Talk:mister

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Formatting[edit]

Connel, I am not sure the sample sentences are supposed to be italicized. All I found was an instruction, http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Entry_layout_explained that bolding be used on the main word. --HiFlyer 04:52, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Must've recently changed. I'll go take a closer look. Thanks for the heads-up. --Connel MacKenzie 05:30, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
Oh no, you are quite correct! Since late December, all my entries and been so malaigned. Thanks for setting me straight. --Connel MacKenzie 05:54, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
You are very welcome. And I thank you for doing the same for me in the past, and I'm sure you will in the future. That's part of what makes this such a terrific learning and growth experience, IMHO. We are all on the same team, tweaking these things until we crack the nut at its heart. "AJ" --HiFlyer 17:22, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
I think I will take this as a healthy reminder of what I'm about, in Wiktionary. If I'm not adding a definition, I probably should leave someone else's work alone. (I hope I am able to remember that!) Following examples of others here, I've gotten into the (bad) habit of reformatting other's articles ("for consistency") that really did not need any help...not out of malice or self-aggrandizement or anything; just trying to clean up articles. But there is enough to be done here without inadvertently insulting people by reformatting their work in the name of consistency. (If its really bad, someone will get around to it sooner or later.) And apart from politely informing a newcomer how to format an article, most people might be put off by article tweaks. I hope I never discourage input here - too much still needs to be done...every helping hand helps! --Connel MacKenzie 18:27, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Plural[edit]

I dispute misters as the plural form of mister. Does anyone have evidence for this usage, which could be added as an example? The commonly accepted plural, to my knowledge, is Messrs, derived from the French messieurs. (2.5 million English Google hits compared to half a million for misters, most of which appear to refer to water misters.) However, stricly speaking, this is an abbreviated form equivalent only to Mr, and I'm unsure how to add it since messieurs is not in common usage. --131.111.100.49 08:26, 28 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Foreign titles in Russian[edit]

In the Soviet and Russian literature and cinema, the terms Mr, Mrs, Miss, Sir, Ma'am, Gentleman, Monsieur, Madame, Herr, Frau, Signor were often transliterated, not translated literally. господин, госпожа, господа were used more often in more official situations and newspapers, or use interchangeably. It is still a bit different from other European languages where English Mister is translated into French Monsieur or German Herr. It is due to the lack of common address forms in Russian, which disappeared in the Soviet period and were only partially revived with the political reforms. Anatoli 03:40, 2 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

RFD discussion: October–December 2018[edit]

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a man in the middle of a scolding.

Isn't this just the use of the first definition (title conferred to an adult male)? It is common to use overly formal address when scolding, I don't think this warrents a separate definition any more than the sarcastic use of a word does. Kiwima (talk) 00:36, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]

It seems like the kind of thing that belongs in a usage note, not a separate sense.  --Lambiam 07:11, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]
I agree. Delete this sense. — SGconlaw (talk) 10:09, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Delete, but include information in a usage note, as it's not used where one would normally expect "mister." Andrew Sheedy (talk) 03:44, 3 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Delete, not a separate sense. Per utramque cavernam 10:25, 10 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Delete. Leasnam (talk) 04:43, 13 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Delete. ←₰-→ Lingo Bingo Dingo (talk) 11:00, 23 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps a usage note. Equinox 11:28, 23 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Deleted. Consensus is clear. bd2412 T 22:50, 5 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

husband[edit]

It's used to refer to a woman's husband or man partner, either by the woman or by another woman (sometimes offensive)
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009

--Backinstadiums (talk) 22:56, 31 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]

form of "Mr."[edit]

Used as the full form of the courtesy title "Mr" . Is it true the former is derived from the latter then? --Backinstadiums (talk) 14:23, 30 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

RFV discussion: February–April 2022[edit]

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  • (obsolete) Need (of something).
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “viij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book VII:
      And thenne the grene knyghte kneled doune
      and dyd hym homage with his swerd
      thenne said the damoisel me repenteth grene knyghte of your dommage
      and of youre broders dethe the black knyghte
      for of your helpe I had grete myster
      For I drede me sore to passe this forest
      Nay drede you not sayd the grene knyghte
      for ye shal lodge with me this nyghte
      and to morne I shalle helpe you thorou this forest
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  • (obsolete) Necessity; the necessary time.

Removed / moved to Middle English by Astova. J3133 (talk) 21:06, 19 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Seems to exist with both of these senses, but again, searching is challenging. This, that and the other (talk) 09:12, 20 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

cited Kiwima (talk) 11:05, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The "need" sense may be Scots only. Words such as mair and quhen are (questionably imho) given as English by us, but I would say the Philotus and Pinkerton texts are Scots. I'm no expert though. Do we have Scots editor(s)? This, that and the other (talk) 01:32, 22 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

RFV-passed Kiwima (talk) 06:44, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Literary dialect variant JMGN (talk) 16:44, 28 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]