Disclaimer: the use of the term honey-butt may induce the spewing of liquid from unintended orifices.
Younger women that I know are generally offended by the use of boy/girlfriend. I think that they find it demeaning to the relationship. That I am somehow trying to insinuate that their significant other is the opposite of a lover. And, yes, I despise the SO term. Lover is creepy, even if accurate. Frankly, I find most terms other than boy/girlfriend to be lacking. "Gentleman caller" does have a nice genteel quality to it. "My +1" has the advantage of brevity. The best that I've heard is "my fella". Unfortunately, there is no good female substitute for fella/fellow. A lady fellow is, well, a fellow.
Wait, let me try it... I'd like you to meet my lady fellow. Nope.
Funny as always, especially the last panel. :) When I'm not sure if someone I know is "married" to their partner or not but I can assume they're in a committed relationship, I generally use the term Significant Other. Sometimes it is abbreviated to S.O.
2nd panel for the win! "... she ordered me to stop." Ain't it the truth!
My wife's german. I call her "meine Führerin", give her a hearty "ja vol!" and clack my heels before I follow her orders. She doesn't think that's too funny. Germans ... no sense of humor.
This comic just popped up in my RSS reader. I hadn't seen a comic of yours in a long time and figured you'd stopped making them. Turns out you hadn't stopped at all! Seems like I have a lot of catching up to do!
Do you have any idea why your RSS feed stopped working for, I think, several years?
I always thought "partner" sounded more like a business arrangement. There ought to be a nicer general name for it and personally I'd vote for "honey-butt".
I'm in the UK and I'd love to hear the BBC refer to the leader of the opposition party Ed Miliband and his honey-butt Justine.
I wonder what goes through a mans mind when he nicknames his significant other "honey butt". On second (and more vivid) thought, I withdraw the question!
omg, lol, that is good! I really need to read these before I go to work and sit at my desk. I wonder what health issues I am developing by not allowing my full laughter to be expressed?
This one made me laugh, since my partner and I have lived together almost a decade, but people still have trouble with terminology. If the person talking to me starts to stumble, or use too many weird euphemisms, then I just say, "Hey, we prefer the term 'Shacking Up'."
Since no one gets married in Sweden, they have a name for that - sambo. Maybe it can come over to English to join ombudsman and smörgåsbord.
Note from Scott: Yeah, ... I don't think referring to someone as your "sambo" is going to catch on in America anytime soon. (it's considered a racial slur here.)
A girl at work had a "sorta like a boyfriend" that she'd been dating off and on for 11 years (more off than on by the sound of it). He died in a motorcycle accident recently. That's been a confusing situation, because they never lived together or anything, and she seemed reluctant to even call him a "boyfriend" at their commitment level before the accident. She's been on two months leave grieving for him. I guess what irks me most is that my wife and I lost our baby last year, and I got 5 days off.
this one makes me think of the one-liner reviews they put at the end of movie trailers like "hilariously brilliant", "brilliantly hilarious" or "brilliant and hilarious". but seriously, this is great.
Partner - it's not so much that it makes us sound like Crockett ad Tubbs, more like Bert an Ernie, if you see what I mean? Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I sometimes like watching the response of others when I use the term and they are uncomfortable with the connotations.
Other terms used variously depending on context or mood - Significant Other, Better Half, Other Half, Her Indoors, The Finance Minister, My Good Lady, The Missus (even though she's not) and even occasionally, and equally falsely, the Wife!
November 7, 2010
Reader Comments (63)
Rerun? I still laughed...
Disclaimer: the use of the term honey-butt may induce the spewing of liquid from unintended orifices.
Younger women that I know are generally offended by the use of boy/girlfriend. I think that they find it demeaning to the relationship. That I am somehow trying to insinuate that their significant other is the opposite of a lover. And, yes, I despise the SO term. Lover is creepy, even if accurate. Frankly, I find most terms other than boy/girlfriend to be lacking. "Gentleman caller" does have a nice genteel quality to it. "My +1" has the advantage of brevity. The best that I've heard is "my fella". Unfortunately, there is no good female substitute for fella/fellow. A lady fellow is, well, a fellow.
Wait, let me try it... I'd like you to meet my lady fellow. Nope.
Brilliant summation of a true conversational awkwardness!
I still like "the woman you refuse to marry" from one of your earlier comics.
Once again, excellent stuff, keep it up!
This has just reappeared in my google reader feed after a gap of more than a year. Did I do something wrong, or has something changed?
wow! pure gold!
