Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
“I admired the English immensely for all that they had endured, and they were certainly honorable, and stopped their cars for pedestrians, and called you “sir” and “madam,” and so on. But after a week there, I began to feel wild. It was those ruddy English faces, so held in by duty, the sense of “what is done” and “what is not done,” and always swigging tea and chirping, that made me want to scream like a hyena.”
Julia Child, from “My Life in France.”
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As DanaC mentions, it's pretty much unheard of for anyone to use 'sir' or 'madam', these days.
However, a few weeks ago I was out walking my canine guest when a runner approached from the opposite direction.
I wished him a 'Good morning' and he responded with 'Good morning, sir' which took me by surprise.
I think that he was from the nearby RAF station and they probably err on the side of caution and call everyone 'sir'.
I suppose it's a spin off from the old British Military dictum of 'If it moves, salute it. If it stands still, paint it'.
