Two questions:
1.) The American Heritage Dictionary’s sixth definition for the word ‘mistress’ is:
Now if I - an unmarried male - see a married woman from time to time (over a period of almost twenty years) and I don’t support her materially (gifts, yes - but no actual support) would she be my mistress? Or is there another term that is more appropriate?
- How should she refer to me? If she goes into a store, for instance, to exchange an item of clothing that I bought her as a gift and my name is on the credit card receipt, does she just explain that it was a gift purchased by a friend (that was my solution to her question). But in more intimate conversations with other women, how might she refer to me? Is there a somewhat more ambiguous term that she could use - a masculine version of ‘mistress’?
‘Lover’ just doesn’t sit well with me - it implies, to me, a primarily sexual relationship; and we’re too old, now, to refer to one another as ‘girlfriend’ and ‘boyfriend’…
I’m looking for an answer by March 30th… so there’s no big hurry…
Thanks, in advance,
-bbb-