# The Word DEAR As A Salutation......

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-dear-as-a-salutation/101312>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 2, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-dear-as-a-salutation/101312 "2002-04-02T01:23:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-dear-as-a-salutation/101312/1 "2002-04-02T01:23:08Z")

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…in a **business** letter, kinda bugs me, how about y’all?

I shouldn’t be **DEAR** to them! I prob’ly don’t even **know** them! The only **DEAR** I know is my ex who has now married someone else, and she **used** to be known as …well… certainly not\*\*“DEAR”\*\*.

The Germans say “Sehr Geehrter or Sehr Geehrte” (“Most Honored Sir or Madam”)

How come **we** can’t say that stuff?

If I owed a bill and was late, it might make me pay up a a lot quicker!

This has got **TomnDeb** written all over it, I just know it! 😃

('Course it might just be my **anal** side showing;))  
Quasi

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**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:** [April 2, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-dear-as-a-salutation/101312/2 "2002-04-02T04:53:40Z")

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**Quasimodem** , just get over it already.

Miss Manners says the literal meaning of _dear_ has nothing to do with its use in writing letters. It’s just the way that letters are written, that’s all. It had no other meaning.  
I have to agree with her and instead of useless fretting over something that doesn’t matter, I just deal with it. I happily write “Dear” at the beginning of every letter regardless of how much I like or don’t like the addressee. It shows that I’m a competent letter writer, that’s all.

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-dear-as-a-salutation/101312/3 "2002-04-02T15:47:18Z")

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Dear Quasimodem’s anal side,

The fact that I’ve addressed your buttock in an affectionate manner makes my Elsa Clench too. If’n it’s all right with you, from now on I will start memorandum to yerself with a simple “Gentlemen”, “Sir”, or “Hey Oedipus, what’s happenin’ motherfucker?”.

I hope this agreement will be satisfactory to your bad self.

Sincerely and with the greatest deal of respect,

Your humble servant… lieu.