# Males calling female friends "buddy"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840 "2013-02-10T02:13:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AlaskanMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@AlaskanMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlaskanMatt)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/1 "2013-02-10T02:13:14Z")
At work the other day I was telling a female co-worker about my new apartment, and mentioned that a “buddy” had come over to see it and thought it was a nice place, etc. She smirked and said _“Was it a girl buddy?”_, to which I responded _“No, a dude. I don’t think I’ve ever called a girl “buddy” before… that sounds a little weird.”_ She was really surprised by that, along with another female co-worker. They asked what I call female friends in that case, and I said I just called them “friends”. The next day out of curiosity I asked a male friend if he ever called female friends “buddy”, and he responded almost exactly how I had the day before at work (_“No that just sounds weird, I just call female friends “friends”…”_) Opinions? It’s a very unimportant topic, but I’m now curious to see what a larger group of people think… ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/2 "2013-02-10T02:21:49Z")
I think it is slightly weird. I don’t really think of girls as “buddies”. Obviously, it is not that weird, but it sounds rather unusual and awkward to me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/3 "2013-02-10T02:25:59Z")
My former running partner was a woman and very much a buddy. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/4 "2013-02-10T02:33:15Z")
A woman can be a buddy just like a man. It may not be the typical relationship I have with women, but a couple of women I’ve known have been buddies. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/5 "2013-02-10T02:33:32Z")
Where I work, long ago, we had a guy in Sales who would call certain female coworkers “Buddy” from day one. It came off as kind of odd, and we joked about it behind his back. Some people liked him, but others (like me) thought he came off as a smarmy asshole. He was certainly trying to create a sense of familiarity that did not really exist. He ended up getting fired for some shady business practices, so there you go. Perhaps if a guy called me “Buddy” and meant it, it would be a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/6 "2013-02-10T02:37:48Z")
“Buddy” is a very specific type of relationship to me – situationally close, but not deep or intense. Like a work buddy. And yes, there have been women whom I’ve thought of as buddies. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/7 "2013-02-10T02:56:36Z")
LISTEN UP BUDDY, nobody uses the word buddy in a nice way anymore, do they? ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/8 "2013-02-10T03:05:24Z")
I don’t know, it’s probably a little bit weird. I call a couple male friends my buddies, but I don’t think they refer to me the same way. If I hear a dude say “buddy” I definitely think male. If you add “drinking” or “fuck” before it though, then it works a little more. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_tardiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jack\_tardiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_tardiff)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/9 "2013-02-10T03:37:46Z")
It’s fine. “Buddy” isn’t really a word in my vocabulary, but “pal,” “chum,” "sister [female equivalent of “bro” or “brother],” “kiddo,” “champ,” “killer,” and especially “dude” or “man!” – those are all used for chick friends or acquaintances. I might not have the brainpower to really think too carefully when just bullshitting or killing time talking with a friend or even a new-found friend at a bus stop or street corner. ETA that goes for “Work Friends” as well – not in a professional setting, but having lunch together or a drink after work or a cigarette break. Seems fine to me. [/Equal Opportunity Doper] ---
**Author:** ![jack\_tardiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jack\_tardiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_tardiff)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/10 "2013-02-10T03:45:05Z")
Oh. Those are for addressing those pals directly. In third person, probably just say pal or friend. Maybe “homie” I’ve used a number of times. Chick if the sex/gender is important to the story (aka gossip) being told, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/11 "2013-02-10T13:38:47Z")
I’ve hung out with some women who called everyone dude, including the other women.They got called dude in return from men. But I’ve never called a woman buddy before. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/12 "2013-02-11T17:38:59Z")
Unusual, yes. Weird, no. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/13 "2013-02-11T18:23:40Z")
It’s not super common to call female friends buddy, but a buddy can refer to a friend or partner of either sex. When school children pair up using the “buddy system” they’re not all guys. I have a female friend I sometimes call “pal.” Why should these terms be exclusively male? ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/14 "2013-02-12T02:41:09Z")
Female here. I think the term “buddy” is weird. So, yeah, I think it’s weird to hear girls called buddy. I think it’s weird to hear guys called buddy. For me, though, it’s even stranger to hear kids called bud or buddy. I don’t know why - maybe because you’re encouraged to call them by their names when they’re babies or something. But it sounds wrong. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/15 "2013-02-12T03:46:08Z")
Never really thought about it, but I think “male” when I hear the word buddy. Maybe because it’s the long form of “bud.” I’m not sure. I would likely be a little confused if I heard someone refer to a woman as a buddy, and hilarity might ensue until it’s clarified. Though I certainly wouldn’t be offended or anything like that if a guy called me his buddy - actually, I think it would make me feel secure about not having to worry he would ever try to fuck me. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/16 "2013-02-12T03:48:15Z")
Only time I refer to a woman as a buddy is in the context of “an old Navy buddy.” ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/17 "2013-02-12T20:22:14Z")
If anyone ever called me buddy, I’d shout, “I’m not your buddy, guy!” If he didn’t immediately shout, “I’m not your guy, fwend!” then he has no business thinking of me as his friend or buddy. Because we’re not. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/18 "2013-02-12T20:27:21Z")
The “fuck” is silent… ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/19 "2013-02-12T21:00:32Z")
I generally don’t call anyone buddy, male or female. When I think of the term buddy, it has a different feel than friend. In general, it’s a much more casual type of relationship where you’re a buddy with someone for a narrow scope, like a drinking-buddy, a workout-buddy. Once you start hanging out with a drinking-buddy in other contexts, you’re not just friends. This is also why you can have fuck buddies but you never hear about fuck friends, because that’s better known as a girlfriend/boyfriend. That all said, it does still seem weird to think of a woman as a buddy, but then again, when I think of the sorts of relationships that I would consider calling buddies, they’re in contexts where they’re predominantly male activities, but even considering that, I do have a few so-called work-buddies or concert-buddies that are women, no workout-buddies that are though. Even still, I don’t actually call any of them buddy or really think of them as such, they just are who they are. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840/20 "2013-02-12T21:03:28Z")
She’s not your buddy, guy! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/males-calling-female-friends-buddy/649840.md?page=2)