Funny as always, especially the last panel. :)
When I'm not sure if someone I know is "married" to their partner or not but I can assume they're in a committed relationship, I generally use the term Significant Other. Sometimes it is abbreviated to S.O.
Great gags, I LOLed on each panel.
But wow! The art looks different. Did you clean your pens? :)
- Joyce
Really good one this time! "I'm not comfortable with THAT." ha!
Back when we were co-habitating, I referred to my now-wife as my spouse equivalent.
2nd panel for the win! "... she ordered me to stop." Ain't it the truth!
My wife's german. I call her "meine Führerin", give her a hearty "ja vol!" and clack my heels before I follow her orders. She doesn't think that's too funny. Germans ... no sense of humor.
When in the mood for an awkward term I like to use "significant other" - 'cos it trips so lightly off the tongue.
so very, very true. this is a constant problem for me.
'other half' is fairly non-specific, though I imagine it's not to everyones taste.
What's with the on-again/off-again glasses?
This comic just popped up in my RSS reader. I hadn't seen a comic of yours in a long time and figured you'd stopped making them. Turns out you hadn't stopped at all! Seems like I have a lot of catching up to do!
Do you have any idea why your RSS feed stopped working for, I think, several years?
where is the logic?
where this world is coming to?
what for gods sake is the problem with first option? the name?
I always thought "partner" sounded more like a business arrangement. There ought to be a nicer general name for it and personally I'd vote for "honey-butt".
I'm in the UK and I'd love to hear the BBC refer to the leader of the opposition party Ed Miliband and his honey-butt Justine.
I can't be first, surely ? lol :) "Boss ?" LOL!
I wonder what goes through a mans mind when he nicknames his significant other "honey butt". On second (and more vivid) thought, I withdraw the question!
omg, lol, that is good! I really need to read these before I go to work and sit at my desk. I wonder what health issues I am developing by not allowing my full laughter to be expressed?
Mender of my hoodies... taper of my broken glasses... musser of my hair...
"She ordered me to stop." Ha!
You're in my mind D:
I have this same conversation with pretty much everyone I meet, even friends from my childhood.
"I tried that, but she ordered me to stop."
Priceless!
This one made me laugh, since my partner and I have lived together almost a decade, but people still have trouble with terminology. If the person talking to me starts to stumble, or use too many weird euphemisms, then I just say, "Hey, we prefer the term 'Shacking Up'."
Significant Other (my ex often called me an "Insignificant Other") the Other Half, Companion
Terms to Avoid: F*!k-Buddy, Ball & Chain (may lead to a discussion of your friend's genitals), That Bitch.
Since no one gets married in Sweden, they have a name for that - sambo. Maybe it can come over to English to join ombudsman and smörgåsbord.
Note from Scott: Yeah, ... I don't think referring to someone as your "sambo" is going to catch on in America anytime soon. (it's considered a racial slur here.)
A girl at work had a "sorta like a boyfriend" that she'd been dating off and on for 11 years (more off than on by the sound of it). He died in a motorcycle accident recently. That's been a confusing situation, because they never lived together or anything, and she seemed reluctant to even call him a "boyfriend" at their commitment level before the accident. She's been on two months leave grieving for him. I guess what irks me most is that my wife and I lost our baby last year, and I got 5 days off.
Marvellous!!! I really like the expression on that dude in the 3rd panel. XD
Panel 2: Bang-on to your typical power-positionning of any average couple
honey-butt it shall be.
"...but she ordered me to stop."
Love it.
this one makes me think of the one-liner reviews they put at the end of movie trailers like "hilariously brilliant", "brilliantly hilarious" or "brilliant and hilarious". but seriously, this is great.
Loved this one... every panel was a gem!
Panel 2 could go on forever...
Better half? Too Douche-y.
Woman? Too caveman.
Cohabitant? Too clinical.
Amazing. All of it.
Partner - it's not so much that it makes us sound like Crockett ad Tubbs, more like Bert an Ernie, if you see what I mean? Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I sometimes like watching the response of others when I use the term and they are uncomfortable with the connotations.
Other terms used variously depending on context or mood - Significant Other, Better Half, Other Half, Her Indoors, The Finance Minister, My Good Lady, The Missus (even though she's not) and even occasionally, and equally falsely, the Wife!
What is it with people not getting married? If you want to be treated like a couple Get Married!
@Soul of Wit The female equivalent of "fella" is "gal".