# Question for men: Which noun do you prefer to be designated by? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 28, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108 "2012-09-28T04:53:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/1 "2012-09-28T04:53:11Z")
If you had to be referred to with a noun that specified your gender as an adult man (if you’re not adult yet, answer as if you were), how would you like to be designated? The option “a male” here refers only to the word as a noun, not an adjective: the noun pluralized as “males.” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/2 "2012-09-28T04:57:54Z")
In legal terms, “adult white male.” In looser terms, “that man over there.” In even more comfortable terms, “That guy. You know, the bloke with the eyeglasses. That goofy-looking jasper. The cob with the eyebrows. Tough wight to beat at Scrabble. Nice fellow if you stay away from sex, politics, and religion. A fun dude to hang with.” 'Sa problem, bub? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/3 "2012-09-28T05:31:51Z")
Duuuuuude. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/4 "2012-09-28T05:54:50Z")
It very much depends on who is doing the referring, and in what context. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/5 "2012-09-28T06:00:31Z")
mate, everyone in Australia is called mate even the sheilas! Although I am partial to being called a bloke, cobber or sexy pants ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/6 "2012-09-28T07:52:43Z")
None of those choices offend me. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/7 "2012-09-28T09:05:03Z")
This is very dependent on context. ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/8 "2012-09-28T09:33:41Z")
“testicle-haver” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/9 "2012-09-28T12:54:39Z")
I try to be a gentleman. Missing from that list is ‘Sir’. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/10 "2012-09-28T12:57:44Z")
Doesn’t it depend wholly on context? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/11 "2012-09-28T13:08:45Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It very much depends on who is doing the referring, and in what context. Exactly. None of the above would bother me much but a couple would sound weird in America. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/12 "2012-09-28T13:19:47Z")
“Guy”, though I nearly cast a write-in ballot for “studmuffin”. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/13 "2012-09-28T13:27:15Z")
It would be one cool groove to be called “cat” because that would probably mean I was about to be treated to some real hep jazz. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/14 "2012-09-28T13:52:10Z")
“Guy” is fine, but only if pronounced “Ghee”. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/15 "2012-09-28T13:58:54Z")
I prefer to be referred to as “God’s Gift to Women.” ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/16 "2012-09-28T14:14:45Z")
They are all fine, except perhaps for “boy” or “lad” which are pretty content specific. Here in the US of A, I’d tolerate those only from an Irishman or a Scot. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/17 "2012-09-28T14:39:21Z")
I chose ‘man’ because I am boring. Though the meaning of ‘gentleman’ includes ‘well-educated’ and ‘of a good family and distinction’, I do not act the part often. And when I do, I am acting. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/18 "2012-09-28T14:58:04Z")
Not boy or lad as I am neither and I would be weirded out if someone in casual conversation referred to me as a male. “You’re a male, what do you think of [male-related thing]”=weird. I really only like male and female in adjectival use. (And I don’t care what anyone says about using nouns as adjectives. Stop saying woman instead of female. She is not a woman doctor, a woman cop, a woman coach; she is a female doctor, cop or coach unless you would refer to him as a man nurse, a man teacher or a man receptionist which to my horror, I have seen some people begin to do.) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/19 "2012-09-28T14:59:24Z")
Gentleman or Sir. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108/20 "2012-09-28T15:03:18Z")
If someone calls me boy, chance are good that we’re going to have a problem. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-men-which-noun-do-you-prefer-to-be-designated-by/636108.md?page=2)