, some time in the 1970’s. As “Hey Buster”. I would have been in my mid or early teens.
To me, it indicates someone who is not really a friend, but not a complete stranger. You may or may not know their first name, and the situation is not formal enough to require “Mr./Ms. Lastname”.
Well, I wouldn’t use the term. And if someone directed the term at me I would take it as a minor provocation. At the very least I would make negative assumptions about the speaker and their intentions.
