dear/dearie
already in 1687 playwright Aphra Behn was protesting, "Dear me no Dears, Sir." These terms are patronizing and inappropriate when used by a man or a woman to someone (most often a woman) who has not given permission to be so addressed. These terms especially do not belong in the workplace or in social interactions with strangers where the lower-power person must tolerate an unwanted and insincere intimacy. More than 20 years ago, the Ford Motor Company advised its dealers, "Never call a would-be buyer 'honey' or 'dear.'" (In service establishments where women are called "dear" or "honey," men are called "sir.")
